Harlequin Desire June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Katherine Garbera

  “The service found a match.” He exhaled, surprised how shaky he felt. “For me. A family member wants to make contact. If I agree, the testing service will make our email addresses available to each other.”

  Through his daze, Ethan noticed Sienna scrutinizing his expression and immediately wondered if he’d just made a huge mistake. No doubt she was already dying to run to Teagan with the information so they could plot how best to use it to oust him from Watts Shipping.

  “That’s good news, right?” she said, nothing but concern in her voice.

  “I guess.” He met her gaze, fearing his stark confusion was on full display. “I didn’t see this coming.”

  “But you took a test. Didn’t you think you’d make a connection?”

  “It’s been months. I didn’t imagine that I’d connect with anyone.” He paused, letting that sink in for a moment, before finishing, “After all this time.”

  “I get it.” And no doubt she did, having experienced her sister’s recent discovery about her connection to the Watts family. “Teagan had been in the database for almost two years before she found you guys.”

  Sienna squeezed Ethan’s hand. Her show of solicitude appeared genuine and part of him welcomed her comfort. But a stronger impulse warned him to reject her reassurance. He couldn’t appear weak. When he stiffened, Sienna frowned, but maintained her firm hold. Her solace pained him. How could he accept her help when he didn’t trust her?

  “Sorry,” he murmured. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  And he wasn’t accustomed to sharing his true self with anyone. Much less exposing his innermost fears to someone he shouldn’t trust.

  “Of course it is.” Her gaze softened. “I imagine your head is spinning right now.”

  He forced his lips into a smile, resenting her compassion even as it warmed him. “It is.”

  “If you need a sympathetic ear to hear you out, I have some idea what you’re going through.”

  They’d only just met, yet she obviously hoped he’d bare his soul to her. That was brazen of her. Why didn’t she assume he’d save his confidences for his family? Yet when he considered how upset his mother and father would be when they discovered he’d been searching for his blood relatives, Ethan realized that having a neutral person to talk to might be helpful. Not that Sienna was a disinterested party. He needed to worry what she’d share with Teagan.

  “Maybe tomorrow,” he heard himself saying, troubled by the temptation to confide in her. “I need some time to wrap my head around things.”

  “Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be there for you.”

  Ethan blew out his breath as emotions buffeted him. “You know,” he began slowly, measuring his words. “I never thought about how this must’ve been for Teagan. Or maybe I didn’t want to think about it.”

  Sienna paused before answering, as if carefully preparing her response. “It’s been a roller coaster of a few months,” she admitted. “I think it’s the fear of the unknown that worried her so much in the beginning.”

  “That was a concern for our family, as well. You know about Lia’s and my role in that.” Guilt flashed through him. He rubbed his eyes. “It caused a lot of confusion and no small amount of heartache when the truth came out. And then we found out about Teagan.” He heaved a sigh. “Once the initial proof determined she was Ava’s daughter, our family was excited that we’d found her at last, but wary, as well.”

  “Your mother said you’d been searching for her for a long time.”

  “Years and years. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to us to try a genetic testing service sooner.”

  “Maybe you didn’t expect that Teagan would be looking for you in return.”

  “Why was she looking?”

  “After our father made it clear that he wanted our brother to run Burns Properties, Teagan became determined to find her biological family. I think it was the first time she got a taste of what it felt to be snubbed.” She covered her mouth, eyes widening as if regretting the disloyal remark. “It was a stressful journey for her, but I know she’s really happy to find you all.”

  “It’s been good for us.” Beneath his lighthearted response was a deep well of melancholy he’d kept hidden. “Being able to bring her back to the family has given my grandfather a great deal of peace.”

  “It’s none of my business and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what prompted you to look for your biological family?”

  “You mean after all this time? Why now?”

  Sienna nodded. “Was it because your family was so determined to find your missing cousin?”

  “I guess seeing the happy ending that we got with Teagan made me think my own could be just as good.”

  “But now you’re not sure?”

  “It’s definitely a step into the unknown.” He was shocked by the acute fear twisting in his gut. It was clear that he’d assumed the genetic testing service was a long shot and hadn’t prepared for the potential heartache of learning the reasons he’d been rejected by his birth mother.

  And was he afraid of who she might be? In Teagan’s case, she’d been adopted by one of Manhattan’s wealthiest and most influential families and found out her birth family was equally powerful in Charleston. How would she have felt if she’d been the daughter of a couple of nobodies who could cause her embarrassment? Teagan’s businesses thrived because of her public image. Negative publicity from some deadbeat relatives could become problematic.

  Ethan might not have those same concerns, but he did have a lot of money. If his birth family wasn’t well off, meeting Ethan might be akin to finding out they had a relative who’d won the lottery. They might all descend on him with their hands out.

  “As for why I started looking,” he continued, “it’s like I’m out of sync with the rest of my family. Nothing concrete has happened and I can’t point to what prompted me to feel as if I don’t belong.”

  This time when Sienna attempted to soothe him, he didn’t resist. In fact, he was thinking the best way to escape the heavy emotions weighing him down would be to re-create the moment earlier when she’d come hard and fast beneath his touch.

  “I would never claim to understand the emotions an adopted child or adult might experience,” she said, her blue-gray eyes the quiet sea after a storm. “But I’m not a stranger to feeling like an ugly duckling among a family of swans.”

  “Something else that’s been bothering me since submitting the test,” Ethan said, “is what if they weren’t looking for me? What if it was just some random test that they took because they were curious about their genealogy? What if they had no idea that they were going to connect with someone?”

  “You won’t know until you contact them,” Sienna said. “But I’m sure no matter what caused them to be in the database, they can’t be anything but thrilled to welcome you into their family.”

  In any case, the genie was well and truly out of the bottle. And instead of clamping down on his inner turmoil and presenting a confident facade to Sienna, he’d given her a significant glimpse of his fear.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  SIX

  Sienna was a little surprised when Ethan insisted on taking her to dinner in the aftermath of learning he was on the verge of connecting with his birth relatives. He took her to the Peninsula Grill where they sat across from each other in a cozy booth beside a hand-painted mural of a low-country rice harvest, sipped coconut cake martinis and ate oyster stew with mushrooms and grits.

  Although he seemed mostly present as they chatted about southern cooking, Charleston’s history and Sienna’s plans to visit the Old Slave Mart Museum the following day, Sienna could tell his attention wavered numerous times during the meal. So, after vacillating between the restaurant’s famous coconut cake and key lime pie, finally settling on the latter, Sienna decided to address the elephant in
the room.

  “I know earlier we talked about continuing our evening in a more private setting,” she began, heat flooding her cheeks as she replayed their sexy encounter on the boat. “But I think you’ve got a lot on your mind and I should probably head back to the estate.”

  “I do and you deserve nothing less than my full attention.”

  Despite her disappointment with how the evening was ending, Sienna’s lips twitched into a half smile when he took her hand as they exited the restaurant. After their companionable conversation over dinner, both Ethan and Sienna were silent during the short drive back to his grandfather’s home.

  For her part, Sienna was keenly aware of his strength and temptingly masculine scent. As they neared the estate, she was on the verge of saying to hell with her earlier decision and begging him to find them a quiet spot to make out when they reached the driveway and the chance slipped away.

  Gallant as always, Ethan walked her up the stairs to the front door and punched in the code that unlocked it. Sienna hesitated before entering, her nerves popping and zinging as she wondered if he’d kiss her good-night.

  “I’m really glad you came to Charleston,” he said, his heartfelt tone surprising her.

  Her stomach fluttered. “You are such a charmer,” she said, retreating into flirty banter.

  “I mean it.”

  She gave an awkward chuckle. “I’d better go in before I say something foolish and awkward.” She’d hoped her teasing would summon one of his heart-stopping smiles, and there it was.

  “Like what?”

  A breeze caught her hair, blowing strands across her face. With her expression concealed, she summoned the courage to speak her heart. “I like you.”

  “I like you, too.” Ethan swept her hair behind her ears, and then cupped her face. “A whole lot.”

  Sienna counseled herself not to overthink it as his lips claimed hers in a kiss of such directness and determined passion that her whole body came to life. She moaned as her muscles melted, but before things escalated too far, he broke off the kiss.

  “Thanks for dinner,” she murmured, setting her hand on the door handle. “And if you want to talk about what came up today...let me know.”

  “About that,” Ethan began, a frown appearing. “Can you not mention that I might’ve found my birth family?”

  “Of course.” She was a little shocked that he believed she’d share such an intimate and personal revelation. On the other hand, given his close-knit family, no doubt they had trouble keeping things from each other. “I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone.”

  Sienna was in a thoughtful mood as she trudged up the stairs to her room on the third floor. As she replayed all that had happened in the last few hours, her mind and body tugged her attention in opposite directions. She couldn’t settle on what to process first. Although Ethan’s discovery about his birth family was by far the safer topic for her to ponder, that incredible kiss on the boat continued to reverberate through her body, filling her with anxiety and eagerness.

  The strong attraction between them promised the sex would be fantastic, but with everything he now had going on, she was left to wonder if they’d go out again. And when that happened, how she could make sure next time they’d end up at his house alone?

  Suddenly, she was imagining her hands sliding over Ethan’s broad chest, her lips gliding down the strong column of his throat. Would he groan when she played with his nipples? Lose his mind when she wrapped her lips around his erection?

  “You’re home early.”

  Caught up in her lusty thoughts, Sienna yelped when she entered her room, not realizing Teagan had come up behind her. Her sister crossed to the love seat beneath the window and sprawled on it. Disappointment flooded Sienna. She’d been looking forward to some time alone to relax and fantasize about Ethan. With her sister curiously regarding her, Sienna slammed the door on her emotions lest Teagan figure out a way to use them to her advantage.

  “What are you doing up here?” Sienna asked, dropping her clutch onto the bed and kicking off her heels.

  “Looking for you.” Teagan swung her feet off the love seat and patted the empty space beside her. “Come tell me all about your dates with Ethan.”

  Sienna’s blood froze. “They weren’t dates.”

  “So we did all this for nothing?” Teagan said skeptically, pointing her finger at Sienna and tracing random squiggles in the air to indicate the makeover. “Tell me, does he like your new look?”

  “I guess.” Her heartbeat sped up as she recalled his long, slow perusal of her new dress and the way his attention had lingered over her legs, cleavage and lips.

  “You guess.” Teagan’s drawl said she wasn’t fooled by her sister’s stab at indifference. “Is that why you’re turning red? Because you only guess he liked your new look?” When Sienna just stared at her, Teagan gave a throaty laugh. “As for it not being a date, let’s talk about that, shall we? You went out for dinner.”

  “Yes, but he was just being friendly since you were going out with the twins.”

  Teagan arched an eyebrow. “It’s nearly eleven. I’m sure you haven’t been eating all this time. So, what did you do after dinner?”

  “We talked a bit. He took me for a walk down to the waterfront. The city is just as beautiful at night as it is during the day.”

  “And did he kiss you?”

  Sienna rolled her eyes as if this was a ridiculous question, but saw from her sister’s broadening grin that Teagan wasn’t fooled.

  “From your blush I’d say he did kiss you. Did it curl your toes? Or did you do one of those rom-com foot lifts?”

  When Siena stared blankly at her sister, Teagan leaped to her feet and pantomimed lifting one foot off the ground while her arms were wrapped around an invisible lover.

  Had she? To be fair it was possible. Her whole body stopped behaving rationally the instant his lips touched hers. As for curling her toes... There was no question in her mind that his kisses had done many disquieting things to her anatomy.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “You like him.” Part glee, part taunt, Teagan’s declaration plowed into Sienna like a runaway train.

  “He’s very nice. And so different from the men I meet in Manhattan.” Or anywhere else for that matter. Even before Teagan and the twins had taken her shopping or Poppy had cut and highlighted her hair, Ethan had treated her like a woman he was interested in getting to know better.

  “Is it that smooth Southern drawl of his? I’ll bet it’s persuaded more than a few women to do naughty things.” Teagan looked like she was enjoying herself a little too much at her sister’s expense. “Or his charming manners that hide the fact that he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing?”

  These reminders of Ethan’s player reputation seemed at odds with Teagan’s earlier matchmaking. Did her sister want Sienna and Ethan to get together or not?

  “I think it’s the fact that he doesn’t rush me about anything,” Sienna said. “The way he takes his time allows me to relax. But I think the best thing is that he never tries to compete with me. He just let me talk and talk. Nobody does that.”

  “You talked?” Teagan made no effort to hide her surprise. “That’s not like you.”

  It irritated Sienna that her sister assumed her reserve was part of her nature instead of a reaction to their dynamic. From the moment Teagan had arrived in the Burns household, Sienna had been relegated to the background. Teagan commanded everyone’s attention and had no qualms about overshadowing anyone who tried to be noticed.

  “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think,” Sienna murmured.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Teagan declared, all frivolity fading from her manner. “You are an open book to me.”

  “Really?” Sienna made no effort to hide her scorn. Teagan was far too consumed with her own issues to bother w
ith her sister’s complex inner world. “So you know what I’ve been going through these last few months since you found out you were related to the Wattses?”

  “You were happy for me.”

  Something strong and dark rose up in Sienna, a wave of anger and sadness that shocked her with its intensity. “That was only part of it.”

  “What else?” Teagan asked, looking completely baffled.

  Sienna sucked in a steadying breath and let it out slowly. “I was worried about losing you.”

  “Why?”

  “You’d been obsessed with finding your birth family for so long, and then you found them.” Sienna was conflicted about opening up and telling her sister how much she loved her. What if Teagan brushed aside the confession as if it didn’t matter? “You wouldn’t need me anymore.”

  “That would never happen,” Teagan assured her, flopping back onto the love seat. “You are my sister. That will never change.”

  “I know that.” But deep in her heart lurked that niggling bit of envy at how quickly Teagan had bonded with her Shaw cousins. The three women didn’t just look alike, they were outgoing, shared a love of fashion and enjoyed being social.

  “So let’s get back to you and Ethan. Are you going to sleep with him?”

  “Teagan!” Sienna felt her cheeks heat. Confiding in her sister about Ethan would be extremely foolish. “I like him, but that’s as far as it goes.”

  “Well, if you decide to take it further, know that I am wholeheartedly on your side. You are so serious and I think he’d be good for you.” Teagan sounded completely genuine. “And since I’m planning on staying in Charleston, it would be nice to have someone besides me to visit whenever you come back to town.”

  This reminder that her sister intended on taking Watts Shipping away from Ethan dimmed Sienna’s good mood. “Anything between Ethan and me won’t survive if you succeed in becoming the CEO at his company.”

  “One has nothing to do with the other,” Teagan said, her dismissal coming fast and hard.