Harlequin Desire June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Katherine Garbera

  It wasn’t that Sienna couldn’t be bothered to shop or spend time becoming a more glamorous version of herself; it was more that she hated being compared to her thinner, beautiful, fashion-forward sister. But was this even an issue anymore? They were no longer in school where every second of every day their peers offered brutal critiques and doled out humiliation.

  Buying clothes that flattered her figure and made her feel feminine and happy, followed by seeing Ethan’s reaction to her appearance, Sienna knew she’d undergone a fashion revolution. But although she couldn’t imagine reverting back to her conservative, well-made suits and monochromatic color palette, she couldn’t abandon them altogether.

  She selected a couple outfits suitable for meeting Ethan’s family and dinners out as well as some more casual things for daytime. After their first moonlight kiss, she’d indulged in some truly luxurious lingerie, and carefully packed every silky item in her new suitcase. She intended to be prepared in case being all alone with Ethan for several days led to something happening between them.

  Immediately her body was awash in anticipation, but Sienna took herself in hand. Ethan would be totally focused on meeting his birth mother. The last thing he would be thinking about would be sex with her. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from hoping that he’d turn to her if the weekend became emotionally overwhelming. And she planned to welcome him with open arms.

  * * *

  Ethan picked Sienna up at his grandfather’s house a little after five. During the two-hour drive from Charleston to Savannah, Sienna watched the landscape flow by and didn’t once complain about Ethan’s silence. Now, as they neared Savannah, his sense of urgency was transforming into anxiety. Since discovering his birth mother wanted to find him, he’d been focused on meeting her as soon as possible. Now he felt the first inklings of doubt holding him back.

  When the sign for the Georgia state line flashed by, Ethan realized he had a death grip on the steering wheel. He flexed his fingers and blew out a long, slow breath.

  “Are you okay?”

  “For years I thought my mother gave me up, and now I find out she had no idea I was even alive. I didn’t acknowledge how angry I was about not being wanted by her until I was notified about the match and now...” He clamped his lips together, recoiling from the wild churn of emotion that swept over him.

  The wide expanse of Little Black River appeared ahead of them, its wind-ruffled surface sparkling with early evening sunlight. Bright shards lanced into his eyes, making them water. He blinked rapidly and cleared his vision.

  “Now?” she prompted.

  “I’m still mad,” he went on, “but also relieved. And anxious. There’s something troubling in why she thought I was dead and I’m not sure what sort of a situation I’m walking into.”

  Recognizing his distress, Sienna squeezed his arm in a friendly manner. Her touch galvanized him and without thinking, Ethan reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers. The contact immediately soothed his unease.

  “I’m sure she has a lot of story to tell.”

  He was grateful for her knack for reading his moods and going with the flow. Just one of several things about her he appreciated. He wondered if she had any idea that during the drive, when he wasn’t brooding, he’d been eyeballing the impressive amount of silky leg and cleavage bared by her flirty red-and-white polka-dot wrap dress and pondering how quickly he could get her out of it once they arrived.

  “Do you want to stop for dinner before we get to where we’re staying?” he asked, a hefty dose of lust lightening his mood. “Or settle in, and then go out?”

  “There’s a third option,” she said, pausing for emphasis. “We could order room service.”

  He cleared his throat. “Actually, I had my assistant rent us a house, so I’m afraid we’re fending for ourselves.” He’d been eager to have Sienna all to himself without the awkwardness of public hallways and electronic door locks. “I thought you’d enjoy being in the historic district and as it happens, my birth mother’s home is within walking distance.”

  “I can’t wait to explore.” Her warm tone gave no hint of reluctance or concern. “Since we’ll have a kitchen, why don’t we pick up groceries so I can fix us something.”

  He liked the idea that she wanted to cook for him. The domesticity felt oddly intimate. “That sounds good.”

  Ethan gave her the address of the house where they were staying and Sienna used her phone to search for the nearest place to buy what they needed. She located a grocery store and began navigating. Her initiative intrigued him. The women he dated expected him to plan and execute everything. In contrast, Sienna demonstrated she was accustomed to doing things on her own. Being with her felt more like a partnership and he enjoyed sharing responsibility with her.

  After the grocery stop, they drove through the historic district toward Forsyth Park and their accommodations.

  “Did you ever consider coming here for college?” He indicated a sign for Savannah College of Art and Design.

  “New York’s School of Visual Arts was my first pick, but I actually applied to SCAD as well as several other art schools around the country. SCAD is a great school and what they’ve done to revitalize Savannah is really impressive, but I am a New York City girl at heart.”

  Ethan was still pondering her remark as he escorted Sienna up the front walk of the home his assistant had rented for them. He’d been so caught up in the anxiety of meeting his birth mother that he hadn’t considered that Sienna would be heading back to New York after their time in Savannah was done. Her leaving meant Teagan would no longer have the advantage of a spy at her disposal. He should’ve felt relief. Instead, the thought of not seeing Sienna every day filled him with dismay.

  Had she told her sister about the reason for their trip to Savannah despite his specific request to keep the matter quiet? It had been a test. If Sienna spilled his secret, he would know exactly what she was made of and that she couldn’t be trusted. He had yet to consider what he’d do if she kept his confidence.

  “This is a lot of space for just the two of us,” she remarked as they entered the expansive foyer, carrying the groceries and their bags.

  The rental was a three-thousand-square-foot historic house across from Forsyth Park, a block down from the landmark fountain, one of the most famous sights in Savannah. Given Sienna’s love of all things that gave a city its character, he was looking forward to viewing Savannah through her eyes.

  “I wanted to make sure you were in the middle of everything.”

  They found a chef’s kitchen at the back of the house and while Sienna put the groceries away, Ethan took their luggage upstairs. Not knowing which of the four bedrooms she’d choose, he left their bags on the landing at the top of the stairs before heading back down. He found Sienna in the living room, perusing one of the guidebooks on Savannah left by the property owner for visitors.

  “I did a little reading up before we came.” She flashed him a wry smile when he snorted. “And while you’re with your family, I will have plenty to keep me occupied.”

  “About that. I thought maybe you’d come with me to meet my mother. And afterward we can go play tourist.” Seeing her surprise at his invitation, he rushed on. “There are a couple graveyards if you’re into that as well as several historic buildings and lots to see near the river.”

  “You didn’t come here to sightsee,” she reminded him.

  “No, but I do so enjoy showing you around.”

  “Have you spent much time in Savannah?”

  Her question awakened him to the fact that he had family here. Family he hadn’t known existed until now. Realizing that he had been so close several times in his life to the mother who gave birth to him sent a chill over his skin.

  “I’ve been here a couple times. Once for a wedding and once to apply for an internship during college.”

  She loo
ked at him in surprise. “An internship? I would’ve thought that you only worked at Watts Shipping.”

  “That’s basically true. When my older brother followed his passion for computers and started his cybersecurity company it naturally fell to me to step into the family business.”

  She studied him for a long moment. “Was there something else you wanted to do?”

  Was she searching for insight to pass along to her sister? Ethan shoved aside his suspicions for the moment.

  “Honestly, I never had the chance to consider if I was passionate about pursuing something different.”

  “Because no one else in your family showed any interest in Watts Shipping?”

  “Something like that.”

  While it was true that he’d toyed with the idea of not working for the family business, in the end, he knew that others were depending on him. The burden of that had sat heavily on his shoulders for most of his twenties. He pondered his fury over Teagan’s plans to take Watts Shipping away from him. How ironic that once he’d stopped resisting the future that had been prescribed for him, a challenger would come along and threaten to usurp a job that he wasn’t completely sure he wanted.

  And now he’d learned that his blood relatives owned a family business of their own. Maybe there was a place for him there. If so, Ethan could stop worrying about Teagan and explore whatever was happening between him and Sienna.

  “Shall we go upstairs and figure out where we’re going to sleep?”

  He hadn’t meant for the question to electrify the atmosphere between them, but suddenly he was imagining her beneath him on the bed, naked and eager. The look she shot at him sent blood pounding through his body.

  “Ethan.”

  It was just his name, yet the sound of her voice, half worried, half entreaty, went through him like an electric charge. He slid his arm around her waist, drawing her against him.

  “What are we going to do about this?” he asked, dipping his head to nuzzle the sensitive flesh behind her ear.

  She shivered as his lips coasted over her skin. “What do you want to do?”

  “I’d like to take you upstairs and spend the rest of the night making you come.” He cupped her breast, savoring the full curve. “What do you say?”

  “I say...let’s go.”

  Her hesitation, slight as it was, caused him to lift his head and stare down at her expression. “If you’re not sure, I understand.”

  “It isn’t that I don’t want you or this.” She pressed her hand over his where it rested on her breast and offered up a slow smile.

  “But?” he prompted.

  “I just want...” The vulnerability shining in her blue-gray eyes looked entirely genuine. “To be more than a...distraction.”

  He snorted. “You’ve been a distraction from the moment you stepped out of the car on that first day.” Something her sister had recognized and was probably trying to capitalize on. Ethan tamped down his suspicions and focused on the heat building in his body. “In the best way possible.”

  “Oh.”

  Her dazed expression was so enchanting that for a second Ethan wondered if he was wrong to be suspicious. She’d have to be one hell of an actress to affect guilelessness this long without a single slip.

  Well, there was one way he could figure her out. Scooping her into his arms, he headed toward the stairs.

  EIGHT

  With her stomach in free fall, Sienna wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck and let herself get swept up. They’d been moving toward this moment since he sat down beside her on the front steps of his grandfather’s house. Her chest tightened, limiting the amount of air she could pull into her lungs. She knew it was foolish to feel as if she’d known him forever when in fact, they had met less than a week ago. Yet she found herself reading his mind and noticing every shift of emotion that crossed his expression.

  He set her down beside the bed and gave the bow of her wrap dress a gentle tug. The garment fell open as the belt came undone, exposing the satin and lace she wore beneath it. He eased the fabric off her shoulders and sent the dress arcing across the room toward the chair in the corner.

  Dipping his head, he grazed his lips over her earlobe, and rumbled, “You are so damn gorgeous.”

  Men had called her beautiful before, but she took their words with a grain of salt. Ethan’s compliment sent vivid emotions blazing through her. Her desperate need to believe him made her surrender her power. She could only hope he’d handle her with care.

  She began to unbutton his shirt, eager to explore all the muscle rippling beneath his warm skin. While she worked, he popped the buttons on his cuffs so that by the time she slipped the last one free, his shirt just slid off his shoulders and landed on the floor. With both of them breathing a little hard, they stared at each other for several seconds.

  “This is happening,” she murmured, her heart climbing into her throat.

  His eyebrows rose. “If that’s what you want.”

  Was he seriously giving her an out? Sienna had never been more obsessed about having sex with anyone. When it occurred to her he probably didn’t feel the same way, she took a half step back. Was she making too much of this moment?

  “Of course it is.” Suddenly, she was shivering in the air-conditioned space, awash in discomfort as she stood before him in the silk lingerie she’d purchased with him in mind. “Unless you don’t want to.”

  With a husky laugh he eased his palms along the delicate fabric, riding the curve of her hip and indent of her waist. Up and up to the outer curve of her breasts. She’d forgone a bra and his thumbs whisked over her hard nipples, eliciting a low cry.

  “I’ll always want to.”

  Always struck her as a definitive word, suggesting something more complicated than scratching a sexual itch. Panic fluttered in the back of her mind like a trapped bird. This was just supposed to be an easy and fun romp before she went back to New York City.

  Shutting down her mind, she lifted one hand to his sun-bronzed biceps and flattened her other palm over his heart. “Make love to me, Ethan.”

  He stroked the thin straps of her slip off her shoulder. The silky fabric caught on her full breasts so she shimmied and wiggled until it reached her hips, baring her torso to his greedy gaze. He ducked his head and grazed his lips over her nipple. Her back arched as he ran his tongue in a circle around the tight bud.

  Sienna spread her fingers and sifted them into his thick hair, using the grip to keep her balance as he kissed his way along the slope of one breast and into the valley of her cleavage before making the ascent on the other side. This time, instead of lightly teasing her nipple, he drew it into his mouth, teeth scraping gently against the sensitive flesh, tongue swirling. The suction made her groan with pleasure. The sound transformed into a whimper as he stroked his fingers into the dampness between her thighs, parting her folds so he could tease her entrance.

  “You okay?” he murmured, his drawl thick with pleasure as his lips coasted along her neck.

  “Good. Great.” She gasped, rocking against his hand, feverish to feel him inside her. “More.”

  “Like this?”

  His fingers plunged inside her, catapulting her back to those moments on the boat when he made her come. She arched her back and welcomed his invasion. Tonight there would be no one to interrupt them.

  His strokes became a pattern, a slow thrust of his fingers, a sweep around her clit, followed by another deep penetration. Each circuit drove her desire higher, stole all rational thought, made her wild. She clung to his shoulders, writhing against his hand, a shrill keening breaking from her throat as the torture became unrelenting pleasure.

  And then the dam burst and the climax hit her. She quaked as wave after wave of ecstasy pummeled her. Electrical charges short-circuited her muscles. Her knees gave way and only Ethan’s strong arm around her waist kept he
r upright. Brushing sexy kisses over her lips, he eased them both toward the bed. As the backs of her legs touched the solid surface, she sat down with an awkward “oof” and released a wild chuckle.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, peering down at her.

  “I’m better than okay.” She set her heels on the mattress and lifted her hips to move her slip from beneath her, snagging her silk panties with her thumb as she did so and sliding everything down her thighs, leaving herself utterly, wantonly naked. “Or I will be when you come here.”

  * * *

  Ethan hadn’t spent the entire time ogling Sienna as she’d stripped. After his own pants had hit the floor, he’d stooped to fish out the condom he’d stashed in his pocket. When he straightened and lifted his gaze to find Sienna reclining like some exotic goddess waiting for her human subject to pleasure her, he could do little more than gape.

  “Ethan?” She blinked in concern as she looked at him. “Are you okay?”

  With the condom clutched between his fingers, he dropped to his knees beside the bed, settled his shoulders between her parted legs and stared at the glorious untamed bush at the apex of her thighs. The women he knew trimmed and waxed to such an extreme that he’d forgotten how glorious their natural beauty could be.

  “You are gorgeous,” he murmured, trailing his fingers over her. “This is a total turn-on.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’m going to make you come again.”

  With a surprised bark of laughter, which turned into a sharp cry as he ran his tongue through her hot, damp core, Sienna gave herself over to his mastery. Quicker than he imagined possible, she came a second time, harder than the first. As she lay like a rag doll, limp except for the agitated rise and fall of her chest, Ethan shifted onto the bed and covered her with his body. With a smile, he brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.

  “I think making you come is the highlight of my day.”