Harlequin Desire June 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Katherine Garbera

  In the grasp of a powerful climax, she’d been absolutely breathtaking. And nothing compared to knowing that he’d been the one to give her pleasure. To drive her into that white-hot orgasm. And she trusted him enough to let go completely.

  “How about we see if that’s true for me, too?”

  She trailed her soft lips along his neck, fanning the fire raging in his veins. Her tongue flicked against the racing pulse in his throat as she slid her fingers over his hip and grazed his erection. The woman was killing him. Half-dizzy from the sensation, he ground his teeth together and fought to keep from erupting like some newbie with his first girlfriend.

  Breathing hard, he swooped down and captured her lips, letting lust consume him as he held her round rear end tight in his palms. The throbbing in his shaft grew worse as he slid down to pay homage to her spectacular breasts, enjoying the frantic sounds emanating from her throat.

  “No more,” she moaned, suddenly levering herself up on her elbows and grabbing the condom he’d left on the mattress beside her. “Put this on. I want you inside me.” Her urgent, sexy words made him smile.

  “If you’re sure...”

  “So sure.”

  His hands weren’t all together steady as he sheathed himself. She watched his every move and the light scrape of her fingernails along his thigh drove him to distraction. As soon as he finished, she wrapped her fingers around his erection and the sensation of her strong grip sliding over him made him grit his teeth.

  Ethan settled between her thighs. His lips grazed hers. She plunged her tongue forward, stroking deep inside his mouth. A series of deep, drugging kisses followed. Ethan lost himself in their connection, restraining the lust pounding through his veins, wanting to build her pleasure once more to make their joining perfect.

  But her frantic gyrations slowly ate away at his willpower. He settled his forearms on either side of her head, raising himself to a plank position over her. He needed to see her face, to reassure himself she was all in. Their eyes met and he saw the desire flickering in her blue-gray depths. With nothing more holding him back, he guided his shaft forward. Positioning himself against her entrance, he nudged the blunt head of his erection against her tight heat.

  “Now, Ethan,” she gasped, flexing her hips in hungry supplication.

  Muscles straining, he eased inside her, feeling her tightness expand to accommodate him. Inch by inch he moved, sliding deeper into heaven.

  “This is so good.” He needed her to know how amazing she felt.

  “Oh, hell yes,” she exclaimed, her lashes lifting, fingers digging into his skin.

  Finally seated deep inside her, he grazed her lips with his. “I’ve never needed this more.”

  “Me neither.”

  Need roared to life, demanding he move. He pulled back, feeling her inner muscles tighten on him, resisting his withdrawal. Just as smoothly, he thrust into her once more, memorizing her impassioned gasp, knowing it would belong to him forever.

  “You like this?” he asked, leaning down to nip at her earlobe.

  Her body quaked, muscles clamping down on him once again as he drove into her with more vigorous movements.

  “Oh, yes.”

  “You like how it feels to have me inside you?”

  “So much,” she panted as he continued to drive into her. “I like it... So, so much.”

  The sounds she made as he withdrew and pushed forward again made his chest ache. Why did it have to be Sienna he felt this way about? She was everything he’d ever wanted and the timing couldn’t be worse. Yet as they strained together toward their fulfilment and Sienna’s focus never shifted from his face, Ethan was sure his expression exposed everything he was feeling. But instead of retreating, he let her have it all, showing every emotion from worry to joy to deepest appreciation.

  “Oh.”

  Sienna tensed, her muscles quaking as she squeezed him with fiery, demanding strength. Her gaze snagged his in a soul-stealing connection that turned his world inside out. Her longing ripped him open and made him whole.

  Ethan drank in her gasps as she began to come, her body bucking and straining beneath him. As his own pleasure surged, he held on for a brief moment of triumph before she dragged him straight into an explosive, intoxicating orgasm that plunged him into a deep pool of satisfaction.

  In the aftermath, he rolled them to their sides and gathered her against him. With their legs tangled, Sienna limp and sated in his arms, her breath a contented purr against his neck, the most astonishing peace claimed him. Ethan nuzzled against her hair and listened to their wild heartbeats sync and slow.

  “I think I died and went to heaven,” she murmured, lifting her chin so she could peer at him from beneath her long lashes.

  A bright bolt of energy lit him up like the midday sun when she smiled. All too aware that her power over him was something that should be freaking him out, Ethan pushed it to the back—way back—of his mind.

  “And to think we have the whole weekend ahead of us.”

  “Not the whole weekend.” She placed her palm against his cheek and stroked her fingertips against his forehead and nose. “You are here to meet your mother and spend time with her.”

  “But we’ll be together at night. Here. In this bed.”

  “Just this bed?” Sienna’s gaze flickered toward the window that overlooked the courtyard. “Didn’t you say you love the water? There’s a secluded courtyard with a pool behind the house.”

  Amused at where her thoughts had gone, Ethan dipped his head and kissed her with tender passion. “And a bathtub big enough for two up here.”

  “How’s the shower? I’ve always had a fantasy...” She trailed off and shot him a wicked grin. “I guess I’ll have to show you.”

  “I guess you will.”

  * * *

  As the morning sun filtered through the bedroom windows, Ethan awoke to an empty bed and a flare of panic. Sienna was gone. Anxiety sharpened, waking him more fully. Thrusting up onto one elbow, he rubbed sleep from his eyes and gazed about the room, finding it empty except for Sienna’s dress and his pants. His shirt was missing. Above the rapid thump of his heart, the clack of crockery filtered up the stairs and Ethan collapsed back onto the pillows.

  His disconcerting response to finding himself alone this morning left Ethan questioning how far his perspective had shifted where Sienna was concerned.

  Covering a jaw-cracking yawn with the back of his hand, Ethan slipped from bed and stretched. His stomach growled as the scent of bacon and coffee drifted upstairs. Before seeking out Sienna in the kitchen he fished out his phone and scanned the emails that had appeared in his inbox overnight. Seeing no message from his anonymous source, he breathed a sigh of relief.

  Immediately he was disgusted by the level of trust he’d put in some unnamed meddler as opposed to trusting his own instincts. Surely with all the time he’d spent with Sienna, something would’ve triggered his suspicions by now. And it wasn’t as if he’d turned a blind eye because he was attracted to her. For the last week he’d actively been watching for any slip up.

  Well, there hadn’t been any last night. Not a single qualm had marred their hours of soul sharing and blissful lovemaking. In the aftermath of connecting physically with her, he’d felt safe sharing his darker thoughts and insecurities with her. In so many ways they were kindred spirits. Both of them held back pieces of themselves from those around them.

  Most people perceived him as uncomplicated and fun to hang with. He worked hard, enjoyed weekends on his boat and Charleston’s nightlife. But with Sienna he’d let her glimpse what lay beneath his casual exterior. Not only had he admitted how being adopted left him feeling like an outsider, but also revealed his yearning to discover where he came from.

  Would he have opened up to her if she hadn’t revealed her pain at her parents’ indifference? As if being a middle
child wasn’t hard enough, she’d been sandwiched between an older brother poised to take over the family business and a younger sister adopted because she was beautiful. Was it any wonder Sienna had retreated into intellectual pursuits that only reinforced her isolation?

  What she’d disclosed about her childhood had aroused an urge to defend her against further mistreatment. Starting with the way his nameless “friend” had maligned her. For the first time since the messages began, Ethan decided to respond. He opened the most recent message he’d received from the anonymous sender and shot back a terse reply. Pouring out his frustration about all the secrecy, Ethan rebuked the sender for the vagueness of the warnings and lack of specific detail about the threat the Burns sisters represented.

  Message sent, Ethan slipped on his boxer briefs and headed downstairs. He paused in the kitchen doorway to admire Sienna’s sleep-mussed hair, passion-bruised lips and the appealing way her high, firm breasts filled out his shirt. Noticing his arrival, she poured a cup of coffee and came around the center island toward him. The sight of her bare legs recalled how she’d wrapped her thighs around his hips and begged him to slide deeper inside her. His erection stirred at the memory and as she neared, he wrapped his arm around her waist and eased her lower half into contact with his.

  “All my favorite smells,” he murmured, accepting the cup of coffee she offered, before nuzzling her neck. “Coffee, bacon and you.”

  He slid his lips over the spot that made her shiver. Mission accomplished, he gave her butt cheek a firm squeeze as she slid her palms over his bare chest and offered him a smoky smile.

  “I thought we could use a big breakfast,” she murmured, “since we missed dinner last night.”

  Despite having only known each other for a week, they moved in orchestrated rhythm around the kitchen, casting heated, appreciative glances at each other while they sipped coffee, poured orange juice, whipped eggs for omelets and engaged in a ritual of morning-after-great-sex kisses and casual-not-casual touches and caresses. Although they’d indulged their appetite for each other several times the previous night, his hunger for her was starting to take precedence over the emptiness of his belly. The urge to sweep the breakfast fixings off the center island so he could take her hard and fast on the granite countertop distracted him to the point where he cut his finger while slicing strawberries.

  Sienna grabbed his hand and ran the cut under cold water. His chest tightened at her adorable fussing as she found a bandage to cover the minor injury. After she pronounced that he would live, he slid his fingers into her disheveled locks and dipped his head for a kiss. He’d only meant to show his appreciation for her concern, but things quickly escalated. In the end, they made good use of the space between the kitchen island and the refrigerator.

  Afterward, Sienna braced her hands on Ethan’s shoulders and blew out a weak chuckle. He slid his palms along her thighs and up over the curves of her butt, marveling at the peace wafting through him. This woman surprised him over and over. And it wasn’t just their sexual chemistry. He noticed himself craving nothing more than to snuggle her in his arms and spend hours listening to her breathe. What was happening to him? Before a satisfactory answer came to him, Ethan’s stomach growled. Sienna regarded him with a wry smile.

  “Sounds like someone’s worked up an appetite,” she teased, easing away.

  As the cooler air struck his overheated flesh, he shivered. “I can’t believe we’ve only known each other a week,” he admitted, watching her slide back into his shirt.

  “I know what you mean,” she admitted, gazing at him from beneath her long lashes. A shadow of smudged mascara beneath her eyes gave her a sultry look. “I don’t usually connect with people, especially men, very fast.”

  “So I’m special?” Ethan asked sincerely.

  She looked surprised that he had to ask. “Of course you are.”

  “Because this feels special.”

  “For me, too.” She expelled a shaky sigh. “To be honest I’ve never had such amazing sex in my life and there has to be a reason for that, right?”

  “I’m new to this,” Ethan admitted, hiding his conflicted feelings in vagueness.

  Sienna offered him a hand up and a shy smile. “Me, too.”

  How was it possible that his appetite for her was so strong even as he questioned whether he could trust her? Was it the game they were engaged in that heightened his desire? He was struggling to reconcile the woman who was scheming with her sister to rob him of the future CEO position with the seemingly guileless woman who’d given herself over to their lovemaking without reservation last night and this morning. Was she that good at acting? Or was she an unwitting pawn? Either way she was dangerous. He just needed to understand if it was the risk that made her irresistible.

  “What time are you meeting your mother today?” she asked, oblivious to his churning thoughts.

  “She’s expecting us at ten this morning.”

  Sienna’s gaze flicked to the clock on the microwave. “Are you sure you don’t want to meet with her by yourself?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Of all the decisions that Ethan was second-guessing, following his instinct to bring Sienna along on this trip was not one of them. Despite his suspicions about what she and her sister were up to, he couldn’t ignore that Sienna’s presence had a steadying effect on him. And he really needed someone in his corner for this meeting.

  “Are you nervous?”

  “I have a lot of questions.” Starting with who his father was and why his mother had believed Ethan was dead all these years.

  “I imagine your mother has a lot for you, as well.”

  “What if I don’t like her?” The words slipped out before he considered the implication. What if she didn’t like him? Would they have an immediate mother/son connection or would they remain strangers torn apart by fate and unable to overcome the years of estrangement?

  “I think you’ll have to give yourselves a chance to get to know each other,” Sienna said. “Don’t expect anything and you won’t be disappointed.”

  Ethan considered that although the advice was directed at him, it could be a reminder to herself, as well.

  NINE

  Sienna studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she put on simple pearl earrings, her mother’s gift for her sixteenth birthday. She’d put a lot of thought into how she should dress for her first meeting with Ethan’s mother. At first, she’d reasoned that since Carolina Gates was a businesswoman, Sienna should go with one of the expensive suits she’d brought from New York. It would broadcast that she was a career woman who could be taken seriously. On the other hand, she wasn’t there to impress Carolina as much as to support Ethan, and he’d articulated his appreciation for her new style of dressing in soft fabrics that fluttered and flowed, revealing flashes of skin and highlighting her curves.

  In the end she settled on a romantic dress with open lacework details that contrasted with the demure neckline and below-the-knee skirt. When Ethan’s eyes widened in admiration she twirled for him before exiting their rental, thrilled that her choice had met with his approval.

  He tucked her hand into his arm in a gallant gesture as they crossed the street and entered Forsyth Park. Although the moss-draped branches of the live oaks filtered the strong morning sunlight, enough got through to make Sienna glad she was wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Tourists and residents alike flocked to the park to see the fountain or stroll the shady sidewalks that bisected the wide green expanses. Ethan and Sienna passed families with strollers, couples with cameras and numerous dog owners exercising their pets.

  A ten-minute walk brought them to the wrought iron fence that surrounded the historic home where Ethan’s mother lived. With her own heart pounding madly as anticipation overtook her, Sienna glanced toward Ethan to see how he was doing. His features were set in grim lines as if he was working hard to keep calm.r />
  As they approached the gate, she could feel his tension rising. Long before their intimacy of the previous night she’d been growing ever more tuned in to his moods. She peered at his profile, noting the tightness of his mouth and the rigid set of his jaw muscles. Everything in her screamed to comfort him, to reassure him, but she hesitated to reach out.

  The fear of rejection continued to plague her. Despite what had happened between them last night or how well they’d been hitting it off since she’d arrived in Charleston, they were virtual strangers. She didn’t know if he’d appreciate or reject her sympathy. Yet unable to repress her concern, she bumped her shoulder against his in a spirit of comradery. The eyes he turned toward her smoldered with anxiety and excitement. Touched that he’d let her glimpse his true emotions, she gave him a reassuring smile.

  “Thank you for being here.” Ethan surprised her by reaching out and taking her hand in his. Squeezing her fingers gently, he added, “It means a lot to me that you were willing to come with me to do this.”

  “Of course.” Her heart soared at his words. She’d been right to accompany him to Savannah. He was obviously more distressed than he let on. And she was honored that he would share this momentous meeting with her.

  The first thing that struck Sienna as they entered the Greek Revival mansion were the modern updates to its architectural elegance. The walls, trim and original hand-carved plaster molding had been painted bright white while the honey tones of glossy heart pine flooring warmed the stark palette.

  Ethan and Sienna followed the maid who answered the door into a formal parlor, with a traditional white sofa and modern chairs upholstered in navy velvet with brass frames. Between the chairs sat a bronze elephant table. Contemporary metal sculptures sat atop antique tables, and throw pillows bore an abstract watercolor design. Monochromatic curtains in a graphic pattern flanked a live-edge writing desk that sat before the window overlooking Forsyth Park.

  As they settled side by side on the sofa, Sienna noticed Ethan was also studying the home as if searching for a clue to the woman who lived here. Fortunately, they didn’t have long to wait before she swept into the room. Carolina Gates was a stylish woman in her early fifties who looked ten years younger. In an expensive power suit of cobalt blue, she was five feet eight inches of female empowerment. The matriarch of the Gates family wore her chocolate-brown hair brushed back from her forehead in a sleek bob that grazed her shoulders. Her keen brown eyes peered out from an unlined face.