by Anna James
Ethan opened the closet and placed the boxes inside on the floor.
“You’re not going to take them upstairs?” Rachel asked.
He shook his head. “I’ll do it later. Put the bags in here, too, until I figure out where to put everything we bought.”
Rachel’s teeth chattered. “My pants are soaked through and my sweater too. Do you have anything I can wear while they dry?”
“I only brought one change of clothes. The rest of my stuff is still in storage at my parents’ house.”
“I guess I’ll have to put on what I wore yesterday while these dry.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “Or you could take everything off, and we could curl up under the blanket in front of the fire again.”
Her body responded immediately. He had the power to change her from the smart, level-headed business woman she normally was to a wanton creature in the blink of an eye, and she loved it. Her lips curved, into what she hoped was a sultry smile as she pulled the damp cardigan over her head.
Shimmering blue eyes roamed over her, lingering on the thrusts of her breasts through the wet fabric. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to their makeshift bed on the living room floor.
His fingers fumbled with the tiny buttons on the blouse she’d worn under her sweater, and she wanted to scream. The need to have his lips pressed against her heated skin overwhelmed her. “Here, let me.” She tossed the top and bra away and dragged his head down to her breasts. Her head fell back in wild abandon when his mouth closed over one taught peak and then the other. “Yes, Ethan. Yes.”
She sank her fingers into his thick, luxurious hair and dragged his mouth to hers for a long, drugging kiss. “Oh,” she groaned. Dear lord, he tasted heavenly. “I think I’m addicted to you.” He let out a harsh laugh and kissed her again, and she welcomed his urgency, inviting his invasion. She couldn’t get enough of him.
Her hands glided over the hard planes of his torso and drew the long-sleeved pullover from him. He trembled from her touch.
Reaching down, she flicked open the fastener on his jeans. The wet fabric stuck to his skin, and she let out a cry of frustration.
He tugged them off and removed the rest of her clothing as well.
They dropped down on the blanket together, lips locked, hands touching, caressing.
Ethan grunted. “I want you so bad it hurts.”
“Yes, please.”
Last night their lovemaking had been tender and sweet. Today it was anything but.
He sank into her. “I’m getting too old to keep doing this on the floor.”
Rachel gasped for breath. “Bed gets delivered tomorrow.” She made a high keening sound as the orgasm ripped through her.
His answering laugh turned into a cry of satisfaction as he followed her over the edge. “I love you, Rachel. Always.”
“Forever.”
Ethan rolled onto his side and pulled her in close. “I love the feel of your body pressed against me like this.”
She beamed him a radiant smile. “Good, because I’m not moving. I’m content to stay here for a long while.”
He reached for the remote control still lying on the corner of the blanket. Fire blazed to life at the push of a button. “I guess I forgot to turn this on earlier.”
She let out a soft chuckle. “You were a little distracted.”
“I’ll say. I’m always distracted when I’m with you. I can’t ever get enough of you,” he growled and kissed her.
A long time later, Ethan asked, “Do you want to get something to eat? I’m famished.”
“Not if we have to go out again. I’m happy right here.”
“I need to put our clothes in the dryer. They’re still lying on the floor where we took them off.”
She grinned. “It’s back to plan B. I’ll wear the outfit I had on yesterday.”
“Me too. My clothes are upstairs. I’ll throw our stuff in the dryer after I change and then check what we have to eat.”
Rachel stared as his long, lean, naked body stood and made its way toward the stairs. She swallowed hard. He really was magnificent. When he disappeared from view, she got up and went back into the small bathroom where she’d left her clothes the evening before.
After dressing, she ambled over to the closet and picked up one of the boxes they’d brought in earlier and made her way upstairs. Halfway up it started coming apart. The carton was old and the hard rain had soaked through. The bottom fell out, and the contents spilled everywhere. “Damn!” She dropped to her knees and began gathering up the files, frowning when Ryan’s face peeked out from beneath a stack of papers. Rachel snatched up the picture—and froze. The image burned in her brain. “No!” she screamed, her body trembling from head to toes.
Ethan strode toward her. “What happened?”
Her eyes flew to his. “Where did you get this?”
“What is it?”
She turned the photo for him to see. The color drained from his face. He tried to grab the offending image from her.
“Give that to me. You don’t need to see it.”
“No.” She looked down. More photos lay scattered on the stairs. She picked up each one and stared in silent horror, each a variation of the first. “I want to know where these photos came from.”
“Damn it, Rachel. I told you I’d bring the boxes up later.”
“What? I only wanted to help. Now tell me why you have photographs of my naked husband kissing your naked former fiancée. And tell me why you deliberately tried to hide them from me?”
“Sit down and we’ll—”
A strangled sob escaped from her mouth as comprehension dawned. “Oh! Ryan was the person Sandra had the affair with.”
Ethan dragged a shaking hand through his hair. “Yes.”
Her head swam, and bile rose in her throat. “You’ve known all this time, and you never said a word. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t even realize you didn’t know until I came back to New York after my father’s heart attack.”
“Why didn’t you say something after that? You’ve had plenty of opportunity.”
“I… I didn’t want to put you through the heartache I suffered, especially, now since Ryan is gone. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Doesn’t matter? Are you kidding me? Of course it matters.” Ethan reached for her and she flinched. “Don’t touch me.”
He jerked away.
Dear lord, Ryan slept with Sandra, and Ethan had deliberately kept her in the dark all this time. “You lied to me.”
“No, I didn’t. I just didn’t tell you about something I knew would hurt you. You’ve suffered enough already because of the bastard.”
Rachel shook her head. “You lied by omission. I trusted you, had been willing to move in and start a life with you. Now, I find out you’re keeping secrets. What else aren’t you telling me?”
He dragged her to him and held her tight. “Leave it in the past, sweetheart. Ryan doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Oh lord, there’s more, isn’t there?” Bile churned in her stomach, burning a path up her throat.
He rubbed his hands over her back in a soothing manner. “Rachel…please. Let it go. Bringing this up now will only cause more anguish and misery.”
How could she leave it alone? How could he ask her to? She pulled out of his arms. “I need to know.”
Ethan let out a resigned sigh. “Ryan was fired from the bank a couple of days before his accident.”
Rachel wrapped her arms around her body to stop the shudders racing through her. The memory of that night came flashing back in blinding horror. He’d come home late smelling of alcohol. Had he been drowning his sorrows because he’d been fired? Had he deliberately stayed away so he wouldn’t have to face her? “W—Why?”
“He’d written several high risk loans which were defaulted on. The bank lost a significant amount of money on the transactions.” He paused and dragged in an audible breath. “My father believes he
received a portion of the money as payment for getting the loans approved, although he couldn’t prove it.”
Oh God, oh God, oh God. No. It couldn’t be true. Ryan would never accept kickbacks for approving loans he knew would be defaulted on. “I—I don’t believe you. You’re just saying this because Ryan slept with Sandra. You—you had him fired because you wanted to get even with him.”
“No, Rachel. Hayden found an account—”
The account in her name. No wonder he’d been so interested in it. Rachel Sullivan made a sizeable withdrawal from the London branch… She looks like you. Rachel gasped. “Oh God, you think I’m involved somehow.”
“No.”
“That’s why you wanted to know when I’d returned to Boston. You think I made the withdrawal.”
“No, Rachel.”
“Don’t lie to me, Ethan. It's written all over your face.”
“You’ve got it all wrong.”
How could she believe him with all the secrets he’d kept? What else had he lied about? Did he even love her or was that a lie, too? Was he still in love with Sandra? Did he sleep with me to exact revenge on her? On Ryan?
No! She’d meant more to Ethan, hadn’t she? Her eyes jerked up to meet his. Once they sparkled with warmth and passion. Now his eyes held nothing. No emotion, no guilt, no remorse. No love. Her hands shook and the photos fell to the ground. She straightened her shoulders, turned and walked back downstairs.
The words her father spoke so long ago echoed in her head. Only whores have sex without the sacrament of marriage. A soft moan escaped through her parted lips. She twisted the ruby ring on her right hand. Maybe he’d been right about her after all. With only the slightest of encouragement she’d jumped into bed with Ethan. Would she ever learn?
Ethan rushed after her. “Wait. We need to talk about this.”
“I don’t have anything more to say to you.” Tears streamed down her face and blurred her vision. She scrubbed them away with the back of her hand.
He followed her down the stairs. “Don’t go.”
She fled out the front door and slammed it closed.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ethan pulled his overcoat tight as the wind picked up and continued down the street toward the bank. He’d arrived in Paris on Tuesday, three days after his breakup with Rachel.
What an idiot he’d been in keeping the truth from her. He’d wanted to protect her. Now, she believed he thought she was involved in Ryan’s illegal activities at the bank, and he didn’t know if she’d ever forgive him for lying.
She’d been right about that. When it came down to brass tacks, he’d lied. His intentions may have been noble but not practical. Sooner or later, the truth would surface. If only he’d been upfront with her…
Coward. It was the truth. She’d been brave enough to tell him her suspicions regarding Sandra three years ago, regardless of any consequences she might suffer, and she’d suffered. How had he repaid her? By keeping the truth from her. Idiot.
What was he going to do now?
He arrived at the bank a few minutes later and went straight to his office. No sooner had he sat behind the desk, when a swift rap sounded on the closed door. “Come in.”
The door opened and Jean-Claude entered.
“What can I do for you?” Ethan asked.
“Curtis Johnson has been trying to reach you. He said it’s urgent.”
Ethan pulled his cell phone free from its holder and glanced down. No incoming calls. He’d had the same trouble the last time he’d been in Paris. With Rachel. No. He couldn’t think about her right now. He needed to concentrate on putting things in order at all the Montgomery branches, especially since Hayden had officially retired as of yesterday.
The retirement wasn’t the problem it might have been if the shareholders dispute hadn’t been settled with no wrongdoing on the bank’s part, but the Board of Directors still needed to appoint a new CEO, and Ethan wasn’t a shoe in for the position. Montgomery had suffered a significant financial setback over the last few months, and he needed to show the board he had a plan to recoup the loss. “Did Curtis happen to say what it was about?”
Jean-Claude shook his head. “Only that he needed to speak to you immediately.”
“All right, thank you. I’ll give him a call now.”
When Jean-Claude left, Ethan scrolled though his contacts and placed the call.
Curtis answered on the first ring.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“There’s been a development you need to know about regarding the shareholders dispute.”
Ethan frowned. “What development? The investigation is complete and a report filed with the SEC.”
“It’s the Gagnon group. They’ve challenged the findings. They’re saying they’ve got proof profit and loss statements have been altered.”
His fingers clenched around the phone. Would this nightmare ever end? “Impossible. The McKenna and Hirsh accountants reviewed all the records. They found everything in order.”
“I don’t know what to say, Ethan. I’m only telling you what I’ve learned. I assumed with the upcoming shareholder meeting, you’d want to know.”
“This is just another ploy by the Gagnon group to discredit me.”
“You’re probably right, but they must have some documentation for them to consider reopening the investigation.”
“The Board is considering reopening the investigation?”
“Yes. They’re reviewing whatever proof the Gagnon group submitted and will make a decision soon.”
What proof could these people have? None of the profit and loss statements had been altered, at least not to his knowledge. If they had, then by whom?
***
Rachel joined the mass of humanity exiting from the Government Center subway station and walked the few blocks to her temporary Boston office. In two days she’d have this assignment wrapped up and could return home. Last week she’d been euphoric at the prospect. This week the thought held no appeal. Five days, twelve hours and thirty-six minutes had passed since her breakup with Ethan, and she’d been in a funk ever since.
She missed his smile, his laugh, the way he curved her against his body before they drifted off to sleep each night. She missed the way his eyes turned smoky blue with desire for her and, lord help her, she missed him. But she couldn’t think about him now. There were other issues to deal with. The most important being her meeting this morning with Carter McKenna and Jarrod Hirsh.
Both partners had come to Boston to meet with her. Surely they brought good news; confirmation of her partnership with the firm? She couldn’t think of anything else important enough for Carter and Jarrod to request this meeting, let alone travel from New York City to Boston and meet with her in person.
The men waited in her office when she arrived. Although their expressions gave nothing away, something in the way each man sat made Rachel uneasy. You’re worrying over nothing. Stop creating problems where none exist. She pinned a smile on her face and sat down behind her desk. “Good morning, gentlemen.”
Carter cleared his throat. “Rachel.”
Adopting a casual stance, she folded her hands and rested them on the surface of the workspace. “Yes?”
“We wanted to speak with you, in person.”
She smiled. “I think I know what this is about.”
Jarrod shook his head. “We were hoping to avoid this.”
Her stomach sank. Get a grip, girl. You’ve got nothing to fear. “Avoid what?”
“A member of the Board of Directors at Montgomery International contacted us yesterday regarding the investigation.”
She sent them a curious glance. “Why?”
Carter spoke. “They’ve accused McKenna and Hirsh of altering documentation which would have proved Montgomery International’s profits were higher than publicly announced.”
Rachel gasped.
“Actually,” Jarrod added, “They’ve accused you of altering the doc
uments. They have proof the original profit and loss statements given to you for review had higher incomes reported.
Sweat broke out over her brow. “Me? I’d never do such a thing. What reason would I have?”
Carter lowered his head and muttered, “To protect your lover.”
She shoved back her seat and jumped to her feet. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Carter jerked back against his chair. “Unfortunately, we’re not.”
Rachel paced around the small area behind her desk. “I hadn’t been in touch with Ethan for nearly three years at the beginning of the investigation. Why would I have altered documents to save him? We weren’t on speaking terms, let alone romantically involved.”
Carter arched up a brow. “So you say.”
Rachel’s jaw dropped open. So I say? “You don’t believe me?”
Carter cleared his throat. “It doesn’t matter what we believe. What matters is the lawsuit they’re threatening to file. It would ruin us.”
Rachel’s mouth fell open. “It matters to me.”
“Sit down and relax,” Jarrod ordered.
She sat and dragged shaky fingers through her long hair. How she’d relax after what they’d told her was beyond her at the moment. “Tell me you don’t believe I’d do such a thing.”
“I believe you, Rachel.” Jarrod glared at Carter then added, “Your business morals are beyond reproach, but proving your innocence is another matter. We told you to distance yourself from the Montgomerys until we settled the dispute. You chose to ignore our request. If you’d listened, we might have been able to come up with a way out of this, but as it stands now… there’s nothing we can do.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“They’ve demanded we terminate your employment immediately,” Carter answered.
No way. No friggin way! The shaking started in her hands and spread throughout her body like wildfire. Her head pounded and her breath came out in short, shallow gasps. “Are—are you fi—firing me?”
Carter flinched. “We have no choice. I’ve already told you, the pending lawsuit would ruin us. We’d lose everything.”
