Dare Me Tonight

by Phillips, Carly

  And life hadn’t been fucking fair to her, that much he knew. Still, she loved it. Loved her family, her new job… Did he want her to love him? Maybe it was too soon for that, but he wanted a lot more from her than he’d been willing to admit so far.

  “She makes me feel again,” he said slowly, finding it difficult to come up with the right words to answer Sebastian’s question. “At first it was uncomfortable as hell, but I didn’t have to worry about it because it was one weekend and done.” He paced the floor in the room and Sebastian sipped his drink, letting Ethan deal with things in his own way.

  “After Mandy died, I thought life was over. Then blow after blow came and I figured it really couldn’t get much worse.” He finished his drink in one long gulp and placed the glass on the nearest coffee table. “And then this young woman blows into my life and gives me a weekend to remember. Next thing I know, I’m seeing her again in Miami and I can’t stay away.”

  He saw his brother’s grin and ignored it, not wanting to deal with sibling teasing and shit right now. Being smart, Sebastian seemed to sense Ethan’s need to be serious and talk this through.

  “I want her but I feel protective of her at the same time. She’s strong despite being dealt a shitty hand in life and I don’t mean just her asshole father.”

  Sebastian, remaining silent, raised an eyebrow.

  “Childhood leukemia. She didn’t even think she could get pregnant. And then she passed out on me and my heart just about fell to my feet. After I got over the fact that this wasn’t an overdose like Mandy, all I wanted to do was bundle her up and keep her safe, but she was barely talking to me at this point. Next thing I know, Ian’s taking a swing at me for knocking up his sister.”

  Wincing, Sebastian asked, “Did you hit him back?”

  Ethan chuckled. “Hell no. If he’d gotten Sierra pregnant, I’d have belted him, too. I gave him one shot. Then he threw me out.”

  “And you just left her?” Sebastian’s mouth opened wide, his jaw hanging in shock.

  “Not exactly.” Ethan shrugged. “We talked but I didn’t tell her I was leaving. One of her sisters saw me go and asked what my plans were, so I’m sure Sienna knows.”

  With a groan, Sebastian sat back down on the sofa and kicked his feet up on the table. “Man, you know how to get in deep. So what’s next? I know you’re not blowing this deal, so once you lay out the situation for Ian, what are you doing about the baby? Is there a wedding in the future?”

  For all the times Ethan had been the parent to his siblings, he’d never been on the receiving end quite like this.

  He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the disappointment in Sebastian’s gaze when he told him the rest. “Sienna said she didn’t expect anything from me.” And that had hurt badly.

  “Okay then. Child support only it is.”

  “Fuck no!” Ethan said, offended his brother would think that little of him. “I’m not abandoning the baby or the mother of my child.”

  “Well, is that all she is to you? You said she makes you feel, but what do you want from her?”

  Ethan pulled at his hair before turning on his brother. “Fuck you, Dr. Freud. Are you finished pounding me with questions?”

  “Just trying to get you to see all the angles,” his brother said too helpfully.

  If Ethan wasn’t mistaken, Sebastian was enjoying Ethan’s unraveling. He forced himself to look deep inside himself and think about the fair question.

  “I want her. I want her in my life. And I want to see where this thing between us can go.” Because she brought him joy where he’d had none. She made him smile. She made him want to step up and be the guy who she admired, not the asshole who asked her to stay hidden. “And not because she’s pregnant with my child.”

  Sebastian placed his hands behind his head and leaned back against the sofa, a gleam in his eye. “Then I guess you have your work cut out for you, don’t you?”

  “No fucking kidding,” Ethan muttered to himself, his mind already whirling with ideas about what he could do to romance Sienna and convince her she meant more to him than he’d shown her so far.

  Not the way he’d expected his life to go. Then again, very little in the last couple of years had been what he’d anticipated. With some due diligence and planning, just maybe he could turn things around and make them work out for a change.

  * * *

  Monday morning, Ethan walked into the stadium like he had every right to be there and headed directly to Ian’s office. He arrived early because he knew the other man did the same, and if at all possible, he wanted to avoid Sienna witnessing another confrontation between him and her brother. He even got there before Ian’s secretary, which enabled him to take the other man by surprise.

  He knocked once and walked into Ian’s office, coming to a stop when Ian rose from his desk.

  “I didn’t think I’d get rid of you that easily,” Ian muttered.

  “No. I went home for the weekend to get my head on straight and give you time to cool off.”

  “And if I haven’t?” Ian folded his arms across his chest, defiant and still pissed off.

  “Ask me if I give a shit,” Ethan muttered. “Look, I respect you both as a businessman and as Sienna’s brother, but the fact is, what goes on between her and me has nothing to do with you.”

  The other man frowned. “She paid me a visit Friday night and said pretty much the same thing. Then my wife laid into me when Sienna left and I’m lucky I didn’t sleep on the couch.”

  As much as Ethan didn’t like the idea of Sienna getting worked up confronting Ian, he appreciated the fact that she went to bat for him. For them. Not that she knew there was a them yet, but that would come.

  “As far as the stadium contract,” Ethan continued, wanting to make all his points before Ian could gather his own thoughts, “legally you can’t throw my company off the project. You don’t have a leg to stand on, so I’m back and we’re working together.”

  Ian’s scowl deepened.

  The one thing Ethan didn’t want to do was be on opposing sides with Sienna’s brother, so he stepped forward. “Look, for Sienna’s sake, I want us to get along. And I’ll even admit that I don’t blame you one bit for how you’re feeling. But you can’t change things. It is what it is and she’s my responsibility now.”

  If Ethan was being honest with himself, he’d wanted that job ever since Sienna had given him her sweet little body and surprised him with her virginity. Did it make him a possessive alpha-male asshole? You bet it did. Did he care? Not in the least.

  The only part that sucked in all this was how long it had taken him to get his head on straight and realize what he wanted. Now she was pregnant, and though he was grateful it had shown him the light, he knew damn well she’d believe his turnaround was all because of the baby.

  Like Sebastian had said, Ethan had his work cut out for him. But he had every intention of showing her he was a better man with her in his life. He might not deserve her but he wasn’t letting her go. He just didn’t need her brother standing in the way.

  Ian burst out laughing, taking Ethan by surprise. “You think she’s yours to take care of? She’s as independent as they come, and you’ve done nothing to show her she means jack shit to you. At least not that I’ve seen, so good luck, asshole.” Ian sat back down at his desk, picking up papers, effectively dismissing Ethan.

  Oddly enough, Ethan wasn’t insulted and this meeting had gone better than he’d hoped. He had a lot in common with Ian Dare and could see his side of things completely. Just recently, his sister’s wedding had been derailed by her ex-boyfriend objecting at the service, then stealing Sierra away for a long weekend to convince her to take him back. Ethan had wanted nothing more than to throttle Ryder Hammond, but Parker and Sebastian had kept Ethan calm and he’d let fate play out. Sierra was now happily married to Ryder and pregnant with his baby.

  Ethan just wanted Ian to back the hell off the same way. Convinced he’d done all he could on this end,
he strode out of Ian’s office and headed to the one assigned to him. Since Ian had thrown his ass out on Friday, nobody had had time to clean out his space, which meant he could pick up where he’d left off.

  Sitting down at his desk, he pulled open his laptop and got to work.

  * * *

  After Ian had hit Ethan and thrown him off the project, the office had buzzed in excitement. The reveal of Sienna’s pregnancy thanks to her brother’s big mouth had added to the gossiping. With Ethan gone, Sienna expected more of a quiet day today.

  She sat at her desk munching on saltine crackers when she heard voices in the hallway.

  “He’s back,” a woman said.

  “Do you think Mr. Dare knows? Maybe he’ll go after him again,” another voice said.

  And just like that, she knew Ethan had returned despite Ian’s dictate. Her stomach fluttered at the notion and she deliberately tamped down on the excited feeling. He was back for the stadium. He wasn’t going to give up a billion-dollar contract just because Ian had gotten his panties in a twist. He’d already made it clear to her how important this deal was to him.

  With a frown, she bit down on the cracker hard, annoyed when all the crumbs fell on top of the pages she’d been reading about demographics and stats regarding fantasy football.

  Olivia normally worked in the inner office, but she was out dealing with meetings today, which left Sienna alone with her thoughts. She buried herself in statistics and the morning passed quickly. Although she didn’t seem to have the nausea under control, the vomiting and dizziness were, so she was able to go out and pick up lunch without worry.

  She placed her hand on her desk, about to push herself up when a shadow loomed over her. She knew immediately who it was.

  Steeling herself, she glanced up into Ethan’s blue eyes.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  She blinked, startled by both his presence and choice of words. “You’re back.” Well, that was brilliant, she thought, annoyed because he robbed her of the power of logical speech. Of course he was back. He was standing right in front of her.

  He grinned, sitting his ass down on her desk. “I’m back and I want to talk to you.”

  “Okay?” They had issues they’d need to work out after the baby was born but nothing she could think of before then.

  “First, have you had a doctor’s appointment yet? For the baby?” he asked.

  Her mouth grew dry as she shook her head. “No. It’s tomorrow.”

  “What time? I’ll take you,” he said, not asked.

  She narrowed her gaze. “Why?”

  An amused smile lifted his lips. His sexy lips. Why was he suddenly so relaxed and at ease?

  She was anything but.

  “Because I want to be with you throughout this process.” He glanced at her as if the answer was obvious, and she couldn’t tear her gaze from his handsome face, hint of stubble, and full lips.

  That nausea began to return. “Umm, okay, but it’s really not necessary to come with me.”

  “Oh, but it is.” His gaze darkened, his eyes narrowing, letting her know he meant it.

  She blew out a breath. “Okay, tomorrow, ten a.m.” If she wanted to ditch him, she could skip work and go straight from home.

  It’s not like he knew who her doctor was or where she was located. She just didn’t see the need for him to be there.

  “Are you going from the office or straight from your place?” he asked.

  She pursed her lips, annoyed he’d out-thought her. “From home.”

  “Great.” He smiled, obviously pleased. “I’ll pick you up. How’s nine thirty? Enough time?”

  She nodded, knowing when to give in but not happy about his sudden need to join her.

  “Don’t look so annoyed. You need to get used to having me around. Now, about us.”

  This time the breath left her lungs. “What about us?” she managed to ask.

  “I’d like to talk.” He met her stare, his expression serious. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, things that will explain my past behavior. Things you need to know.”

  At the thought of learning more about this enigmatic, sexy man, her heart beat hard in her chest, even as she warned herself discovering his secrets didn’t mean anything between them had changed.

  She slicked her tongue over her lower lip, aware that his gaze followed the movement, and a glance down at his waist showed her his body had reacted to her inadvertent gesture. Well, sexual desire had never been their issue.

  “You can come by my place tonight,” she said, ignoring the shakiness in her voice. “We can talk then.” She hesitated, then decided to be both bold and honest. “But that’s all we’re going to do. There won’t be a repeat of the other night.” Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, her body aching for the repeat she was denying them. The hot sex he performed so well, the way their bodies danced in unison, so perfect as he slid into her.

  “Message received,” he said, disappointment in his eyes but understanding in his tone.

  And she wasn’t finished despite her traitorous body.

  Straightening her shoulders, she dove into more dangerous territory. “And I meant what I said. I don’t expect anything from you, so there’s no need to come to doctor’s appointments or hold my hand during this pregnancy. I’ll give you access to the baby no matter what. I want my child to know you.”

  He leaned in so close his scent enveloped her and she became aware of his body heat. “Our child. And what if I want you to expect things from me?”

  She shook her head hard, knowing better than to trust this sudden turnaround. He couldn’t have gone from wanting to hide their relationship to wanting to flaunt it… unless it was all about the baby. Disappointment churned in her stomach at the thought, but this wasn’t the time or the place to express her feelings or reveal her crazy emotions and hormones, which suddenly had her almost crying.

  His lips were close to hers, his expression sad. “I didn’t do right by you before. But I’m going to now.” Reaching out, he fingered a strand of her long hair, and as impossible as it seemed, she felt that touch deep in her core.

  Her pulse thundered and she wished he’d close the gap between them and kiss her, then berated herself for wanting something that was only going to mess with her heart even more.

  The pad of his thumb stroked her cheek. “I’m going out to pick up lunch. Can I bring you back something?”

  Food. He was offering her food. But his mouth was still so near and his breath was warm. She squirmed in her seat, unable to pull away.

  “What are you getting to eat?” she asked, her voice suddenly hoarse.

  “How about burgers? And milkshakes?”

  Her gaze fell to the sexy shape of his lips, and she was tempted to initiate the kiss herself, but her stomach chose that moment to growl in reaction.

  “Sounds like that’s my cue.” He laughed as he stood, breaking the intense connection between them.

  She did her best not to blush, but she knew better than to think she could control the flush now staining her cheeks red with embarrassment.

  “I’ll be back with lunch.”

  “I’ll be waiting.” She held her breath until he walked out before laying her head down on the desk.

  What was he doing to her, turning on the charm and turning up the heat between them? And how did she hope to resist him when she’d never been able to before?

  Chapter Eight

  Ethan arrived at Sienna’s place with flowers in hand. He’d spent thirty minutes at the shop picking out just the right bouquet, ultimately choosing wildflowers to go with the spirit he sensed in Sienna.

  “Thank you! I love them!” she said as he handed her the flowers. Her pleased smile told him he’d made the right choice. She put them in a vase with water and gave them a prominent place on the table in the family room.

  Stomach churning at the prospect of what he was about to reveal to her, about his past, about himself, he waited for her t
o tell him where she wanted them to talk.

  Ultimately, he followed her into the big room with the sofa and settled beside her.

  She curled a leg beneath her, her knee touching his thigh. “So.” She stared up at him wide-eyed, obviously eager to hear what he had to say.

  “So.” He didn’t see any point in beating around the bush.

  “I was married.”

  She sucked in a startled breath. “Was?” she asked, clearly needing the reassurance that when she’d been with him in New York, he was free and clear.

  “Was. Mandy passed away from an accidental drug overdose about a year ago.” The shock and pain of that moment, finding his wife cold on their bed, stayed with him to this day.

  “Ethan, I’m so sorry,” Sienna said, clutching his hand in hers.

  He cleared his throat. “Mandy was an addict,” he went on, curling his fingers around Sienna’s for support. “And while she was in California overseeing a huge deal for KTT, she was buying substandard parts for a ridiculously high amount of money and pocketing the difference along with her dealer. Who, I might add, she was sleeping with.” He blew out a harsh breath, admitting he’d been blindsided by his own wife.

  Sienna blinked in obvious surprise. “She stole from your company and cheated on you? Was she insane?”

  He chuckled at her words, appreciating the moral support.

  Before he could speak, Sienna went on. “Addiction is a disease but the choices she made were her own. And if I were married to a man like you, nobody else would catch my eye,” she said, blurting out her innermost feelings.

  He jerked his gaze to hers, surprised she’d let him in that much, and from the bright flush on her cheeks, she’d shocked herself as well. Now wasn’t the time to react to the sentiment but he tucked it away close to his heart.

  “Mandy hurt me,” he said, instead focusing on why he was giving Sienna so much personal information. “She fucked me up until my family no longer recognized me,” he admitted. “And because she took me so off guard, she destroyed my belief in people. And she definitely stole any desire I had to move forward with a woman. Suffice it to say I wasn’t prepared for you.” He clenched his jaw, the admission pulled from him.