California Secrets

“I don’t want a relationship just because I’m pregnant,” she stated with a defiant tilt of her chin.

Ethan released her arm but didn’t back away. She was quite adamant about this whole casual, uncommitted relationship status, which was perfectly fine with him, but each time it had been mentioned or hinted at, Harper had a flash of hurt in her eyes.

Who had hurt her? What had she gone through to bring her to this point? More importantly, why did he care to make it his business? He’d known about this baby for all of five minutes, and already his mind was playing with him. He had his own past hurts to focus on. Not that he wanted Harper to be in pain—he’d never want that—but he couldn’t afford to get swept into her world and risk losing sight of his goals.

“I never said anything about a relationship,” he countered. “But we’re bonded together whether we like it or not.”

Beneath that steely look in her dark eyes there was a hint of vulnerability and fear. She wasn’t quite as calm as she led him to believe, but he’d be more worried if she wasn’t scared. Hell, he was terrified, but there was nothing that would pull him away from his child or the woman carrying it.

His mother had been a hardworking, single mom. Ethan couldn’t ignore the parallels here.

He would have Robert Anderson out of the picture and this resort back in his possession before his baby was born. Timing and persistence were everything right now.

“How long are you staying?” she asked. “We probably should dig a little deeper into each other since, well...”

She was more than welcome to go ahead and dig, but he would only feed her enough information to pacify her curiosities until he had his personal life all straightened out. No need to involve her in his family affair, which he was quite certain would get messy.

“I have no set plans.” Partial truth, but all he was willing to give. “I’m here for as long as I want to be.”

Harper’s brows drew in. “You’re so vague. Please tell me you’re not married or running from the law.”

Ethan laughed. “I’m not running from the law, and isn’t it a little late to ask about a wife?”

“I assumed you didn’t have one before we hooked up, but now I feel I should know the truth.”

Ethan shook his head. “No wife, no girlfriend. I have a twin brother in Montana, and that’s all the family I have. Well, he’s getting married soon, so I guess I’ll have a sister.”

Harper’s gaze darted down to her clasped hands, and he thought he saw that flash of hurt again, but maybe not. Maybe he just couldn’t read her well enough quite yet. He knew exactly how to read her in the bedroom, but now, well...this was completely new territory. Trying to get a bead on women emotionally had always been foreign to him.

“What about you?” he asked.

Harper shifted her attention back to him. “I have a father that I met when I was twenty. My mother is a little eccentric and floats from one spot on the globe to the next. I’m not sure what hemisphere she’s in half the time. I had a sister, but she passed away six months ago. She was...everything to me. I’m still trying to figure out how to do life without her.”

Well, damn. Not what he thought she’d say. He’d pegged her for someone with several siblings, doting parents that all gathered around a big table for each holiday. He figured she was here as a loner to get away and have some time for herself.

But instead, she was alone. Like him.

Oh, he had Dane, but since their mother’s death, nothing had been the same. For nearly twenty years, an invisible wedge had separated them, and Ethan was hoping that by getting their mother’s resorts back, maybe they’d find closure and get back that relationship they’d once had.

So, his twin was getting a wife and Ethan was getting a child. Not at all what he’d envisioned when they’d started this journey.

“Sounds like we have something in common besides physical attraction,” he told her. “Loss of family is... It’s rough.”

Harper tucked a dark curl behind her ear and nodded. “I’m keeping this baby.”

She laid claim like she dared him to argue. He had to admire a woman who wasn’t afraid to say exactly what she wanted and made no apologies about it.

“I assumed,” Ethan replied. “If you hadn’t wanted to, I would have tried to change your mind. Family is everything to me.”

Harper pursed her lips then blew out a sigh. She stepped back from him and headed toward the patio doors once again, only this time she opened them and stepped on out into the sunshine. Ethan followed her, having no clue what to say or do. For the first time in his life, his confidence, his control slipped.

No, that wasn’t true. His control had slipped when his mother died and Robert stole everything from him and Dane. Ethan had vowed to never feel helpless again—which was why he was taking this revenge head-on.

Ethan moved in beside Harper and rested his arm on the railing. The ocean breeze lifted her curls from her shoulders and sent them dancing in the wind. His body responded, immediately recalling how those strands glided over his bare skin.

Damn it. He shouldn’t be lusting after her now, but, well...he couldn’t help himself. Knowing she was carrying his child made her even sexier, and he hadn’t thought that was possible.

“It’s clear that you want to be involved, but I need you to know that I really don’t expect you to be there every minute.”

“Duly noted.”

She turned her attention to him for a brief moment, but then she glanced back to the ocean. “So what now?”

“I’ll bring a doctor to the resort to make sure you and the baby are healthy.” Damn. He was a selfish idiot. He hadn’t even asked the obvious question. “Are you feeling okay?”

Harper nodded. “Tired and nervous, but that’s all.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to take care of you both. I’ll have the doctor here by the end of the day,” he stated.

Harper laughed as she jerked her gaze back to him. “Do people normally just jump when you snap your fingers?”

“Yes.”

Shaking her head, she turned away from him and crossed to the chaise. “Well, I have my own doctor, and I’ll call her to see what to do.”

She took a seat and stretched out, lacing her fingers over her abdomen. He immediately envisioned her in a few months with their child growing. Emotions flooded him—anticipation, worry, uncertainty, excitement.

“I meant what about us now?” she asked. “We’re not exactly a couple, and this certainly changes things between us.”

“Nothing about this attraction has changed,” he replied.

Ethan had to force himself to remain still, to not cross the balcony and take a seat on the chaise and pull her into his lap. They had never been alone this long without touching. The ache inside him grew with each passing minute, but they both needed to process this life-altering moment, and Harper needed space. Hell, so did he, but he still wanted to use sex as a distraction...just like he’d always done.

Only this time that default mode wasn’t going to be the best option. He had to care, had to put himself out there, at least a little, because he was going to be a father.

The idea nearly had his weak knees buckling. What did he know about parenting? His mother had been a saint putting up with twin boys, but she’d suffered a fatal stroke when they’d been teens. The only father figure he’d had around was Robert Anderson, and that had just been for a handful of years and had ended when the bastard stole everything from Dane and Ethan. So this was going to be one area he had to learn all on his own...a vulnerable spot to find himself in.

Harper swung her legs over the side of the chaise and came to her feet.

“Listen, I have some things I need to do today,” she told him. “We both should take some time to process, and I will contact my own doctor.”

“I will—”

Harper held up her hands. “I don’t deal well with anyone trying to control me—that’s going to be the first personal thing about me you need to understand. I can take care of getting my own health care. I promise not to leave you out.”

Ethan didn’t like it, but he understood her need to be in charge of her own body. Now he didn’t stop himself from crossing the patio. He did, however, use all his willpower to prevent himself from reaching for her.

“Come back tonight,” he told her. “Eight. I’ll have dinner ready.”

Her dark eyes leveled his. “You don’t seriously want to keep this up.”

Ethan took another step until their bodies lined up perfectly, then he framed her face with his hands and covered her lips with his. She arched against him and let out a little moan, the same moan that always drove him out of his mind. This time was no different.

Just as quickly as he’d started the kiss, Ethan released her and took a step back.

“I’ll see you at eight.”

Ethan moved back into the penthouse and headed toward the bedroom. As dramatic exits went, that wasn’t the best. But, considering they were in his suite, he couldn’t exactly leave.

He waited until he heard the elevator chime her departure before he sank onto the edge of the bed. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

He’d always prided himself on keeping all emotions and people out. That was how he’d lived for the last twenty years, but he was going to have a hell of a time continuing on that path. Harper needed him, and so did their child. That slap of reality had Ethan more afraid than anything. Was he even capable of opening up? Could he be what a child even needed?

Money was one thing—he had plenty of that and could offer everything Harper and a child could ever want. But he wasn’t going to be a hands-off dad...he just had no clue how to open his heart just enough for his baby and not get hurt.

After being shut down for so long, Ethan wondered if any of this was even possible.

Three

Harper clutched the notepad and pen as she circled the open ballroom once more. She would’ve already had all the last-minute notes she needed had her mind not been preoccupied volleying back and forth between redecorating Mirage and decorating a nursery.

Focus.

She had to remain true to her sister’s dream and to this job. Yes, her life had taken a complete twist from what she’d planned, but she wasn’t going to get off course. She had a job to do, and what type of mother would she be if she just gave up on her commitments whenever life got difficult or scary?

There. See? She was already thinking like a parent...not that she knew much about that role. The closest thing she’d had, her one and only life support, Carmen, had been taken much too soon. Harper would give anything to have her sister/parent/best friend here to offer advice or a hug. Harper could definitely use a consoling hug right about now.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she cursed as she blinked them away. Getting upset wouldn’t change a thing, which was why she needed to focus and stay on track.

Harper jotted down a few more last-minute notes as she slowly made her way around the open space once again. This room was currently closed off from the rest of the resort. From what Harper could gather, when Mirage first opened, there had been quite a few extravagant dances and receptions here. She wanted to bring this room back to life and compete with the newer resorts that had opened recently.

The resort was beautiful; the location demanded nothing less. But there were areas that had been overlooked and neglected for a few years, and she was overly excited, if a bit nervous, to revamp the entire place and polish those hidden gems back to a new sparkle.

She’d already done all of her designs and had everything ready to go. But the nervous worker inside her wouldn’t let her rest. She wanted to look at each room, making sure there were things she hadn’t forgotten.

This would undoubtedly be the most pivotal project she may ever take on. Perfect timing considering she was also taking on the most important role of her life...mother.

Harper glanced to her notes and realized in all her wanderings over the past couple of hours, she’d managed to doodle a baby rattle on the paper.

She’d always been one to leave random drawings on her work, but she truly had no idea she’d done this on her sketches and notes about the ballroom.

Good thing she was the only one who would see these, right?

Just as Harper started to leave the grand ballroom, her cell vibrated in her dress pocket. With her free hand, she pulled it out and stared at the text from her doctor’s office confirming her appointment.

She’d make a quick day trip to LA and be back here and on the job, hopefully before her father arrived. She really wished he’d get here, because there was only so much she could do without getting his approval. Oh, she’d love to have free rein, but he wanted to give one final okay to everything before she was let loose with the funding to start tearing up all the old to replace with new.

Sliding the cell back in her pocket, Harper made a mental note to tell Ethan about the appointment when she met up with him later. And that was just absurd. Going back to his penthouse for dinner like they’d been doing, like they were just going to continue this fling as if nothing had changed.

Talk. That’s all they could do tonight. There would be no sex. In fact, she’d find the ugliest thing she’d packed and wear it. Granny panties, too. Nothing sexy at all was going into that penthouse suite.

Actually, Harper should probably tell him they’d have dinner in one of the main restaurants. That would be best all around. They needed to curtail their desires. They’d had sex—amazing, toe-curling sex—but now it was time to move on and figure out what was best for all three of them.

First, she needed to learn more about the man. How cliché could she be? Meet a man, have a fling and still know nothing about him. Of course, she knew that if her sister was here, Carmen would likely buy Harper a drink and toast to the fact Harper had finally let loose and had a good time...then she’d promptly follow that up with some very real advice on how to embrace this new role of becoming a mother.

Of the two sisters, Harper had definitely been the more responsible, the more structured one. Carmen had taken after their mother with a little more of a free-bird mentality. Harper had never let loose...ever. She’d been so structured—until she came here.

But now more than ever, she’d need that structured mind-set to get through the project and her pregnancy. She needed a timeline and some type of plan for the future. Raising a baby while trying to grow a business would be a challenge, she had no doubt. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. Millions of women worked and raised children. Harper had no doubt she could and would do just fine.

Harper slid open the door to the hallway and jumped.

“Ethan,” she gasped. “What are you doing here? This area is closed off to guests.”

If his wide eyes were any indication, he was just as surprised to see her.

“So why are you here?” he countered.

Harper chewed the inside of her cheek and considered how much to share. He’d find out everything at some point anyway, right? They’d well surpassed the fling stage.

“I was actually hired to revamp this resort,” she confessed. “That’s why I’ve been here so long—and will be for a while longer. I need to be part of each step and oversee the progress.”

Ethan stared at her for another moment, his brows drawn in as if trying to figure something out. Silence settled between them, and she wondered what could be so interesting about what she’d just said.

“So you’re an interior designer?” he asked.

“By default,” she half joked. “My sister was the truly brilliant designer, but she always said I had a good eye. She opened Two Sisters Design a year ago and begged me to join her, so I did. And then... Well, you know she passed, so here I am.”

Ethan remained silent as he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. The quiet air seemed to crackle around them, and she hated this awkwardness that settled between them.

“And that’s enough of my backstory for now.”

She hated the tension that had slid between them. She had no clue how to act or what to say around him, which seemed rather odd considering they’d spent nearly every night together over the past month. Flings were messy, they were confusing, they were...

Harper mentally gave herself a slap in the face to wake up. She wasn’t having a fling anymore. She was having a baby with a man she barely knew. Which raised the question of his presence here now. Had he followed her?

“What are you doing here?” she asked again.

Ethan shrugged. “Just wandering around.”

“This whole area is closed off.” The manager knew who she was and allowed her access to any part of the resort. “How did you get in here at all? The door to this whole portion is coded.”

“Code?” he asked with a shake of his head. “The door was wide-open when I came through. I wasn’t aware it was closed off.”

Harper couldn’t tell if he was lying or if the door had in fact been left open. He had no reason to lie that she knew of, but she was sure she hadn’t left the door open. Something was off, but she couldn’t exactly say if it was Ethan or not.

“So, you’re revamping the entire resort?” he asked, glancing over her shoulder into the open ballroom. “That seems like quite the undertaking for one person.”

“I’m up for the challenge. Besides, I have a team that will come in and do the physical work.”

No need to tell him this was her first solo gig. She couldn’t treat this as a rookie project. Now more than ever, Two Sisters needed her entire focus.

Ethan took a step toward her, and that focus tilted. How could a man wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and a T-shirt be so damn attractive? Oh, yeah. Because she knew every inch of muscle tone that lay beneath those clothes.

He slid the back of his knuckles across her cheek. Harper’s breath caught in her throat as she closed her eyes and relished in his touch. When would she get over this? Would his touch always make her body tremble, her head foggy, her belly tingle?

“Ethan,” she whispered as she focused back on his hungry gaze. “We need to stop this.”

“That’s impossible,” he countered, bringing his other hand up and framing her face. “The attraction won’t stop just because we say so. Is there a rule that I shouldn’t want you just because you’re pregnant? Because I want you now more than ever.”

More than ever. In their month-long fling, she’d come to crave him more than anything, so she understood his need. They matched each other so perfectly in the bedroom. Never before had she experienced anything like Ethan Michaels...and the man was quite an experience.

“You can’t say things like that.” She was going for a scolding tone, but for reasons she ended up sounding breathless.

“Why? Because you’re trying to lie to yourself and pretend you don’t want me, too?”

She couldn’t lie to him, and she shouldn’t be lying to herself. She had to face every obstacle head-on.

“I just think...”

Harper shook her head and stepped away.

“I can’t think when you’re touching me and looking at me like that,” she stated more firmly.

His lips quirked as he took another step toward her, then another until he’d backed her fully into the open ballroom. Without a word, he reached behind him and slid the doors closed, the smack of the wood echoing through the room.

“You love every second of my touching and looking.”

That throaty tone sent shivers through her.

“We’re having a baby,” she stressed, as if he didn’t already know. “You said yourself that changes things between us.”

“It changes the timeline,” he stated, reaching for a curl and wrapping it around his finger. “It means we’ll be part of each other’s lives forever. But it sure as hell doesn’t change anything else.”

Harper tipped her head and stared up into those bright eyes. She could get lost in them, and on several nights, she’d done just that. There was something so powerful and mysterious about Ethan that she’d never been able to put her finger on. She’d wondered what brought him here, what kept him here, and now she really wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

Before she could dig deeper into this man who’d swept into her world and turned it upside down, he eased down and captured her lips. Ethan slid one hand through her hair and the other hand over the small of her back, pressing her body into his.

The response was instantaneous as the familiar tingle swept through her. Harper gripped his biceps, just trying to hold on to some sort of stability. This kiss was no different than the others. Every one created an arousing sensation that slithered from her head to her toes and made her knees weak.

Ethan spun them until her back came in contact with the wall. Wedged between two rock-hard surfaces, Harper arched against Ethan’s chest as his lips traveled from her mouth down the column of her throat. She tipped her head to the side, giving him more room to work even as a niggling voice in the back of her head kept telling her all the reasons she shouldn’t be doing this.

Harper really wished that voice would shut up and just let her enjoy the moment. Ethan’s hands bustled up the skirt of her maxidress. That voice grew louder, telling her to put an end to the madness.

“Need you now,” he murmured against her ear. The warmth from his breath sent even more shivers coursing through her.

There was a clatter as something fell to the floor and tapped the side of her foot. She ignored it.

Then ringing sounded through the room. She ignored that, too, because Ethan’s talented fingertips cruised along the edge of her panty line and silently promised delicious things.

The annoying ring persisted.

Her cell.

“Wait.” Harper pressed her hands to Ethan’s chest. “My phone.”

“Leave it,” he demanded.

She pressed a bit more until he muttered a curse and took a step back. Her dress fell back around her legs and she tapped her pockets, frantically searching for her cell before realizing it had fallen to the floor. Harper grabbed the phone and turned away from Ethan before she managed to control her shaky hands enough to look at the screen.

Of all times for this call.

“I have to take this,” she stated over her shoulder.

Without another word, she walked toward the wall of windows and accepted the call. Her hands shook and her body still hadn’t caught up with the fact there was nothing fabulous on the verge of happening right this minute.

“Hey,” she answered, trying to catch her breath. “I’ve been wondering when I’d hear from you.”

“I’ve been a bit busy,” her father said. “But I just boarded my jet and wanted to touch base. My assistant mentioned you wanted to change some things from the original design.”

“I do. In fact, I sent not only the new ideas but a new budget.”

All correspondence for the renovations was supposed to go through her father’s second in command. She didn’t ask why—Harper was just glad to have the job.

“Good work,” he praised. “I’ll take a look at everything, but I trust your decisions. I’ll have my assistant get with you about the new materials so you will be ready when your crew arrives. She mentioned next week sometime?”

“That’s right,” Harper confirmed. “I can’t wait for you to see my vision.”

Harper glanced over her shoulder, not surprised to see Ethan staring back at her. She turned her focus back toward the window.

“And when are you coming exactly?” she asked.

“Soon,” he promised. “But I want you to go ahead and get started. Bring in however many people you need, and I’ll okay the budget. I know I wanted to approve everything, but I simply don’t have the time and I believe you’ll do right by my resort.”

A thrill shot through her at the idea of starting to bring her vision to life in a matter of days. After months of waiting, wondering if she could live up to her sister’s vision and hopes, now was Harper’s chance to prove to everyone, especially herself, that she was worthy of this position her sister had trusted her with.