Ethan (Members From Money Book 37) Read online

  “I can’t--” she let out a loud cry as the sensation slammed into her and had her clinging to him, her fingers digging into his flesh. He joined her, gathering her close to him, his mouth touching hers in a kiss that bruised her lips as he poured himself deep inside her! Harper felt the drunken punch of the orgasm and leaned into him weakly, her body trembling against him.

  *****

  He curled one powerful leg around her as she made to move away. It had taken them several minutes for the tremors to stop and before he could pull out of her.

  “I have to go,” she insisted as she tried to move again.

  “No,” he murmured huskily. He knew she was sore. He had spent too long a time inside her and it was her first time but he had been unable to help himself. “I thought I made it clear that you were spending the night.”

  “You did not make it clear and you do not get to decide for me.” She hissed as she fought to push him away.

  He evaded her resistance easily and reached between them. Harper stiffened as his fingers found her sex still wet from their coupling, sliding in with ease. His dark blue eyes watched as her lips parted and a moan escaped her. He loved the wet slicking sound it made as his fingers slid in and out of her slowly without hurry. His thumb passed over her mound and almost smiled as her back arched. “Stop.” She whispered raggedly.

  “Why?” he asked her, his fingers busy and ruthless.

  “Ethan--” she gasped as he went deeper, his thrusts becoming more demanding. He stopped suddenly and pulled out of her. A cry escaped her as he brought those same fingers wet with her need to his lips and put them into his mouth, sucking the moisture slowly, his eyes holding hers. He did not stop until everything was gone.

  “Still want to leave?” he asked her huskily.

  “You bastard!” she whispered, her body vibrating as he pulled her beneath him.

  “Leaving is not an option,” he told her as he entered her swiftly. “We are not even close to being finished yet.”

  “I hate you,” she moaned as she wrapped her hands around his neck.

  “I know,” he whispered as he took her lips with his.

  *****

  He got up while she was still asleep, easing off the bed slowly so as not to wake her and without putting on the robe at the foot of the bed he went swiftly from the room and into the living room where the half bottle of wine stood where they had left it. He was still partially aroused. He poured the wine into the glass and downed it so quickly that he almost choked. He was comfortable in his nudity. His body was athletic and well-toned, he saw to that and putting on clothes was the last thing on his mind now. His glance at the clock showed that it was almost midnight and he intended to wake her up by slipping inside her while she slept. He knew that she was going to resist him and find some excuse not to come back to his apartment right now. He knew that she was not going to agree to them having a relationship and that he was going to have to work hard to get her to agree so for now he was not going to waste a minute!

  Chapter 10

  She avoided him. She knew it was the coward’s way out and she was certainly not a coward but she had her reasons. It had been too intense between them. He had waked her up in the middle of the night and had made love to her until she cried out his name in the throes of ecstasy. He had made love to her in the morning again wringing cries of abandonment from her and had her clinging to him as the orgasm splintered through her already susceptible body. He had murmured that he wanted to see her again that night and she had made excuses that she was sure he saw through. But she had to think and regroup and there was another worry. She had been foolish and had not protected herself against pregnancy. She had never taken contraceptives because there had been no need for that. And they had made love so many times. She had had her periods two weeks ago and did not know if it was sufficient time to guard against an unwanted pregnancy. She had that on her mind and her reaction to his lovemaking and the enormous effect it had on her. Even after he had dropped her back to apartment in the morning and she was alone she still felt him inside her. It had been two days ago and she was still feeling him. She could not see him again! She had begged him to give her release, cried out his name when the release came. She could not deny that she was incredibly attracted to him and maybe more.

  She did not answer his calls and would listen to his messages after. Messages that demanded that she take his calls and stop trying to hide from what they shared. In the meantime, she had gone to see Bart.

  “You look so much better,” she said as soon as she saw him in the sitting room. He looked relaxed and well fed and far different from the man she had seen at the soup kitchen in December. Almost two months had passed since he had been at the home and the improvement to his physical appearance was astounding!

  “Thanks to you and to this place,” he laughed gently as he clasped her hands in his. “Come and sit,” he urged as he held her hand and led her over to the comfortable sofa in front of the fire. She had brought supplies as usual and some warm clothes for him. “I have friends here now and the kindness showed to me has me thinking good thoughts. For the first time in a very long time I feel at peace. Do you know that we have services here every Sunday? You should come.”

  “I would like that,” Harper said with a smile. “It’s good to see you so happy.”

  “I will never be able to thank you for giving me a second chance at life.” He said sincerely.

  “It was my pleasure,” she told him gently. “Are you still having nightmares?”

  “They come and go but with less frequency.” He shook his head as he stared off into the fire. “I still think about them but I think about them with love and think that they are in a happy place. I have slowly stopped blaming myself.”

  “And I heard you have been beating everyone here at cards,” Harper said with a laugh.

  “I am a natural,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. He searched her face. “You look different.”

  “It’s cold out there.”

  “No,” he shook his head. “You met someone.” His intuitiveness threw her for a spell before she recovered.

  “I have no idea what you mean.”

  He squeezed her hands. “I hope he is worthy of you.”

  “It’s not like that--”

  “My dear, I had only one love of my life. My wife. She was the only woman in the world for me and the thought of being with anyone else had me panicking. I loved her and even though our life together was cut short, I would never exchange spending time with her. No matter the arguments and the disagreements we would not go to bed unless we talk things out before closing our eyes in sleep. I am happy for that because when she left me we were in very good terms and she had no doubt that I loved her.”

  “I like that.”

  “You look different,” he told her again. “I know the look.”

  “It’s nothing like what you shared with your wife.” She assured him.

  “But it could be,” he surmised. “Don’t be afraid to venture into it, my dear. You never know.”

  *****

  “You have been requested to do a follow up interview.” Dudley surprised her with the news two days later.

  “What?”

  “Ethan Shaw himself called and spoke to me. He wants to do a follow up interview. Apparently the piece you did on him painted his company in a very positive manner and he wants to do another one.”

  Harper felt the anger fueling inside her. She knew exactly what he was doing! She had not returned his calls so he was backing her into a corner. “I think we have said all there is to be said on the subject. I was thinking of doing a piece with this widow in town who lost both husband and brother--”

  “No,” Dudley said firmly. “I told Mr. Shaw that I would have you call him and set up a time and place to do the follow up interview. The first piece you did sold tons of papers and I want more of that. Is there some reason you do not want to do this? Are you still fixated on this aversion to the co
mpany?”

  “Of course not.” She forced a smile. “I will get in touch with him.”

  “Good.”

  *****

  The risks were becoming even more daring! Each time he was in town Joshua would bring her expensive gifts and she was becoming addicted to his lovemaking. She loved her husband but Francis’ lovemaking had never been fantastic from the start and as the years went by it had become less so. She placated her guilty conscience by telling herself that she was not doing anything wrong at least not entirely. He lived out of state and she only get to see him once a month. She had stopped entertaining him in their bedroom and had taken to meeting him at hotels further away from where they lived.

  “We have to stop,” she said as she got off the bed and reached for her clothes.

  “Why?” he looked at her lazily. She was older than he was but her body was firm and well-toned and he had great fun with her. She was a diversion for when he came to town for business. He loved his wife and children and had no intention of jeopardizing the relationship. That was one of the reasons he had chosen her. She would never be a threat to him and she loved getting presents.

  “I love my husband.”

  “I love my wife,” he told her in amusement. “We are having fun Faye so where is the harm?”

  “I am falling in love with you,” she blurted out.

  He sat up and stared at her. “Where is that coming from? You are married and so am I. We are just into this for mutual gratification.”

  Faye Simmons buttoned up her blouse and felt the humiliation of that statement. “I had no intention of falling in love with you. It just happened.”

  “I am sure it’s nothing,” he said soothingly. “You will get over it in a few days and we can go on as before.”

  “Get over loving you?” she asked him incredulously.

  “Yes,” he told her coldly. “I have no intention of leaving my wife. We share a bond together and I am not going to hurt her for anyone. Get over this so called love of yours or you will never see me again.”

  “Is it so easy for you?” she asked him bitterly. “We share so many times together and you are asking me to deny my feelings.”

  “Are you willing to leave your husband?” he saw the hesitation on her face. “Precisely. I am not willing to leave my wife and break up our family. There are children involved and I am not going to risk hurting them. You told me yourself how grateful you are to your husband. Are you going to risk hurting him?’

  She shook her head and sank down on the bed, her hands linked. “No.” she said dejectedly. “When I first met you at the party and we danced, I thought that it would be simple; we would have some fun together and I could tell you goodbye when the time comes.”

  “We are not saying goodbye just yet,” Joshua said softly. “Just let us go back to where things were.”

  *****

  “Put her through.” He told his secretary. “Hi.”

  “You think you can use Dudley to get me to see you? “She asked him coldly.

  “You have not been returning my calls,” he leaned back in his chair and relaxed at the sound of her voice. He had contemplated going by her apartment but if this ploy had not worked that would have his next move. “So when do you want to set it up? I am wide open darling.”

  The endearment had her shivering. “I am not doing it.”

  “Then I will just have to call what’s his name? Ah Dudley and tell him that here I am waiting for an interview for his paper and no one has contacted me yet.”

  “You bastard!” she took a deep breath before continuing. “I will be having the interview in a public restaurant and that will be the end of it.”

  “No,” he said mildly. “We are having the interview at my office when the rest of the staff members have left or better yet at my apartment.”

  He smiled as silence met his sentence.

  “I am not having sex with you,” she told him heatedly.

  “Who said anything about sex?” he asked her. “And that was not sex darling. I happen to know the difference. It was something far more profound and I must say I never had you down as a coward.”

  “You mean because I have not been returning your calls?” she asked him sweetly. “If you would just put aside you very large ego you would know that I am avoiding you because the attraction has run its course and I am no longer interested.”

  “Prove it.” He dared her.

  “What?”

  “Prove that you no longer feel anything for me. That when I touch you both of us don’t go up in flames. Prove that to me darling and I promise you that I will leave you alone.”

  “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”

  “Oh but you do. I already know what you will feel and I am sure you do as well. Stop trying to run away from it Harper and acknowledge to yourself that we share something profound.”

  “Tomorrow at eight.” She told him coldly.

  “Where?”

  “At your damned company.”

  “I am looking forward to seeing you darling. When we made love that time at my apartment and when I undressed you the black lace underwear looked great against your flawless skin. Wear something like that again. I want to peel it off you before I taste your body--” he smiled as he heard the dial tone in his ear. His heart raced as he thought about seeing her!

  *****

  “Mother, are you okay?” Harper asked her curiously as she watched her mother wander up and down the large sitting room. It had been three weeks since she had been to see her parents and had decided to stop by. She needed a distraction from her muddled thoughts and who better to offer it than her mother. But she seemed distracted herself. Dinner had finished and her father had gone to his study leaving them alone.

  “Of course darling,” Faye came over and sat on the sofa opposite her daughter. “What’s going on with you?”

  “The usual,” she looked at the woman with a frown. “Are you sure you are okay? You have not said anything about my untidy hair or the fact that my sweater is unfashionably big. At dinner you barely spoke. What’s wrong?”

  “I have decided that you are right darling.”

  “Right about what?” Harper asked her curiously.

  “Right about letting you lead your own life. I should not be interfering.”

  “Why stop now?”

  “You are an adult and you have been a very exemplary daughter.”

  Harper’s tapered eyebrows lifted. “Mother, are you ill?”

  Faye gave a nervous laugh and got to her feet. Harper’s eyes followed her as she went to pour herself a glass of wine. “I am not ill. I am just thinking about the Valentine’s Day party that Louise Stapleton will be hosting. The woman has no idea how to throw a good party.”

  “I am sure you will tell her that and offer up your expertise.” Harper waited for her to ask if she was coming and when she did not, her suspicions were aroused. She got to her feet.

  “Are you leaving?” her mother asked her.

  “Yes. I will just go and tell Daddy that I will be going.” She looked at the woman curiously and then left.

  “Hey honey. Leaving already?” her father asked as soon as she came into his den. He was sitting behind his desk with a newspaper in his hands. She walked over and kissed him on the forehead before leaning on his desk. She remembered nights when she could not sleep and had wandered into the comfortable room. Instead of sending her off to bed he had taken her onto his lap and read to her.

  “Daddy, is Mother okay?”

  “What makes you ask?”

  “She has not complained about the way I look and she seems distracted.”

  “Come to think of it, she has been distracted lately. She has not even been shopping in weeks.”