Reunited in Love

Chapter Nine

THEY HAD A BITE to eat, then Ethan got dressed and left for the charity ball. He looked so mouth-watering in his tuxedo, Kerri almost changed her mind about not accompanying him. She considered seducing him again to keep him with her a little bit longer, but that probably wouldn’t have worked. He wasn’t the kind of man a woman could manipulate with sex.

So instead she waved goodbye, put on a robe and went to her laptop. Ethan didn’t want her to work on weekends, but it wasn’t like she had anything else to do. There was nothing interesting on TV. She could only watch so many hysterical news programs about the crappy economy, currency manipulators and potential terrorist attacks. She didn’t have her violin, not that she would’ve been able to play anyway; she’d probably forgotten almost everything. There was reading, but she didn’t read much except a couple of business magazines, the Wall Street Journal and a few select financial papers. And she’d already read today’s Journal.

Who was Ethan taking to the ball? Those types of events always required a date, and Ethan undoubtedly had a stable of stunning candidates. A blonde? Maybe a brunette? A model or singer or something.

She suddenly couldn’t concentrate. She closed the laptop and stared out the floor-to-ceiling window at the lights below. A bitter acidic feeling inside made her stomach uncomfortably tight. She wasn’t used to feeling jealous over a man, and discovered she hated it. This possessiveness had to be because their relationship was still on the new side. When more time had passed, maybe around Christmas or thereabouts, she wouldn’t care. She might even look back at this moment and laugh at how silly she’d been.

But that was the future. The present didn’t make her feel like laughing.

She wanted to be there with him, dance in his arms, greet his friends and acquaintances. But that wasn’t going to happen when she knew her grandfather would be there. Her hands tightened, and she wanted to hurl something.

Why did they want to see her? It’d been seven—or was it eight?—years. What would they have to say to each other? She knew the kind of loss and pain she’d caused and didn’t want to hurt them anymore. She didn’t want them to hurt her, either…not that it would be from any malicious intent, but uncaring words and neglect could cut just as deeply.

It shouldn’t have been so complicated just to be in Virginia—and with Ethan—for a while without having to worry about running into her family. Part of her thought she should engineer a confrontation and be done with them once and for all, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t think she could handle the pain or the guilt.

Coward.

At least she was good at shielding herself.

*



Ethan could barely tolerate the ball, and the glitz and wealth all around him. The orchestra grated on his nerves. The marble was too hard, the chandeliers too gaudy, and the food and drink tasteless.

He usually went to such functions with good grace since they supported good causes, but he hated being here while Kerri was home alone. She’d almost looked sad when he’d left.

Well, it was her choice. He would’ve canceled if Kerri had said, “Stay with me.” But when he’d put on his tux, her face had closed off and she’d said, “Have a good time.”

Was she having a good time?

How could a woman want him as much as she did, then push him away once they were done like she was embarrassed by a lapse in judgment? She still snuck from his room to return to hers every night as soon as she thought he’d fallen asleep. Women had never treated him that way. He was smart and capable, wealthy, his family impeccable…and he didn’t have any glaringly bad habits that might turn a woman off.

And humble, he thought with a sour wryness. Don’t forget humble.

Had he miscalculated Kerri’s attraction to him? Was it really just based on how much she liked his cock? But no, she enjoyed his company outside the bedroom too. So what the hell was her deal?

“Hey.” His date, Elizabeth Pryce-Reed, poked him in the side. “You don’t like educating the poor children in Somalia?”

“What?”

“You’ve been glowering ever since we got here.”

“Sorry. I’m just tired. And worried about Natalie,” he said.

“That poor woman. Can you imagine getting food poisoning on your honeymoon? Yuck.”

He forced a smile. “I know, right?”

It wasn’t Elizabeth’s fault Kerri was proving more difficult than he’d imagined. Elizabeth was a dear friend, someone he’d known since grade school, and she’d done him a big favor by coming since her social calendar was always overflowing. Not only was she a wealthy heiress, she was also gorgeous with bouncy blonde curls and warm brown eyes. Ethan didn’t know a single person who didn’t like Elizabeth, and she received invitations to all the best parties.

She gave him a penetrating look. “Natalie isn’t the one who’s making you grouchy, although I’m sure it’s a woman. You have that look men get when their relationships aren’t going the way they want. Like you’ve got indigestion or something.”

Despite everything he laughed. “Do I?”

“Uh huh. So what’s the problem? Too clingy? I know how you hate scenes.”

“No…no, not at all clingy.” He wished Kerri were clingy. Then everything would’ve been easier.

“Well, whatever it is I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out. And remember” —she put a hand on his sleeve, the gesture friendly and reassuring— “no matter what happens, things always work out.”

“Thanks. You’re a doll.”

“True. Now, are you going to take me out on the dance floor, or am I going have to bat my eyes at some poor defenseless man?”

*



By the time Ethan got back to the penthouse it was past two in the morning. He’d left the ball as quickly as decently possible, but everyone had seemed bent on getting in his way, wanting to inquire about his family—probably to sniff out how things were going on the Jacob front—talk about a potential business deal or get his opinion about something. Navigating the crowd had felt like he was wading through a kind of social molasses. And then he’d had to go 15 miles in the opposite direction to drop Elizabeth off.


He figured Kerri would be asleep in bed, but she was in the study, her head resting on the desk, laptop open and her screen-saver showing cards falling in slow motion.

He sighed. He should’ve left her some movies. Or maybe made an appointment at a spa. Or better yet, locked her laptop in his car.

He put one arm around her back, the other under her knees and lifted her easily out of the chair. Her eyes still closed, she burrowed her head into the nook between his neck and shoulder like she knew exactly where she belonged.

“Hey,” she murmured, her voice slurred with sleep.

“Hey,” he whispered back. “Let’s take you to bed.” He started walking in the direction of his bedroom.

“M’kay.” She said something else that he didn’t catch.

“What?”

She roused herself a bit. “I said, I sent you an email.”

“You did?” He hadn’t checked his account.

“Yeah. Gonna be unhapp’ when you see it, but I checked ev’rythin’ twice.”

“Why?” he asked, keeping his voice casual. What had she found?

She mumbled something into his shirt.

“What?”

She blinked up at him. “You wan’ talk about it now? I don’t mind.”

“No. Work can wait.”

She nodded. “’Kay.”

Her delicate presence in his arms gave him a small comfort. She smelled amazing, ripe apple and drowsy woman. He cherished the way she burrowed into him, so trusting.

He placed her on the bed in the master bedroom suite, where she curled up on her side. He should let her sleep, but he wanted to touch her, make her shudder in passion and bury himself deeply into her. If they’d gone to the ball together, maybe he wouldn’t feel this urgent need to reaffirm their connection, but right then, it seemed paramount that he remind her of their crazy chemistry and emotional ties.

Quickly, he undressed and tossed his clothes over a plushy reading chair. He climbed in next to her, nude, then lightly massaged the back of her ears and the sensitive spot where her neck met her collarbone. She sighed, then turned fully toward him, her eyes still closed but her body knowing exactly what it wanted.

His lips traced the beautiful curves of her body, while his hands worked at getting rid of her clothes. She was so warm and sweet he ached with emotions he couldn’t name.

This time their union   wasn’t as frenzied as before. This was about languid pleasure, and he took advantage of her drowsiness to overwhelm her senses before she realized what was going on.

She moaned softly as he slid into her, and her grip on him tightened. Her breath tickled his neck. “Ethan,” she whispered.

That was all the urging he required to give into the rising need between them. She wrapped her slender legs around him, her inner muscles contracting tightly and pulling him to a peak.

He shuddered into her, holding on tightly. Afterward, spent and languid in pleasure, she laid an open palm against his chest without even opening her eyes.

He put his hand over hers and kissed her forehead. He wasn’t used to women as elusive and yet as generous as Kerri. Whenever she was awake, with her brain working normally, she pulled back, as though she was afraid of being too close to people, to him.

Who had hurt her to make her so wary? Women this passionate didn’t insulate themselves without good reason, and the notion that someone had crushed her tender heart sent a streak of fiery anger through his chest.

He might never find out who was responsible, but he could make sure she’d never be hurt again.