Chapter 7: Serendipity: Chapter 7

Faith wasn’t drunk or tipsy and she’d remember everything about this kiss. Ethan cupped his hands over her cheeks, holding her head in place while he thoroughly devoured her mouth. At the first touch of his tongue to her lips, she let out a moan and couldn’t find it in herself to be embarrassed.

He felt too good.

He ran his tongue back and forth over the seam of her lips until she couldn’t stand it another second and opened to let him inside. Eager to taste him, she slid her tongue over his, and the next groan came from deep in his chest. She took a heady pleasure from the effect she had on him, from knowing she wasn’t in this crazy web of desire alone.

And understanding it was equal, she wound her arms around his neck, kissing him back and pressing her needy body against his, seeking closer contact. Since the night he’d brought her home, she hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind, her thoughts, or her dreams. And this is what she’d been dreaming about since last time.

Him.

Her.

Their bodies locked together tight.

He pulled her closer, her breasts pressed tight against his chest, his hard erection wedged between their bodies. Her heart pounded harder. Her desire for him grew, the emptiness inside her yearning to be filled. As if he knew, he levered one knee between her legs, raising his thigh so he applied weight at just the right spot, pumping his leg up and down, building the pressure inside her until waves of sensation crested and eased, crested and eased.

She clenched her fists in the back of his shirt, bunching the material, silently begging him not to stop.

He murmured coaxing words, urging her on as his lips trailed moist, wet kisses over her cheek, her throat, reaching her collarbone where he paused to graze at her skin. One part of Faith was lost in sensation, another part unable to believe she was riding his leg seeking an orgasm he seemed intent on giving. She arched her back, thrusting her pelvis forward with the same rhythm he’d found, enabling her to grind into his hard, unyielding leg. Suddenly she was close, panting and closing her eyes as the brightest stars exploded behind her lids, taking her entire body along for a ride that never seemed to end.

As the sensations ebbed and reality came back, Faith realized what she’d just done.

And what he hadn’t.

And she knew she wasn’t prepared to open her eyes and deal with him just yet. Not when her underwear was damp and her body still quaked with little after shocks. Not when she felt warm and sated and while she still clung to him.

Slowly she loosened her grip on his shirt. Even more slowly she forced her eyelids open. Just as she’d expected, he stared at her with those deep, fathomless eyes.

“Was it good for you?” A sensual smile raised the corners of his mouth, but unfulfilled desire still pulsed in his gaze.

“It was okay.” She couldn’t hold back a grin of her own. They both knew it had been spectacular.

A pulse still pounded in the base of his throat, and she wanted to lean in and kiss him there. Somehow she refrained.

“Have dinner with me tonight,” he said, his tone indicating this time he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

She swallowed hard, knowing that this time dinner would involve a lot more than just food. There was so much unfinished between them, not just from this interlude but because there was so much more about him she wanted to explore. He might not be a bad boy anymore, but to her he was still the rebel in her dreams and she wanted to find out just how good it could be between them.

Any why not? She was single. He was single.

“Okay.”

A mixture of surprise and relief flickered across his handsome face. “Not going to make me work for it this time?” He brushed her hair off her cheek.

“I think you just did.” She ducked her head in embarrassment, putting space between them.

But his laughter followed her as she attempted to pull herself together, though she knew she’d spend the rest of the day looking as frazzled as she felt.

She finally met his gaze. “Thank you for the check,” she said, bringing him back to what really had brought him here. “It wasn’t necessary since we haven’t even agreed on anything yet.”

He raised an eyebrow. “How about I wanted an excuse to see you?”

Pleasure wrapped around her at the admission. “Well, if you aren’t comfortable, you can hang on to the money until you see and approve my ideas.”

His hand came down on her shoulder. “Here’s the check.” He reached into his pocket and handed her a folded piece of paper. “Cash it and don’t argue, okay?”

She nodded. “Thanks.” Joel was allowing her to use his name and credit with key accounts until she’d established herself, but the cash infusion would allow her to set up credit on her own. “ I’ve been working on some ideas I can show you tonight.”

“Sounds good. Instead of going out, why don’t you come over? I know Rosalita would love to cook for you.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.

She shook her head and laughed. “You know I can’t turn down one of her home-cooked meals.” And he didn’t hesitate to use it to get his way.

“Then I’ll pick you up at seven.” He started for the door and she raised her hand in a silent wave.

What in the world was she doing? Faith asked herself once she was alone. She was single for the first time as an adult. She barely knew who she was and what she wanted out of life. For a woman coming off an ugly divorce and not interested in a relationship with any man, she seemed to be diving into something with Ethan Barron way too fast.

By the time Ethan picked up Faith and she returned to the house, Rosalita was long gone. She’d left a set table and dinner ready to be served, something Ethan did an admirable job of handling on his own.

Faith was impressed.

There was something inherently sexy about a man at ease with serving a woman dinner. Of course there was something even more sexy about the man himself. He wore a simple white short-sleeved collared polo shirt and a pair of khaki-colored pants, yet she couldn’t tear her gaze away. There was nothing simple about the way he filled out the clothes either.

As delicious as the paella tasted—she’d always loved Rosalita’s signature dish of Spanish rice and seafood, she could barely concentrate on what she was eating. She was distracted by Ethan and thoughts of what they could very easily end up doing together after they finished the meal.

Despite the easy flow of conversation, she couldn’t help noticing that he was preoccupied too, only with what seemed like more than just the company.

Like right now.

They’d finished eating, but he turned his fork over and over, lost in thought.

“What’s going on?” she asked at last.

He glanced up, meeting her gaze. “What do you mean?”

“Up here.” She pointed to her head. “Every once in a while, I lose you. What’s got you so preoccupied?”

He treated her to an apologetic grin. “A business problem that I shouldn’t have brought with me to dinner.”

She shrugged, unconcerned. “Obviously you couldn’t leave it at the office. So? What’s going on? Sometimes if you put it out there, it’s easier to forget about for a while.”

He groaned and leaned back in his chair, bracing his hands behind his head. “You know I’m in weapons software development, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, I’m working on a bid for a new government contract. Both the software and the bid itself are proprietary. But someone’s funneling information to my competitor.”

“Ahh. That explains your distraction.”

“Don’t tell me you thought I wasn’t interested in you . . .” He snagged her gaze and the heat in his eyes promised her that wasn’t the case.

“No, I think we’ve already established that you are.” She felt the blush rush to her cheeks. “I just figured something important was bothering you.”

“I appreciate your asking.”

And she was grateful for any insight into who he was, what he did for a living, anything that made him tick. Up till now, he’d been closed about himself and she was curious.

“So tell me. How’d you get into weapons development of all things?” she asked.

He leaned forward in his chair. “Didn’t know I had the brains, did you?”

She grinned. “Hey, I didn’t say that. Now spill.”

Ethan laughed, seemingly more relaxed than he’d been all evening. “Let’s see. I didn’t last six months on my own. I woke up on a park bench one day and realized I was on the road to nowhere. I passed an army recruiting center, walked in, and signed up.”

“You were in the army?” she asked, stunned. She couldn’t see the younger version of Ethan succumbing to anyone’s rules.

“You sound surprised. What’s wrong? Don’t see me obeying orders?” He chuckled.

She shook her head. “That’s an understatement.” He was so on target he might just be reading her thoughts.

“The army was exactly what I needed. Someone had to kick my ass and get me to shape up. I actually got a scholarship through their ROTC program. Uncle Sam paid for my education and I gave him three years.”

She blinked, looking at him in a whole new light. “So you finished your military obligation, what? Three years ago?”

“Exactly. Luckily for me I was a computer simulation gaming freak. Bet you didn’t know that about me either.”

He winked at her and her stomach curled into a delicious knot.

“Anyway,” he continued, oblivious to the sexual sparks he’d fired up with that one wink. “The army put my skills to good use, so I ended up at a military base Stateside. In my free time, I started working up weapons software specs.”

“ Wow.”

He shrugged. “I know it sounds nuts, but this stuff comes naturally to me. But I needed to support myself, so after my tour was up, I took a job at Lockheed Martin. Heard of them?”

“Yes, but I couldn’t tell you what they do,” she admitted. Leaning forward on her hands, she waited for him to continue his story. His history was fascinating to her and she wanted more.

“Lockheed is a global security and tech info company, but by then I’d had it with rules and regulations.”

She grinned. “Big shock.”

“Exactly. It wasn’t a good fit so I turned independent. Luckily I had connections and I’d already been working privately on a system that would revolutionize the capabilities of our country’s next fleet of military jets. An old army buddy turned up and together we nailed the glitches in my software. Dale Conway and I started Magnum, our weapons software development company. We secured our first government contract, and bingo. Here I am.” His hand swept around the house with pride.

Until he met her gaze and obviously remembered from whom he’d bought the house. The house and the moment clearly reminded her of their change in status. They were still far apart on the food chain, they’d just reversed positions.

His expression sobered and he cleared his throat.

“So you and Dale are still partners?” she asked, eager to return to his past before he could hop onto her own.

With the way he’d skipped over the year his parents died, he wasn’t so keen on delving into painful history either. Hopefully he’d take the hint and keep discussing himself.

“Nope. I had to buy him out pretty quickly after we made the government deal. Dale wasn’t always the stablest nut in the tree,” he explained.

She nodded, taking it all in. “And where’s your main office?”

“Manhattan and a smaller base in D.C. But with the wonders of technology and FedEx, I can work from here just as easily.”

“I’m impressed,” she said, referring to his success. Regardless of the fact that he now lived here—and she didn’t—he’d made something of himself on his own.

“Thanks. But frankly, until my brothers come around, these kinds of accomplishments don’t mean as much.”

Having seen how one of his brothers treated him, she understood. As much as she wanted to question the dynamics of his relationship with them and why he blamed himself for so much, she knew better. Bringing it up would only ruin the comfortable byplay between them, and she was selfish enough to want him at ease with her.

“They will. Now that you’re here, they’ll come to see how much you’ve changed. Not that you were so bad to begin with,” she said with complete honesty.

He eyed her with wonder. “Why do you do that?” he asked.

“Do what?”

He pulled his chair closer, so their knees touched as he looked into her eyes. “Try so damn hard to see the best in me?” he asked gruffly.

She blinked, taken off guard by the question. Why did she? “I don’t know.”

All she knew was what she felt—and those feelings extended back ten long years—to when she’d taken that bike ride because she’d wanted to know him better. And to a kiss she’d never been able to forget.

“Whatever the reason, I’m grateful.”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t want your gratitude.” She wanted more.

His eyes darkened, making her wonder if he was somehow able to read her mind again.

She’d always felt a secret connection to him that made her want to believe he was good despite what the rest of the world thought. What he thought. She hadn’t turned him down ten years ago because of him, she’d turned him down because of herself. She hadn’t been ready.

Now she was.

They were both adults, both wanted sex without making apologies for it. She just wasn’t ready to invest her heart, but he wasn’t asking for it. From all the signals he’d sent so far, he had sex on his mind.

“So what do you want?” His compelling gaze, his taut expression all told her he already knew.

She swallowed hard. “I want you.”

“That’s what I hoped you’d say.” He leaned in and his mouth touched hers.

Want, need, desire, all the things she’d been missing for so long, collided inside her. His lips lingered, a teasing torment, a prelude for what was to come.

Then, suddenly, chimes rang out, and she knew his kiss wasn’t setting off these particular bells. They were too familiar. “Doorbell,” she whispered against his lips.

Ethan muttered a low growl, followed by a curse. No one in this damned town even liked him. “Who the hell would come ringing my doorbell now?”

He stood and Faith rose with him.

“Might as well see.” She sounded as disappointed as he was with the interruption.

“Whoever that is, I’ll get rid of them.” He grabbed her hand and headed for the door.

Now that he had her in his home, ready and willing, no way would he allow some visitor he couldn’t give a damn about to stop them from finishing what they’d started.

He reached the large wood door and opened it wide. In front of him stood a stranger, a woman about his own age, maybe a few years younger. “Can I help you?” he asked, not bothering to hide his irritation.

The woman, a brunette, glanced back over her shoulder. “Tess. Get over here now.”

Tess?

Ethan didn’t know anyone by the name of Tess.

Suddenly a teenage girl—a sullen teenage girl—stepped up beside the other woman. Folding her arms across her chest, Tess glared at Ethan, looking no happier to see him than he was to find either of the women on his doorstep.

He braced one hand on the doorframe. “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but it’s not a good time.” Ethan started to swing the door closed.

“Just see what they want,” Faith suggested from behind him.

He had no choice. The older of the two had shoved her sneakered foot in front of the door, preventing him from shutting her out anyway.

“Not so fast. I’m Kelly Moss and this is my sister . . . well, my half sister, Tess. Tess is your sister too.”

Ethan narrowed his gaze. “Hey, lady, I don’t know what kind of scam you’re running, but I can assure you I don’t have a sister.”

Two brothers who wanted nothing to do with him? Yeah, he had those. “There are no females in my family, so you can go find some other sucker to play.”

The teen just glared, looking for all the world as if she didn’t give a shit about whatever was going on around her. Having perfected that facade once, Ethan had a hunch there was a helluva lot more going on beneath the mask of indifference. Not that he cared. No way was she his sister.

The brunette rolled her eyes. “Not everything in life is about money. Does the name Leah Moss sound familiar?” She was nothing if not persistent.

“No.” He was tempted to swing the door shut again when the name suddenly rang a bell. “Wait.” He searched back in time until he finally remembered why. “My father’s secretary,” he said.

An uneasy feeling crept up Ethan’s spine as childhood memories came flooding back. His father being away on business, arguments behind closed doors when his dad had been home and in town. An awareness that things between his parents weren’t quite right and the fear his family unit might be falling apart.

“Bingo.” The woman snapped her finger in the air. “Leah Moss is our mother.” She gestured back and forth between herself and the teen, who, Ethan realized, had short black hair with a streak of purple in the front.

“And what’s that got to do with me?” Ethan asked.

Behind him, he felt Faith step closer, offering silent support, as if she shared his unease.

“Tess’s father died when she was four.” The woman deliberately paused. “Ten years ago.”

Ethan’s mouth grew dry.

“Like your father did, right?” the woman asked.

Ethan clenched his jaw. “So you did your research. Everyone in this town knows about that.”

“I didn’t have to dig further than this.” She pulled a piece of paper from her purse. “Tess’s birth certificate naming your old man as her father. My mother had no reason to lie.”

And though Ethan had no reason to believe her, he’d always known his family hadn’t come from a Normal Rockwell painting. As the oldest, he’d been keenly aware of his father’s absence; Ethan’s early troubles had been an attempt to get his father’s attention, keep him home with his family more. Not that his extreme behavior had worked.

Ethan stared from the woman to the teen she claimed was his sister. Had Mark Barron been having an affair with his secretary? Ethan had overheard his mother accuse his dad of fooling around. Mark and Alicia Barron hadn’t had the best marriage, and Mark sure as hell wouldn’t be the first man to knock up his secretary.

“Where is your mother?” Ethan asked.

The woman shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. We haven’t heard from her in almost a year. Tess came home from school one day to a note telling her she ran off with some man.”

The teen didn’t flinch at her sister’s description. Her walls were damned high, Ethan thought.

“I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. “It’s a sad story. But if you’re looking for a handout . . .”

The brunette pinned him with a disgusted glare.

Behind him, Faith poked him in the back. Obviously neither was happy with his assessment.

“Look, I don’t need your money. Tess here doesn’t need your money. What Tess needs is a firm, guiding hand. A male guiding hand. Look at her.”

Ethan’s gaze traveled back to the girl. The shrubbery lighting that lit up the path gave him a solid view and for the first time, he really looked. Black T-shirt, black pants, black combat boots, along with the black hair, added to the overall look. A step closer revealed that black eyeliner ringed her eyes and she had a ring piercing her eyebrow.

“From your stunned expression, I see you finally realize what I’ve been dealing with.” The brunette looked none too pleased to have made her point.

And the uneasy feeling in Ethan’s gut returned, magnified.

“She’s out of control—drinking, smoking, running with a dangerous crowd, and I can’t handle her anymore. I definitely can’t work and raise a rebellious teenager. I have a job to get back to, so it’s your turn.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said it’s your turn. Step up and play big brother. I’ll come back at the end of the summer before school starts and we’ll figure out what to do next. In the meantime, get to know each other and see if you can handle her any better than I can.”

Ethan clenched and unclenched his fists. She couldn’t possibly mean to leave the girl here. “Just because your mother wrote my father’s name down on a piece of paper doesn’t make it true.”

Faith groaned.

“I told you this was a fucking mistake.” Tess folded her arms over her chest defensively.

Ethan winced. Even as the words spewed from his mouth, he knew he was out of line, especially to say it in front of the kid. But he just wanted this mess to go away.

“I figured you’d say that.” Only the older sister hadn’t reacted to Ethan’s words. “Luckily for you, my mother was smart enough to grab some of his DNA,” she said. “Toothbrush,” she continued before he could ask. “She had the tests run. I had them repeated.” She handed him another envelope from her purse. “Read it and weep.”

He wanted to.

Because if her story was true, Tess was his sibling. Another person he’d deprived of a parent. Another person he owed for his past mistakes. And she looked pretty screwed up too.

He met the brunette’s gaze. “Look . . . what did you say your name was again?” He winced as he spoke.

“Kelly Moss, but the only name you have to concern yourself with is Tess.” As if from nowhere, the older sister produced a large duffel bag from the darkness and tossed it onto his front step.

“Kelly.” Ethan heard the apology in his tone. Hopefully she’d caught it too. “You took me off guard. Come on in and we’ll talk about this, okay?” He reluctantly gestured for them to come inside.

His chance at being alone with Faith had long since been shot to hell, but he still wasn’t ready for the responsibility Kelly Moss intended for him to take.

She shook her head. “Nope. Took me over an hour to drive here from the city. I have a long drive back so I can be at work in the morning. But Tess would be more than happy to come inside, right, Tess?” She stepped closer to the teen and nudged her in the back.

“Bite me,” the girl said in a clearly pissed tone.

She glanced at Ethan. “You can get her to come inside. Oh, and one more thing? Her juvenile probation officer knows she’s going to be living with you. His name is on here.” She held out a card.

Stunned, Ethan couldn’t make his hand move.

Faith accepted the card for him.

“Make sure you check in with the man,” Kelly said.

“Probation officer?” he finally blurted out, feeling as if he were in a nightmare from which he couldn’t wake up.

Without warning, the woman abruptly turned and hugged the teenager—the first sign that she cared since Ethan had opened the door.

When she spoke, her voice quivered. “Be good. Be smart . . . smarter anyway, and be safe. I love you. I’ll call you every night, okay? And I’ll see you at the end of the summer.”

The teen stood with her arms stiff at her sides. She didn’t return the hug or utter a word in reply, but suddenly Ethan knew that for Kelly, dumping her sister on his doorstep hadn’t been easy. In fact, it suddenly seemed like a desperate last-ditch effort on the girl’s behalf.

But that made her Ethan’s problem and damned if he knew what to do with a hostile teenager, and a girl no less. He’d barely survived those years himself.

Ethan suddenly had a family crisis on his hands. Which meant, he realized, he needed to call a family meeting. He nearly laughed aloud at the absurdity of that thought. He and his brothers were far from being a family, but with this new sister, Nash and Dare would have no choice but to come over and deal with the new family reality.

Whether they wanted to or not.