Reunited in Love (26 page)

The gulf he’d felt earlier after his mother’s party seemed wider now. He wanted to grab Kerri and make love to her until she forgot everything, but that was hardly the solution. They couldn’t just have sex every time there was a problem.

Taking a deep breath, he returned to the kitchen to finish prepping for dinner. A decent meal would help mellow them out some, make it easier to talk without getting too wound up.

The chicken Parmesan came out okay. It wasn’t his best—he’d left it in the oven a little too long, thanks to Catherine’s visit—but the special breading and sauce tasted fine. He served it with green salad and a basket of warm bread.

Kerri toyed with the tomatoes and had a few bites of chicken. Ethan polished off two big pieces of bread and chicken, then decided he didn’t want the salad after all.

When he put his fork down, the place was quiet.

“You don’t want to ask me anything?” Ethan asked finally.

“Do I have to comment on what happened?” Kerri straightened her utensils. “Catherine left. I think she’s upset about the situation with her hus—with Jacob—and the problems at TLD and his taunt about her going to jail probably made her snap. Don’t hold it against her.”

He leaned back. “Why are you defending her after what she said?”

“Well, she’s your sister-in-law.”

“I don’t give a damn if she’s my Siamese twin. She had no right to talk to you that way.”

“She’s family, and a permanent part of your life, regardless of what Jacob did.”

“What about you? You don’t think you deserve better?”
Don’t you think you’re more permanent than Catherine?

Kerri shrugged. “I want respect and some objectivity, but it’s hard to expect that from a distraught and abandoned wife. What I really
don’t
want is to create a rift between the two of you.”

“She created the rift, not you.”

Kerri shook her head and glanced away.

Could she even hear what she was saying? Did she still think that she was just some minor blip in his life? Or was that how she viewed him, and grilling him about Lisa or raging about Catherine was just too much work for something so transient?

“Don’t you want to know about Lisa?” he asked harshly.

She turned her head back around to look straight into his eyes. “No.”

Sudden fury exploded inside him. She wanted everything between them to be temporary, with a nice thick wall to keep them separate, so that it’d be easier when one of them walked. She didn’t want to know anything about him beyond what she already knew.

Fuck that. He’d smash that damned wall. He’d incinerate her resistance and hesitation.

His chair crashed backward as he rose. She stared at him, her eyes suddenly wide and wary. He picked her up bodily, knocking her water over. The glass shattered.

Uncaring, he crushed her to him, ground his lips against hers. She’d surrender to him in every way there was by the time he was done. She’d be so utterly his that she wouldn’t be able to even contemplate leaving him. No, she’d be demanding and possessive and greedy for him.

She’d never again ask him to go to a social function with some other woman, or tell him she wasn’t curious about an important aspect of his past.

Kerri’s jaw remained locked, her teeth clenched together in refusal. Her defiance added fuel to his rage. No longer bothering to kiss her, he cupped her breast instead. It was full and soft in his hand. He could feel the pulsing of her flesh through the bra and shirt.

He thumbed the plump mound, purposely avoiding touching her nipple. Her breath hissed out from between her locked teeth, and he could see the arousal in her dark and wide pupils.

Ethan carried her to the counter and spread her slim legs with his, his thighs keeping hers apart. She’d open here, for him, even if she locked him out of her luscious mouth.

His fingertips stroked the silk-soft crease behind her knees. Her sensitive spot. She shivered, her legs no longer resisting his relentless push to spread them wider. Her sandals dangled from her pink-tipped toes, then fell with soft thuds. He traced the gentle curve of her inner thighs, reaching all the way to the apex of her legs, then stopped, hovering there and feeling her moist heat. His cock hardened, wanting inside of her.

Not yet. Not yet.

Not until she surrendered unconditionally.

*

Kerri felt the shift in Ethan’s mood, the sharpening of his resolve. She’d angered him by refusing to ask about Lisa. Of course she’d wanted to know about the mysterious woman, especially since Catherine had said every woman Ethan dated was either exactly like her or a hundred and eighty degrees the opposite. If Catherine was right, Kerri had a pretty pathetic basis for… What was it they had? Not a relationship.

Sex, until they found someone else more suitable and more interesting?

She’d rather not know for sure. Not knowing, she could pretend everything was okay, the way she used to with her family until she discovered too much and couldn’t fake it any longer. Until she’d had to leave.

She sighed softly and tried to pull his hand closer to the small knot of nerves that begged to be touched. He didn’t budge. It was as though he was determined to punish her for her silence.

“Ethan…”

No response, although the heat coming off his body was like molten lava.

Okay, if that was the game he wanted to play… She let his hand go and touched herself instead, feeling her panties wet with desire. His eyes flared in surprise.

Holding his gaze, she stroked the crease between her legs until the flesh tingled and pulsed with warm pleasure. He stared at her, seemingly unable to tear his gaze away. Masturbating in front of him felt incredibly liberating—taking her own pleasure the way she wanted—yet also incredibly erotic and hot and so different from doing it alone and hurriedly at night, intent only on getting off.

No, this was a tease, a dare.
Look at me, lover. Watch and see how I’m giving myself pleasure
.

Given that he wasn’t shy about using his greater physical strength, it was important to reestablish the boundaries, declare with action that she could be alone again and still be content. That she didn’t
need
him.

She touched a breast, cupped it, while her other hand slipped under her panties.

Ethan practically tore her underwear off, clearly wanting to see everything laid bare, and something shifted in him as he watched her rubbing her slick, swollen clit. The tension coiled and mounted. She flicked her hard nipple, arching her back. She pushed two fingers inside herself, while rubbing the nub between her legs.

His hot gaze was unbelievably erotic, but her two fingers—which used to be enough—weren’t. He unbuckled his pants and pulled himself out, thicker and longer than her digits, and she licked her lips, feeling a sea-change building inside herself as well. Staring at his nakedness, she didn’t want her fingers. She wanted him inside her.

“Ethan…” she whispered.

He ignored her—or maybe he was too focused to have heard. He stroked his cock, his long strong fingers moving deftly up and down.

She undulated her hips, silently beckoning him. She’d wanted to show him he couldn’t manipulate her with his body, that she didn’t necessarily need him to pleasure herself. But instead, she was needier than ever before, wanting him inside her more than ever before. No matter how hard and furiously she pumped her fingers in and out, no matter how fast she rubbed her clit, the soul-shattering climax she wanted remained elusive.

His breathing roughened as his hand moved up and down faster. No. She didn’t want him to come without her. She might not believe she had the right to ask about Lisa. She might know that everything would end one day soon. But until then, this beautiful man belonged to her.

“Ethan, please!” She flung her hands away from her quivering body and gripped his wrist.

“Weren’t you going to finish yourself?” Despite the low tone, his voice was razor sharp, dangerous.

“I want you. Do you understand? Until we’re through with each other, your body is mine.”

“And you’re mine,” he ground out. “Don’t ever forget it. You are mine.” He plunged into her in one thrust, violent enough to lift her completely off the counter.

“
Yes!
” Was she was screaming to acknowledge his ownership of her body or to exult in the fullness between her legs that only he could create? Maybe it was a little bit of both.

He put on a condom, gripped her hips and took her with a kind of mindless savagery she hadn’t thought him capable of. Every minute was a symphony of excitement, the delicious slick friction driving her further and further toward an incredible height.

The climax blew through her so forcefully her back felt like it would snap. She sobbed his name, but he wasn’t through. He kept pounding into her, his rhythm relentless, not giving her a chance to catch her breath. Another wave hit her, sending her even higher. She was no longer in control of her body, yet she wasn’t afraid. Instead, she felt fulfilled, loved and safe.

At her third climax, he came, his guttural cry intensifying her pleasure until even the soles of her feet tingled.

When her breathing evened again, Kerri wrapped her arms around him, burying her tear-stained face in the crook of his neck. She couldn’t help but think that despite the pleasure she’d received, she’d given away too much of herself.

ETHAN LEFT FOR THE OFFICE the next day, even though it was Sunday. Apparently it was okay for him to work weekends.
Hypocrite
, she thought fondly.

Then again, he couldn’t always work out of his study. Many of the documents he needed were confidential and couldn’t be removed from the office building.

She was dressed in old black jeans and comfortable t-shirt. The TV didn’t have anything interesting, and she was bored. No, that wasn’t true. She was brooding about Lisa, and what Catherine had said.

Ethan knew more about Kerri than anybody else. Was he in this because he wanted to fix things for her in an attempt to redeem himself for the “fuckup” Catherine had kept mentioning?

And what was this “fuckup” anyway? Did it even matter when Kerri was in it for the short haul?

“Argh!” Kerri half-growled at herself. It wasn’t like her to worry about things she’d already told herself weren’t important.

Except they were. They were about Ethan, and she wanted to know.

Okay, enough is enough
. She needed a distraction. Maybe a visit to Natalie’s would be just the thing.

Mind if I come over?
she texted Natalie.

The answer came after a moment.
Mi casa es tu casa
.

Kerri left the penthouse with a small purse and drove the BMW out of the underground parking garage. Almost immediately, three black SUVs appeared in the rearview mirror.

Hmm. If she were the imaginative type, she might’ve thought they were some kind of bad guys. Maybe kidnappers. She snorted at the silly notion. Why would anyone want to kidnap her? Who would pay the ransom?

Ethan
.

No, that was a stupid idea. Why would he do that for a short-term fling?

Her phone rang, and she frowned. It was Justin.

“Good thing I caught you.” His voice was tight, his words fast and clipped. “Where are you?”

“On the road at the moment. Why?”

“Barron fired my PIs. He decided they were incompetent.”

“Not surprising. Nobody’s competent enough for him, and you didn’t hire the best.”

“That’s not the point. Barron decided to get involved. Got it? He’s going to locate you himself.”

She flexed her suddenly clammy palms, and took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”

“Very.”

“But he’s so busy.”

“Not busy enough, apparently.”

She cursed. “You’ve gotta be kidding. What could he possibly want from me?”

“Kerri, you know he doesn’t explain himself. I just found out that my PIs were fired this morning when I got a note from them.”

“Tell him he can’t fire them.” A headache started, little hammers pounding at her temples. She pushed the rising panic back into its proper place. Only cool, logical thinking could help her figure out what to do. “You hired them.”

“Riiight. He’s Barron frickin’ Sterling, and he can fire whoever he wants.” Justin lowered his voice. “Look, I know you don’t want to see him. But you can’t run forever. You already gave up your job at Goldreich to avoid him. What more do you want to sacrifice?”

Kerri found that she didn’t have an answer.

“Hey, I’ve got a meeting. Just wanted to warn you. Think about it.” Justin hung up.

As she drove through Arlington the SUVs stayed in her rearview mirror. Maybe everyone was just going in the same direction. Or maybe they were Barron’s goons.

Could he have found her this fast?

If so, why send someone instead of coming himself? He’d said he wanted to see her, and that probably hadn’t changed. He couldn’t possibly expect to intimidate her by sending some men after her. What would he threaten her with? He couldn’t withhold affection when he’d never given it in the first place. Money? She had enough to be comfortable on her own. Sabotage her attempts to get jobs? She had a great résumé, and he couldn’t block her from earning a living. She’d sue the bastard.

She pulled her car into the underground parking lot of Natalie’s glitzy high-rise. The black SUVs followed. As she climbed out of her car, the SUVs’ doors opened and several men in black hopped out. Crisp suits, dark sunglasses and earpieces marked them as bodyguards.

What. The. Hell.

One of them walked up to Kerri. “Miss Wilson?”

Must not panic
.
Must not freak out
. She arched an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

“Your security detail.”

“
What?
”

He inclined his head. “Mr. Sterling sent us.”

Oh god. Barron had found her already. “Why?”

The man frowned. “I believe the idea is to keep you safe, ma’am.”

No. She resisted the urge to run her clammy hands over her denim-clad thighs. This wasn’t about keeping her safe. This was about demonstrating who had the power in the relationship—him.