IF YOU WANTED THE MOON (15 page)

“Is something wrong, Ethan?” she asked him.

He frowned. “No,” he said. “I’ve got to take care of some business. I’l see you later.”

Tori looked at him, wondering what did she do this time, but that was Ethan, she thought. “What about the groceries?” she asked.

“I’l get them out later,” he said.

When she got out of the car, he drove away so fast and so decisively that she almost felt as if he was somehow angry with her. And it stunned her.

She went inside and tried to go on with her routine, but she found herself spending al of the day waiting for him. She sat out on the deck, she walked along the beach, she waited and waited until wel after midnight. When it was obvious that whatever business he was engaged in was going to keep him away from her, by design no doubt, she cried herself to sleep.

Across town, in a smal hotel room Ethan checked into the first night they arrived in town, he was lying in bed thinking about Tori. It was out of hand and he knew it. He probably knew it the moment he forced Lassiter to hire her, and now there was no doubt. He nearly had a heart attack when she ran in harm’s way to save that little boy. And his heart was stil pounding. He would have died if something would have happened to Tori. He would have asked the Lord to take him, too.

He looked up at the ceiling of his smal hotel room puzzled beyond words. Her look made him want her. But he knew he couldn’t love her, not now, not in that
I’ll die for you
way he’d never loved before. He was a businessman first and last, not some romantic fool. He didn’t have time for this nonsense. How could he be in love with a woman who loved money more than she could ever love him?

That was why he turned over, determined to get himself some sleep. His company was in trouble and Tori was behind that trouble. Period. Which made her trouble. And that was al, he decided as he closed his eyes and dared sleep to come, she would ever mean to him.

The next day brought frightening but welcome news for Ethan. As soon as he puled his Lexus into the driveway of his home early that Saturday morning, he received a text message from Marc Grier.

Morton was in town, the message said, and was at this very moment sitting down for breakfast at the Sunshine Café.

Ethan exhaled when he read the news, then he got out of his car and hurried inside the house, his heart anxious to see Tori, his heart dreading seeing her.

She wasn’t in the house, as he had expected, but was out on the back deck reading one of those ridiculous magazines of hers. Ethan stood at the open French doors and stared at Tori. She wore a

beautiful white dress with lavender flowers, and matching sandals. Her hair was puled back into a thick, plaited ponytail. She looked gorgeous, he thought. And when she looked at him, when those big, brown doleful eyes of hers roamed almost accidentaly from the words on the magazine page to Ethan’s stern face, his breath caught. She was affecting him in such a strong, intense way that it angered him.

“I’m not paying you to read magazine articles, Douglas,” he said, and Tori looked at him. Then she slowly closed the magazine and stood to her feet. If he wanted to play it this way, after leaving her alone al night, after not even caling to let her know that he was stil alive, then she’d accommodate him without question. Besides, she had a job to keep, and she aimed to keep it.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize you’d left an assignment for me.”

Ethan stared at her. Then he exhaled. “Let’s go,” he said, and turned and went back into the house.

Ethan’s Lexus stopped at the curb in the slanted, street-side parking space in front of the Sunshine Café. For a moment he just sat there, which surprised Tori since he seemed so anxious to get here, then he unbuckled his seatbelt, walked around to the car’s passenger side and opened the door for her. She folowed him as he walked swiftly inside.

Before they could sit down, however, Tori spotted Fred Morton. He was seated at a table near the back flipping the page of a newspaper. Looking handsome and fit, Ethan noticed.

“Fred?” Tori said, surprised. “Fred Morton?”

Fred looked up from his newspaper startled by the voice, and when he saw Tori, he just knew it couldn’t be so.

“Tori?” he said, his high pink face and bright green eyes lighting up with recognition. Tori left Ethan’s side and hurried to him. He stood and they embraced. Ethan’s heart nearly stopped again when Morton lifted Tori into his arms and swung her around as if he had the right. And the joy on Tori’s face, the kind of unbridled happiness Ethan had been unable to elicit from her, worried him. But it was al in the plan, he convinced himself, and sat down.

“You look great, Tori,” Morton said as he placed her back on her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“With him,” Tori said in a way that betrayed her frustration with Ethan. Morton looked to where she motioned and saw Chandler, his boss, sitting at a table. Looking his usual gruff self.

“I know the office said he was coming here. He always comes ahead of me to investigate the area. And you’re the assistant he brought along?”

Tori nodded. “Yep.”

Morton laughed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can just see how much you’re loving it.”

“Very funny,” Tori said as she hit him playfuly on the shoulder, then grabbed him by the hand. “Come sit with us, please,” she said stil playfuly. “I may need your protection. I’l fil you in on the details later.”

Morton folowed Tori to Ethan’s table and they sat down together. Morton extended his hand. “Helo, Mr. Chandler,” Morton said.

Ethan was pleased that Morton was finaly here, but he didn’t show any outward signs of thril. “When did you get in town?”

“Oh, less than an hour ago. I just got here, in fact. I expected to bump into you eventualy, but I certainly didn’t expect Tori to be with you.”

Tori smiled weakly as he lightly tapped her hand. She could see Ethan’s harsh eyes look at the hand tap and then look at her, an expression of pure disgust on his face.

“She’s my assistant,” he said to Morton without taking his eyes off of Tori. “Nothing more than that.”

“Oh, Tori’s a champ, Mr. Chandler. She’s the hardest working department head at CDI, I’l stake my life on it.”

“Thank-you, Freddy,” Tori said.

“I’ve done some scouting since I’ve been here,” Ethan said, ignoring Morton’s adulation of Tori. “I haven’t found anything that wil do as of yet. I’m afraid we may have to expand our search to cover al of the Florida Keys.”

“I’ve already took that into consideration, boss,” Morton replied. “I’ve got a few places already in mind outside of Cedar Key.”

Ethan nodded. He could always count on Morton, the snake, he thought. “Good,” he said.

The waitress arrived and took coffee orders from Tori and Ethan, neither appearing to be in an eating mood. Morton, however, couldn’t take his eyes off of Tori. “You look prettier every time I see you, The waitress arrived and took coffee orders from Tori and Ethan, neither appearing to be in an eating mood. Morton, however, couldn’t take his eyes off of Tori. “You look prettier every time I see you, Tor,” he said and Tori blushed.

“What is this?” she asked. “Compliment Tori day?”

“That’s exactly what it is,” Morton said smilingly. “You deserve it. Don’t she, boss?”

Ethan didn’t reply, causing both Morton and Tori to look at him. Tori wasn’t surprised. Morton was. He looked at her as if puzzled by the cool treatment. He knew the man was a hard-nose, but everybody loved Tori.

“I’l fil you in,” Tori said to him and Ethan shot a look as harsh as a glancing blow at her.

“Fil him in about what?” he asked frowningly.
The fact that I’ve kissed you
, he wondered.
The fact that I’ve made wonderful love to you
?
The fact that you both are trying to ruin me?

“I was going to explain to him why you might not find me deserving of any compliments. Why I’m such a disappointing assistant for you.”

Ethan’s heart dropped. Was that what she thought? “You haven’t been a disappointment, Tori,” he felt a need to say, although he said it half-heartedly.

“I think I have,” she replied. “Except for that first night when I got a lot done, I haven’t done much work at al. And whenever you’ve asked my opinion about certain design ideas I haven’t been able to respond because I didn’t think to do any homework before I came on this trip. I was too surprised that I was coming at al.”

“Oh, I’m sure Mr. Chandler understands,” Morton said, patting Tori’s hand again. And it was that gesture, that seemingly innocent move by Morton, that made Ethan exhale again and rise to his feet.

Tori began to rise too, but he motioned for her to stay seated.

“You stay here with Fred,” he said. “I’m sure you two want to get reacquainted.”

“But you need me, don’t you?” Tori asked, suddenly concerned. And Ethan’s look didn’t relax that fear.

“I don’t need you!” he said so harshly that other patrons in the café looked around at him. Even Ethan didn’t plan to sound that bitter. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. “I’m just going to the restroom,” he said and then began heading in that direction.

“What is his problem?” Tori asked, confused and angry.

“He’s a bastard,” Morton said. “Haven’t you discovered that by now? But forget him. Have dinner with me tonight, Tori.”

Tori exhaled. “Why is he so moody al the time, Freddy? I don’t do anything to him and he just gets so upset about nothing.”

“I told you. He’s a bastard. Nobody likes the guy, you’re not the only one. Don’t beat yourself up over that a-hole. Please.”

Tori leaned back. She’d seen a different side of Ethan, a caring, compassionate side. He nearly kiled himself trying to save her and that little boy. What kind of monster does that? She shook her head.

There was more to Ethan Chandler’s story. Much more, she thought.

“Tori,” Morton said. “Wil you have dinner with me tonight?”

Tori sighed. “If Ethan okays it,” she said.

“If Ethan
what
? Come on, Tori, don’t let that guy dominate you like that. The night is your own time. He doesn’t have to okay anything when you’re on your own time.”

She knew what Fred said was true. But her own time always seemed to be when Ethan was most bothered by her. That was why, when he returned from the restroom, she asked him.

“What?” he said before he even sat down, looking frowningly at her.

“Fred’s invited me to dinner.”

“What are you teling me for?”

Tori’s heart dropped. “I was just wondering if you had any work scheduled for me to do tonight.”

Ethan shook his head, upset with himself for his behavior around Morton. “No,” he said. “I have nothing planned.”

Tori nodded as if that settled it then, when she knew that al it did was unsettle her even more.

Fred Morton arrived at Ethan Chandler’s gorgeous beach house five minutes before the time Tori was expecting him. So this was how the big man lived, he thought, as he stepped out of his rented SUV

and rang the bel.

Inside the house Tori heard the doorbel and hurried downstairs. To her surprise Ethan wasn’t working in the study where she thought he’d be, but was sitting on the livingroom sofa reading a newspaper. She had hoped to sneak out undetected, without having to face Ethan. But there he was, facing her.

Her heart pounded as she headed for the front door. “Goodnight,” she said as she began to walk past the sofa.

“No later than eleven,” he said to her. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him.

“Excuse me?”

“Do not come into my house any later than eleven.”

Tori paused. She could not believe what she’d just heard. “You’re giving me a curfew?” she asked incredulously.

“Goodnight, Tori. Your date is waiting.”

Tori shook her head. She’d never be able to understand that man even if he was dissected and laid out for her to clearly see. There was nothing clear, nothing simple, about Ethan Chandler. She left the Tori shook her head. She’d never be able to understand that man even if he was dissected and laid out for her to clearly see. There was nothing clear, nothing simple, about Ethan Chandler. She left the house.

Ethan spent the next hours trying to get some work done, since he had plenty to do, but he couldn’t do a thing. He went from the livingroom, to the study, to the deck out back. He went upstairs and laid on the bed that had now become
their
bed after he made it so that unforgettable night. He went back downstairs, poured himself a drink, and stared out into the darkness through the living room window.

He looked at his wristwatch. Ten after eleven. He sipped from his drink and stared out of the window again.

“I need to get back, Freddy,” Tori said as she walked with Morton into his hotel suite.

“What’s the rush, Tori? You’re an adult. Chandler won’t miss you.”

Yeah, she thought, but she missed him. Desperately. She even took some comfort in knowing that he wanted her home at a certain time, as if he actualy cared, but she never quite knew what was going on in Ethan’s head. And besides, it was already after eleven, she was already late as far as he would be concerned, so what difference did it make now?

She sat down on the couch in Morton’s suite, feeling awful, but Fred realy wanted to show her these pictures he took during his trip to Hawai. Tori talked with him and watched the colorful pictures, and then he poured them a drink and sat down beside her. He leaned back and smiled. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s have it.”

“Have what?” Tori asked. She was seated on the edge of the sofa and had to look back at him.

“You hardly touched your dinner. You barely could stay focused long enough on a conversation.

And now you’re talking about you need to get back to Ethan Chandler as if you can’t bear to be away from him.”

“Oh, please, Freddy, you know better than that. I was just thinking that it was late.”

“And we’re two single, unattached, and, I might add, attractive adults, Tori. You could stay here al night if you wanted to.”