Romance Me (Boxed Set) (37 page)

“Oh, God,” Sadie squeaked. “Your
sister
!”

***

Embarrassment mingled with excitement, rendering Sadie near breathless. After throwing on sweats and a hoodie, she’d raced down the stairs, shouting loudly that she was on her way. Did she look like she simply had bed head, or did her wild and crazy hair illuminate the fact that she’d just had the sex of her dreams? Opening the door to Lia would mean opening the door to numerous questions if she couldn’t regain control of her emotions. And none of those questions were ones she wanted to answer. Not now.

Not ever.

Swinging the front door wide, she found not only Lia, but Theo as well, who was charging up the porch steps. Her heart threw itself into full swing.

“Oh, great,” she groaned. It would be difficult enough to keep her guilty conscious from poking its head up around her friend, especially since she’d just slept with Lia’s brother, but to try to hide her guilt from her own brother, too? Time to force on a great poker face.

Too bad she lost every time she played poker.

Theo shouldered past her, headed toward the kitchen and motioning for the girls to follow. “I’m looking for Ethan. He’s not at his B&B, so I’m figuring he’s here.” Once in the kitchen, he stuck his head in the refrigerator, scrounging for food.

Feeling a blush form at the mention of Ethan having spent the night, Sadie ducked her head forward, hiding behind a cascade of hair. Or what should have been a cascade of hair. Instead, the frizz was back, and to say she had “bed head” would be an understatement. Her tangled mop was a walking neon sign flashing the message, “Fantastic Sex Was Just Had Here.”

Lia leaned against the kitchen counter. “Why would Ethan have stayed here?”

Good question. And one Sadie figured she’d better answer quickly and believably, given the curious expressions on the faces of both her friend and her brother. Forcing an air of calm into her tone, she said, “He came after me when I took off in a pout from the fundraiser. We hashed things out, and by the time we were done, it was really late.” She looked at her brother. “I offered to let him stay in your old room.”

Apparently satisfied with the answer, Theo stuck his head back into the refrigerator, then started tossing breakfast items to the girls, not even bothering to look up. Unfortunately, Sadie missed catching the mango he chucked at her, right as Ethan walked into the room. She whipped around to see the mango smack Ethan right in the face.

He raised an eyebrow, bent, scooped up the mango, then headed over to his sister, who he grabbed in a deep embrace. “Even after twelve years, some things remain the same. We’re
still
having food fights? Some homecoming this is.”

Lia snuggled her face against his wrinkled tuxedo shirt. “I’m just glad you’re here,” she said.

Ethan bent low to embrace Lia and quickly buried his face in his sister’s long black hair. Sadie caught a look of pain in his eyes. The devastation of his little sister’s abusive marriage had long been over, but his expression showed that he still bore the unwarranted burden of guilt for not realizing how badly his little sister had been treated.

“I missed you, too, sis,” Ethan whispered. “It’s good to be back.”

Theo interrupted the tender moment by shoving a bowl of chopped fruit at Ethan. “Make yourself useful.”

Grabbing honey, cinnamon, lemon, and basil from the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets, Ethan stated he’d make the best fruit salad dressing ever invented.

“Hey!” Lia exclaimed, laughing. “I emailed you that recipe.”

Ethan waved her off, but smiled. “I have to be good at something. Don’t steal my thunder.”

As Ethan chopped the basil, Sadie edged closer and rubbed her hip against his, whispering so that the others couldn’t hear. “I know what your
true
claim to fame is, and it has nothing to do with honey.”

Ethan nestled his head close to hers as he drizzled the mixture over the fruit salad. “I think honey could most definitely be incorporated into my claim to fame, don’t you think?”

Sadie’s loud snort of laughter caught the attention of Theo, who looked at her with questioning eyes. She ducked her head behind her mass of curls again, hoping no one would notice her red cheeks. No way could her brother or Lia ever know about what had happened between her and Ethan.

Not ever. Some things had to remain secret.

***

Ethan cleaned the countertops and put the remaining food away in the refrigerator while Theo scraped the plates. Sadie and Lia were outside on the patio, where they’d had breakfast. From the open patio door, he could hear the lilting murmur of the girls as they chatted and laughed. Although the words Sadie spoke were indiscernible, the sound of her voice brought a slow smile to his face.

Last night had been amazing. It was difficult to believe only hours ago they’d been naked, entwined in each other’s bodies. As happy as he was to see his sister and Theo, Ethan wished he could have devoted the full morning to Sadie. In a couple of hours he’d have to leave for the airport, and this magical experience would come to a screeching halt. As great as sex was last night, and as awesome as Sadie had grown up to be, they’d agreed this would be a one-time experience. He paused, dishtowel in hand, listening to Sadie’s low-pitched giggle. A smile formed on his face.

“Listen to our sisters,” Theo said, pulling Ethan out of his reverie. “Just like old times, out there giggling non-stop. Remember what annoying little pests they were when they were younger?”

“You know, as much as we teased them, I think we were probably just as bad,” Ethan admitted.

“Nah, we were awesome,” Theo shot back, an arrogant grin on his face.

Ethan shook his head, smiling. “You are just as full of yourself now as you were back in high school.”

Theo flashed him a grin. “I keep my ego quite healthy, thank you. And our sisters
were
little twerps. But I do think they came out okay in the end.”

More than okay, Ethan thought. Amazing. Brilliant. Beautiful.

“Although,” Theo continued, drying a dish in his hands, “I can’t believe that not one of those three girls bid on me last night. I could have repaired Chessie’s roof just as well as Jack could. Plus, I would have taken off my shirt while I was up there so she could check out my pecs.”

Ethan shook his head, smiling. “I highly doubt Chessie would want you preening on her roof. We all got enough of that last night when you were doing your body-building routine on stage at the auction.”

“Hey, Jack’s the Guy Next Door, you’re Mr. Mysterious, and I’m the Gorgeous Hunk—we all have roles to play.”

“And we each play those roles so well,” Ethan answered quietly.

“Too bad old Mrs. Gregson bought me. I was hoping for a hot chick, but I got our former librarian. She doesn’t want a date, fortunately, just someone to help haul a bunch of dusty books over to the library,” Theo said, hopping up to sit on the black granite counter. “Sadie sure put up a fight to win you last night. You going to make good on the date she paid for?”

Ethan’s stomach clenched, but he forced a relaxed air. “Yeah, sure. I guess I’ll come back for a longer visit once this play I’m directing ends.”

“You like being back here?”

“I love being back. I love being so close to Lia.”

Theo kicked a foot out at Ethan, catching his attention. “So why do you so rarely come home?”

His shoulders tightened, and he dropped his gaze to his feet. “You know, I always thought that by going away and making a load of money to send to Lia that I was providing for her.” He shook his head. “What she really needed from me was protection. I never should have left, never should have taken your parents’ scholarship to Harvard. And after that, I never should have gone to New York and sunk myself into my work. Now it’s too late.”

Theo leaned forward, drawing his attention. “You being here or at Harvard or on Broadway wouldn’t have mattered. Lia was a victim, and hid it well. No one knew, Ethan.” He made a sharp motion with his hand. “None of us knew. Don’t get me wrong—in no way am I saying it was her fault for covering up Vance’s abuse, but she was so scared of him she made sure we never found out what he was doing to her body—and her soul. It was the only way she knew how to protect herself.”

Ethan wanted to punch a wall, to break something with his fist, the way he’d dreamed of breaking Vance’s face after he’d found out about the abuse. But by then, Vance had been dead and buried and he’d had no chance to seek revenge, to make up for not protecting his sister. He’d just crawled further into his shell.

“Stop beating yourself up over this,” Theo said, interrupting his thoughts. “It’s over, done. Lia has moved on, and you should, too. Enjoy these few moments you have with your family and friends. Besides, your flight to New York is in a few hours. Want me to drop you off at your B&B?”

Ethan snuck a quick peek at Sadie out on the patio, her head tilted back as she laughed, the wind gently teasing her hair, curls waving around her face like a moving halo. His heart clenched. “I appreciate the offer,” he said, polishing dry the last of the crystal goblets that had minutes before been full of freshly squeezed orange juice. Slowly, he placed it in the lead-paned glass cabinet, thinking of all the times he’d been served sodas in the Waterford crystal goblets as a teen. His life had been so entwined with the Courants. “I think I’ll have Sadie drop me off, though. I feel like such a heel for not recognizing her last night. I still need to make it up to her.”

Theo laughed. “She did do that Ugly Duckling thing pretty well. No wonder you didn’t recognize her if you hadn’t seen her since high school. I guess I didn’t realize that you’d been that out of touch for so long.”

Ethan nodded. “I’ve been back to Meadowview a few times since I left for Harvard, but Sadie was always gone when I was in town. We’ve been emailing regularly for the last twelve years, but she’s never sent pictures. I can’t believe I was that clueless.”

Theo chuckled. “You should have seen the look on your face when you realized who she was. Your jaw dropped so low I could see your tonsils.”

Ethan flicked the dishtowel and managed to catch Theo’s rear with a sharp snap.

Theo jumped, clutching his butt with both hands. “It’s true,” he yelped. “You looked like a complete idiot—a fool, a moron, a brainless dimwit—standing there with your mouth wide open as you watched her storm off.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. With a friend like this, he certainly didn’t need any enemies.

Sadie had been his friend for years. But after their night of passion, would it be possible for them to still be friends?

Chapter Seven

With the dishes done and all the breakfast detritus cleared, Sadie hugged Lia goodbye and then sent Theo on his way, promising she’d return Ethan to his bed and breakfast and get him to the small airport that served Meadowview and the surrounding areas.

The minute the door shut, a wave of dizziness hit her. Ethan would be leaving, and soon. The way he poured himself into his work, she didn’t know when she’d see him again. And even when she did, their agreement had been for one night. What they’d shared last night was an experience she’d never be able to reclaim. She walked back into the kitchen, Ethan following.

“You know, I
do
have to catch my flight back to New York in three hours.” Ethan’s statement was blunt but kind as he searched Sadie’s face.

“I know,” she replied, reaching for him, “but you have some time, and I have a great idea how we could spend those three hours.” Her fingers stroked the back of his hand.

Ethan smiled, but pulled his hand away. He sat on one of the kitchen stools. “As much as I’d love to start back up where we left off this morning before our siblings interrupted us, don’t you think we need to talk about what happened between us first?”

Her heart clenched. No, she didn’t want to talk. She wanted to run her hands over Ethan’s naked body, not rehash their decision from the night before—their decision to fall into bed for one night, and one night only. Sadie snorted. “The Talk. I don’t want to have The Talk. Can’t we pretend we had The Talk?”

Ethan grimaced. “Sadie, I won’t feel right if we don’t talk about this, about your expectations.”

She ignored him. Instead of responding, she straddled his thighs and sat on his lap. She entwined both hands behind his neck and leaned in close before speaking. “I have no expectations, except the one where I expect you to get naked so I can have my way with you.” She reached for Ethan’s zipper.

He tried to fend her off, although his actions seemed rather feeble. “Sadie, you need to get your hands out of my pants when I’m trying to be serious.”

“There’s no time for seriousness, Ethan. You leave in three hours.”

“Sadie—oh…” Ethan stopped talking for a moment when Sadie’s hand encountered what she knew it probably shouldn’t encounter if they were to remain clothed.

“You were saying something?” she all but purred.

“Really, I need to settle all this before we go any further. Can you be serious for a couple of minutes?”

No way. Sadie licked Ethan’s neck.

Ethan pushed her away.

Now who was being the brat? “Fine,” she huffed out. “We’ll have The Talk. Only I’ll do all the talking, that way it will save us on time. Here goes: Fact One: we did it. Fact Two: I’ve had a mad crush on you forever, but you’re unable to commit to a relationship, which makes you feel guilty because we just made wild monkey love last night and are about to again. Fact Three: I’m a big girl and can take care of my own heart and make my own decisions, so you by no means are allowed to feel guilty about the fact that you’re going to love me and leave me. And I think that about covers it.”