by Linda Warren
He just wanted her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“ARE YOU READY to go?” Ethan asked.
“Yes,” Serena answered, surprised and pleased. Apparently he’d made up his mind.
He took her hand and they walked to the elevators. It felt so right to be with him. Now she could face the night…. But that frightened her, because she’d never needed anyone the way she needed him. Still, she wasn’t questioning that right now. She was too exhausted.
In the elevator she said, “Sarah seems better.”
“That’s good. Each day she’ll continue to improve.”
“And I called Gran. I didn’t tell her about Sarah. We decided we should do that together. I just told Gran I’d had some problems today and that I was fine. I asked her to meet me in the hospital lobby tomorrow.”
“So tomorrow’s the big day.”
“I suppose,” she sighed, too tired to give it much thought.
He squeezed her hand.
“How’s Molly?” she asked.
“Better, too.” He told her about Bruce. Normally he wouldn’t have shared that with anyone, but he was breaking a lot of habits with Serena.
“Maybe they’ll get back together,” she said as they stepped out into the June-warm air.
“I don’t know. I’m too drained to even think about it.” He looked at the rows of cars. “Now where the hell did Daniel park our vehicles?”
“There.” She pointed to his white truck and her black car.
“We might as well go in my truck,” he said. “You can pick up your car in the morning.”
“Okay.”
They got into his truck, left the parking area and headed for the motel. They didn’t talk much; the day’s events weighed heavily on both of them. As they drove up to the motel, he said, “I haven’t eaten all day except for those doughnuts this morning.” He parked the truck. “I’ll go to the restaurant and get us some chicken-fried steak.”
“Sounds good,” she said as they climbed out. “And I’ll take a shower. I desperately need one.”
He handed her his room key. “Be back soon.”
Serena opened the door and went inside, staring at the made-up bed, remembering last night and all the emotion and passion they’d shared. Most of all, she was remembering this morning and how sad she’d felt knowing she might not experience that again. Now she would, and she refused to think beyond that. She had one more night.
She threw off her clothes and went into the bathroom, then stopped dead. Her overnight bag was in her car. Damn, now what? She’d just improvise. She took a relaxing shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She hung her clothes neatly in the closet because she’d have to wear them tomorrow.
As Ethan came through the door with a large paper bag, he stared at her in the towel. Again he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Sarah looked just like her, yet he didn’t have these feelings for Sarah. There was something about Serena that touched his heart and his soul.
“My bag’s in my car,” she explained when he continued to stare at her.
He set the food on the coffee table in front of the sofa. “If you need it, I can go back for it.”
“No, I’ll make do,” she replied. “Mmm, that smells good.”
She sat on the sofa and he joined her there. They ate in silence. Ethan finished his dinner in record time, while she was still picking at hers.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked.
She pushed her plastic fork through the mashed potatoes. “I guess I’m just so exhausted….”
“Then go to bed and I’ll take a shower.”
She cleared away the remains of their meal, then removed the bedspread and folded it. She pulled back the sheet and crawled in, leaving the towel on the floor. The bed felt like heaven and her body moved lazily against the cotton sheets. But there was one thing missing—Ethan.
Ethan showered quickly and toweled dry. There wasn’t any doubt or indecision about tonight. He wasn’t anxious; Serena had cured him of all that and he yearned to be with her. He left the bathroom naked and turned out the lights. He climbed into bed and took her in his arms. Her skin was so silky it felt good just to touch her.
She snuggled against him. “How’s your hip?”
“I’m too tired to feel it,” he replied. “But holding you, my body’s recharging.”
Out of the blue she started to cry. All day she hadn’t shed a tear, but now they came unabated and she couldn’t stop them.
His heart lurched painfully at the sound and he gently turned her onto her back, his hand smoothing the hair from her face. “Serena, sweetheart, what is it?”
“I have a sister—and she’s hurting and…I feel so helpless.”
“Shh,” he said, stroking her hair. “I felt the same way when I learned that Boyd had given Molly heroin, but there’s just so much we can do. Tomorrow will be better.” He’d also felt that way when he couldn’t find her. Knowing she was in that dreadful place was almost more than his heart could take.
“Tonight is better.” She hiccuped and wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks for letting me be with you.”
“I don’t think you should thank me for that.” He kissed the hollow of her neck. “Because I need you just as much.”
“You seemed to hesitate when I asked you, and I could feel you raising a barrier between us. Why did you do that?”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Serena.”
“Why, Ethan?” she persisted. “You believe in honesty, so be honest with me.”
She was right; he had to be honest. “We’ve known each other only a few days and we got involved so deep, so fast, that it scares me. I feel most of our…closeness has to do with the situation we’ve found ourselves in. I told you before that I didn’t want to take advantage of that, but I couldn’t resist you. Truth is, I don’t want to hurt you. Tomorrow I’ll take Molly back to Junction Flat and you’ll return to Fort Worth to sort out your life. We’ll probably never see each other again.”
She swallowed the constriction in her throat. “That makes me very sad,” she said in a small voice.
Me, too, he wanted to say, but he had to be completely honest with her now. “You see, my life is pretty well written for me. I had the marriage and the child, and all of that’s behind me. I’ll spend my days on the ranch and I’ll take occasional cases, but you have your whole life ahead of you. You’re young and deserve a family, but I don’t want any more children. I can’t put myself through that again.”
Now she understood. He had such an aura of strength, but he was afraid of life—afraid of all the emotions that had hurt him. She knew it was useless to argue with him. That stubborn streak of his wouldn’t allow him the joy of feeling again. But he was feeling; last night proved that. He just wasn’t aware of it yet. Would she ever get through that male pride? Well, she decided, there was only one way to do it. She would be patient and she would wait. She wouldn’t pressure him, either. She’d just enjoy the time she had with him tonight.
“Your mind seems made up,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier.”
“You mean before last night?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, Ethan, you don’t know a thing about how a woman’s mind works.”
“No, I was never very good at that part of the puzzle.”
“I’ll say. The point is, it wouldn’t have mattered,” she told him. “What we were feeling last night came from here.” She laid her hand over his heart.
“And other places,” he added with a grin.
“Mmm. Let’s not think about anything except how we feel right this minute.”
“But, Serena—”
“I’m not upset that you haven’t pledged your undying love and asked me to marry you and bear your children—which you’ve just told me you don’t want. But you’ve assumed I feel a certain way about that and you haven’t even asked me for my views. But it doesn’t really matter
because that’s much too intense for a two-day relationship.” She was being blasé, but she had to be or she’d start crying again.
Ethan was stunned. She wasn’t a one-night stand. She was so much more and he wanted to tell her that—but she was right. Things were too intense.
“Besides, Ethan, I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring, but I definitely don’t plan on never seeing you again. You said you’d look me up from time to time to ask for a massage. I’m holding you to that.” As she said it, her hand trailed across his stomach to his hip.
Tired as he was, his lower body jerked to life. She had that effect on him, and all he wanted to do was love her until… He ran his hands through her hair, holding her face as he kissed her deeply. She moaned and his hands slid from her hair to her breasts and lower. “Ethan, Ethan.” His name came out on sighs of pleasure and her hands found his hard flesh, kneading, stroking with soft, gentle movements.
Their hands and lips moved feverishly, as if they both felt an urge to savor as much as they could. His lips found hers again and he pulled her on top of him. Their bodies welded together, flesh against flesh, heart to heart. But it wasn’t enough.
“Tonight,” he murmured breathlessly, “I’ll give you a massage—with my lips.” And he did—tantalizing her to the point of sheer torture. This was what she needed—Ethan’s kiss, Ethan’s touch—to block out everything but him.
Serena enjoyed the moment as long as she could before her hands touched his body with equal intensity. He groaned and entered her with one driving thrust. The room, the world, disappeared and it was just the two of them on a journey that took them to heights of unparalleled pleasure. Afterwards Ethan pulled the sheet over them and they drifted into peaceful, exhausted sleep.
WHEN ETHAN AWOKE dawn was struggling to creep through the blinds. He had the same feeling as he had yesterday morning—as if he’d experienced something rare. His arms tightened around Serena and she stirred.
“Is it morning?”
“Yes. I guess we’d better get up and get dressed so we can make it to the hospital early.”
She stretched languorously. “You know what, Ethan?”
“No, what?”
“You don’t limp when you make love.”
Amusement flickered in his eyes, then he touched her cheek softly. “Your bruise is fading.”
She smiled. “Because you kissed it and made it better.”
He met her smile. “I’m glad.”
“Kiss me so we can start this day together.”
Together. That sounded so right, but he pushed his hopes and desires aside. He kissed her tenderly, with love, holding back his passion. Then he crawled out of bed. “I’ll get dressed and buy coffee and doughnuts.”
She pushed up against the headboard, watching him walk naked to his carryall. The jagged scar blemished his hip and he limped slightly, but he was handsome, stirring and beautiful to her. He moved with a sureness and a confidence that made his injury insignificant. But she knew that confidence to Ethan was very fragile—where his masculine pride was concerned. With her, though, it wasn’t a problem anymore. It suddenly occurred to her that maybe it wouldn’t be a problem with other women now, either. She didn’t like that idea, not one bit.
The thought made her sound testy as she said, “Is there a law that we have to have doughnuts?”
He slipped into his underwear. “No, not that I’m aware of.”
“Then let’s stop somewhere and have a good breakfast.”
“Sure,” he replied. “If that’s what you want.”
She didn’t. What she wanted was never to leave this room—or Ethan. But that was wishful thinking, like looking for rainbows. She forced herself to dress and within fifteen minutes they were sitting in a café. Ethan had bacon and eggs, and she ordered fruit and a bran muffin. The difference between men and women, she thought as she ate cantaloupe and strawberries.
Ethan finished his meal and glanced at her. “You’re very quiet.”
“I feel self-conscious in day-old clothes and no makeup.”
“You’re beautiful, so don’t worry about it.”
And she didn’t. There were too many other things to worry about. Like her grandmother, her sister, Sarah, and never seeing Ethan again.
SARAH WAS STILL ASLEEP when they checked her room, so Serena accompanied Ethan to Molly’s. Ethan wanted her to meet his sister. There were two men in the room with her when they arrived. Ethan introduced Travis, Bruce and Molly. Molly had short brown hair and brown eyes, like Ethan’s. The side of her face was dark with bruises, but she smiled. Serena liked her instantly.
Travis walked up to her. “I’m real sorry for the way I acted that day in Fort Worth.”
“I’m not sure why men do things like that.” The words came out before she could stop them.
Travis held up his hands and stepped back. “I’m not answering that.”
“It’s all right,” Serena assured him. “I’m sorry. I’m a little on edge this morning.”
“After yesterday, you have a right to be,” Molly put in. “We should make a list of all the things men do that annoy the hell out of us.”
“On that note, I’ll leave,” Bruce said, looking at Molly. “I hope you feel better.”
“Thanks,” Molly replied feebly. As he left, Ethan knew that Molly still loved him. He sighed. What was it about love? Why did it have to hurt so badly?
“The doctor was by earlier and he said I could go home today,” Molly added quickly.
“That’s great, sis,” Ethan told her. “But you have to give Daniel a statement before we do that.”
Ethan was leaving. No, no, no. It was too soon! As the clock ticked on the wall, Serena knew that her time had just run out.
“I’d better see if Sarah’s awake,” she said abruptly.
“I’ll go with you.” Ethan followed her down the hall and into Sarah’s room. Serena couldn’t speak. There was nothing left to say.
Sarah was up and sitting in a chair by the window. Serena ran to her and hugged her carefully. “You’re awake—and you look great!”
“I feel…human again. I’m free, Serena. I’m finally free.” Her voice was high and excited.
Serena held her hand. “Yes, it’s wonderful.” She nodded at Ethan. “You remember Ethan?”
“Yes. Thank you for rescuing us.”
“That seems to be my calling this week—rescuing beautiful women.”
“Boyd’s in jail?” Sarah asked tentatively.
“Yes, and he’ll never terrorize a woman again.”
Sarah shuddered.
“It’s all right,” Serena whispered.
“I know, but I guess it’ll take a while to lose this fear inside me.” She made what seemed to be a resolute effort to change the subject. “Would you do me a favor?”
“Sure, anything.”
“Can you get me a hairbrush, toothpaste and a toothbrush?”
“Sure. There has to be a place in the hospital that carries those items.”
“It’s on the ground floor,” Ethan said. “Want me to run down for you?”
“I’ll go. It won’t take but a minute.” Serena wanted to do this for Sarah.
After Serena left, Ethan sat on the bed. “It’s so…strange seeing the two of you together.”
“I know. The first time I saw Serena, I thought I was hallucinating. I thought my mind had finally snapped.” A pause. “I feel weird when I look at her, but she’s so caring. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she hadn’t found me.”
“You’ve been through a lot. Give yourself some time.”
“I suppose,” she said softly, and Ethan realized that the hardness he saw in Sarah was only a disguise, protection against the world. She’d probably been building it for years—during all the hard times.
He noticed the way she kept holding her robe together at the neck, as if she didn’t want him to see any of her body. He was making her uncomfortable, so he decided it was time to le
ave.
As he stood, Serena breezed back into the room. “I was lucky,” she said. “I didn’t have to wait for an elevator and there was no one else in the shop. I’ll put these in the bathroom for you.”
“Thanks, Serena.”
“I’ll go call Daniel,” Ethan announced.
“That’s Greg’s boss?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, and he wants to get a statement this morning. Do you think you’re up to it?”
Sarah grimaced. “I’m not sure.”
“The sooner you do it, the sooner they can build a case against Boyd.”
Sarah twisted her hands.
“Just try your best,” Ethan suggested.
“All right.”
“Good.” He turned toward the bathroom. “Serena, I—” He stopped as the door opened and an older woman walked in. Her white hair was neatly coiled at the base of her head and she had an ageless beauty. There were diamonds and pearls in her ears and around her neck; diamonds also sparkled on her fingers. She wore a beige suit with matching shoes and purse. She had to be Aurora Farrell.
Aurora hurried over to Sarah. “Serena, darling, what happened? Were you in an accident?”
Serena froze in the bathroom doorway. Her grandmother was here. Why had she come so early? How had she found this room? And why hadn’t she waited in the lobby? Serena wasn’t remotely ready for this. Oh, God. She should go to her grandmother, but her feet wouldn’t move.
“How did you get undressed so fast?” Aurora said to Sarah, still talking to her as if she were Serena. “I saw you downstairs and followed you.”
Sarah didn’t say a word.
Aurora turned to Ethan. “And who are you?”
Ethan stepped forward. “Ethan Ramsey. We talked on the phone.”
“Yes, yes,” Aurora mumbled. She frowned at Sarah. “Serena, why don’t you say something?”
“Because I’m not Serena,” Sarah said quietly.
Serena emerged from the bathroom. “I’m here, Gran.”
Aurora looked from Sarah to Serena. “Oh, oh, oh.” She held a hand to her chest, stumbling backward. Ethan quickly shoved a chair behind her, and she collapsed into it. “I hoped this day would never come,” she murmured.