His expression darkened, and he shifted slightly on the sumptuous leather seat. “My fortune has nothing to do with the Cartwright paper empire, Ambra. You should know by now that Philip disowned me years ago.”
She blinked, digesting the news slowly. “No, I didn’t know that. I’d just assumed you had left and chose not to return for…reasons.” Had she really assumed he hadn’t come back because of her confession?
Now that she really took time to examine the idea, she realized how preposterous it was. Ethan wouldn’t have stayed away to spare her feelings or avoid awkwardness, because he wasn’t that sensitive. He was more the alpha male, take-charge, run-you-over and destroy-all-opposition type. Once upon a time, she’d found that incredibly sexy.
Disconcertingly, as she examined him from the corner of her eye where he sat across from her on the other seat, she had to admit he was still as sexy as ever. Three years had passed, but he looked just as young as ever. He had to be thirty by now, since she was twenty-one, but he could have passed for his mid-twenties.
However, his perfectly tailored gray suit and expensive haircut lent him an air of maturity and wisdom she assumed was deceptive, since he had resorted to kidnapping just recently. “Will you just tell me what all this is about? I have things I have to do, and having a little chat with my stepbrother doesn’t rank high on the list.”
He pulled a face, feigning hurt. “You’ve destroyed me, Ambra. Why, three years ago, you wanted to have a lot more than a cozy chat.” He surprised her by crossing the distance between them to sit on the seat beside her.
Ambra scooted as far away as she could, until she pressed against the car door. The jerk followed, not allowing any room between them. “Have you ever heard of personal space?”
He put his arm around her shoulders, his fingers stroking her upper arm in a way that was maddeningly distracting. She no longer felt anything emotionally for him, and she didn’t want to allow physical response to sway her. It was awfully hard to remind herself of that when his other hand grasped her thigh, squeezing lightly as he moved farther northward.
With determination, Ambra put her hand over his, pressing her fingernails into his flesh in a warning fashion. “Stop playing games and tell me what you’re doing.”
“That’s easy enough, Ambra. I’m claiming you.”
She arched a brow, staring at him impassively. “Just what the heck does that mean?”
Ethan laughed lightly, revealing sharp white teeth. “It means I’m taking you up on the invitation issued three years ago.” Despite her hand on his, he moved higher up her leg, until his fingers brushed her mound. Ambra hated the way her panties dampened at the slightest touch from him. “Don’t you remember that night, Ambra?”
She glared at him as she tried to pull his hand away. He didn’t move any higher, but he didn’t take the forceful hint to move away either. “I try to think about that incident as little as possible. In fact, never sounds good. In my mind, it never happened.” Her face tingled as she flushed, and embarrassment crept over her again just from the memory of that night.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Ambra, because there isn’t a day I don’t think about it. I remember you coming into my room in that tiny white nightgown, your breasts barely held in place by strategically placed lace. I remember you telling me how much you wanted me, and that you loved me. Do you remember you said you had fallen for me during that summer, when I came to live with you for a while after my mother died? You were certain I felt the same way.”
She snorted. “It didn’t take you long to tell me otherwise, did it? Why would I want to remember that horrid night when I was such a little fool? Just take me home, Ethan.”
“I am, Ambra. I’m taking you to my home, and then I’m going to take you.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at him, certain he was bluffing. “I still don’t know what you’re getting out of this, but it’s not funny. I don’t want you, and you don’t want me. You didn’t then, and you don’t now, so whatever your motives—”
With the speed of a striking snake, Ethan lifted her onto his lap, and before she could even think about pushing him away, his mouth covered hers. Ambra tried to resist, but as soon as his lips molded to hers, her annoying body betrayed her by melting against him. His tongue probed the seam of her lips, demanding entry that she didn’t want to refuse, and her lips parted to allow him access.
Ethan seemed determined to taste every niche in her mouth, and his tongue swept forcefully through her moist recesses. She tried to pin it with her own against her cheek, but he was wily and darted away before deepening the kiss, his hand grasping the back of her head, fingers threaded through her black locks to hold her in place against him.
Ambra whimpered as his mouth devoured hers, though she wasn’t impassive by any means. She was an ardent participant, and her hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they slid under the lapels of his jacket, trying to stroke his skin through the fine linen shirt.
Her nipples beaded when he cupped one of her breasts, his thumb rubbing lightly against the turgid bud. She arched her back, not certain if she was trying to escape or asking for more as his mouth moved from hers down her cheek, to her neck. She couldn’t hold in a moan when he nibbled and sucked the bend of her neck. Her fingers sought out the buttons of his shirt, and she had partially stripped him, plunging her hands inside to stroke his firm chest before she realized what she was doing.
With a gasp and a groan that was partially from forcing herself to disengage from him, she pushed against him instead of continuing to stroke his lightly furred chest. Ambra turned her head from him, making it more difficult for his mouth to find hers if he grew bored with her neck, and she drew in a deep breath in an attempt to restore her calm. “Let go of me.”
“Never, Ambra. You’re mine now. You offered yourself three years ago, but you were too young, and I was trying to do the right thing. You’ve had a chance to explore other relationships and grow older now, and you’re finally ready to belong to me.”
Her eyes widened at his chauvinistic words, and her heart raced, though she wasn’t certain if that was from excitement, annoyance, or a combination of the two emotions. “You can’t just claim me, Ethan. I was a dumb girl back then, and I let an attraction overwhelmed me. It didn’t mean anything.”
His expression darkened, and he cupped her face between his hands. “It meant a great deal. It was harder than hell to turn away from you, and I won’t make that mistake again. When I heard you were about to marry Statler, I knew I couldn’t allow that to happen.
“I had to send you away that night because of your age and your inexperience. You were barely eighteen, and you hadn’t even really dated. You weren’t ready to belong to a man, but it’s been three years, and if you can get engaged to the toilet paper prince, you’re certainly ready to belong to me.”
Ambra wanted to continue to shake her head and refuse to listen to him, but his sincerity and intensity made it impossible to doubt what he was saying. Could it be he’d really wanted her three years ago, but had turned her down because he’d thought it was the right thing to do? Had he been trying to be a good guy and inadvertently scarred her in the process?
She almost laughed, though it would be a sharp, bitter sound rather than one of amusement. She had dated a few times the past three years, but remembering Ethan’s cold rejection, she had locked away any real interest in the opposite sex. She never allowed things to progress to the point where she felt anything for the man she was dating, or had the urge to give in to carnal desires.
She was just as much an inexperienced virgin now as she’d been three years ago, and perhaps admitting that to him was the key to convincing him to allow her to go home. The admission hovered on the tip of her tongue, so it was a surprise when she said something completely different.
“It doesn’t matter what I want or what you want, Ethan. All that matters is the stability of the company and the jobs at stake. The merger has to go through, a
“Actually, Ambra, dear old Dad’s mismanagement will be responsible for the loss of all those jobs, and you aren’t going anywhere except to my house.”
She glared at him. “You can’t just kidnap me.”
He smirked at her. “Watch me, babe.”
Chapter Two
She didn’t know what Ethan had been doing the last three years, but if Philip had really cut him off, clearly he had done well for himself without the Cartwright fortune. The home they stopped before was a sprawling thing, spreading out over at least a half-acre. The white residence, with its palatial columns and four stories, was even bigger than the monstrosity Philip Cartwright owned.
It was a lovely home, but over-the-top and way bigger than what one single man should need. Assuming he was actually single. It should have been the farthest thought from her mind, but as she stepped out of the limousine with ill grace, she paused to catch his eye. “Is there a Mrs. Cartwright in attendance? Twins waiting in the private jet? A harem in the east wing?”
He shook his head. “I won’t pretend I’ve been celibate for the last three years, Ambra, but I always knew I was waiting for you to grow up. You’ve belonged to me for three years, and it’s finally time to claim you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Will you stop saying claim me? I’m not a contest prize.”
Ethan took her hand in his as he laughed. “If you were a contest prize, babe, you’d be like the megabucks lottery with the highest amount in history. You’ve been worth the wait, but it’s been incredibly difficult to do so. Come with me to my room.”
She stopped, truculently refusing to go any farther up the stairs or into the house. “You’re out of your mind. I haven’t seen you in three years, and you expect me to jump into bed with you?”
“It’s because it’s been three years since we’ve seen each other that I anticipate you’ll be willing to jump into my bed, as you put it.”
He groaned. “I know I’m not being very suave, but I’ve been aching for you all this time, and I know you have to feel the same way about me. You loved me once, Ambra, and you will again—if you ever stopped. In the meantime, there’s no reason we can’t indulge our desire for each other now that we’re both mature adults.”
Her stomach rumbled with nerves, and she hated how her body wanted to melt into him, and even her mind was trying to sway her to accept his words. If he was telling the truth, what was there to lose? It wasn’t as if she had really allowed herself to move on over the past three years. Oh, she had told herself she’d never really loved him, that it was simply a teenage crush, but if that had been true, she would’ve found it easier to take the next step and have a real relationship with another man.
She’d spent the last three years in limbo, and when her stepfather had asked her to marry Perry Statler for the good of the company’s employees, she hadn’t greeted the idea with enthusiasm, but she hadn’t really cared much either way. Perry seemed like a nice enough guy, and she was apathetic about the whole thing. At what point did she decide love wasn’t for her, and there was no point waiting for Mr. Right, because he didn’t exist?
Still, it had been too long. Ethan had hurt her too deeply for her to just overlook everything that had gone before and hop in to bed with him. Not to mention there was still the contract on the table with the Statler Company, and her pending marriage to consider. She wasn’t just disappointing her stepfather if she gave in to Ethan.
She was also letting down eight-thousand employees and their families, people who had worked for Cartwright Consolidated sometimes their entire working lives and had few options if the company closed. Ambra had traveled with Philip to a few of the company’s locations and had seen the towns built around the factories.
Cartwright Consolidated was often the major employer or even sole economic support for entire communities. She couldn’t just throw that away, no matter what her body wanted.
Ambra tugged her arm free from his and turned back to the car. “I have to go, Ethan. I just can’t do this, and it’s unfair of you to expect to do so. If you wanted me, you should have taken me the night I offered myself to you.”
She licked her lips, humiliation burning through her as she remembered his gentle, but definite, rejection of her affections. God, she had been so naïve, believing he’d felt the same way and was just waiting for her eighteenth birthday. Two days after, she had crept into his room, wearing hardly anything except her love and puppy dog adoration.
She almost snorted aloud at the thought. Back then, she had certainly felt that way for her stepbrother, but affections had withered and died. Or mostly. She knew she wasn’t over him, and she might never be completely over Ethan Cartwright, but she couldn’t indulge in a fling with him now.
“I’m not taking you anywhere, Ambra. I’ve said this before, and I won’t say it again. You’re mine, and I’m keeping you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You just can’t do things like that. As soon as I enter the house, I’ll call the police if I have to. Do you really want that kind of scandal?”
He stalked toward her with the air of a predator seeking its prey. Ambra shivered, though she wasn’t entirely certain if it was from dread or anticipation as he reached her, pressing her body against the car and framing his hands on both sides of her shoulders to lock her in.
She was trapped between the limousine and a fiercely determined man who clearly wanted her to be his lover, judging by the hard length of his erection pressing against her stomach. She licked her lips with anxiety, and he groaned low in his throat.
“Let’s strike a deal, Ambra.”
She tipped her head slightly, intrigued despite her better intentions. “What kind of deal?”
“Give me the rest of this weekend to seduce you. If you decide you don’t feel the same way anymore, and you don’t love me or want me, I’ll take you home Sunday night.”
She hesitated and then shook her head. “What good would that do? Even if I discovered I somehow still loved you—not that I actually loved you back then, because it was just a teenage crush—it would make it even harder for me to marry Perry. I can’t go back on that agreement. It’s not just my future at stake, or what I want. Like I said before, eight-thousand people are relying on the merger to keep their jobs and their communities running.”
With a harsh groan, Ethan pressed his body tighter to hers, though she wouldn’t have thought he could get any closer without their flesh melding together. “I’ve done extremely well for myself the past three years with just a small inheritance from my grandmother. I can buy and sell Cartwright Consolidated three times over without a blink of an eye.
“I swear to you if you give me these two days, I’ll bail out the company and make sure everything continues to run smoothly. Even if you decide you don’t want to be with me, I’ll still do that. I’ll pay for the company to carry on, and you won’t even have to marry Statler. With that off the table, will you give me two days to prove I’m sincere?”
Ambra’s blue eyes widened, and she stared up at him, his face a millimeter away from hers. It was a tempting offer, and she couldn’t find a down side. After all, though Perry was a nice guy, she certainly didn’t want to marry him. Ethan was offering her a way out of the marriage and a way to guarantee the company survived. Her eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you just save the company anyway? It’s your birthright.”
He shook his head, his mouth tight. “It’s not my birthright, Ambra. Dad made it clear there’s no place for my new-fangled ideas there.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “If he’s being so stubborn, will he really accept your help to bail out the company?”
Ethan’s lips compressed. “To be frank, babe, it doesn’t matter if he wants my help or not. I can leverage enough stock to force a buyout. All the shareholders have to do is agree to let me step in and run the company. I’m also close to having enough shares to own a voting majority of the company. I started buying them quietly when I learned Cartwright Consolidated was in serious trouble. He won’t be able to stop us.”
Despite his protests, he clearly still cared about the company if he had started buying up shares. That softened her toward him.
She also liked the sound of us when he said it, and a frisson of awareness swept down her spine. Two days was all he really wanted. No, she couldn’t fool herself. If he was being sincere, Ethan wanted a lot more than two days from her. He might want months, or maybe even years? Did she dare hope for something like that? It seemed too good to be true, like Prince Charming sweeping in to rescue Cinderella.
She was naturally skeptical of his motives, but she was human enough to weaken in the face of temptation. The deal he offered ensured her freedom not to marry Perry, guaranteed the workers remained employed, and communities remained stable.
Though it would clearly anger her stepfather, she knew he would eventually get over their intercession. Wouldn’t he? She didn’t know for sure, considering he’d willingly cut off contact with his own son. Still, was she willing to sacrifice her entire future to please the man who was like a father to her?
“Two days. That’s all I promise.” If she could hold out for two days, proving to both of them that she wasn’t interested in anything more than what they’d had very briefly, and he had rejected, she would have everything she needed.
“Great. Let’s seal it with a kiss.”
As his mouth covered hers, his kiss confident and demanding just like before, Ambra melted against him even as she cursed her own weakness. It was going to be an impossible task to withstand his every attempt at seduction for the next two days.
***
Eventually, Ethan showed her to her room, and she was unsurprised to find it was part of the master suite, with her room connecting to his. Luxuriously appointed, clearly with a feminine guest or resident in mind, the pastel colors were soothing, though she could have done without some of the frilly lace on the bed skirts and the swag on the walls. She stood in the center of the room eyeing Ethan, who stood near the connecting doors. “Now what?”
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