by Nina Crespo
Ethan jerked awake at the sound of explosions and squealing tires. He tensed and sat up, quickly orienting himself to the surroundings. He was in Jasmine’s apartment, in bed, alone, and he didn’t like it one bit. Searching around on the comforter, he found the remote and turned off the flat screen hanging on the wall across from him. Jasmine was putting the final touches on her report and had needed space. Right after dinner, he’d left her working at the table. The boredom of Tuesday night reruns must have finally knocked him out.
Yawning, he reached for his phone on the nightstand to check the time, and an icon on the view screen caught his attention. Blinking away the haze of sleep, he sat up on the side of the bed, staring at the number of the call he’d missed a half hour ago.
Elaina?
He hit the call back button and by the third ring, he’d realized he hadn’t worked out what to say. Just then, she answered the phone.
“Elaina, it’s Ethan. Are you all right? Did I wake you? You didn’t leave a message, but I thought I should call. I’ve been meaning to call.” He smoothed his palm down the leg of his sweatpants. Damn, he sounded like an idiot.
“No, Ethan, it’s okay.” He heard joy in her lightly accented voice. “I was going to call you back in a little while. I didn’t leave a message because I wanted to talk to you and say thank you for Gabriel’s gifts.”
The gifts… When he’d placed the order, one of the items wasn’t in stock. He hadn’t expected them to arrive this soon.
“He loves the trike.” She chuckled. “I have to watch him, though. His legs don’t touch the ground when he’s on it, but once he starts peddling, he’s fast.”
“Is he still too young for it?” Shit, he’d blown it. He should have asked Jasmine’s opinion before buying it.
“No, no, it’s perfect. He’s growing so fast. You should see him, and the stuffed sports balls you sent, guess what? The first one he grabbed was the football. No, wait; you call it a soccer ball.”
Ethan breathed out a laugh remembering how his friend kept up with his favorite teams. “Dario would have loved that.”
He listened as she went on to tell him more about Gabriel and the birthday party she and Dario’s family had for him two weeks ago. He was one now. It sounded like the perfect day.
During an extended silence, he got up his courage and asked, “How are you doing, Elaina?”
“Well”—she paused—”I have good days and bad days, more good days now, like on Gabriel’s birthday. Of course, I wished Dario had been there, but at the same time I feel blessed.”
“Blessed?” The word, flavored with doubt, was out of his mouth before he realized. “I mean…I know how it is. My dad was killed in action, and it was hard on my mom when we lost him. You don’t have to hide how you feel. You can be straight with me.”
Elaina sighed. “I hate that his job took him away from us.” She sniffed as if she were crying. “Right after Dario died, I was so angry at him for leaving me alone.”
Ethan closed his eyes. He was such an ass. She didn’t need him to remind her how hard things were.
“But when I married him, I knew the risks,” she added, “but I didn’t want to take the chance of missing out on something wonderful with him, and it was.” Her voice softened as she continued to cry. “And even though he’s gone, I’m not alone. I’m able to see him in Gabriel. Oh, I’m so sorry.” She sniffed loudly. “I called to say thank you, not get all weepy on you.”
Ethan cleared his throat, but the tightness didn’t go away. “It’s all right.”
They talked a few minutes longer, and when the call ended, Elaina promised to email him pictures of Gabriel while he promised to visit. He set the phone on the nightstand and lay back down on the bed.
In his mind, he weighed Jasmine’s argument about love against Elaina’s confession. Maybe he could see their perspective, but he’d also witnessed the emotions that had passed over Dario’s face when he’d realized he wasn’t going to make it—pain, anger, disbelief…regret.
Was it so wrong not to want regrets about hurting someone?
Tired of running it through his mind, he got up to check on Jasmine. It was late, she needed to get a good night’s sleep, and honestly, he just needed to hold her.
He walked down the hallway and stopped just short of the living room. Jasmine was still at the table, wearing one of his army-logo T-shirts, pen in hand, her head resting on her folded arms in front of her laptop.
Walking quietly next to the chair, he squatted down and stared at her face, relaxed with the peace of sleep. Her nose wrinkled, and she made a soft snuffling sound.
He grinned and slid the pen out of her fingers. She didn’t move. He saved the document he saw on the screen and gently shook her by the shoulder.
“Jasmine.”
“Mmm, tired.” She snuggled her head into the crook of her arm and mumbled out more unintelligible words.
“I know, baby. Come to bed.” He slid his arms under her and eased her toward his chest.
More asleep than awake, she moved obediently into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. Carefully, adjusting her weight, he looked around to make sure the apartment was still secure, and shut off the lights.
She snuggled her head into the side of his neck and sighed. “Ethan…”
As he held her closer to him, a fierce protectiveness, along with a rush of emotions he didn’t fully understand, swelled in his chest. He’d defended hills and valleys in foreign countries, laid his life on the line for his brothers and sisters downrange, but the way she whispered his name, trusting him, holding on to him, made him feel weak and strong all at the same time.
He carried her down the hallway into the bedroom and tucked her in bed. When he crawled into the other side, she immediately curled her body against his and used his chest as a pillow. Wrapping his arm around her, he pressed a light kiss to the top of her head and breathed in the faint scent of her perfume. She felt so right in his arms, too right to let go.
I’ll miss this…
Before he knew it, a list started forming in his mind of all the things he liked about her…loved about her. All the things he could have never known would start to matter to him when he’d stated his case to her for two more weeks so he could get her out of his system.
Elaina’s words took root in his mind. I didn’t want to take the chance of missing out on something…
When he and Jasmine walked away from each other, is that what they’d be doing, missing out on something?
She stretched against him in her sleep, and her hand smoothed down his stomach. His cock stood up in anticipation, but he stalled her hand underneath his before it reached its destination.
Okay, that was one of the obvious things he’d miss, but she was the type of woman who deserved more than just sex. She deserved what Greg had promised but hadn’t delivered, but he wasn’t ready to give her a ring, a home, and a family, either. On the other hand, he also wasn’t ready to just drop her off at the airport at the end of the week and watch her walk out of his life.
He released a heavy breath. What if Jasmine and Elaina were right and having someone special around was worth the risk? If that were true, Jasmine could be the one. A thought flitted into his mind about calling his mom, but he nixed it. Calling her about Jasmine would just get her hopes up about him settling down.
Another thought drifted in of introducing Jasmine to his mom and stepdad. No doubt, they’d like her, but doing something as serious as that would mean they were in a relationship. But did it have to be a relationship right off the bat? Couldn’t it just be an experiment for both of them to see what happened? They could take it slow, really, really slow and just focus on doing more of what they’d been doing for the past two weeks—enjoying each other.
He rolled over on the mattress and spooned her against him. The same jittery sensation he often felt before a risky assignment flooded through him but he shoved it aside. No, this was right. They were too good together. They
had to try, and she had to see that, too. Ethan closed his eyes, willed his heart to slow down, and let the gentle rise and fall of Jasmine’s breathing guide his own. He wasn’t asking her for forever, just a chance.
…
Jasmine balanced the toes of her high-heeled pumps on the bottom rung of the counter stool she was sitting on and bit her thumbnail as she reviewed the final page of the report.
She’d made all the last-minute changes the bosses had insisted upon and updated her slides on the computer. The report was a sound analysis of Bode-Wynn and presented workable options for a great wellness program.
“Hey.” Ethan walked through the kitchen, eyes heavy from sleep as he scrubbed a hand over the shadow of his morning beard. The waistband of his sweatpants rode low on his abdomen and drew attention to the dusting of hair arrowing down to the hints of an erection he didn’t bother to hide.
“Hey yourself, sleepyhead.” She took a sip of coffee from her mug and set it back down on the counter.
Walking up behind the chair, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and nuzzled the collar of her blouse aside to press a kiss to her neck. “I’m entitled. I didn’t sleep well.” Ethan inhaled deeply and rocked her gently. “I missed you not being in bed.”
“Poor baby,” she crooned, reaching up and combing her fingers through his short hair. “I guess my tough guy has limits.”
“And so do you, but after today, you can relax.” He stood and hugged her back against his bare chest. “Did you finish it?”
“Yes,” she sighed, staring at the pages in the binder in front of her. “I just hope it meets all of Andrew’s requirements. I know Ted said no one will hold it against me, but if Andrew doesn’t give us the contract, I’ll feel terrible.”
Ethan turned the stool around until she faced him. Bracing his hands on the countertop, he trapped her in and leaned over. “He will.” The angles of his jawline matched the look of determination in his eyes. “You’ve got talent and a lot of great ideas. If Drew doesn’t see that in your report, he’s blind.”
Bemused, she stared at him, slightly stunned by the intensity in his expression. He and Andrew were strong acquaintances; he and Devin Wynn were friends. She’d never expected him to take sides, but apparently he had. Hers.
He leaned in and kissed her with a passion that made it hard to resist not hanging around. Opening her legs as far as her narrow skirt would allow, she drew him closer, and glided her fingers over the hard ridges of muscle on his abdomen. As she savored the tastes of cool minty toothpaste and coffee, her breasts grew heavy with a needy ache, and she moaned in frustration.
Now wasn’t the time. She had an important meeting to think about.
She pulled back, but he kept his hands in place on the counter behind her and remained a few inches away.
“Leave early or at least come home on time tonight,” he said. “I want us to have a full evening together.” He started to say more but stopped.
“All right.” She searched his face, trying to gauge his mood. “Any special reason?”
His mouth tilted upward with a slow smile. “Other than missing you and wanting to spend more time with you, no.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” She rested her hands on his bare chest and pressed a couple of quick kisses to his lips.
Ethan moved back to let her stand, and she picked up the report along with her portfolio from the counter and walked over to the sofa.
He sat down on the stool she’d vacated and watched her zip her portfolio and the binder into the side pocket of her laptop bag and shrug into her blazer.
“Call me right after your meeting,” he said.
She frowned. “But won’t you be in the sim lab this morning? You won’t have your phone.”
“True, but I think I can engineer a reason to sneak out to my desk and check it.”
She feigned a chastising look. “That isn’t fair to the lab techs. You know the rules about not interrupting the sim tests.” His brow rose with a pleased look in her using one of the terms he’d taught her during the past week.
He grinned. “A few free lunches will cover it.”
Jasmine laughed as she picked up her purse and slipped the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “So, I’ll see you tonight?”
“I’ll be here.” He gave her a lopsided smile and blew her a kiss.
She caught the invisible kiss in her hand and paused. Over the past few years she’d received flowers, fancy trips, and jewelry as gifts, but Ethan had given her so much better. He’d given her his encouragement, a shoulder to cry on, reasons to laugh, and he’d made love to her in all the ways that made her knees weak.
And I don’t want to give him up.
But she had to. A pang of sadness tugged in her heart, and she blinked back a sudden rush of moisture in her eyes. Smiling wistfully, she blew her kiss back to him and walked out the door.
Chapter Sixteen
Andrew sat behind his desk, his expression unreadable as he flipped through the binder one more time. Jasmine stopped herself from bouncing her foot, crossed her legs, and casually rearranged her skirt back over her thighs. He flipped back to the budget and timetable sections of the report, again, and her heart thudded and stuttered in her chest.
Finally, he closed the binder, smoothed his hand over his tie, and sat back in his chair. “I’m impressed. It’s a good plan.” He stared at her a moment and said, “Regency Health has the contract.”
Yes!
Curbing her inner cheerleader, she pasted on her most professional, pleased smile. “Thank you, Andrew. That’s great news. I’ll call Ted. I’m sure he’s anxious to get this moving forward.” She moved to stand up from the chair, but he stalled her with his raised hand.
“I have one more request. I’d like for Regency Health to finalize the plans for the other two facilities in Montana and California as soon as possible.”
“Of course, I’ll make sure Ted is aware of that.” She rose from the chair, glad he couldn’t see her legs trembling on the other side. He stood as well and they shook hands. His hazel gaze held hers with a direct look.
“Tell him to give me a call this morning, and just so you know, when I talk to him, I’m going to request that you assess our other two facilities and write up the plan. I also want you to oversee our account, personally. Is that something you’re interested in?”
Cartwheels turned into backflips in her mind. Ted was right. This was her ticket out of the call center.
Her smile widened. “I’m very interested, Andrew. Thank you.”
“Good.” He released her hand and sat back down in his chair. “I’m leaving on the corporate jet at one o’clock today for Montana. If Ted agrees, I’d like you to join me so I can show you the facility and introduce you to our managers and site director. They’ll be helpful in giving you a preliminary needs assessment. After that, you’ll fly out to California to meet with Devin, and he’ll walk you through the plans for our new facility.”
“This afternoon?” Her portfolio almost slipped from her fingers.
His brow rose in question. “Is that a problem?”
The multiple cups of coffee she’d drunk to get her started that morning churned into acid in her stomach. That left her a little over an hour to clear out her office and go home to pack.
“No, it’s not. I’ll be ready.”
She walked out of Andrew’s office and closed the door, but her fingers remained clutched around the doorknob. What about Ethan? They were supposed to spend the next four days together.
Andrew’s assistant, Margot, was sitting at her desk, and she gave Jasmine a quizzical look. Offering up a tight smile, Jasmine walked out of the reception area and headed down the hall.
Maybe she could talk Ted into delaying the trip.
No—bad idea.
Seeing her as a professional would go right out the window if she stayed in town to be with Ethan.
Her cell phone buzzed, and she fished it out of her blazer pocket.
Ted.
She answered the call.
“What’s the verdict?” he asked.
As she walked into her office and closed the door, she gave him the good news and relayed Andrew’s request about her traveling to Montana and California.
Ted whooped out a laugh. “Didn’t I tell you this was it? I knew you could pull it off. Consider it a given that you’ll be on that plane with Andrew this afternoon. You can give us a full briefing when you finish in California. I may as well tell you that the decision was already made that if you nailed this, you would get your old job back. Congratulations! You did it.”
“That’s great,” she said, but her enthusiasm floundered.
“Being a program coordinator again, that is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Yes, absolutely, Ted.” She leaned against the door to her office. “Things just moved faster than I expected, but I’m ready.”
“I’m happy for you, Jasmine. You deserve it. In no time at all, you’ll be back on track for a manager’s position. When you get back, we’ll start working out your game plan. Let me get back to Andrew so we can firm things up. Call me or my assistant, directly, if you need anything.”
“All right, Ted. Thanks.”
The call ended, and she let her head fall back against the door. What was she supposed to tell Ethan? As she walked over to her desk, she pulled up his number but stopped the call before it went through. He was expecting good news about the contract. How was she supposed to tell him this?
Her desk phone rang, and she picked it up. Margot was on the line. During their two-minute conversation, Jasmine started packing up her desk, laughed when expected, wrote a note about the car service picking her up at the apartment in less than an hour, and tried not to cry when she hung up the phone. She couldn’t leave Ethan like this.
A force stronger than reason prompted her out the door of her office to the elevator. She reached the floor where Ethan worked, and when the doors slid open, her heart sank. Security instead of one the interns she’d come to know during the past few days manned the reception area.
As she squared her shoulders, she masked her desperation with professionalism and walked up to the counter. “Hello. I need to reach someone in the lab.” She gestured over to the secure entrance down the hall. “His name is Ethan Worth. He’s a contractor.”