But the fantasy was broken when Ethan released her gaze and turned toward the bar instead. He slipped two flutes from the glassware rack. “How about a glass of champagne to celebrate your first limo ride?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
He opened one of the panels and withdrew a bottle. After carefully removing the cork, he filled both flutes with the sparkling liquid and handed one to her. “To a fun-filled evening,” he toasted.
She clinked her glass to his and took a sip. From the corner of her eye, she watched Ethan do the same. The way his full mouth curled around the lip of the wineglass made her involuntarily shiver.
“Are you cold?” he inquired.
She shook her head. “I'm fine.” So as not to give her thoughts away she turned toward the window. The sights and sounds of the city passed by in a blur. The reflection of Ethan behind her shone clearly in the glass. Once again she imagined him leaning over to kiss her, this time on her bare shoulder and up the side of her neck.
For a moment, she closed her eyes and pretended that he was drawing her into his lap. He would gently turn her to face him, parting her legs to straddle his. Starting at her knees, his hands would graze lightly along her thighs, slowly lifting her dress until he found the pretty pink lace panties she was wearing.
Ethan's hand on her shoulder gave Becca a start, making her whirl around with a squeak.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I didn't mean to startle you. You looked like you were a million miles away.”
“I–I, um...” she stuttered. “I guess I was lost in a daydream.”
“Must have been a pretty good one,” he teased.
She merely smiled in response. You'll know how good, she thought.
The remainder of the ride passed in amiable silence. She loved that about Ethan, how he didn't feel the need to fill the quietness with banal chatter. Sometimes it was nice just to be still.
Soon Becca noticed that the limousine was slowing. She looked out the window to see they were pulling into the wide circular drive of a palatial house. Her eyes went wide. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard against the butterflies that suddenly began fluttering in her stomach. She wasn't sure she would ever feel at home in this side of Ethan's world.
As soon as the limo stopped by the front door, Ethan hopped out and offered his hand to Becca. She grasped it tightly in an attempt to still the tremors in her own. He pulled her out of the car, then wrapped his strong arm around her waist, drawing her into his side. His free hand still clasped hers, and his thumb caressed the back of her fingers.
“You're trembling,” he said softly into her ear. His warm breath feathering against her hair and the sensitive skin of her cheek made her shiver even more. His arm tightened around her. “Are you nervous?”
Becca glanced up at the huge sculpted hardwood door in front of her. Through the high windows above it, she could see a large crystal chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling inside. She took a deep breath. “A little,” she finally answered. “When you said we were going to your parents' house, I imagined something more like yours, not something quite so...big.”
Ethan chuckled and shrugged. “I've never been the type of guy who stands on ceremony. The simple life suits me fine, but my parents are a little more old-school, I guess you might say.”
“Oh,” Becca replied lamely, still trying to settle her nerves.
Ethan turned her to face him and took both her hands in his. He leaned down, searching out her gaze until her eyes met his. “They may live in a big house, but my parents are really nice. I promise they don't bite.”
Becca finally smiled. “OK. I trust you.”
“I'm glad to hear it. Shall we go inside now?”
She took a deep breath and nodded. Ethan led her through the portal that reminded her of a castle door. She could scarcely take in the opulence that surrounded her, and stopped trying to when a well-dressed older couple approached them.
Only then did Ethan release her hand to give them both a hug. He made the introductions, and they immediately put her at ease, leaving her feeling silly about being so nervous. Becca realized then he'd been true to his word–his parents were every bit as nice as he was.
At his mom's invitation, Ethan took Becca's hand and led her through a maze of hallways to the back door. Outside, many guests were already taking advantage of the gigantic swimming pool. Dozens more people gathered in small groups around the pool deck and in the side yards talking. At the other end of the pool stood a wet bar, and right next to it, two men dressed in chef uniforms were cooking a variety of meats on one the largest grills she had ever seen. Even though she was wearing a brand-new outfit and had tried to make herself look nice, Becca still couldn't help feeling out of place amidst such luxury.
She followed Ethan to the bar where a man sat, nursing a beer. Ethan greeted him warmly, and Becca knew immediately that this must be his brother, Nathan. He was about the same height and build as Ethan, but his hair was a couple of shades darker, almost jet-black. He did, however, share the same striking green eyes, framed by gorgeous dark lashes that would be the envy of many women. He was very handsome. Becca imagined that the ladies must clamor for his attention.
“Nate, this is my friend, Becca,” Ethan said. “Becca, this is my little brother, Nathan.”
She shyly extended her hand in greeting. “Pleased to meet you.”
Nathan shook her hand before answering in a deep but quiet voice, “Likewise. It's nice to finally meet the girl I keep hearing so much about.”
He smiled at her, but Becca noted it didn't quite reach his eyes. There was a sadness mirrored there that she suspected had something to do with the recent loss of his long-time girlfriend in a car accident. She wanted to offer her condolences, but the moment seemed rather awkward for it.
Ethan had started talking again anyway. “So where's Alex?”
Nathan shrugged. “You've got me. She was headed to her room about an hour ago, before the party started, but I haven't seen her since. Maybe she hasn't come down yet.”
“I haven't had a chance to talk to her since she got into town. She went to L.A. first to sign her final divorce papers, didn't she?”
Nathan nodded with a rueful look.
“Is she doing OK?” Ethan asked.
“As far as I can tell, but who knows with a woman.”
Ethan smiled at Nathan's attempt at a jest, then turned to Becca. “I really wanted to introduce you to my sister, but it looks like she's missing in action.”
“That's OK,” Becca replied. “I'm sure she'll be down soon.”
“You and she have a lot in common. She's a vet too, you know.”
Becca smiled. “Well, I'm not exactly a vet yet.”
“Close enough. And you will be,” he asserted.
“Are you sure you want to get the two of us together? We might bore you talking shop.”
“I wouldn't mind in the least. And I think you could use more friends.”
Becca suddenly became engrossed in studying a crack in the cement. “You know I don't make friends very easily, Ethan.”
“You made friends with me.”
She glanced up at him. “You're different.” She shrugged, not sure how to explain it. “You were...sweet,” she finally finished.
Nathan choked back his laughter. “Ethan sweet?”
Ethan punched Nathan in the shoulder. “Hey, leave her alone, bro. She can call me sweet if she wants.”
“OK, OK.” Nathan held his hands up in surrender. “I wasn't making fun of you, Becca. I was teasing this dork.”
“Watch who you're calling a dork, numskull.”
Becca shook her head and chuckled at the two brothers, who quickly tired of trading insults. Leaving Nathan behind at the bar, Ethan escorted Becca around, introducing her to various friends and business associates. She was surprised when Ethan told a select few about her plans for the free animal clinic, and even more shocked when many of them offered generous donations to get it s
tarted when she was ready.
Soon, Ethan's dad made the announcement that dinner would be served. They rejoined Nathan and seated themselves at a small round table in a corner of the yard, along with a middle-aged couple.
While the waitstaff served the food, Becca turned to Ethan. “Don't you think it's a little premature to be telling people about the free clinic? I mean, I don't even have my degree yet.”
Ethan shook his head. “It's never too early to plant a seed.”
“What sort of free clinic?” a woman at their table asked.
Becca quickly found herself engrossed in conversation as she ate. The lady and her husband expressed a great deal of interest in her idea, and once again Becca was astounded by their generous offer to donate. Apparently, Ethan was right. She only hoped she could rally these people's support again after finishing her degree. If she could, then her dream could become a reality far more easily than she had originally thought.
As her chat with the couple wound down, Becca caught sight of a blonde woman in her peripheral vision. Her body went cold as Lindsay took the empty seat on Ethan's other side, grabbed his arm, and leaned into him flirtatiously.
“You didn't come over to talk to me earlier, Ethan,” she pouted with her perfectly-painted red lips.
Becca's grilled chicken dinner turned to stone in her stomach at the sound of Lindsay's sickly-sweet voice.
Ethan smiled indulgently. “We've been talking nearly every day, Lindsay. I thought maybe you could use a break from me.”
“Oh, silly!” She slapped his shoulder playfully with her elegantly manicured fingertips. “I could never get tired of you,” she said, giggling like a schoolgirl. “Come join me in the swimming pool, and maybe I'll forgive you.”
Ethan turned to her. “Becca, do you want to go swimming?”
“Oh...um...I didn't bring a suit.”
“Alex might have something you could borrow,” he offered, then added with a smile, “if we can find her.”
Becca wasn't a very good swimmer and hated to be in the pool with a crowd of people. She shook her head. “That's OK, Ethan. I'm not really much of a swimmer. I think I'll pass. But don't let me stop you from swimming if you want to,” she hastened to add.
“All right. If you're sure.”
She didn't really want him swimming with Lindsay, but she didn't want to spoil his fun either. She nodded. “Go on. I'll be fine.” She looked across the table at Nathan. “Are you going swimming?” she asked him.
“Nope.”
“See, I'll stay here and keep Nathan company.”
“I guess I can't argue with that,” Ethan responded. He turned to Lindsay, who had a triumphant grin on her face. “I'll go up to the house and change and meet you in the pool in a few.”
Lindsay started to follow him, but Ethan pointed to the cabanas set up on one side of the pool for the convenience of the guests who needed to change. Becca was sure she saw disappointment flicker across the woman's features, and she breathed a sigh of relief that Lindsay wouldn't be anywhere near Ethan while he was in a state of undress.
The older couple at their table left. Becca tried to talk to Nathan, only to find that he wasn't much of a conversationalist. Being rather shy herself, she had a difficult time keeping the dialog going and finally gave up. If her suspicions were right, Nathan was well on his way to being drunk too.
Nathan rose from the table. “I'm headed to the bar for another drink. Can I get you something, Becca?”
“No, I'm fine. Thanks.”
Becca turned in her seat to peruse the gathering and saw Ethan returning from the house. Her heart fluttered at the sight of his well-toned body in a swimsuit. Her fingers itched to caress the hard, muscled planes of his chest. Her gaze followed the light dusting of hair where it trailed over his abdomen and disappeared into the waistband of his suit. Her mind filled with images of the secrets held there. Desire coursed through her body as she dreamed of skinny-dipping with Ethan in the moonlight.
“Hot, isn't he?”
Becca startled as the syrupy voice broke into her fantasy. “I–I don't know what you're talking about,” she stammered.
Lindsay chuckled coldly before asserting, “Of course you do. You don't think I saw the way you looked at him during our little business dinner at Milano's last year, when you thought he wasn't watching? The way you were looking at him just now. Like you wanted to eat him up,” she finished in an icy whisper right behind Becca's shoulder.
Becca swallowed hard and turned to face the woman. “He's my friend,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
Lindsay smiled and clucked her tongue. “Poor Becky. It's all right,” she began with false sympathy, “I know women are bound to stare. He is an incredibly sexy man.” Lindsay's face grew hard. “But they'd do well to remember that he's mine.”
Becca's brows drew into a puzzled frown. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she continued stonily after raking an assessing gaze over Becca, “that a poor church mouse like you doesn't stand a chance with a rich, gorgeous man like him. Enjoy your fantasies, dear, because they're all you'll ever have to keep you warm at night. I'm the one who'll have the real thing in my bed, and he's damn good in it. Too bad you'll never know,” she finished with a cheeky grin.
Becca's heart dropped into her stomach at the implication in Lindsay's words. Her entire body quivered with anger and embarrassment. She fought against the sting of tears behind her eyes but refused to cry in front of the vile woman.
“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in.”
Becca looked up at the sound of a female voice to find a pretty, statuesque brunette glaring at Lindsay like she was a piece of gum she'd found stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
Lindsay's mouth curled into an expression of equal disdain. “I heard you were back from your little foray in the desert. Where was it you went again?”
“Someplace you probably couldn't find even if you had a map,” the brunette jabbed back.
Lindsay smiled coldly. “Yes, well, wherever it was, I also heard you slunk over there with your tail between your legs after that handsome rock star husband of yours dumped you.”
An inscrutable mask descended over the brunette's face before she answered. “I see you haven't changed a bit, Lindsay. Why don't you go find someone else to bother?”
“Fine,” Lindsay replied in an icy tone as she rose from her seat. “I was leaving anyway. The air has become rank with the smell of commoners. Apparently, your parents allow anyone into their parties these days,” she finished while throwing an insulting glance at Becca.
Lindsay then proceeded to promenade around the pool deck. Becca had no doubt the woman was fully aware of the fact that her skimpy bikini was drawing the stares of nearly every man she passed.
Becca looked away in disgust.
The brunette took the seat Lindsay had vacated. “Whatever she said, don't let it get to you. She may be rich, but she has absolutely no class.”
“You seem to dislike her as much as I do,” Becca commented.
“Yeah, well, I have every reason to. She's a gold digger, pure and simple.”
“But I thought she was rich.”
The woman shrugged. “Her family certainly is, but I heard that her father got tired of supporting her credit-card habit and put her to work. Personally, I think she's not happy that she can't go shopping every day and has set her sights on finding a wealthy husband so she doesn't have to work anymore.”
So that's why she's trying to sink her claws into Ethan, Becca thought. She hoped that Ethan was smart enough not to fall for Lindsay's tricks, but having seen the way the woman hung all over him, she wasn't so sure. A man's head could be turned by far less than the perfect assets Lindsay had on display tonight in her barely-there bathing suit.
The woman broke into Becca's musing. “Another reason I can't stand Lindsay is that a bitch just like her stole my husband. Not that he was really worth taking. As far as I'm concerned, th
ey deserved each other. Besides, we vets have to stick together, right?”
Instantly, the woman's identity dawned on her. “Oh my God, you must be–”
“Alexis Montgomery,” the woman finished, while offering her hand along with a warm smile. “And I already know that you're Ethan's friend, Becca.”
Becca's mouth dropped open in surprise as she shook Alexis's hand. “How did you–?”
“Ethan showed me a picture of you two a while back, so I recognized you right away.”
“I'm sorry I didn't know who you were at first, Alexis.”
Alexis waved her hand dismissively. “Don't worry about it. And call me Alex. Everyone does.”
“OK.” Becca grinned, immediately liking Ethan's sister. “Ethan was looking for you earlier.”
Alex sighed. “Let's just say these social things aren't really my scene. I'm putting in an appearance to make my parents happy, but I decided to be fashionably late,” she finished with a chuckle.
“Ethan said you barely got in from out of town. Where do you live?”
“Well, I used to live in L.A., but after my husband and I separated, I thought it would be a good thing to get as far away as possible. I ended up halfway around the world in Kabul.”
Becca couldn't hide her surprise. “You mean...”
Alex nodded. “Yup, Afghanistan.”
“Wow! Ethan mentioned that you were finding homes for stray dogs and cats from the Middle East, but I didn't put two and two together to realize you were actually living there. Isn't it scary?”
“It can be sometimes, but mostly, I've been able to keep a pretty low profile as an aid worker. Except I happen to be there to aid animals instead of people. We have a small shelter set up, but it's been an uphill battle to get locals interested in adopting companion animals. Some people are afraid of them, some abuse them, but most are simply indifferent to them.”
“That's so sad. I guess the people over there have a lot of other things to worry about, though. Stray dogs and cats must seem pretty trivial when you're in a war zone.”
“That's very true,” Alex conceded.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Becca asked.
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