The minute her hand touched his chest, Erin realized she might not be able to carry her plan through. The bolt of white hot heat that seared from the point of contact, washed over her in tidal waves of desire that threatened to drown her.
She gasped, her lungs suddenly in dire need of air. She could feel his accelerated heartbeat beneath her fingertips and his sharp indrawn breath simply confirming what she already knew.
Ethan wanted her. Bad.
The thought lifted Erin’s spirit to soaring point, filling her with renewed determination. She would show him that she was just as capable of cold hard rejection as he was.
Buoyed by this, she deliberately allowed her body to brush against his, enjoying the way his eyes narrowed even further at the move. Her breasts, already
Out in the hall, Erin met her secretary’s stunned look with a self-satisfied smile and suantered past, pulling her shirt back on, uncaring of what the woman thought. Nothing could detract from the triumph that engulfed her at the moment, certainly not the fact that she’d walked out of her office half naked or the shock on Heather’s face.She’d done it! She’d actually walked away with her pride intact, had proved to Ethan that she was just as capable of cold, hard revenge as he. Erin couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her entire face at the image of Ethan standing there in helpless anger.Fastening the buttons on her shirt, Erin turned to her secretary. “Heather, give my guest a couple of minutes alone, then make sure he doesn’t do much damage to the furniture.”
Ethan opened the door to his flat, raising his eyebrows at his mother.“Hey mum. What brings you here?” He asked, leaning down to kiss her cheeks, then stepped back to let her in.“What? Can’t a mother drop by to say a quick hello to her favorite son?” Martha patted his cheek and breezed into the room, as usual wrinkling her nose at the typical masculine decor. “Honestly darling, how can you live like this? This place is depressing.”Ethan grinned, knowing full well his mother had a hidden agenda. Martha Lachlan only visited when she had something up her sleeve. He only prayed that this time it wasn’t to convince him to go on a blind date with some woman she thought would be perfect for him. With his adopted siblings all happily married, Martha had switched her full attention to her youngest son…often without much success.“Other mothers maybe, but not you. And I like the decor just fine. Would
Ethan watched his mother’s expression change to astonishment as she took in his announcement.She stood frozen, kettle in hand and stared at her youngest son, the words still slowly sinking into her brain. From Ethan’s expression, she could almost swear her son was just as stunned at the announcement he’d just made if the look on his face was anything to go by.“You’re bringing someone?” Martha finally recovered enough to repeat Ethan’s words. She set the kettle down, tea forgotten and pinned Ethan with a searching look.Ethan looked dazed, as though he couldn’t believe he’d told her that. Then he straightened his shoulders in that way that Martha knew all too well and returned her look with an implacable one of his own.
Erin glanced at the clock and winced. Seven pm. The obnoxious man was clearly taking no chances if he was already at her door.Another knock sounded and she sighed, tempted to bury her head under the pillow. Instead, she dragged herself from bed, fastening the ties of her silk robe and padded barefoot to open the door.As expected, Ethan stood there, looking particularly ravishing in a dark suit and red tie that contrasted nicely with the cream shirt he wore underneath. Erin swallowed, overwhelmed by the powerful aura of cool, handsome and confidence he exuded.He looked at her, noting the state of undress and sighed. “Figures you’ll make it difficult.”Oh dear sweet heaven. The man looked good enough to devour. Preferably served naked on her Egyptian c
Erin shot a questioning look at Jared. “What’s a bake sale?”Momentarily flustered at the realization that he’d inadvertently spilled the beans, Jared cast a surprised look in Ethan’s direction, brows raised in silent query. Ethan glared back, fingers gripping the edge of Erin’s seat in an attempt to stop himself from wrapping those very fingers round his brother’s neck and squeezing real hard.Jared leaned close to whisper to Ethan, his eyes glinting in amusement.“Uh oh! Haven’t asked her yet?”“I was going to if you’d managed to stay away long enough.” Ethan whispered back, sparing Erin a glance as she watched their exchange, a small curious frown on her face.He turned back to Jared in exasperation. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”Jared managed to look contrite for about three seconds then chuckled, clearly enjoying his brother’s disco
Erin studied her reflection in the mirror, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she contemplated the dress for the umpteenth time. The light pink gown complimented her complexion and showed off curves in all the right places, but still she worried that the dress was not formal enough for the occasion. From what Ethan had described, the bake sale was going to be more than just a family get together.His mother had invited a lot of Chicago’s upper-class for the fundraiser. She also knew she would be facing Ethan’s family, all curious to know how she’d ended up as his date for the day.She signed and rubbed her forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache. She so was not looking forward to being the center of attention, maybe it was not too late to things off. Sure Ethan would be furious and threaten her as usual, but she could handle that compared to the ordeal she was about to put herself through.Erin turned and strode back to her clos
Erin happily bit into her fifth strawberry cookie, letting out a little moan of delight. “Oh my god! I swear this gets better with every bite.”Emily grinned, looking pleased. “Glad you think so. I dug the recipe from an online site just yesterday and couldn’t wait to try it out. So far, it’s been a great hit with the guests.”“It’s really good.” Erin popped the rest into her mouth and chewed in bliss for a few moments. She eyed the plate of cookies sitting on the kitchen counter, and decided one more wouldn’t hurt. She would worry about gaining a few pounds tomorrow. Today, she could gorge herself as much as she wanted and no one would judge her for it.She perched on a high stool in an effort to rest her aching feet, marveling at how comfortable she already was with Ethan’s family. Once the awkwardness of first introductions had passed, the Lachlan’s had welcomed her into their midst and d
Ethan walked briskly towards his apartment building, carrying the bags that contained their breakfast. The cold air whipped through his body but he barely noticed, his thoughts on the woman waiting for him in his bed. It had taken every inch of self-control he possessed to leave after kissing Erin senseless, only the promise of what was to come later had kept him going.He smiled at that thought, imagining how he'd take his time rediscovering every delicious inch of Erin's body once he'd made sure he'd fed her. It wouldn't do to have her pass out from hunger during lovemaking and he clearly intended to keep her in his bed all day.He'd already placed a call to Peter and Laura while Erin was asleep, asking them to reschedule his calendar for the day as he had every intention of taking the day off. Ethan chuckled as he recalled how shocked Laura had been at the n