5. Ethan

5

ETHAN

L eaving the office held no appeal, especially with the dark clouds brewing outside. Clara stood beside me, and it took a concentrated effort to stay in place and not crowd any closer. I returned my phone to my pocket and made my way back to where our work was piled up. We’d made good progress, enough that I should be satisfied, but being satisfied had nothing to do with the project.

I eyed Clara’s work, once again feeling impressed at her design aesthetic. She worked with the kind of dedication that Summit needed. And God help me for noticing, but she looked amazing while she did it. “Should we keep working?” Harrington would appreciate anything we could do to make sure this project moved forward. I’d hoped we would be finished soon.

“We should gather supplies.” Alexander took charge.

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised that he made the suggestion. Based on the weather I’d seen coming our way, we’d need to be prepared for anything. Liam met my gaze over Clara’s head, and we both grinned just enough to prove we were on the same page. Neither of us were upset at the chance to spend more time with Clara.

As though she sensed our thoughts, Clara turned away from the windows. She buffed her hands up and down her arms. The move spurred something deep inside, a feeling I’d thought lost forever when it came to a woman. Concern.

She looked up and the fear in her eyes sucker-punched me. “Are you sure we’re safe?”

“Positive.” I infused every promise I could muster into that one word. The chemistry that sparked between us earlier lingered in every breath. This smart, beautiful woman reminded me of a lover I had in college. Back then, I’d been young and foolish and I’d let pride tear us apart. Seeing Clara in front of me was like the universe giving me a second chance. No way in hell I’d risk fucking it up again.

Alexander made his way to the door. “Let’s go, people. Looks like we’re here overnight at the least. Time to see what’s available and get ready to hunker down.” He tempered his tone when he looked at Clara. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Damn it. I was supposed to say that. I scowled at Alexander, who shrugged and splayed his hands in a gesture that could mean “sorry” or “should have spoken up sooner, dipshit” and even though I’d known him for years, I still wasn’t sure.

Wind howled down the side of the building, rattling the window behind Alexander. He turned and checked the frame, then drew the curtains closed. “Ethan, help me push the desk against the windows. That’ll hold the curtains tight and make sure the cold doesn’t penetrate. Liam, check the backup generator.”

Clara’s eyes widened. She shuddered and moved away from the window, grabbing her phone from the table as she passed. “Thank God. I still have reception.” She tapped on the screen and brought the phone to her ear.

I moved to help Alexander while Liam headed out to check the generator.

The world outside turned white, the kind of white that made my eyes burn and blocked out everything, even the buildings on either side of us and across the street. We were in a world of our own.

“Mom.” Pure relief shook in Clara’s voice from where she stood behind us.

I grabbed one end of Alexander’s desk. He took the other, and we carried it over to the window, setting the legs on the ends of the thermal curtains and pressing them tight to the window.

“Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

I turned in time to catch Clara pacing the far end of the room. Her skirt swirled around her legs, her leggings flashing with every step. “Are you sure?” She stopped pacing and rubbed small circles on her forehead with her thumb and forefinger. “Has Bridget been out today? And she says you’re doing better? Are you saying that just to make me feel better?” The questions fired out almost too fast for anyone to answer, but the instant relief in the way her body loosened and her frown relaxed said her mom answered correctly.

My fingers curled into the desk.

“Easy.” Alexander stayed on the other side of the desk, but he watched Clara with the same kind of hunger clawing around my insides. Not because she was vulnerable or weak. The opposite, in fact.

“I’ll come see you as soon as it’s safe.” Clara left the office, her voice trailing off.

I straightened, intending to go after her to make sure she didn’t try to leave. Alexander stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. I shook him off. “Don’t even think about it.”

“She’ll be back. Where would she go? We’re listening in on her conversation like a couple of assholes. Give her some privacy.”

“I hate when you’re right.” I still smacked his hand when he tried to grab me again. “Doesn’t mean I have to listen to you.” I stayed in the room but moved to the table and stacked our blueprints into a neat pile on the far side of the table. The angle offered me a view out the door.

Liam approached from the end of the hallway. He stopped alongside Clara, asked her a question, then moved toward the office door. “Generator’s fine. We’re good for a few days.”

“A few days?” Clara walked in behind Liam. “Do you think we’ll be here that long?”

I hoped so but knew better than to admit that out loud. Another burst of wind tore down the side of the building, the shriek rising in pitch until my ears rang. Snow peppered the window hard enough that Alexander checked behind the curtain. “Glass looks good. Looks like there’s some ice mixed in.”

“How’s your mom?” I changed the subject before the tension in the room spun out of control. We were already on edge. Much more and one of us would crack.

“She’s fine.” Clara answered too quickly for my liking.

I finished organizing the papers scattered across the table. “The treatments have been a success?”

“How do you know about that?” Stiffening, she took a step back, toward Liam and the door.

“You took an extended leave of absence when the cancer intensified. Alexander had to approve the request. Liam and I were in the room when it arrived on his desk.” It wouldn’t help me to tell her I’d found her dedication intriguing. She loved her mother. No one faulted her for that. I considered it an excellent point in her favor. “We all knew about her cancer. It’s difficult to keep a secret in a business like this.”

Clara blinked, her lips rounding in an O. Her shoulders lifted on a deep inhale that she let out slowly through her nose before answering. “Mom is okay. The treatments worked. She’s still recovering from the effects, but she’ll be fine.” There was a moment of hesitation, then her voice firmed, refusing to break. “Mom’s safe, and the caregiver is there with her. She’ll be fine. She has to be fine. Mom’s a fighter.”

Like her daughter. I kept that sentiment locked down tight too.

“I’ll see her as soon as the storm’s over.” She eyed the window like it personally offended her and scowled. “What are we supposed to do tonight? Where are we going to sleep?”

Interesting question. “There’s a couch in the lounge. I’d rather we all stay in here since we can keep a smaller room warm if things get worse, but we could move the couch in here.”

One eyebrow arched, Clara gave me the kind of look that set my blood on fire. The sexual innuendo had been light up to this point, but the idea of a single couch pushed things into new territory.

“It’s either that or the floor.” Alexander spread his hands and chuckled. “Guess we could take turns sleeping. Come on. Let’s drag it in here.”

The three of us made our way from his office to the lounge area. Cold air whistled in through the side doors.

I frowned. “Yeah, no way we’re even considering staying here.” The glass walls were great most of the time, but tonight they were a hazard.

Clara tagged along behind us, easing over to the side when we picked up the couch and lugged it toward Alexander’s office. Her gaze bounced from one of us to the other, and it didn’t take a genius to see the naked appreciation in those gorgeous irises. Desire built into an impossible heat. I’d never push myself on anyone who didn’t want me. Clara was giving off signals left and right, but I still hesitated.

With a few manly grunts and curses, we dropped the couch on the wall furthest away from the window. I collapsed into the corner.

Clara sat on the other side, bouncing a little on the cushion. “Seems comfy enough.”

The lights blinked, the flicker so brief I almost missed it. If not for Clara’s sudden inhale, I might have put it off as my eyes playing tricks on me.

Alexander and Liam closed the office door.

Another flicker, then the lights shut off completely.

Clara gasped, the sound startling with its intensity.

I stretched out a hand on instinct and found hers in the dark. Icy fingers wrapped around mine. The emergency lights clicked on, casting the far side of the room in shadow while highlighting Clara’s profile. She shivered, wrapped her free arm over her stomach, and drew her feet up beneath her. Another shiver turned into full-on body shakes. Her teeth chattered hard enough I worried they’d crack.

I pulled her into my arms, settling her across my lap and holding her to my chest. My palm cradled the back of her head. “It’s okay. You’re safe here.”

Her trembling rocked through me. “S-s-sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You’ve not done anything wrong.” I palmed the curve of her spine. “Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

She sighed, then nodded into my chest. “I lost my dad.” A hiccuping breath, then. “I was young. Just five years old. He went out in a snowstorm and died.”

Well, fuck. If that wasn’t enough to cave my insides, nothing ever would. “I’m sorry. No one should suffer a loss like that, especially so young.”

“I thought I was over it. It’s been twenty-three years.” She sniffled and picked at a button on my shirt. If she felt uncomfortable in my lap, she showed no sign of it.

I ran my hand up and down her spine. “Losing a parent is not something you get over.” It also explained why she had such fear for her mother. Even though she tried to hide it. She had every reason to be afraid. No one wanted to lose a parent, but she’d already lost one, and at a delicate age. Cradling the back of her head again, I tucked her closer.

“I wish he’d stayed home.” A bit of spark returned, and she tugged harder on the button. “That’s what always pissed me off. He went outside because he wanted to see the storm. He was supposed to come right back. They found his body three miles away, frozen to death. The official report said he must have gotten turned around in the storm. Why did he leave?”

She lifted her head, tears in her eyes and her lips trembling. “Why did he leave me?”

There were no words to answer that question, nothing I could say to calm her fears. Promises held little weight without actions to back them up.

Her hair spilled from the makeshift bun and fell down in waves around her face.

I should have given her something to ease her pain, but words failed me. I dropped my head, my lips hovering over hers in a last-ditch effort to change my mind and not cross this line.

I brushed a thumb over her chin, and her lips parted. The last of my control evaporated. I had to taste her. Our lips met in an achingly slow caress. Any second now, she’d slap me and call me a bastard for taking advantage of her vulnerability. Any second. In the meantime, I explored her lips.

Her hand slid between the buttons on my shirt to touch bare skin. She groaned low in her throat and opened to me when I ran my tongue along the seam of her lips. I reminded myself to slow down and sucked her bottom lip, lightly nipping at it. Her fingers were firebrands on my skin. I wanted them everywhere, touching every inch of my body.

My cock thickened and pressed into her ass. Her lips rose in a delicious smirk as she broke the kiss and leaned away from me.