Tug of Attraction (23 page)

“Me? What are you talking about?”

“You’re pregnant. Or did you forget?”

She rose and frowned at Mr. Graham. “I’m fine. I already started pre-natal vitamins and I have a doctor’s appointment next week.”

“Who’s going to pay for that?”

“I am,” she said.

“No, Bridge.
I
am,” Ethan corrected her.

Her stepfather nodded. “Smart man. Now, when is the wedding?”

“Jonathan!” Mrs. Graham reentered the room, wrapping a clean dish towel around a plastic bag of ice. “Here you go, dear.” She handed the ice pack to Ethan and he pressed it to his injured cheek.

“I see no reason to delay the inevitable,” Mr. Graham said.

Brigit practically screamed, “Get out. Now!”

Her stepfather pointed at her and said, “You forget this is my house. If you’re too stubborn to get married like a normal person in your situation, maybe
I’ll
ask
you
to leave.”

“Stop it!” Mrs. Graham stomped her foot. “Nobody is going anywhere. We should be talking about this like adults.”

“Your mother is right,” Ethan said. “I know you might not believe me, Mr. Graham, but I was getting ready to propose anyway.”

“Why wouldn’t I believe you?” he asked. “You seem like a decent sort. I just wish you had been a little quicker about it.”

“I was getting my grandmother’s ring sized.”

Brigit suddenly felt tears pricking her eyes. She strode to her door and opened it. “Can you two please give us some time alone?”

“Of course,” her mother said. She took her husband’s arm and pulled. He seemed reluctant to go at first.

Finally he left, saying, “We’ll be waiting for your decision.”

Brigit bit her tongue until they cleared the door and then slammed it. “Oh, Goddess! This is a disaster. I’m so sorry, Ethan.”

He rose, set the ice pack on the table and went to her. Taking her face in his hands, he touched his lips to hers gently. “I’m only sorry that I didn’t have the candlelight dinner I had planned for you and this is apt to be the memory of your proposal.”

She shook her head and the tears refused to be held back any longer. She hugged his chest, careful not to come near his bruised cheek.

They stood there, holding each other and saying nothing for several moments. At last, Ethan pulled away. He tipped up her face and said, “Is it the thought of marrying me that’s making you cry?”

She chuckled. “No. I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

He shrugged. “I can’t imagine why.” His lip quirked up on one side.

She grabbed his hand and led him back to the couch. “Why don’t I get you a cup of tea—or coffee. I guess I should learn how to make a small pot of coffee for you since that’s what you drink.”

“Do you have any?”

“I think there’s some around here somewhere.”

“Don’t bother, Brigit. I had plenty to drink when I was ass-side up in the river.”

“Oh...” She couldn’t believe what her stepfather had done. The guy who was there earlier must have been the PI he’d hired. She wondered if he knew what a brute the man was and vowed to find out. 

“Come and sit next to me,” he said.

She grabbed the ice pack on the way and settled in next to him. “Here. I don’t want to hold it against your cheek in case I push too hard and hurt you again.”

“Thanks,” he took the pack and smiled.

It was the first time he’d smiled since she walked in and it was a relief to see. Ethan was such a good man, and she couldn’t stand the idea of anyone hurting him. She felt as if she was physically hurting too. She didn’t think it was the pregnancy. It wasn’t her stomach that hurt. It was a little higher—around the region of her heart.

He laced their fingers together. “I guess we need to come up with a plan.”

She raised her brows. “Plan?”

“Yeah. You know. Live together or get married? It’s still our decision.”

“Oh. I guess you’re right. I thought, well...Never mind.”

“No, what were you going to say?”

“Well, you said you were getting your grandmother’s ring sized—unless that was just to appease Jonathan.”

“No. It’s true. Yvonne showed me a ring that fit you perfectly when you tried it on and let me borrow it so I could take it to a jeweler. They’re going to call me when it’s ready sometime next week. When is your doctor’s appointment?”

“Um. Why?”

“Because I want to go with you.”

“There won’t be anything to see yet.”

“Well, I should at least go to pay for the appointment. Maybe I can give them my credit card to keep on file until I get you covered on my insurance plan.”

“Wait. That would mean—Doesn’t coverage for someone else make that person a dependent?”

Ethan laughed. “You’ll never be dependent on anyone, Bridge. That’s one of the many things I love about you. Now say you love me too and get me out of this situation with your family.”

* * * *

A
short time later, upstairs in Brigit’s bedroom, she smiled and pulled back the covers so Ethan could slide in beside her. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”

He chuckled. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Before we get too sidetracked, I just want to know one thing.”

Uh oh. What now?
He rested his head on her pillow and rubbed lazy circles over her bare breast. “Mmm? What’s that?”

“Ohhh...Don’t distract me.”

He ginned, but didn’t exactly stop. He held her with his arm draped over both of her breasts. She closed her eyes and cleared her throat as if trying to retrieve her concentration.

“Did you mean it when you said you’d be content with gentle love-making?”

“Absolutely. Now if that’s all...” He leaned over her breast, prepared to suck that hard pebble, which meant she was turned on. At least he hoped it did.

She stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. It was all he could do not to groan.

“There’s something I want you to know too.”

“What’s that?”

“I really do love you,” she said. “I know I behaved badly. I tried to push you away, but that’s because you didn’t go into this to get saddled with a family.”

“I’m not feeling saddled, Bridge. I love you too—more than I thought I could love anyone. Now—will you please stop pushing me away?” He moved her hand until it slipped over his shoulder and gave her a wolfish grin. She chuckled and cupped the back of his head, pulling his mouth to hers. They shared a long, languorous kiss. He felt her gently stroking strands of his hair through her fingers. He hated to think she was trying to brush it. 

“I’m afraid the brackish water made my hair pretty stiff,” he whispered against her lips.

“I don’t care. If it’s attached to you, it’s beautiful.”

Wow. How can I top a compliment like that?

Her hand traveled to another part of him that was stiff. He closed his eyes and let the rush of sensation take him to a place where his brain clouded and he couldn’t think—only feel. “Ah, Bridge. That’s good.”

She nipped his lower lip and kissed him as she stroked. He hadn’t seen this side of her before. The little minx was seducing him.

Their tongues sought each other and swirled. She made a sound that would have been a moan, if her lips weren’t fused to his.

Air. He needed air. He broke the kiss and gently pushed her onto her back. She may have lost her grip on his cock, but he would have come too soon if she didn’t. He kissed his way down the column of her neck and licked her collarbone. When he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked she arched into him and moaned.

Love.
This is what he’d been missing all these years...And why he’d stayed single. He was waiting for
this
—for
her.

He switched to the other breast and suckled. She was cupping his head, holding him there, as if she never wanted him to stop. Hell,
he
never wanted to stop. He’d always gotten off on making a woman scream in ecstasy. This was different. It was as if they were choreographing an ancient dance. One of pleasure that reached a primal level.

When he finally lifted his head, her eyes had a glazed look that must have mirrored his own. He began to slide down her body, but her horse voice said, “No. I need you...now.”

“Are you sure?” He wasn’t sure of anything except that he didn’t want to hurt her.

She nodded. “I’ve never wanted anything more. J—just try to move slowly.”

He had no problem taking her long and slow. The sensuous dance they shared was just that. A shared tender and loving union. 

He climaxed with deep, wrenching spasms. It was good.
Unbelievably good
. He raised himself up on his elbows to tell her so.

Her eyes were glistening.

He gasped. “Did I hurt you?”

“Goddess, no. I...I felt...” She couldn’t seem to find the words.

“Loved?”

“Yes,” she said, and as if a dam broke, she let the tears flow.

Ethan wrapped his arms around her and rolled until she was on top of him. He held her tight and caressed her back while he murmured words of love he’d never said to anybody. 

“W
hat do you mean Independence has left the building? He was never
in
a building. I thought he was an outdoor dog.”

Fayleen had surprised Hanna once again in her suite. This time, she popped in on her while she was in her bathrobe and about to get dressed. Hanna was
not
amused.

“I know. I know. But he’s nowhere to be found right now,” Fayleen said. “I have a sinking feeling that the Stregheria got to him.”

“Goddess damn it!” Hanna sputtered. “There are thirteen of them. How are we supposed to find out which one he went home with? Or even where they live?” She rummaged through her drawers and found the underwear, sweater and jeans she wanted to wear on her day off. “By the way, you know why
I
couldn’t take him. I live in a hotel. But what was your excuse?”

Fayleen dropped onto Hanna’s bed, head in her hands. She mumbled something.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

Fayleen stared and the ceiling and blurted out, “I live with my parents.”

Hanna hesitated. Should she laugh? Sympathize? Best to ignore it, she decided. “Okay. So what do we do now?”

“I knew you’d be pissed, so I concentrated on locating Michele. I found the footage of Raven’s car on the date she fled.”

“What do mean you ‘found it?’”

Fayleen grinned and shrugged. “Let’s not go there. It involved a minor
b and e
and some magic—but it was necessary.”

“Breaking and entering a government facility was necessary? You could have been caught. They probably have cameras.”

“I used an invisibility spell. Don’t worry. The thing is, she got on Route 95, heading south.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. It’s the only major highway out of here.” Hanna closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“No. It does. Listen. I followed the highway on traffic cams, taking into consideration her driving speed and direction. She drove due south. I almost lost her in New York City.”

“Everyone gets lost in New York. Did you pick up her trail again?”

“Yeah, eventually. She was still heading south on 95. By that time it was after midnight.”

“Okay. So did she stop for the night?”

“Nope. She was hell bent on getting out of Dodge. Unfortunately the cameras really drop off once you hit the Carolinas.”

“Okay, so then what?”

Fayleen squirmed uncomfortably and Hanna just knew she’d lost her at that point. “Fine. You lost her. At least we know where she might have gone. And fortunately you know the area.”

“Um, yeah.”

“Uh-oh.” Hanna folded her arms. “What does that mean?”

“Well, you know that VIN number you gave me and how we figured she’d probably sell the car for some fast cash once she got where she was going?”

“Yes...”

Fayleen shrugged one shoulder. “I may have committed a tiny crime at the North Carolina DMV. People have to register vehicle sales. Right?”

Hanna didn’t know whether to be worried or not. Her friend was sitting in front of her and not in a jail cell, so that was a good sign. “Go on.”

“She didn’t sell the car in either of the Carolinas. I searched more camera footage and never found her again.”

Hanna paced. “She took off six months ago. Whoever bought the car must have sent the title into the registry by now.”

“I know. Or maybe it broke down.”

“Or maybe she knew someone in the area and kept the car to get around.”

Hanna sighed. “First,
one of us,
should check the area for the car in case it was abandoned. Since you got us into this mess, that should be you.”

“And what will
you
be doing?”

“Putting on some clothes. Now get out of my room. I’m not getting sky clad in front of your skinny ass.”

Fayleen rolled her eyes. “Fine. But what can you do to help after that?”

Hanna pondered that for a minute. “You said you staged a tiny break-in of the DMV?”

“Yes.”

“Only in the Carolinas?”

“Yeah. Well, it seemed logical.”

Logic was never Fayleen’s strong suit. “There are a few more Southern States to look into. She may have slipped by the cameras after realizing the highways were monitored more closely than back roads. I could cloak myself and check the Georgia and Florida title transfer records. Did you have to turn back time to see all that camera footage?”

“Oh yeah. It gave me quite a headache.”

Hanna was tempted to say, ‘Good,’ but she held her tongue. “I think I’ll just go back to last night. Maybe the only person I’ll need to avoid is a security guard.”

“Yeah. That’s when I did it.”

“Okay, so we have a plan. Let’s meet back at the garbage dump tonight. Maybe Independence was hiding from you.”

“I don’t know why he would. I scratched behind his ears and rubbed his belly and everything.”

“Well, maybe the Stregheria offered him steak. Who knows? Now get the Hell out of my bedroom so I can get dressed.”

* * * *

B
rigit had made a maternity coat out of her Indian blanket... and just in time. The thermometer at her cottage read 35 degrees. Now, entering Myranda’s occult shop, she happily shook off the cold and greeted the women who worked there.