Into the Fury (BOSS, Inc. #1)(57)
When he finished, he checked his watch.
He hadn’t talked to Hannah in days. His daughter would be home today instead of in preschool. Seattle time was two hours earlier, but she would be up by now. He wanted to hear her voice, hear her call him Daddy. He wanted to absorb the sweet sound of her little-girl laughter.
Taking a deep breath and praying his ex would be reasonable for a change, he punched in Ally’s number.
Val rolled out of bed, sleepy-eyed, hair mussed, body pleasantly battered and delightfully sore in places that hadn’t been sore in years. She felt wonderful.
Smiling, she walked into the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth. Since Ethan needed to work, she left the apricot satin robe on a chair in the bedroom, grabbed the white terry and shrugged it on, then headed toward the living room for a badly needed cup of coffee.
Dressed in dark blue jeans, a burgundy T-shirt, and low-topped boots, Ethan was on his cell when she opened the door. His angry scowl and the rigid muscles across his shoulders had her pausing on the threshold. She could only hear half the conversation, but it was enough for her to know what was going on.
“I just want to talk to her, Ally. I’m her father. That isn’t asking too much.”
His ex made some reply.
“Look, this has been going on for years. You’re dating someone. Haven’t you gotten your revenge by now? I was a lousy boyfriend, okay? I would have been a lousy husband. But I’m a good father. I want the chance to be even better. What’ll it take to get you to put the past aside and go forward, for Hannah’s sake?”
Her reply made Ethan’s eyes close in frustration. He came to his feet, gripping the phone so tight Val was afraid the plastic would shatter. “This is all just a game to you, isn’t it? Well, I’m tired of playing, Ally. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer—again. And this time I won’t hold anything back. Unless you want your past sins spread all over the courtroom, I’d suggest you make some concessions.” Ethan hung up the phone.
Val’s heart went out to him. Clearly, he loved his little girl. So far she hadn’t seen any reason he shouldn’t be allowed to spend time with her. Val crossed the living room and slid her arms around his waist. Ethan pulled her close and pressed his face into the tangled curls at the side of her neck.
“That was Allison,” he said when he looked at her.
“I know. I’m sorry, Ethan.”
He pulled out of her arms and walked over to the window. The cloudless blue sky outside wouldn’t do a thing to dull the heat.
“Ally was spoiled when I met her,” he said. “Used to having everything her way. Her dad’s loaded; the whole family’s rich. I couldn’t see past those gorgeous auburn curls and that sexy little body. I was a fool. Now Hannah is paying the price.” When he turned, his eyes were hard. “I won’t make the same mistake again.”
It was a warning. He wouldn’t allow himself to be sucked into another painful relationship. Did he really think she was like Allison Winfield?
The thought cut deep.
She met his dark-eyed stare. “I get it, Ethan. I get that you don’t trust women. That you don’t trust me. I need to know . . . last night? Was I just a conquest? A notch on your bedpost? Because the way you make love tells me you’ve known a lot of women. Was I just one more?”
Something wild and unsettling moved over his features. He was in front of her in a few long strides, pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly against him.
“I’m sorry. Jesus, that woman makes me crazy. You weren’t a conquest. I’ve never thought of you that way.” He tipped her chin up, returning her gaze to his. “I swear it, Valerie.”
Her eyes burned. She read the truth in his face and she believed him. She almost wished she didn’t. It would be easier to pretend last night had meant nothing to either one of them. That she was in no emotional danger, that her heart would be safe from Ethan.
He kissed her very softly, sinking in for a moment, letting her feel the heat, before he eased away. “Allison Winfield had nothing to do with what happened between us last night. She never will.”
Relief and something deeper filled her chest. She managed to nod. “Okay.”
Ethan ran a finger down her cheek. “God, I’d like to take you back to bed and show you how much you mean to me. But I can’t. I’ve got a lead on the case. Until you and the other girls are safe, I’ve got to stay on it.”
She shoved aside a memory of the rightness she’d felt when he was inside her and focused on what else he had said. “You got a lead? What is it?”
“There’s a chance the guy who murdered Mandy Gee is Amish—or was. I need to find him. I need to locate someone who knows his name, see if I can get them to tell me where this guy is. I’ve got two possible locations in Texas, small Amish communities. One’s only a couple of hours away from the city. I’m driving out there this morning.”
“Take me with you. I’m off work today and I’d love to get away from the hotel. Let me go with you.”
He hesitated a moment, clearly assessing the danger. Then he smiled; relieved, perhaps, that she had decided to forgive him, that she still wanted to be with him. But the truth was, his determination to be a real father only made her think more highly of him.