California Secrets. Jules Bennett

      She’d already done all of her designs and had everything ready to go. But the nervous worker inside her wouldn’t let her rest. She wanted to look at each room, making sure there were things she hadn’t forgotten.

      This would undoubtedly be the most pivotal project she may ever take on. Perfect timing considering she was also taking on the most important role of her life...mother.

      Harper glanced to her notes and realized in all her wanderings over the past couple of hours, she’d managed to doodle a baby rattle on the paper.

      She’d always been one to leave random drawings on her work, but she truly had no idea she’d done this on her sketches and notes about the ballroom.

      Good thing she was the only one who would see these, right?

      Just as Harper started to leave the grand ballroom, her cell vibrated in her dress pocket. With her free hand, she pulled it out and stared at the text from her doctor’s office confirming her appointment.

      She’d make a quick day trip to LA and be back here and on the job, hopefully before her father arrived. She really wished he’d get here, because there was only so much she could do without getting his approval. Oh, she’d love to have free rein, but he wanted to give one final okay to everything before she was let loose with the funding to start tearing up all the old to replace with new.

      Sliding the cell back in her pocket, Harper made a mental note to tell Ethan about the appointment when she met up with him later. And that was just absurd. Going back to his penthouse for dinner like they’d been doing, like they were just going to continue this fling as if nothing had changed.

      Talk. That’s all they could do tonight. There would be no sex. In fact, she’d find the ugliest thing she’d packed and wear it. Granny panties, too. Nothing sexy at all was going into that penthouse suite.

      Actually, Harper should probably tell him they’d have dinner in one of the main restaurants. That would be best all around. They needed to curtail their desires. They’d had sex—amazing, toe-curling sex—but now it was time to move on and figure out what was best for all three of them.

      First, she needed to learn more about the man. How cliché could she be? Meet a man, have a fling and still know nothing about him. Of course, she knew that if her sister was here, Carmen would likely buy Harper a drink and toast to the fact Harper had finally let loose and had a good time...then she’d promptly follow that up with some very real advice on how to embrace this new role of becoming a mother.

      Of the two sisters, Harper had definitely been the more responsible, the more structured one. Carmen had taken after their mother with a little more of a free-bird mentality. Harper had never let loose...ever. She’d been so structured—until she came here.

      But now more than ever, she’d need that structured mind-set to get through the project and her pregnancy. She needed a timeline and some type of plan for the future. Raising a baby while trying to grow a business would be a challenge, she had no doubt. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. Millions of women worked and raised children. Harper had no doubt she could and would do just fine.

      Harper slid open the door to the hallway and jumped.

      “Ethan,” she gasped. “What are you doing here? This area is closed off to guests.”

      If his wide eyes were any indication, he was just as surprised to see her.

      “So why are you here?” he countered.

      Harper chewed the inside of her cheek and considered how much to share. He’d find out everything at some point anyway, right? They’d well surpassed the fling stage.

      “I was actually hired to revamp this resort,” she confessed. “That’s why I’ve been here so long—and will be for a while longer. I need to be part of each step and oversee the progress.”

      Ethan stared at her for another moment, his brows drawn in as if trying to figure something out. Silence settled between them, and she wondered what could be so interesting about what she’d just said.

      “So you’re an interior designer?” he asked.

      “By default,” she half joked. “My sister was the truly brilliant designer, but she always said I had a good eye. She opened Two Sisters Design a year ago and begged me to join her, so I did. And then... Well, you know she passed, so here I am.”

      Ethan remained silent as he shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. The quiet air seemed to crackle around them, and she hated this awkwardness that settled between them.

      “And that’s enough of my backstory for now.”

      She hated the tension that had slid between them. She had no clue how to act or what to say around him, which seemed rather odd considering they’d spent nearly every night together over the past month. Flings were messy, they were confusing, they were...

      Harper mentally gave herself a slap in the face to wake up. She wasn’t having a fling anymore. She was having a baby with a man she barely knew. Which raised the question of his presence here now. Had he followed her?

      “What are you doing here?” she asked again.

      Ethan shrugged. “Just wandering around.”

      “This whole area is closed off.” The manager knew who she was and allowed her access to any part of the resort. “How did you get in here at all? The door to this whole portion is coded.”

      “Code?” he asked with a shake of his head. “The door was wide-open when I came through. I wasn’t aware it was closed off.”

      Harper couldn’t tell if he was lying or if the door had in fact been left open. He had no reason to lie that she knew of, but she was sure she hadn’t left the door open. Something was off, but she couldn’t exactly say if it was Ethan or not.

      “So, you’re revamping the entire resort?” he asked, glancing over her shoulder into the open ballroom. “That seems like quite the undertaking for one person.”

      “I’m up for the challenge. Besides, I have a team that will come in and do the physical work.”

      No need to tell him this was her first solo gig. She couldn’t treat this as a rookie project. Now more than ever, Two Sisters needed her entire focus.

      Ethan took a step toward her, and that focus tilted. How could a man wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and a T-shirt be so damn attractive? Oh, yeah. Because she knew every inch of muscle tone that lay beneath those clothes.

      He slid the back of his knuckles across her cheek. Harper’s breath caught in her throat as she closed her eyes and relished in his touch. When would she get over this? Would his touch always make her body tremble, her head foggy, her belly tingle?

      “Ethan,” she whispered as she focused back on his hungry gaze. “We need to stop this.”

      “That’s impossible,” he countered, bringing his other hand up and framing her face. “The attraction won’t stop just because we say so. Is there a rule that I shouldn’t want you just because you’re pregnant? Because I want you now more than ever.”

      More than ever. In their month-long fling, she’d come to crave him more than anything, so she understood his need. They matched each other so perfectly in the bedroom. Never before had she experienced anything like Ethan Michaels...and the man was quite an experience.

      “You can’t say things like that.” She was going for a scolding tone, but for reasons she ended up sounding breathless.

      “Why? Because you’re trying to lie to yourself and pretend you don’t want me, too?”

      She couldn’t lie to him, and she shouldn’t be lying to herself. She had to face every obstacle head-on.

      “I just think...”

      Harper shook her head and stepped away.

      “I can’t