Dirty Sexy Alphas (Twenty Book Box Set) - Hannah Ford Page 0,288

gorgeous blue eyes?

The sound of her own mental slap echoed in her head. What the hell was she doing? Once the test came back negative, she was almost sure that he’d disappear. Between the shit with their fathers and a pregnancy scare when they weren’t even in a relationship, yeah, Harper could practically see the dust trail behind his feet.

“Ready?” she asked, reality making her voice a little low.

Ethan cupped her cheek. “Everything okay?”

A short laugh escaped before she could stop it. She dropped her gaze to his basket and blew out a breath. “Do you really want me to answer that question?”

“Look, whatever happens, we’ll figure it out. I’m here Harper, okay?”

He looked so sincere that she nodded. He had no idea how much it meant to her to hear him say that. After the scandal with her father broke, almost everyone she thought were friends had abandoned her. She could count on one finger the ones who still answered their phones when she called.

“Thank you.” Her gaze tangled up in his and she hoped that he could see how much she meant it. He took another small step closer and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She should not be turned on in the vitamin aisle of a drugstore but Ethan’s stare was only fanning the flames.

His gaze dropped down and he ran his thumb over her lip, pulling it free from her teeth. Her breath lodged in her throat. He made her entire body come alive with just a touch and it was everything she could do not to dart her tongue out and run it over the tip of his thumb.

He crowded closer, the heat from his body radiating down to her bones. When he slid his hand around to cup the back of her neck, she bit back a groan. It didn’t help that she had a very recent memory of just how good he could make her feel. His eyes darkened and she watched the hunger inside them grow.

Heat pooled between her legs and she let out a soft, breathy moan. If he wanted to bend her over the display of playground balls, she wouldn’t argue.

“Fuck, Harper,” he growled. “This is…”

Before he could finish talking, his phone started singing We are the Champions and with a deep sigh, he pulled away. “Sorry, it’s my father’s ringtone. I need to take this.” He took a few steps and turned his back as he answered. “Yeah?” His shoulders stiffened. “What the fuck does that mean?” His knuckles turned white around the handle of the basket he was still holding. “So what now?” His voice had gone hard. Cold. “Yeah, let me know what you need me to do.”

He pulled the phone from his ear and his hand dropped to his side. He stood there, tense and not turning around.

“Everything okay?” she asked, a terrible feeling sinking into her stomach.

When he finally turned around, his eyes were like ice. He was scowling at her and she took a step back. That look, the same dislike that he’d had on his face on the courthouse steps when their eyes first met, made the lines of his face harsh and unyielding.

“Did you know about this?” he ground out. His voice had gone hard.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ethan. What did your father say?”

“Like you don’t know about the lawsuit,” he scoffed. His jaw hardened and he glared at her.

“Lawsuit? The one against my father?”

Ethan shook his head with quick frustration. “Not that lawsuit, Harper.”

“Then I guess I’m lost…”

He lifted the basket and shook it in her direction. “My dad told me he’s just been informed that your father is suing him for defamation of character. Defamation? Really? Your father is the low life bastard who stole millions of dollars from us and now he thinks he’s going to sue my father for defamation?”

Cold waves washed down over her spine. What the hell was her father thinking? What was he doing? “I didn’t know anything about it, Ethan…”

He glared at her. “Hard for me to believe you knew nothing about this. You’ve been by your father’s side every step of the way, standing behind him, keeping solidarity—“

“But that’s not how I really feel,” she insisted.

“Who knows what’s real with you and your father?” Ethan said, his eyes narrowing.

So now he was lumping her in with her dad. She wanted to cry, but held her tears. “I know you’re upset, but you have to believe me. I