Hard to Resist - By Kara Lennox Page 0,50

in mysterious, inexplicable ways.

“I’m not Chuck,” he said.

“I know. But maybe, deep down, I’m still that orphaned seventeen-year-old. And I want to be a grown-up.”

“So that’s it? We don’t even get to talk about this?” Ethan asked.

“I’ve done nothing but think about it since yesterday. I’ve explained my decision the best way I know how,” she said in that firm, implacable way of hers, and with a sinking feeling Ethan knew he wasn’t going to argue his way out of this one.

“I want you and Samantha to move in,” he said. “I want you to be safe and comfortable, and I want Sam to stay with you. So I’ll agree to your terms.”

“And you can’t try to change my mind.”

“Fine,” Ethan said tightly. “I won’t try to change your mind.”

“It’s not forever,” she said, trying to placate him. “This is a temporary solution. I will find a place of my own. I lost that apartment at White Cliffs because I got too complacent. But another will come along.”

Yeah, and meanwhile she could find someone else to fall in love with. He decided not to mention that possibility. Why put ideas into her head?

* * *

KAT HAD KNOWN it would be hard, but she’d had no idea how hard, to not be Ethan’s girlfriend. It started the day he helped her move in. She’d told him he didn’t need to, but of course he’d overridden her and done it anyway, which was good. She’d have broken her back trying to move Samantha’s bed.

He’d shown up in cut-off jeans and a paint-spattered T-shirt that molded itself to the muscles of his broad back in intriguing ways. She couldn’t stop staring at the way his biceps bunched up when he lifted something heavy. And he was the only man she’d ever known who got more attractive when he was hot and sweaty, instead of less so.

She, on the other hand, looked and felt about as sexy as someone’s discarded gym towel. But what did that matter? The last thing she wanted was to encourage Ethan’s attraction to her. Still, she didn’t have to encourage it. She saw it in his eyes. He kept to his word, saying and doing nothing the slightest bit flirtatious. He was polite and relatively pleasant, though she suspected that was mostly for Samantha’s sake.

Kat missed the flirting, the winks, the long, passionate gazes that had flashed so hot she was sure they’d set off her smoke detector. At least once every five minutes she questioned whether she’d made the right decision. Then she would tell herself that Ethan had become a habit, one she would have to break, at least temporarily.

Tony, Priscilla and Jasmine all helped with the move, too, and they couldn’t have been nicer. With so many helping hands, it was done quickly. But what really got to Kat was when Ethan, with Priscilla’s help, rigged a canopy of sorts over Samantha’s bed. They tacked lengths of pastel gauze to the ceiling, allowing it to drape and swoop and dangle in places, forming a curtain. It looked like something out of a sultan’s harem.

“It’s a princess bed!” Samantha and Jasmine exclaimed at the same time when they entered the room, and Kat could see the satisfaction Ethan took in Sam’s surprise and joy.

Jasmine helped Sam arrange her toys on her bookshelf, and when she saw how few dolls Sam had, she’d offered up one of her prized Barbies, which Samantha had graciously agreed to “borrow” until such time as she had more Barbies of her own.

Watching the girls interact with so much thoughtfulness and consideration made the lump in Kat’s throat grow bigger.

Priscilla helped Kat arrange her furniture. Hers was the smallest bedroom, but after sharing space with Samantha, it seemed luxurious.

“Mom,” Samantha said, standing in Kat’s doorway. “Can I go outside and play with Winnie? I put all my toys away and hung up my clothes.”

“You’ve been a very hard worker today,” Kat agreed. “You, too, Jasmine. So, yes, you may play outside, as long as you stay in the yard.”

Priscilla had a funny look on her face as the girls dashed away.

“Is something wrong?” Kat asked.

“Oh, no. It’s just—Samantha is so cute.”

“Thank you,” Kat said. “She’s a handful, but I couldn’t live without— Oh!” She realized she was bleeding, and Priscilla saw it, too. The blood was coming from a scrape on her arm. She didn’t remember hurting herself, but now that she saw the scrape, it started to smart.

“Oh, Kat, that looks nasty.