tland. I plan to branch out globally and make a big impact.”
Harper tried to hide her surprise. “Impressive résumé. I wouldn’t have thought international business.”
“Is this a job interview?” he asked with a quirk of his brow and a naughty grin.
“It wasn’t, but since you’re the father of my child, maybe we should dig deeper.”
His smile slowly faded as the muscle in his jaw clenched. “My mother passed when I was a teenager, my stepfather was a bastard and stole my inheritance, and my twin brother is engaged. Oh, after the military I landed in a nightclub, got completely drunk for reasons that don’t matter, and somehow that actually did turn into a job interview, which ultimately gave me my start as a business owner. And that brings us up to date.”
Harper listened to the very abbreviated version of Ethan’s life and figured he’d hit every highlight of what had caused him pain. But she opted to home in on the one area she hoped wasn’t so crushing.
“You have a twin?”
Something in his dark features softened. “Dane. He lives in Montana on a ranch.”
Harper laughed. “Quite the opposite of your beach-bum life.”
“Quite the opposite of me,” Ethan muttered in agreement. “He’s kept to himself since Mom died, so the fact that he met someone who could penetrate that wall... She must be amazing.”
“You don’t know her?”
Ethan shook his head and came back to his feet. “We haven’t met. Dane and I have been working on a project for a while that has kept us apart. We email or talk on the phone, but I haven’t seen him for a few years.”
There it was again. That pain.
Ethan paced to the wall of windows and stared out at the moonlight shining down onto the ocean. Harper knew she couldn’t let this moment pass.
“You know, my sister has only been gone six months, and that void is unlike anything I’ve ever known.”
Harper rose but didn’t cross to him. She just felt like she should be on level field or be ready...for whatever.
“I don’t know how I’ll feel once years pass,” she went on. “The thought of not seeing her is something I still can’t fathom.”
Ethan glanced over her shoulder. “It’s not that I don’t want to see him. I love my brother. But something shifted when our mom died. We dealt with the loss so differently. Then we were so set on trying to care for ourselves after our stepdad left us with nothing.”
He turned back to the window, his shoulders rigid, his hands shoved in his pockets. Harper’s eyes darted around the space, and she spotted the half-empty tumbler on the bar in the corner.
“Dane and I went into the army,” he went on, his tone calm, yet broken. “We kept in contact, but it was so random and the interactions were spaced farther and farther apart. Then we banded together and decided to go after the bastard who stole from us.”
Intrigued, Harper took one step, then another. Before she realized, she stood right behind him.
“Did you catch him?” she asked. “I hope you left him penniless and suffering. Stealing from kids after the loss of their mother is a new level of asshole.”
With a mock laugh, Ethan turned to face her. “Oh, he’s in his own league. But no. We haven’t caught up with him yet. Soon. Very soon.”
Harper knew Ethan would stop at nothing to seek revenge, and she honestly couldn’t say she blamed him. He’d had years to let this anger fester and build.
“So is that what brings you here?” she asked, reaching up to smooth the frown lines between his brows.
Ethan gripped her wrist and pulled her arm behind her back, making her arch against him. “I’m done talking about him. There’s only one person I want to focus on right now.”
Harper’s body responded—the tingling from head to toe had her closing her eyes and waiting on those lips to cover hers. Despite having told him no more sex, Harper wasn’t sure she was strong enough to turn him away.
She was here, wasn’t she?
But a moment later, Ethan released her, and she stumbled to keep herself upright. Harper opened her eyes and glanced around to see Ethan striding toward the kitchen. He removed dome lids from the plates on the long island. She hadn’t even noticed the dishes there before.
“Sit down,” he demanded. “You need to eat.”