All he could mutter was, “Better?”
It wasn’t really a question.
He was glad he had nabbed a tee shirt from the bedroom, although he was still barefoot.
“Yes, thanks.” She slid past him to her luggage, still at the front door.
He reached for his computer tablet and tapped the screen. Best to get Holly out of the apartment right now. For starters, he had no idea who she was. Ethan knew firsthand that there were all sorts of liars and scammers in this world, no matter how innocent they might look. He had his family’s company to protect. The company that he was to run.
As soon as he could get his aunt Louise to retire.
As if a heart attack hadn’t been enough, his beloved aunt was now losing her balance and mobility due to a rare neurological disorder that caused lack of feeling in her feet. Benton Worldwide’s annual shareholders’ gala was this Saturday. Ethan hoped Aunt Louise didn’t have any bruises on her face from the fall he’d heard she’d taken last week.
Ethan owed everything to Aunt Louise and to Uncle Melvin, who had passed away five years ago. Without them he would just have been an abandoned child with no one to guide him toward a future.
His aunt had only one final request before she retired from the company that she, Uncle Mel and Ethan’s late father had spent fifty years growing into an empire. She wanted to be sure that Ethan was settled in all areas of his life. Then she’d feel that everything was in its right place before she stepped down and let him take over. One last component to the family plan.
Ethan had lied to his aunt by claiming that he’d found what she wanted him to have. But he hadn’t. So he had a lot to take care of in the next few days.
His temples pulsed as he thought about it all. Commotion was not an option. This exhilarating woman who had blown into the apartment needed to leave immediately. Not to mention the fact that there was something far too alluring about her that he had to get away from. Fast.
On top of it all he had a conference call in a few minutes that he still had to prepare for.
But with a few swipes across the tablet’s screen he confirmed that all the Benton properties in New York were occupied.
Holly slung her jacket on the coat rack by the door and sat down on the floor. After pulling off one, then the other, she tossed her boots to the side. Ethan was mesmerized by her arms as they rummaged through her bag. She seemed to be made up only of elongated loose limbs that bent freely in every direction. Lanky. Gangly, even.
Downright adorable.
Nothing about Holly was at all like the rigid, hoity-toity blondes he usually kept company with. Women who were all wrong for him. Since he wasn’t looking for someone right, that didn’t matter. It kept his aunt happy to see him dating. But, of course, now he had told Aunt Louise that was all coming to an end. And he had a plan as to how to cover that lie.
Under her boots, Holly was wearing one red sock and one striped. She rolled those off and wiggled her toes. “That feels good...” She sighed, as if to herself.
Ethan’s mouth quirked. “Miss Motta, please do not make yourself at home.”
“I have nowhere else to go.”
Holly death-stared him right in the face, putting on her best tough guy act. In reality she looked terrified that he was going to throw her out. She’d already been in tears before she washed up.
“Can’t you be the one to leave?”
His stern expression melted a bit. What was he going to do? Toss her out into the cold rain?
She said she didn’t know anyone in New York that she could stay with. Funny, but he didn’t either. There were dozens—hundreds—of colleagues and workers in the city, connected with various Benton projects. Yet no one he’d call late on a rainy night to see if they had a sofa or guest room he could use.
Ridiculous. He’d sooner go back to the airport and sleep on his private jet.
He could pay for Holly’s hotel room. Or he supposed he himself could go to a hotel. But—good heavens. He’d been in flight all day, had already unpacked and undressed here. Why on earth should he leave his own property?
“I do not suppose it will do for either of us to try to find other accommodation at this late hour.”
“What’s your plan, then?”
Ethan always had a plan. His life was structured around plans. He was about to embark on his biggest yet—moving Aunt Louise into retirement and taking the CEO seat.
“We will both spend the night here.”
“Oh, no, I couldn’t. I’m sure you’re a very nice per—”
“I assure you, Miss Motta, I have no motive other than getting a peaceful night’s rest. You will sleep in the bedroom and I will make do out here.” He gestured toward the sofa.
“I need to think about that. That doesn’t seem right. Maybe I should call my brother. Let me just get my things straightened out.” Holly returned to her task of sorting out her duffel bag, quarantining paint-stained items in a plastic bag.
She didn’t look up at him until she lifted out a pair of white socks. They were splattered with the same blue that had been disguising her lovely face. “Occupational hazard.”
“You are a painter, I take it?”
“Yup.”
“And you have come to New York to pursue fame and fortune?”
“Ha! That would be nice. Who wouldn’t want their work to hang in a museum or a gallery here...?”
“I sense there is a but at the end of that.”
“I’ve been making money doing large pieces and collections for corporate properties.”
“Office art, lobby art, art for furnished apartments?”
Ethan was well aware of that kind of work. He’d spent many hours with interior designers making decisions about the art at Benton developments all over the world.
“Indeed, the right pieces are vitally important to a unified decor. They announce a mood.”
“A point of view,” Holly chimed in.
“It sets the tone.” He pointed at the two black and white nature photos on the wall. “Those, for example.”
“Dull.”
“Safe.”
“Yawn.”
They both laughed in agreement. A sizzle passed between them. It was so real Ethan was sure he saw smoke.
How alive Holly was. The type of person who said exactly what she thought. A bit like Aunt Louise. And nothing at all like most of the women he knew.
He flashed on a possibility.
Then quickly thought better of it.
“My aunt’s new husband selected this apartment. He frequently comes down from Boston.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. Fernando Layne was no favorite of his. Definitely no substitute for Uncle Mel. Fernando was a plaything for Aunt Louise. Ethan tolerated him.
“I will remodel this property while I am in New York. Perhaps you can advise me?”
What a stupid thing to say. He was never going see Holly again past this awkward evening interlude. An unfamiliar sense of disappointment came over him.
He generally steered clear of his feelings. When they did arrive they were usually of the painful variety and proved too confusing.
“Do you want to look at my website?” Holly gestured to the tablet he still