Meant for You (20 page)

The minute his lips touched hers, the first thing he thought was,
I
am
never
going
to
get
enough
of
her
. The way she clung to him, the way her breath caught when he touched her—it was everything. Pushing her back against the wall, he pressed his body into hers. She was so soft, so curvy, and as his hands ran down from her face to her shoulders to her hips to her bottom, he let himself stop and appreciate all of the ways she was different from him.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he said gruffly against her neck as he squeezed her bottom and lifted her. Summer cried out at the contact but he quickly muffled the sound by claiming her mouth again. Again and again he slanted his mouth over hers as their tongues mated and danced. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours—Ethan wasn't sure. All he knew was while he was enjoying kissing her, holding her, feeling her, it wasn't enough.

“Stay with me,” he begged as he gently rocked against her. “Stay with me tonight. Please.”

Summer would have agreed to anything he said. Almost. As he rocked with a little more force, a little more pressure, she moaned. “I…I shouldn't,” she said breathlessly. “I need…I need to…”

“What?” he whispered as he nipped at her earlobe. “What do you need, sweetheart?” His tongue gently laved at the spot he'd just bitten. He felt her shiver and knew she was close. He did it one more time and then dove back in for another hot kiss. “Tell me. Tell me, Summer. What do you need?” She was reaching for him, for his lips, but he held himself back. He needed to hear what she was thinking, what she wanted from him.

“I need you, Ethan,” she finally said. Ethan instantly rewarded her with another kiss as he carried her across the room to his bed.

“You have me, Summer,” he promised as he laid her down on top of the blankets.

“Promise?” she asked shyly.

His body covered hers as he rained kisses all over her face—her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids—and then worked his way down to her jawline, her throat, and lower. Hastily, he worked her T-shirt up and over her head and then stared in awe at the naked perfection before him. Reaching up with shaking hands, he cupped her breasts.

“Promise.”

She sighed his name as he began to touch her.

She cried out his name as he teased her.

She purred his name as he pleased her.

Over and over again.

As the clock turned from p.m. to a.m., Summer felt at peace. Her body was completely exhausted, and as he pulled her in close and tucked her into his side, she smiled. Gabriella's words from earlier played back in her head, and she realized that they were true—when she was with Ethan, there was no need for any sleep aid. He rocked her to sleep better than anything she had ever known.

* * *

It was still dark in the room when Summer rolled over and looked at the clock. She knew she couldn't stay here in Ethan's bed forever. Although it was exactly what she wanted to do. But the sun was going to be up soon and if she didn't force herself to get moving, they were going to be found out. As much as she wanted to stop keeping secrets, she certainly didn't want everyone to find out about her and Ethan by seeing her creeping out of his room half-naked.

That would certainly not go over well.

Carefully, she wiggled out of his embrace and immediately missed his warmth. She was just about to slip out from under the blankets when she felt him stir behind her. “Where are you going?” Ethan's voice was no more than a whisper as he reached out and gently pulled her back beside him. Summer didn't put up much of a fight.

“I need to get back to my room,” she whispered as she rolled over in his arms to face him. Unable to help herself, she kissed his chest, his throat, and his jaw until she felt herself melting against him.

“Don't go.”

It
would
be
so
simple
just
to
stay
, she thought. To relax against Ethan and grab a couple more hours of much-needed sleep.

“I don't want anyone to see me sneaking back into my room.”

She moaned as he began to let his mouth travel in mirror image of where hers had just been.

“No one will see you,” he said between kisses. “They're not even on the same floor.” Not giving her a chance to argue, Ethan covered her lips with his own and kissed her until he felt her go pliant beneath him. When first one long, lean leg wrapped around him and then the other, he knew the topic was officially closed.

* * *

“Now I really have to go,” Summer said as she pulled her T-shirt on over her head and did her best to fix her hair. It was almost eight o'clock and she knew not only would Gabriella be up, but her family would start calling any minute to see about breakfast and getting to the hospital.

Ethan walked up behind her and turned her in his arms. “I really wish you didn't have to.” There was regret there in his voice and in his eyes. “I hate this, Summer. You have to know I do.”

Sighing, she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I know. And I do too.” She looked up into his sleepy face and gave him a sad smile. “I just wish things could be different.”

He saw she was looking at him with a hint of expectation, so he said the only thing he could. “It won't be forever.”

Happiness bubbled up inside of her. It wasn't a declaration of love, but to Summer, it was pretty darn close. What Ethan was saying without actually saying it was they were more than a fling, more than a way to kill the time. She hugged him a little tighter before pulling away with a sincere smile on her face. “I better get back. I'm sure Gabriella is wondering where I am.”

He arched a brow at her. “Seriously? She all but threw you out the door with me last night. She knows exactly where you are.” He pulled her back in for a searing kiss before letting her go. Walking her to the door, he pulled it open. “I guess I'll meet up with you along with everyone else.”

“I hope they haven't started calling my cell phone already; otherwise, poor Gabriella must be out of excuses for where I am.” Facing him, Summer stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I'll see you in a little bit.” She was halfway out the door when Ethan reached out and pulled her back.

“Just one more,” he said before lowering his mouth to hers. Her kisses were addictive and he had no idea when they'd have another opportunity to be alone like this. When he finally lifted his head, he smiled at the dazed look on Summer's face. “I couldn't help myself.”

A blush crept up her cheeks. “I don't want you to help yourself.” She spun around and fairly floated down the hall. She didn't have her room key, so she had to knock and wait for Gabriella to answer. Once the door opened and she stepped inside, she gave Ethan a flirty smile and a wave before closing the door behind her.

Ethan stood there for a full minute, already missing her. Turning, he walked back into his own room and closed the door.

And neither of them noticed James Montgomery standing not ten feet away from them with a scowl known to bring strong men to their knees.

“I hate that he's so still,” Summer said softly. “I'm not used to it. Every memory of Zach in my entire life is of him in motion. He's always on the move.” Gabriella sat quietly beside her. “I wish they'd let him wake up. I need to see his eyes open and for him to give me a goofy grin—or scowl at me. I'd even settle for that.”

It had been like that for three long days. The seven of them took turns going into the ICU to sit with Zach for the few precious moments they were allowed. The doctors still had him under heavy sedation, so every morning they would arrive full of hope, and they would leave each night exhausted and full of despair.

On the fourth morning, as they were piling into the hotel van, which had been graciously transporting them back and forth, Ryder finally snapped. “I don't know how much more of this I can take,” he said as he took his seat and ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, I understand the reasoning behind keeping Zach sedated, but I don't like it. I think we need to put some pressure on the doctors to start letting him wake up so we really know what we're dealing with.”

“Ryder,” William said patiently as he took his own seat, “we don't want to do anything to hamper your brother's recovery. If the doctors think it's in Zach's best interest to stay sedated, then we have to accept it.”

Ryder turned to James for support. “Bro, come on, back me up here.” But James wasn't looking at him; he was glaring at Ethan. He had been doing it a lot lately. “James?”

Whipping his head around, James turned to Ryder. “What?”

“I was just saying we need to push the doctors into letting Zach start to wake up. What do you think?”

James looked around the vehicle to see who seemed on board with the idea and who didn't. He had no idea there was even a conversation going on around him; his focus had been on Ethan and how he was going to get him alone so he could kill him.

The image of Summer coming out of Ethan's room four days ago was burned in his brain. It didn't take a genius to know she had been in there all night. Even if he hadn't caught them kissing out in the hall, her rumpled hair and clothes said it all. If James knew anything about his sister, it was that she was fairly pristine with her appearance and nothing could get her to walk around the hallway in her pajamas.

Just thinking about it still made him mad as hell. He knew he had to do something about it soon. At some point today, he was going to have to confront Ethan and tell him he'd better keep his hands off Summer if he wanted to live.

“James!” Ryder said again.

“What, dammit?” Then he remembered the question. “I don't know. The doctors seem pretty adamant about keeping Zach sedated for his own good. I don't like it either, I honestly don't, but if he's going to wake up and be in pain, then I'd rather they keep him asleep.”

That didn't do much to appease Ryder. Once the van was on its way, Ryder kept his mouth shut and watched the scenery go by. He made a mental note to get James alone later and see what the hell his problem was with Ethan.

In the front of the van, Summer, Ethan, and Gabriella sat together. It seemed to be the only time they could do so without curious looks from the rest of the family. Gabriella and Summer would chat about seemingly random topics, but down out of everyone's view, Ethan would hold Summer's hand. It felt a tad bit juvenile, but it was like their own little way of rebelling against the constrictions they currently put up with.

During the day they played at being casual acquaintances, but every night for the past three nights, Summer would wish Gabriella a good evening and tiptoe across the hall to Ethan's room so she could be with him—in his arms, in his bed. So far, no one was the wiser. She still felt guilty using her brother's condition as a distraction for her secret endeavors, but at the same time, she just wanted to be with Ethan, and this was the only way it was going to happen.

They arrived at the hospital and rode the elevator up to the tenth floor and were surprised to be greeted by Zach's lead doctor. “Good morning!” Dr. Peters said brightly. “I wanted to meet you here because I have some good news.”

Everyone's eyes went wide and hopeful. Was it possible? “Earlier today, we started to cut back on the meds we were administering to Zach to keep him sedated. He's starting to respond to some of the tests we've been doing, and I'm hopeful he'll become fully awake later today.”

They all began talking at once and were making quite the ruckus, so Dr. Peters cut them off by saying, “Why don't we go down to the waiting area and have a seat and I'll be glad to answer all of your questions? The neurologist is in with Zach right now, and I'll ask one of the nurses to bring him down the hall to us when he's done, okay?” While everyone headed to the waiting area, Dr. Peters went to the nurses' station and relayed his request. He smiled when he arrived at the waiting room and found the entire group silent and waiting.

If only they'd been this agreeable all along!

He sat down and went through the details of how they were stopping the Diprivan IV and how by doing that, it would allow Zach to begin to wake up. “Once he's fully awake, we'll be able to do some more tests and be able to speak to him about what he's actually feeling—or not feeling.”

A collective gasp stilled the room for a moment.

“So you think there's going to be some paralysis?” Robert asked solemnly.

“It is a possibility. From everything we've seen on all his scans so far, however, any paralysis will most likely be temporary. Nothing is severed or damaged to the point of lasting damage. How long the paralysis may last, however, is not something we can predict. Some patients with similar types of spinal damage may experience it for a couple of days, but I have seen cases where it has lasted for weeks or months. I don't want to give you—or Zach—false hope. He's had some serious trauma to his entire body, and the most important thing is to keep him calm.”

Without conscious thought, Summer reached over and grabbed Ethan's hand while she listened to Dr. Peters talk about the tests they were going to be doing and how he saw Zach's recovery process going from this point on. Everyone was so focused on listening, no one would have noticed anyway, but when Summer realized it, she tried to pull her hand away.

But Ethan held on. And then turned to her and smiled.

She had no idea how things were going to go for her brother, but right now she felt that everything was going to be all right for her.

When Dr. Peters was done speaking, a second doctor joined them. He looked as if he were barely old enough to be out of medical school, but once he started speaking about Zach's case, Summer realized Dr. Walter Blake was clearly a man who'd been in this field for a long time. And just happened to have good genes. He was a specialist in spinal cord injuries, and as he talked about his credentials, Summer, along with the rest of the family, felt confident they wouldn't need to call anyone else in for Zach.

Between the two doctors, Zach was in good hands. The rest, it would seem, was up to the patient himself.

“I know you're all anxious to go in and see him, but I'm going to ask that you give us a couple of hours with him. We want to evaluate him when he wakes up, and possibly move him from the ICU unit to a private room.” Dr. Peters looked at Robert. “After our conversation that first day, I took the liberty of making sure one was made ready for your son.”

“Thank you.”

“I know it's still somewhat early, but may we suggest going back to your hotel for an early lunch, relax if you can, and we'll meet back here at two o'clock. Okay?”

What
choice
is
there?
Summer thought to herself. Taking turns, they each thanked Dr. Peters and Dr. Blake as they left. It was a quiet ride down in the elevator. When they saw the hotel van was waiting outside the door, everyone stopped and looked at Gabriella.

She shrugged. “I could tell where they were going with all of this, so I texted the driver and asked him to please come back.” When they all continued to stare at her, she added, “It's no big deal. Really.”

Summer walked over and hugged her friend. “How is it even possible for you to be so on top of everything?” She pulled back. “Seriously. How do you manage to keep track of what everyone needs?”

She smiled and winked. “It's just what I do.” She thanked the driver as he opened the door and helped her step up into the van.

Behind them, Ryder, Ethan, and James all exchanged looks. “She is one scary organized woman,” Ryder said.

“You have no idea,” Ethan said with a chuckle.

* * *

Ethan was glad for the break from the hospital, but he was alone and couldn't spend the time with Summer. She and Gabriella had gone to their room—she said she wanted to call and check on her puppy—meaning he could either hang out alone or with one of the Montgomerys.

Both Robert and William talked about making calls to their wives, the office, and whatnot, and Ryder mentioned calling his wife to check on the baby. James had been suspiciously quiet.

Judging by the way James had been glaring at him earlier, Ethan chose the alone route.

Ethan sat down at the desk in his room and frowned. What the hell could James be pissed at? They had all been cordial to one another—talking business and about family and Zach—and as much as Ethan searched his memory, nothing came to mind that raised a red flag about why James would have a gripe with him.

No one knew about the time he and Summer were spending together. Or about their time at the lodge. Or at the springs. As far as he was concerned, they were flying under the radar. Ethan hated the sneaking around. Every night when Summer quietly knocked on his door, he was waiting with anticipation, but every morning when she crept out before dawn, he was filled with regret.

At any other time, it might have been fun to play these kinds of games. Maybe with another woman. But with Summer, it tied Ethan up in knots. He wanted to be able to tell everyone where they stood, how he felt about her; hell, he wanted to shout it to the world that he was in love with Summer Montgomery. Unfortunately, now was definitely not the time to throw this at her family. The Montgomery men tended to be extremely protective of Summer and never approved of the men she became involved with.

He had a hunch they'd feel the same way about him.

No wonder she had moved so far away from everyone. He was surprised she even wanted to stay on the same continent. New York wasn't far enough away, and he recalled Zach telling him more than once how he or one of his brothers had gone up north to intimidate some jackass they didn't deem worthy of their sister.

No doubt he'd join the masses in the “men intimidated by the Montgomerys” category, no matter how much the Montgomerys all claimed to like him.

Sure, Ethan knew he and Zach had been friends for years, and for the most part he was considered family, but he also knew, where Summer was concerned, no one was going to be good enough for her.

Not even him.

He warred within himself over what was cowardly and what was being respectful. By not telling her family about them—and being cowardly—he was actually being respectful. There was no need to add more fuel to the emotional fire raging over Zach. But as time went on, it just weighed heavier and heavier on his mind. Something was going to have to give. And soon.

Slouching down in the chair, he ran a weary hand through his hair and sighed. “Leave it to me to get myself into the world's most impossible situation.” He cursed himself. Cursed the fact that he couldn't leave well enough alone. Why had he gone back to the springs when the plane wasn't ready that fateful day? Why had he approached her on the boat?

And why the hell did he keep claiming her as his night after night after night?

He thought of James again and thought about maybe going to talk to him. “Sure, and why not just hand him the gun to shoot me with.”
There's no
way
James
or
anyone
can
know
what's going on,
Ethan thought. The only one in the group who knew was Gabriella, and she would never betray Summer. She may have had issues with him a time or two, but she would never throw Summer under the bus. Especially to her family. Not now. Not ever.

James had been gone from the family fold for a long time. Hell, even when they were younger, Ethan couldn't remember James being around much. Could James be nursing an issue with Ethan from back then? But really, would he still hold some grudge all these years later? They had seen each other on several occasions since James returned to North Carolina, and on all those occasions, both Selena and James had always been very friendly toward him. So what the hell was wrong now?

A loud knock sounded at the door, and Ethan had a feeling he was about to find out. Only a Montgomery man could knock that loudly.

With a muttered curse, he walked to the door like a man going to his execution. This was so not the way he wanted to spend his few free hours. Although on the bright side, maybe he'd finally get an answer out of James and that would solve one of the problems in his life. Pulling open the door, he indeed found James standing there looking thoroughly pissed.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat the crap out of you right now?” he asked through clenched teeth.

Rather than answering—or making any kind of comment—Ethan stepped aside and motioned for James to come in. He shut the door and watched as James stalked the entire perimeter of the room as if looking for something.

Or someone.

“Where is she?” James demanded.

It would be insulting to both of them for him to play dumb. Ethan wasn't sure how James had come to know about him and Summer, but it was time to face the music. “She's down the hall with Gabriella. In their room.”