Ethan Read Online Free Page B

one of her darker films, ending with both characters realizing their mistakes, but too late to do anything about them.
    But true to Stevie’s word, Shae had found nothing when she searched Abrams name with ‘divorce.’ In fact, she’d uncovered only a few personal details on him  and most of it centered on his  military career—six years and a Bronze Star—and, under a heading, ‘Little Known facts About Hollywood’s Makers and Shakers,’ that he was a twin. His brother passed away shortly after birth.
    Shae arrived in Santa Barbara at fifteen minutes past noon. She considered the restaurants on State Street but Stevie’s words implied that the director was going to feed her—and that he wanted her on his doorstep ASAP.
    Ethan’s home was nestled in the hills overlooking the Pacific. Shae idled in front of the security gates and considered both her options and the vast stretch of manicured gardens and wildly growing foliage that made up his property. Set back from the road, the house seemed modest in size but well-maintained. She rolled down her window and eyed the coded security system with reluctance.
    She didn’t like being locked in. The grounds beyond the fence line were lush and she loved the way the greenery blended into each other, allowing space for the contained and the enthusiasm of nature. Splotches of color, in vivid oranges and pinks, gave the impression of an errant paintbrush. The place was beautiful.
    And she was being ridiculous, right? It wasn’t like passing through the gates she’d never get out again. But how did she know that? She strummed her fingertips on the steering wheel. Stevie knew where she was. He wouldn’t send her into hell and he’d certainly call the cavalry if a few days went by and he hadn’t heard from her.
    Of course, a lot could happen in a few days. Her first feature film shot to number one in its first weekend of play. Her house sold in forty-five minutes.
    And then the speaker above the security keypad crackled to life.
    “Are you coming in?” A deep, disembodied voice. A hint of humor. A wave rolling casually to shore.
    “I’m thinking about it.”
    “Shae Matthews?”
    “At your call.” Literally. And she couldn’t keep some of her displeasure over the situation from entering her voice.
    “And sore about it?”
    His laughter was full force now and came through the speaker loud and clear.
    “Only slightly,” she admitted, and smiled . It was stunning, how quickly her irritation with him fled. It was disarming. And, she realized, it was his voice that did it to her. Husky and full of promises. Intimate. Yes, that was the word—like the man was whispering in her ear. How the hell that could be when they were delivered by a metal box was lost on her.
    “I hope to fix that,” he stated.
    Another promise. It pulled on her central line, as her yoga instructor liked to call it, and the last remains of tension unraveled and disappeared into the world.
    Damn, there was something potent about Ethan Abrams, and she hadn’t even met the man yet.
    The thought troubled her. This was not the time for her to develop interest in a man. Not only did she have a track record that put her squarely in the position of underdog, she had plans that were already in motion.
    Shae’s gaze was fixed on the speaker box, her thoughts turned inward, so she missed his arrival. She sensed movement at twelve o’clock and turned so she could and peer through the windshield. He stood on the other side of the gate, his cell to his ear and smiling, like they were playing a game with walkie talkies. Shae’s response was physical. Something tightened and spiraled, originating in the vicinity of her heart and finishing with the melting of her most private parts.
    “Damn,” she breathed. Hot. Sexy. Attraction. She didn’t get that off the pictures she’d seen of him. She hadn’t gotten it standing skin-to-skin with People’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ –her one regrettable affair