Val grinned. They talked a moment more, then the interview was over. As she crossed the stage to where the David Klein security people waited to take charge of the diamonds, Ethan stood in the wings.
He strode toward her, waited close by as the several-million-dollar necklace, bracelet, and earrings were removed and returned to the portable safe they had arrived in.
“I need to change out of my gown,” Val said. “Then I’ll be ready to go.”
Ethan followed her to the dressing room, waited outside while she stripped out of the sapphire gown. She changed back into her street clothes—black skinny jeans and a loose-fitting, belted, soft pink top—then they headed back to her apartment.
She hadn’t gotten five feet inside the living room before he tossed off his leather jacket, shrugged out of his shoulder holster, and set the weapon on the table.
“Come here,” he said softly.
Drawn by the dark, restless hunger in his eyes, Val walked toward him, her heart jumping into a faster gear. Ethan caught her shoulders and drew her against him, bent his head and very thoroughly kissed her. She loved the feel of his lips over hers, the way they sank in, urged her to open for him, took complete control. She loved the feel of his big hands sliding down over her hips, cupping her bottom, pulling her into the hard ridge between his legs.
Desire curled into her stomach, spread out through her limbs. Warm male lips pressed against the side of her neck just below her ear, and goose bumps feathered across her skin.
“Damn, you looked so gorgeous in that dress it was all I could do not to walk into that dressing room and have you right there.”
Val draped her arms around his neck. “In that case, now would be good.”
Ethan growled low in his throat and kissed her again, a long, deep, thorough exploration that had her melting against him, pressing her body even closer. He was backing her up to the wall, his erection making all kinds of promises she knew he could keep, when his cell phone started to signal.
Ethan cursed, and Val felt a sharp stab of disappointment.
He took a deep breath and set her away, dragged the phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. “It’s Sadie.” He pressed the phone against his ear. “You got something?” He listened, flicked Val a glance. “Hold on while I put you on speaker.”
Surprise filtered through her. He was including her, understanding that she was part of this, respecting what she might be able to contribute. She had come to respect him, too.
The notion unsettled her. She was getting sucked in, her feelings for Ethan growing deeper every day. She couldn’t afford to fall in love with him. Ethan couldn’t afford to fall for her. Not with the problems he was already facing with his ex and his little girl. They’d wind up like Megan and Dirk, both of them getting hurt.
Val took a deep breath. Forcing aside the unwelcome thought, she moved closer to the phone.
“Go ahead,” Ethan said. “What have you got for us?”
“Oh, just all kinds of juicy little tidbits. Starting with Myra Stern. Turns out Jason’s wife is Peter Latham’s twin sister.”
Ethan whistled.
Sadie chuckled. “So you probably see that’s the reason Jason got the job at David Klein. He was hired as president four years ago, after Latham took a major shareholder position in the company.”
“You’re right, that is juicy.”
“At the time Stern took over, the company was close to bankruptcy. David Klein himself was getting older, mostly interested in doing design work. It was Jason who turned the business around. He now owns a sizable number of shares, and the president’s job pays a bundle.”
“Interesting. I did some digging this morning myself. Klein is well past seventy. A pillar of the community. From what I could tell, he and Stern don’t seem to have much of a personal relationship.”
“They don’t socialize, leastwise I didn’t see them linked in the papers or in social media.”
Val spoke into the phone. “Do you know how Jason turned the company around, Sadie? What changes he made that pulled Klein out of the red and put them back in the black?”
“I surely do. Stern introduced a line of less-expensive jewelry.” Ethan remembered the stuff Val had been modeling that morning.
“He was also the guy who came up with the idea of partnering with La Belle,”Sadie said, “using glamorous lingerie models to show off Klein’s million-dollar necklaces. Same way other designers use actresses to advertise their jewelry on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.”
“Sounds like a smart guy,” Ethan said.
Val made a disgusted sound in her throat. “More likely Peter Latham is the guy with the brains.”
Ethan eyed her closely. Val knew Stern better than he did. He didn’t want to think of the dinner she’d had in Stern’s suite, but she very well could be right.
