Her House Divided (Beach Haven Book 1) Read Free Page A

closed her eyes and imagined herself reclining in that tub, immersed in warm, scented bubbles and surrounded by candlelight. Suddenly, she pictured Ethan sliding into the warm water with her, touching her with his large, strong hands. Kissing her neck. Murmuring in her ear.
    "Oh, my!" Tara's hands flew to her warm face. "I—I – think we should see the rest of the house," she stammered.
    Ethan's face looked as flushed as hers felt. For one crazy, panicked moment, she wondered if he could read her mind. But no, she realized he was probably feeling angry at the way she was taking possession of his childhood home. She could easily imagine that he didn't appreciate the idea of her waltzing in and taking over the master bedroom and bathroom.
    Wordlessly, he turned and led her down the hall to the other bedroom.  His bedroom.  She gulped, mentally scolding herself.
    This room was also large, although not as large as the other. It too was done up with antique furnishings and another homemade quilt, this time in shades of dark green and brown. Tara ran her fingers lightly across the surface of the quilt, picturing her old friend putting in each and every stitch. "Your grandmother made this quilt, didn't she? I remember her showing it to me – she called it a Log Cabin pattern."
    Ethan nodded. He turned and stalked out of the room, leaving her alone.
    Tara wondered if she should follow him and try to talk reasonably about making this work; was this the right time to discuss living arrangements, or was it wiser to stay back and give him a few minutes by himself? She sighed again, suddenly exhausted by the events of the day. She sat wearily on the edge of the bed and tried to calm the crazed thoughts spinning through her tired brain – not the least of which was this overwhelming urge to chase after Ethan and feel his touch one more time. She moistened her lips and imagined herself kissing that little scar at the corner of his mouth.
    What on Earth was wrong with her? The relationship with Randy had imploded only a few short months ago, and here she was already fantasizing about another man! A man who, she reminded herself firmly, she had just met. And with whom she was going to have to share living quarters for the foreseeable future.
    "Get a grip, Tara," she told herself. "You can't afford that kind of nonsense right now."
     

Chapter Four
    After the tour, Ethan drove Tara to her downtown apartment. He tried to walk her all the way to her door, but she stopped him at the main building entrance. From there, he drove to the house he shared with an old childhood friend. In all fairness, he had to admit that they didn't exactly "share" the place. The house actually  belonged  to Sean Jackson, who had been nice enough to let Ethan stay with him in the months following Ethan's divorce.
    Ethan knew his friend would be relieved to know that he would soon have his home to himself again. They had been buddies since Pre-school, but that didn't mean it was a great idea for them to share living quarters for any length of time. No, Ethan decided, moving into The Seashell tonight was probably the best possible way to salvage what was left of their friendship. He gathered up his clothes and favorite coffee mug and the few personal items he had brought with him, scribbled a quick note to his buddy, and drove across town once more.
    He knew it would have been smarter to stay at the Seashell all along. It was silly to impose on his friend while his Grandmother's house sat empty. But there was just something ghoulish about moving in and taking over while she was in the nursing home.
    He hoped for a good night's sleep in his childhood home, but sleep eluded him. The word "sleep" hardly applied to the hours of tossing and turning and awakening from steamy dreams that featured a delicate, curvy redhead. He kept waking up and trying desperately not to think about her in this house, or the images that had popped into his brain while she darted around