Page 63 of Four Times Taken

"There's no need. It'll be withered and dried by then. You might as well have it." Ethan shrugged.

She laughed at that. Finally. "Well, thanks. I guess. So..." She perked up. "Whose idea was it to come here?" She looked at the garden displays, sprouting verdant grass and colorful flowers taken right out of somebody's front yard.

"It was Ethan's," I confessed.

"Yeah. I figured since she had that gardening book, and you mentioned it was something she'd want to get around to when she recovers, she'd appreciate it." He cleared his throat, pretending he's not all of a sudden shy by the attention. Whenever Mr. Serious and Level Headed turned into a nervous little puppy, it's fun to watch, I mused, still keeping my eyes on Ryan, hoping my plan was successful.

"You remembered that?" Lily asked, her eyes big with admiration... and hope? Hold on. Was something happening here too?

"Yeah." Ethan folded his arms over his chest. "Of course."

She smiled as Ethan took the bags back from her.

"You don't need to carry all this, and I'm not really fussed about the rides anyway." He shrugged.

"Okay," she agreed, the most docile and agreeable I'd seen her. All right, Ethan. I didn't know what's happening here, but it's interesting. "So, what else have you guys been up to?" she asked, insisting that I give her the wheelchair. I lifted my hands in the air, obliging her.

As he caught her up, I walked over to Ryan, taking pictures with his phone. "Did something happen between you and Lily?" I asked.

He jumped and almost dropped his phone, catching it just in time. "What?" he grunted, tucking it back in his pocket. "No." He scowled.

"Then what the hell is the matter with both of you?" I asked. "Why are you so jumpy?"

"It's nothing. I'm probably just hungry or tired or something." He shrugged.

"Oh," I grunted. "So, nothing happened at all between you?" I repeated, hoping for a different answer this time.

"No. Bro." He shook his head before walking away from me.

Well, great. There went my genius plan, out the window. He'd have no reason to lie to me if something happened between them, would he? He knew where I stood. Inside, I groaned. The awkward dance of hidden truths continued. As for Lily, she had been awkward with me earlier as well, so maybe her menses were on the way? It looked like sex was off the table for us tonight.

Chapter 42

Lily

Whew! That sun was draining. Back at home, fresh out of the shower, my hair was damp, I'd got a cup of warm milk and a book to wind down on the new couch before bed. I wasn't a fan of sitting on the old couch. Mom's not the only one with memories and triggers. Now, I found myself running to the couch to plant my ass in its softness. I'd got new memories now, especially that of Eric.

He'd offered to stay the night with me, but my conscience wouldn't let me. Not when I'd been replaying that kiss with Ryan in my mind. I'd hoped this book would help to distract me, but just like me, the character experienced her first kiss with the guy she couldn't resist, and I'd been back at square one. Between my legs grew damp from the author's words, and I parked the mug of warm milk on the side table, squirming as the male protagonist's face took the form of Ryan, and my lips tingled from the memory.

My hand went to touch my lips subconsciously, and I closed my eyes against the pressure, increasing it along with the sensations coming alive through the imagery of my mind. Ryan's hands slipped through my hair, but instead of the gondola at the fair, we're somewhere private, and his hands weren't shy with their exploration.

There's a knock on the door, and I gasped, my eyes flying open. I'm not sure if I'm relieved or frustrated. I looked down at my satin sleep top, and my nipples were so hard, they're poking through the fabric. Despite the heat, I grabbed a jacket from the doorway and slipped it on, pulling it around me. I knew I told Eric I wanted to be on my own tonight, but after getting that worked up, I wouldn't mind if he'd decided to stop by. Except when I swept the curtain aside to look through the window at the dark night, I saw Ryan, and my heart stopped.

What the hell? Did I summon him with my wanton thoughts? I hesitated at the doorknob. He's fidgeting on the outside. I'm fidgeting on the other side of the door. With a deep breath, I opened it.

"Ryan, hi. What are you doing...." Before I could complete my question, he cupped the back of my head and pulled me flush against his body.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about that kiss," he murmured against my lips, our breaths syncopated along with the beat of our hearts. His other arm swept around my waist. "Tell me to stop before I make a mistake," he whispered, his forehead against mine.

That would be wise. But I couldn't think straight.

"Don't stop." As soon as my lips popped on that 'p,' his lips crashed down on mine, and I muffled a moan, throwing my arms around his neck and clinging to him.

He stepped forward, with me still hanging off his body, into the house and shut the door behind us. His hands began their exploration over my ass, up my back, through my hair before he pressed me up against the brick in his pants.

"Ryan," I gasped, my mind fluttering, on a quest to decipher whether I'm still locked in the fantasy on the couch or if this is actually happening.

"I want you, Lily," he groaned, bringing his lips to my neck, and I clung to his shirt like I'm falling off the edge of the earth. "Do you want me to stop?"

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