Page 59 of Writing On The Wall

There’s so much that I want to shoulder for her. I want to be the barrier when she feels ambushed by her struggles. I want to be the one who helps her learn the strategies that will make her life easier and to teach her that letting people in is a sign of strength. I want to know about the trouble her brother dumpedin her lap and figure out how to lighten her load. I want to be someone she can rely on.

But this isn’t about what I want. It’s about whatsheneeds. And I think she needs me to prove that I won’t add more stress to her life, that I’mnotalways a giant butthead, and that she can depend on me.

A knock sounds at the door, and I gently move Ivy’s feet from my lap to get the pizza. My stomach growls as the smell of cheese and pepperoni wafts into the air. I plate our food, telling Ivy to stay put. I can see how hard it is for her not to play host. She could be bleeding and on crutches and still insist on making sure everyone else is comfortable.

I hand her a plate then rummage through her medicine cabinet for some pain pills, giving her a couple with a glass of water.

“Thank you,” she whispers, looking like she could pass out any minute. She gulps down the water before she speaks again. “You’re not going to fight me on my refusal?”

“Nope,” I answer after finishing a bite of pizza. “But I’m not that easily scared off. I’ll show you that I’m here for you. And I promise not to kiss you again until you ask me.”

She rolls her eyes, her mouth forming a flat line. “Unlikely.”

“But not impossible.”

“Thank you for dinner, Mr. King, but it’s time that I retire,” she adds with a perfect British accent.

“Ah, see? You’ve already had dinner with me. Our first date is out of the way. How about we cut to the chase and you ask me for that kiss goodnight?”

“Asking me to ask for it doesn’t count,” she points out, but all I do is grin at her, because she’s not denying that she wants a kiss, either.

I help her stand and walk her to her bedroom, her armtucked in the crook of mine. When we reach her door, I turn a cheek, tapping it while I lean down.

“That counts as asking for it.”

I flutter my eyes, smiling while I wait. “I said I wouldn’t kissyouunless you asked me to. This is you kissingme.It’s different.”

“Whatever,” she grumbles before laying her palms on my shoulders and planting a soft kiss on my cheek. I could get used to this. Our playful banter minus the part when her eyes threaten to dismember me is my new favorite high. Although this feels just as dangerous, because when she’s not plotting to murder me, her smiles are free and lethal, wielding sharp arrows that never miss their target.

My heart is in trouble.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

IVY

My lips are throwing a full on hissy fit, screaming at me as they leave Ethan’s cheek.Kiss him on the mouth, you impudent hussy!

As tempting as that thought may be, I’ve drawn a line in the sand, and I’ll do my best to stay on my side of it. Yet, the warmth from Ethan’s body feels like an alluring wave, drawing me in until, before I know it, I’m inching closer and closer to that fragile line. And it’s even more dangerous because I’m too tired to hold my ground right now.

Retreat.

I take a step back, my words tumbling out in a rush. “Okay, thanks for stopping by. Goodnight.” I wave like an idiot before turning and darting into my room.

Ethan looks way too amused as he leans an arm on my doorway, his eyes sweeping over my space. He points a finger with the hand that’s angled above his head. “That a blow-up mattress?”

“Yeah…”

“Great,” he says as he steps inside, his manly presencefilling the room. When he’d been standing at the threshold, my plan to sleep off this bout of lowered inhibitions felt manageable. But now, that plan crumbles with every step he takes. He rolls out the folded mattress and plugs in the pump.

“Whuh…what are you doing?”

“Either I get this sucker inflated,” he begins, wiggling his eyebrows, “or this becomes a one-bed trope.”

“How do you know what a trope is?”

He clicks his tongue. “A man’s gotta have some mystery.”

“What makes you think you’re staying here?”

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