Page 21 of Falling for Them

“It just kind of happened. It’s not like we discussed it before it happened.”

“He didn’t force himself on you, did he?” His jaw clenched.

My eyes widened at the accusation, and I struggled to get off him. “No, he didn’t.”

“Stay still.” He grunted, widening his legs underneath me.

And that was when I felt it. The unmistakable press of his erection against my thigh. I sucked in a sharp breath, stopping my movement.

His cheeks flushed as he looked away. “We should probably get up and finish packing.” He shut his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose.

I nodded and rolled off him, my heart pounding in my chest. “I’ll uh... get back to the kitchen cabinets.”

He jumped up off the couch as soon as I’d rounded the island and disappeared down the hallway and into the bathroom.

I sat down on the couch, my mind racing with the possibilities of what could have happened if I hadn’t ruined the moment.

The good news was everything was packed and ready to move. The bad news was that things had become awkward between me and Ethan.

He hadn’t said much after our moment on the couch, and I had no idea what he was thinking. I wanted to ask him about it, but I was afraid of what his answer might be. So, I avoided the topic altogether, pretending that nothing had happened.

It was time to go to bed, and I was nervous to share a bed with Ethan. It wasn’t like we hadn’t shared before, but maybe sleeping on the couch would be a better option.

My mind made up, I grabbed my pillow and a blanket. I couldn’t expect Ethan to sleep on a couch he could barely fit on.

The bathroom door opened, and Ethan cleared his throat. “What are you doing?”

I stopped at the door, looking back at him. He was wearing only basketball shorts like he usually did when we had sleepovers, and I was no longer immune to how good he looked.

He was tall and lean but also had muscles peeking through in all the right places. He didn’t enjoy working out, but when hedid, he’d go for a run, practice yoga, or do bodyweight strength movements.

“Libby?” Ethan’s voice held a note of confusion, and I turned to fully face him as he leaned against the bathroom doorframe. “Where are you going?”

“I thought I’d sleep on the couch. It’s been a long day and... yeah.” The words felt clumsy, and I wanted to bury my face in my pillow and scream at how awkward I was making this.

“We’ve shared a bed before. Is this about what happened earlier? Because if it is, we can talk about it… or not. Whatever you need.” He pushed away from the doorframe and walked toward me.

Was he talking about telling him about my kiss with Leo, or about me feeling his erection? Both were embarrassing, and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

I sighed, my face heating. “I don’t know what I need.”

He stopped right in front of me, his gaze searching mine before he reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. His fingertips ghosted along my jaw, and it was all I could do not to lean into his touch.

“How about we just get some sleep, and we can talk in the morning.” His voice was gentle, like he was talking to a scared puppy.

Part of me wanted to dive into the conversation, to unravel the mess of feelings between us and get it over with. But another part wanted to keep it all buried.

I nodded and followed him to the bed, both of us getting under the covers and lying on our backs. I focused on slowing my breathing, but my heart continued to race.

Ethan turned on his side, his hands tucked under his head, his eyes on me. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable with uh... the little situation on the couch.”

My cheeks burned because there was nothing little about it. “No worries. Pesky boners happen all the time, right?”

He snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I guess so.” He reached across the space between us and took my hand.

I shut my eyes as he rubbed his thumb over my wrist. “We should get some sleep. The movers will be here at eight.”

He let my hand go and rolled onto his back. “Goodnight, Libby.”

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