Page 118 of One Touch

“It is?”

“Sure.”

“Then there’s the age thing. You know, most of the time it’s fine, but there are times when I worry he sees me as kinda silly.”

“You are kinda silly.”

“Watch it.”

“It’s not because of your age. It’s because of who you are.”

“He has a kid. I’m his kid’s nanny. He’s paying me. And you know, I do worry that I’m not quite committing to the job in New York because I’m letting myself dream about what a life with Ethan would be like.”

“And in your dreams, what is that life like?”

I sighed as images flashed through my mind. Lazy Sundays spent together in the diner. Hugs with Ava at home. Me, reading in the corner of his garage while he bare-chestedly tinkered with an old, gorgeous car. Cold-water swimming and hot-blooded sex.

“Pretty good. Pretty damn good.”

“So, remind me, what’s stopping you?”

“If I tell him I want more, and he says he doesn’t, I might be left with nothing.”

She nodded. “I bet you he wants more.”

“I bet you he doesn’t. He’s been crystal clear.”

“Relaxing the rules is not being crystal clear.”

“Margaritas!” Jenna’s triumphant screech announced the return of the others. By the look of them, they’d already done a round of shots or two.

El gave me a soft look. “Just listen to your heart. Decide what you want and tell him. There’s no right or wrong.”

I nodded.

If only I could hear what my heart was trying to tell me.

***

The boat’s deck thrummed beneath my feet, a living thing pulsing with the beat. Night had draped its cloak over us, the darkness making everything more intimate, more intense. The music wasn’t just sound anymore; it was a physical force, each bass note reverberating through my bones.

On the dance floor, it felt as though I was in a kaleidoscope. I twirled, I swayed, I watched the world refract and coalesce.

My friends were here, but so was he.

There, at the edge of the writhing crowd, stood Ethan. His blue eyes cut through the chaos, finding me again and again. Each time our gazes locked, an electric current jolted through me, my heart stammering in an erratic rhythm.

What do you want, heart? What are you trying to tell me?

The music changed.

The music shifted, and a familiar melody washed over the crowd. “Oh yeah!” The words burst from my lips as Ed Sheeran’s sultry vocals filled the air. I let my eyes flutter closed, surrendering to “The Shape of You.”

When my eyes opened, the world had changed. Ethan stood before me, close enough that I could see the flecks of silver in his eyes, smell the faint trace of his cologne. He extended his hand, an invitation and a question all at once. The crowd seemed to fade, leaving just us in a bubble of anticipation.

“Dance with me, Lily.” His voice cut through the noise as if he’d whispered it directly into my ear.

My heart raced as I slipped my hand into his. His fingers closed around mine, warm and sure, as he drew me closer. The rest of the world fell away, and there was only us, moving together in the dark.

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