Page 106 of Fragile Heart

All the while, his gaze never leaves mine. He doesn’t smile, either. Doesn’t say anything.

His lips are soft but demanding, and I let him control it, let him pull me tight against him and thread his hand into my hair, let him take the kiss deeper and deeper until I’m a mess of need.

He pulls away, tracing his lips along my jaw.

My chest heaves and lavender surrounds us. I need him to knot me, lay me out on this counter until I can’t think. That horrible feeling of not belonging that had faded over the summer is nearly gone again, pushed aside by his scent and body. He grinds into me, not caring at all that my thighs are wet with my slick and messing up his pants. I palm his neck and play with the ends of his hair.

He trails his mouth down my throat, letting his teeth scrape my skin. I arch into him, gasping, and his mint blends with my own scent, cocooning us. All rational thought drips away. His teeth bite into my shoulder, hard enough I cry out.

He grunts and pulls me closer to the edge, undoing his jeans before wedging an arm under my leg and tipping me back just enough to let his dick brush my slick-soaked panties.

“Pull them to the side, or I’m tearing them,” he mutters against my skin.

I skim my hand down his chest before doing as he instructs. He bites me again, right over top of the last one, and I cry out a curse. His tip teases me, just barely easing in.

“Ethan,” I gasp, begging, and close my eyes. “Please.”

He pushes forward, just a hairsbreadth of movement.

“Ethan.” Caleb’s voice is grim.

I open my eyes to find Caleb grabbing the iced coffee from the fridge and pouring it into a travel cup nearly identical to the one Ethan had pulled. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a black shirt that stretches across his chest. Lavender floods the kitchen in a new wave. Ethan kisses the stinging skin of my shoulder as he sighs. He pulls away from me, tucking his dick back into his jeans, and fixes my panties before looking over his shoulder.

“What happened?” he asks.

I wiggle on the counter, trying to find relief from the pent-up mess he’s made me. He grabs both my knees, forcing me still.

“Got called in. That nasty one down in Boise broke free. They’ve been having awful winds all week.” He snaps the lid on the cup and tosses the empty cold brew pitcher in the sink. “I called Mom and she’s fucked all week. School started Friday, so Miranda’s back to weekends only.”

“Mom’s in Jackson since it’s Wednesday.” Ethan grabs his phone and sends a text. After only a minute, he curses. “Emily’s seasonal help is back to school, too. She’s running the rides this week, splitting them with Melissa.”

He holds out his phone toward Caleb.

“Damn,” Caleb mutters.

The euphoria brought on by Ethan’s touch fades away. I grab the mug of tea and take a sip. Caleb grabs a string cheese from the fridge, runs a hand through his hair, and then curses again.

He says, “My Dad might be able to take him. I can call?—”

“I can watch Cam,” I offer in a quiet voice.

Both men freeze, the kitchen going so quiet in a heartbeat that you could hear a pin drop. Their combined gazes are enough to have heat shooting through me again, and I perfume. I force a swallow and then take another drink of the tea.

Ethan runs a hand up the outside of my leg and then palms my waist, pulling me close to him again.

“You don’t have to,” he says.

“Are you sure?” Caleb asks at the same time.

My cheeks heat, and I clear my throat. “Yeah, it’s fine. It’s not like we haven’t spent time together already. He can hang out with me today and tomorrow. And Friday, too, if Lynn’s still working on getting her booth caught up.”

Ethan frowns. “You really don’t have to play babysitter.”

The word stings.

Babysitter. The babysitter fucking both dads, maybe. Like a damn porno or something. Is it too soon to be throwing around stepmom? Probably. But having no label is better than “babysitter”. Like I’m some random person just hired by them. Something transient.

I drop my eyes to hide my frustration. And then I pull my hair over my shoulder, hiding the new mark from Ethan, when just avoiding his gaze doesn’t feel like enough.

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