Page 38 of The Paris Chapter

‘We’re deadly serious,’ I said as Carly fell into his arms. ‘Congrats, guys, I’m going to let you?—’

‘You’re the best!’ Carly cried over her shoulder. ‘We love you, Auntie Tessa!’

‘I can’t believe you two took the test together,’ Luke said, laughing as he and Carly started jumping up and down excitedly. ‘Actually, I’d expect nothing else!’

‘I really stubbed my toe,’ Carly cried then.

‘I’ll speak to you later,’ I called out as they leaned in to kiss,before ending the call with a grin on my face. I looked up at Ethan, who was now the other side of the kitchen counter. ‘My best friend is pregnant.’

‘So I gathered.’ He smiled. ‘They sound hilarious. That was the weirdest and most wonderful call to listen to. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were on the phone. I woke up and you’d gone and…’ He trailed off uncertainly.

‘Waking up with you made me happy,’ I assured him. I stepped closer. ‘I don’t know if it made you happy but I wanted you to know that.’

‘Of course it made me happy. When I saw you’d gone, I was worried in case you regretted it.’ I was so close now that Ethan lifted his arms and touched my waist lightly. ‘I really didn’t want you to regret kissing me.’

‘I don’t. I think the tequila made me a bit too bold though. I can’t quite believe I climbed onto your lap or that I took all my clothes off in front of you.’

His mouth twitched. ‘That was the best part of the night. So, was it just for last night or can I kiss you again?’

‘I’d like more,’ I confessed. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, stepping fully into his embrace.

Ethan leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. I scooted closer and he kissed me again. He took his time, pulling me closer and dropping soft touches against my lips before parting them and caressing my tongue with his. I murmured and leaned against him, enjoying the strength in his arms, the warmth of his chest against mine, the way he kissed me like I was something to savour.

He then broke away from my lips and dropped soft kisses on my cheeks and along my jaw and down my neck before looking at me with a smile. ‘I could kiss you all day.’

‘Just kiss?’ I was both impressed and frustrated with his restraint.

‘I thought you’d want to take it slowly too,’ he said, looking at me seriously.

I leaned back against the counter so I wasn’t pressed together with him any more. I sighed. ‘I know we should. You’re right.’ I didn’t want to admit that I fancied him more than I expected I could. That I longed for him to erase the past six months. But I knew he couldn’t. And I shouldn’t have expected him to. I was still hurt and still scared to trust someone else. Even though deep down my heart was telling me that Ethan was a man I could trust. That I was desperate to open my heart again and trust him. ‘It’s just taking it slowly is even more scary than if we’d slept together last night.’

‘We did sleep together,’ he said softly.

I rolled my eyes. ‘You know what I mean.’

Ethan reached up to stroke one of my arms. ‘Why is it scary?’

‘Because the longer we wait, the more feelings there will be.’ I blurted out my fear even though I was embarrassed. But Ethan’s honesty was addictive. I wanted to be open with him in a way I’d never been open with a man before. I didn’t want to go back to who I was when I was with Joe – afraid to say what I was thinking or feeling in case he didn’t like it or didn’t feel the same way.

‘I know,’ he said. ‘I’m scared too,’ he added, his eyes bluer in the morning light than I’d ever seen them. I didn’t know how I’d missed how gorgeous they were. ‘I’ve never felt this way before.’

I sucked in a breath. ‘I want to believe you but it’s hard…’ I had believed Joe loved me once and I had been burnt by that.

‘I know what you mean,’ Ethan said. ‘I’m so different to who you were with before…’

There they were again. Our insecurities.

‘These past few days with you have been unexpected for us both,’ Ethan continued. ‘It’s complicated. I know how much you loved Joe…’ He swallowed hard. ‘I want to believe that you could love me one day.’

I really wanted to tell him that I could, but I wasn’t sure.

‘I don’t want this to stop,’ I said. That Iwascertain about.

He leaned in to give me another soft kiss. Then he let go of me. ‘It’s your last day in Paris. Do you want to spend it together?’

‘Yes, please,’ I said eagerly.

‘I have to go to my course this morning but I’ll let you know when I’ll be ready to meet up and we can do something.’

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