Page 64 of A Certain Step
“You sure? I honestly don’t mind. I’d prefer you were comfortable.”
“I’ll be more comfortable knowing I’m not stealing your bed. I am, however, slightly concerned about your other girl,” she pointed to Tulip, sprawled along the middle, sound asleep without a care in the world.
He shrugged off her concern, released her hand, and headed toward his wardrobe. “Tulip loves you. You’re fine.”
“Yes, but she’s never had to share you with me. Am I going to wake up with claw marks on my face?”
He chuckled, pulling out an oversized grey T-shirt and handing it to her with a kiss on her forehead. “You’re not going to wake up with claw marks on your face.”
Willa ambled back to his living room for her tote bag, then reached for a pair of new knickers, thanking her past self for always being prepared with show essentials. She should start carrying pajamas, too.
He came out of his bathroom, offered her the new loofah, and opened a cabinet inside the wall to hand her a clean, beige towel.
“I also have brand new toothbrushes,” he mentioned.
“I have my toothbrush,” she replied.
He tipped her chin up, gazing into her eyes with fond excitement. “I want you to have one here.”
A laugh escaped her. “One day, and we’re already talking toothbrushes.”
“I’m telling you. It’s all part of my master plan,” he said, inching forward for another kiss.
“Sea saltand cedar is an impressive choice for body wash. It’s fainter than your spicy leather cologne,” she asserted, stepping back into his room with nothing but his T-shirt.
Ethan was sitting on the bench at the foot of his bed, looking down at his phone. He set it aside and extended his arms out for her. She stepped in between his legs and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“My spicy leather cologne?” he repeated.
The words sounded so silly coming from his lips, his voice a little gruff, slightly tired.
“I don’t know how else to describe it. Your cologne—the one you usually wear. It smells like leather and a spice of some sort. Therefore, spicy leather.”
His hands tracked along her arms. “And are we a fan of said spicy leather?”
She bobbed her head up and down. “Big fan—the body wash, too.”
He pulled her tightly against him and held her. “It smells even better on you.”
“Does it now?”
He looked up at her, eyes wide and sparkling. “Yeah, a close second to the floral notes in your perfume.”
“Jasmine, rose, and gillyflower, according to the bottle’s description,” she specified.
“What on earth is a gillyflower?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m not even sure why I have the specific ingredients memorized.”
“It’s doing its job. I’m surprised it’s not lilac-scented.”
She tilted her head, wordlessly asking him for clarification.
“It’s your favorite flower, isn’t it?” he questioned.
Had she told him that? When would that have come up in any of their conversations? It was, yes, courtesy of her mum’s obsession since she was little—both the color and the scent, really.
“I told you that?”
