Page 66 of A Certain Step
She tried not to smirk. “Sometimes,I talk…”
“Now that I can’t wait for,” he emphasized with a sly smile.
He kicked off his socks and got underneath the covers; Tulip made her way to a spot next to his feet.
“Does she not go up higher?” Willa asked.
“Only in the morning if I snooze my alarm. Sometimes, she’ll go to the living room in the middle of the night. Depends on her mood.”
Willa joined him in bed, sat upright, and stared at him. The whirlwind of tonight’s revelations dawned on her once more, flirty banter taking a backseat to trepidation.
He must’ve noticed the change in her expression because he straightened in his reclined position immediately. “Willa?”
She was fine. She would be fine. This was Ethan. She was safe with him. She’d always be safe with him. “Right, sorry. I’m okay. I just…it keeps hitting me that we’re doing this, and I start freaking out.”
He took her hand in his, sweeping his thumb against her knuckles. “What are you freaking out about? How can I help?”
She blinked rapidly, trying to steady her heartbeat. “I’m okay. I promise. It’s just—it’s you and me and this. I’m not used to it, but I want it. My brain is going to illogical places.”
“I can still go to the couch. I promise I don’t mind. I’ve fallen asleep there countless times. It’s comfortable.”
She shook her head. “No, I want you with me. Welcome to my brain. One minute, it’s fine, and the next, it’s conjured up a zillion scenarios that make no sense.”
He drew his lips to her palm and kissed her there. Another at her wrist. “You can talk to me about those scenarios, too.”
“Yeah, I’d rather we not go there,” she admitted.
He drew his lips higher, kissing along her forearm, up toward her bicep.
She smiled easily, allowing herself to focus on the man sitting before her. Ethan kissed her like she was the most precious thing in the world, and she felt it every time his mouth touched her somewhere.
“I’m not going to wake up with both you and your cat spooning me in the middle of the night, am I?” she asked.
He laughed, placing kisses along her neck now. “I don’t move at night unless I need to actually get up. So, no, but if you want me to, come closer.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How do you not move?”
“Some of us don’t do acrobatics in our sleep.”
Valid. “Do you dream?”
“Occasionally,” he answered.
Willa bobbed her head up and down repeatedly, taking it all in. “This arrangement could work for me personally, not sure about you.”
He smiled and tipped his head higher, pressing his lips softly to her temple. “Kick me all you want, Wills, just stay.”
“What time are you going to the gym tomorrow? I’m assuming you’re not missing another day,” she added.
“Seven. Want to come with?”
“Nope, but I’ll head out with you and go home.”
He made the silliest pouting face, an expression she didn’t know he was capable of. “I won’t be long. We can go get breakfast afterward.”
“Let’s do lunch instead? I should do laundry, and I’ll probably try to get some extra runs of the numbers just in case.”
“Sure. Did you want something specific?”
