Page 75 of Sliding Into Love
Lily took pity on their predicament, reaching up to remove Janna from Ethan’s shoulders. Ivy turned and kissed Ethan, twisting her fingers in the fabric of his shirt to tug him closer, resulting in a wolf whistle from Lily.
“Ladies,” Ethan said to Lily and Janna when Ivy released him.
“No one has ever accused me of being a lady, Sasquatch.” Lily paused, snapping her gum. “And you probably shouldn’t start now.”
“Me neither,” Janna chimed in.
Ethan saw Jase watching the exchange, and he pressed a kiss to Ivy’s temple, setting his beer down before joining the boy.
“Hey, buddy.”
Jase grinned and held out a hand for a fist bump.
“Are you going to get to play this week?” Jase asked.
Ethan watched Jase roll a ball in the fingers of one hand, a nervous tic he was all too familiar with.
“Probably. The bruise is ugly, but it’s just a bruise. I’ve played through worse.”
Jase scowled.
“You shouldn’t have had to play if you were hurt. Why did your coach treat you like that?” he looked sadly up at Ethan.
And it broke Ethan. He had to consider his answer before he gave it, and what he came up with broke him more.
“I shouldn’t have let him treat me so badly, but honestly, it’s because I thought I deserved it.” Ethan threw an arm over Jase’s shoulders. “But nobody deserves it.”
And as soon as he’d said it, he knew it was true. A weight he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying fell from his shoulders.
Jase scraped the toe of his shoe in the grass but didn’t speak.
“Come on, let’s get Derek to play catch.”
Derek and Janna joined in the game, and Janna surprised Ethan with her deadly, precise aim. Ivy watched while Lily flipped burgers on the grill, and he took the opportunity to savor the moment; nothing special on the surface, but so profound for him. When he caught Ivy watching him, he flexed his chest and biceps more than necessary to make her laugh, watching her eyes go large. He nearly took a ball to the face for his effort, but it was worth it to see her scrunch her nose and stick her tongue out at him.
And it felt so…good. Normal.
And fuck if that wasn’t exactly what he wanted.
Waking up to Ethan Fisher in her bed was the best way to start the day, Ivy decided.
Sleeping with Ethan was comforting in a way she hadn’t known existed. Something about a large, warm body lying next to hers all night was exhilarating. Ivy didn’t even feel the need to sneak out of bed to brush her teeth like she’d heard others did. Derek, for instance.
When she woke up, she and Ethan were parallel, facing each other. A lock of long hair fell over his eyes, and Ivy brushed it away before pressing her face into his chest. A heavy arm and leg fell over her, pulling her closer, and he mumbled something against her hair. Ivy wriggled back a little, but Ethan’s arm held her in place, and his erection pressed against her stomach. He stopped her before she rubbed against him more.
“Woman,” he growled sleepily, “if you don’t stop, you’re not leaving this bed for the rest of the day. And I don’t thinkthey’llbe too happy about that.”
On cue, the door creaked open.
“Ethan! Ethan! Can you make us more breakfast spaghetti?” Janna sang, bouncing on the edge of the bed.
“You have to feed them on time, or things get dicey,” Ivy said, smiling as he groaned into her hair.
“I don’t wanna,” he groaned.
“You created monsters,” she laughed. “Come on, let's see what we can find.”
When Ethan emerged, awake and showered, hair still dripping onto his shirt, Ivy was reminded of the shower they’d shared and almost purred at the memory of his mouth on her.
