Page 47 of Sliding Into Love
Lily’s eyebrows rose as she took in Ivy’s rumpled appearance, but she waited until Jase was in his room before speaking.
“Looks like you had fun.” Lily’s eyes flicked from Ivy’s messy hair to her swollen lips to the mark below her collarbone.
“A little,” Ivy said primly.
“Spill,” Lily commanded.
Flopping onto the threadbare couch, Ivy removed the shoes she’d borrowed and tucked her sore feet beneath a throw pillow.
“Well, between the two of us, we have enough problems to fill a psych textbook, but Lily, he’s so… sweet. I mean, I knew after how he was with Jase, but he asked—” Ivy paused, realizing she’d said more than she meant to.
Lily rolled her eyes.
“We’re all adults here, ma’am.”
“He asked to touch me,andhe said breasts instead of…whatever else you would call them. Whodoesthat?”
“Respectful groping. What a gentleman,” Lily said in an overly dramatic rendition of a Southern belle, clutching imaginary pearls at her throat. “But get to the good stuff!”
“Thatisthe good stuff. We didn’t get past the groping. We were in the car like teenagers, and one of his neighbors almost saw me without my top. It killed the mood.”
“Hmm,” Lily hummed. “I’m going to need details when you actually do the deed! You have to tell me all about his enormous monster cock.”
“Lil! Monster cock? Really?” From what she’d felt, Lily wasn’t far off with her assumption, but she didn’t need to know that.
Lily waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “I’ve seen the man, and he has to be packing. Right?” When Ivy didn’t answer, Lily gave her an evil grin. “Busted. Be sure to remember all the details when you see it, so you can tell me, okay?”
“Damn it, Lily, I am not telling you anything about anything, monster-sized or not. Go home and charge your vibrator.” Ivy shooed her friend out and went to bed, dreaming of hard muscles and soft lips against her skin.
Three weeks later, Ethan grew tired of the endless meetings and reviews and physical therapists. He’d been on the injured list for almost a month and was itching to play again. Too long with nothing to do, he’d been bored out of his mind, spending entirely too much time thinking of Ivy and trying to ignore the apprehension that trickled through his nerves at being off the field so long.
He regretted not being able to see Ivy more than the handful of times she’d brought Jase and Janna to Hawks games. They’d watched the Friday fireworks together, and because he was free to do what he wanted, he flapped their blanket down right in the middle of the grass and held her hand as the lights went out. But it’d been a few days since he’d seen her, so he invited her and the kids to the park near his apartment. Her response was a photo of Jase with an enormous smile, his Hawks hat jammed on his head, with two thumbs up. It warmed his heart to see the boy so excited. He still didn’t know what Jase’s life was like before he’d been placed with Ivy, wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, but she was right. Nothing he did would change the past, but he would doeverythingto help right now.
On Friday night, Ethan couldn’t sleep. The warmth of Ivy’s body and the vision of her tugging her top down for him plagued him since their date, and he felt blood rushing south in appreciation at the memory. Mentally, he slapped himself and ducked into a frigid shower to stop torturing himself over her.
In the back of his mind, Marshall’s voice told him to stay away, but as he found himself doing more and more lately, Ethan ignored it.
After their soul-baring conversations, Ethan was amazed when Ivy stayed, much less allowing him to touch her.
Rolling his eyes at the euphemism, he realized they’d gotten to second base, and her reactions to him clearly indicated she wanted him. She’d made the first move for fuck’s sake, but whatever evil seeds Marshall planted in Ethan’s mind took root, telling him they couldn’t be together, and he didn’t deserve a relationship—didn’t deserve to be happy.
With Marshall out of the picture, though, Ethan found himself reevaluating his life and his priorities.
Were his dreams ever his own, or were they Marshall’s all along?
The old man’s claws dug into Ethan’s mind longer and deeper than Ethan realized, but the damage was done. Now, those scars needed to heal.
If he asked Ivy, Ethan knew what she would say. She’d say he needed to figure out what he wanted. She’d say he should contact his family, to see where they all stood, and maybe repair the relationship, if one still existed. Either way, at least he’dknowand be able to move on.
Would they even want to speak with him, let him be in their lives again? Those bridges were burned.
Weren’t they?
The vibrating of his phone pulled Ethan from his brooding.
Lil it’s shark week and I am HORNY and DYING
Can you like throw some chocolate down the stairs?
