Page 84 of Sliding Into Love
Ivy buried her face in her hands.
Ethan stroked his thumbs along the curve of her waist. “We don’t have to, if—if you don’t want to.” He might expire, but if she was nervous…
Her breath caught before she spoke.
“I’ve just never been with someone like you."
Then his mouth was at her collarbone, and he traced it lightly with the tip of his tongue.
“Someone like me?” He nipped the base of her throat and sucked a mark into her skin, smiling against her neck as she writhed.
“Ethan,” she said. “Pay attention.”
“I am.” Working his mouth up her neck to the soft spot beneath her ear, he bit down lightly, and her back arched, thrusting her body against his.
Ivy leaned back and placed a hand on either side of his face, pushing him away from where he was contentedly marking her neck with his teeth.
“Ethan.”
His eyes met hers, but the look on her face was incomprehensible.
“What is it? What can I do?” He racked his brain, trying to figure out what he’d done wrong.
She thought for a moment and sighed. “I don’t know how tobe withsomeone like you. You’re so attentive and so good to me.” She looked down, away from him. “I don’t want to disappoint you,” she said in a small voice.
It occurred to him that the conversation was no longer just about sex. How could she possibly believe she’d disappoint him inanyway? Ethan resolved to hunt down anyone who’d ever hurt her.
“Ivy,” he said, trying to keep the growl out of his voice. “Youcan’tdisappoint me.” He paused. “Look at me.” She did, slowly. “I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me?”
She nodded.
“And I care about you, Ivy, a lot. Have I done anything halfway with you?”
Ivy shook her head.
“I guess the real question is, do you trust me to take care of you? To stay?”
Her thumbs grazed over his cheekbones before she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his.
The silence of a few seconds stretched for millennia.
“I do,” she whispered.
It was all he needed to hear, putting wings on the shards of his heart that she was slowly piecing back together.
Ethan scooped Ivy off the counter and into his arms. She remained quiet as he carried her, nestling her face against his chest as he walked them down the hallway before kicking open the door to his bedroom and setting her gently on the floor.
Her lips were soft and warm as he molded his to hers, and she relaxed beneath his touch. And then his words from earlier in the week came back to him.
“Shit!”
Ivy fluttered her eyes open, looking confused. “What’s wrong? What happened?” Her body went rigid in his hands.
“I forgot the fucking flowers!”
“What flowers?” she asked, still confused.
“The flowers! I told you there’d be wine and flowers, but I forgot to do the thing with the flower petals on the bed. Fuck. They’re still in the fucking kitchen!” Ethan raked his hands through his hair, berating himself for being so ready to see her, he’d completely forgotten his plans for romance.
