Page 59 of Baited

“What’s funny?”

He flicked her nose with the tip of his finger. “You thought I was talking about sex.”

“Don’t act like you weren’t.” She folded her arms across his chest and rested her chin on her hands.

“Hell, I think it’s obvious I like that, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. Unless two orgasms mean something else.”

She pinched his bicep between her thumb and forefinger. He yelped and snatched her hand away, then rubbed the abused area.

“I’d watch where you’re pinching. I have a handful right here.” He squeezed her ass cheek in his palm and she squirmed under his hold. “Don’t wiggle like that unless you’re ready for round three.”

She stopped. “There will be no round three.” She wagged her finger at him. Well, it wasn’t worth shooting herself in the foot. “At least not today.” She added with a chuckle.

Ethan threw his head back and laughed. His hand left her butt to pinch the bridge of his nose. “All right, I’ll give you until midnight.”

Her laugh subsided and she lifted her forehead to rest on his. “Tell me what you meant.” Her voice was soft, and dammit, vulnerable.

Both of his hands came up to rest on either side of her face. “I meant it when I said I was crazy about you earlier. And I enjoy being around you.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Does that answer your question?”

Her tongue moved over the inside of her cheek as she struggled for words. “I like being with you too, Ethan.”

“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” His hands moved to her shoulders, “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Earlier today you showed me a picture of your nephew Cruz, is that your sister’s son?”

Tiny fingers of dread tickled her stomach. She didn’t want to talk about her parents. It had been over a year since she’d visited them, and now that she was home, Hanna’s disappearance was enough on her plate.

“Yes, Bailey is my older sister. She’s a single mom and lives in Atlanta. I took a trip there over Christmas to see them.” She kept her eyes on the hard line of his chin.

He shifted so that she lay on the bed and he turned on his side to face her. He propped his head on his hand and stared down at her, his eyes sharp and observing. His hand rested on her belly, the rough pad of his palm thick with callouses.

“What about your parents? Where are they?”

“They live in Jacksonville, about an hour away. They moved there when I left for college. I haven’t made a trip to see them yet.” Her voice shook, her jaw stiffened to stop the tremor. Shedidn’t want to think about her parents right now. Especially her mom.

Heat radiated off Ethan’s body, the cold air conditioning made her toes curl against his legs. He moved so his feet covered hers. “How come?”

“It’s a long story.” Her voice faltered, resisting his question. But after what he had shared earlier, it wasn’t fair to ignore him. “My parents divorced two years ago. They’d been married thirty years. My mom left him for someone else and it’s been hard on the entire family…especially my dad.”

Ethan didn’t speak. His eyes drifted over her face, his hand stroked her belly, warming her chilled skin. “I’m sorry, that must have been really tough.”

She nodded, her throat tightened. “I want to see my dad, but it would cause an uproar if I didn’t see my mom too. Eventually I’ll have to go there, but it’s hard to think about anything other than Hanna right now.” And Ethan.

Between the two of them, there wasn’t any more room in her mind. Especially for the heartache and strain seeing her parents would bring.

“Why don’t you see if your sister can come down and go with you? That might lessen some of the weight.”

She tucked the corner of her mouth in. She hadn’t thought of that. Bailey would offer the perfect buffer, and if she brought Cruz, it would really shift the focus from Riley. “That could work. But not right now, we need to focus on Hanna.”

“’Course.”

Lead formed in her stomach. As much as she wanted to avoid them, she had to see them. “I need to get it over with at some point.”

“I’m sure you’ll feel better when you do. Lord knows a distraction wouldn’t hurt right now.”

The reminder of last night slammed through her mind, sucking her back to the dark confines of her car and the terror that had ripped through her. She swallowed the sour taste that had hit her palate and cringed.

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