Page 50 of Sliding Into Love
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and swiped her tears away. As her legs tangled with his, she wondered if there was a not-awkward way to ask him to take his shirt off.
Not for any inappropriate reason. Of course not. He was so warm, and she wanted to snuggle up to him, skin to skin.
If she happened to see his perfectly sculpted chest and stupidly ripped abs, well, so be it.
“Ethan?”
“Mmm?” he hummed, his fingers tugging her hair out of its bun.
“Oh, fuck, that feels so good.” The tips of his fingers found her scalp. “Umm. I seem to have on slightly less clothing than you do?” She squeaked the last bit as a question rather than the statement she’d intended, and she hoped her cheeks weren’t too red.
“Oh, yeah?” His voice deepened.
“Yeah, so, umm… can we maybe rectify the situation?”
“Hmm? How so?” His voice was a delicious purr in her ear and a deep rumbling against her chest.
Shit, he was going to make her say it.
“Would you, umm, take your shirt off?" Just saying it felt lecherous, and she wanted to crawl into a hole in mortification.
“Why, Ivy?”
She heard the pleased smile in his voice, but she couldn’t make herself look at him.
“Damnit, Ethan, I’m fucking freezing, and you’re a furnace.” Not to mention those freaking abs.
“Well, you know, if you had on more than those PJs and a bra, you might not be so cold.” He was outright laughing at her now.
“Fine, if they bother you so much, I’ll cover up, then.” And she whacked him on the arm before rolling over to get out of bed.
Or she tried to.
Two solid arms wrapped around her, keeping her in place.
“Don’t you dare.” Ethan’s breath tickled her ear, sending tingles lower.
He pulled them both into a sitting position and glared at her mockingly before releasing her.
“Stay put.” Ethan’s fake scowl was too adorable for words, and she wanted to kiss it off his face.
With movements so slow Ivy knew he did it on purpose, he crossed his arms and tugged the hem of his shirt up, and with every inch of solid flesh revealed, Ivy was more and more convinced hewasa marble sculpture because there was no way a real, human man looked likethat.
When he finally pulled it off, he stood over her with his hands on his hips.
“Happy now?” The faux scowl was still in place, so Ivy rose on her knees to kiss her way up the planes of his stomach and over his pecs.
“I guess so.” She smirked and fell backward onto the bed.
He grumbled, folding his shirt into a neat rectangle before pulling her to him, resting her chest against his again. Everywhere his skin touched hers burned, sending flickers of heat pooling low in her belly, and the sensation was so delicious, she wanted tolickhim.
She shifted, hooking one leg over his, trying to get more comfortable andcloser, always closer to him. Suddenly, Ethan went still.
“Ivy?” His voice was a hoarse rasp.
“Mmm?” She hummed, still trying to find the perfect spot against his chest.
“Umm, what you’re doing is making… things hard.”
