Page 70 of Sliding Into Love
“Yeah.”
Her hands traveled down his neck and shoulders, caressing gently down his back until she lightly swatted him on the ass.
“Did you just feel me up?” Ethan asked. “There are children present.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He heard the grin in Ivy’s voice and the drip of coffee into her mug.
He scooped the finished concoction into bowls, and Ivy stared down at hers.
“Huh.” Ivy took a bite. “ ’s good.” She spoke with her mouth full and continued chewing before swallowing audibly and taking a sip of her coffee.
Everyone dug into the food, and while the ingredients weren’t something he’d have chosen to put together, Ethan had to admit it had turned out better than he’d expected. The meal perfectly encapsulated what he had now that he’d found Ivy, unexpected and maybe a little offbeat. And he loved it. Breakfast spaghetti would become a tradition if he and Janna had anything to say about it.
“So,” he said, leaning back against the counter after they’d finished eating, “you met my parents.”
“That I did,” Ivy replied. “Not what I expected.”
What did she mean? Had meeting his parents so soon been too much?
But, no, she’d still brought him home with her last night and let him…
“Ethan?” her voice broke through his thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“I can hear you thinking. Stop it.”
Ivy came to face him and positioned herself between his legs, pressing her hands into his pecs and tilting her head back to look at him.
“Meeting the parents is a typical thing to do in a relationship?” She made the last word a question.
“Are you sure you want that?” Ethan’s voice came out softer and sadder than he’d intended.
Are you sure you want me?
She bumped her hips into his and dimpled up at him, biting her lip when he grabbed her ass to keep her there.
“I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I do, Ethan. The question is, is this whatyouwant?” She gestured around her at the messy kitchen with crayon drawings on the fridge, stacks of plastic plates and cutlery covered in cartoon characters, and a lone teddy bear peeking out of a lower cabinet.
And he didn’t realize it until she pointed it out, but itwas.There was a family, ready-made and waiting for him.
His answer was a kiss that began soft and chaste but quickly turned searing, with teeth and tongues and grasping.
The doorbell rang.
Shit, he’d forgotten Jen was coming to pick him up.
Ivy nipped the soft spot beneath his jaw, and he had to physically remove her from his space because she seemed intent on staying there.
“Stop it, you.” He pointed an accusatory finger at her, and she pouted.
Ethan bit her pouting bottom lip, but the doorbell sounded again, longer and more insistently.
“Damn it,” he growled against her mouth.
After he said his goodbyes, Ethan followed Jen to her silver Range Rover.
“That was all very domestic,” Jen said as she reversed the car out into the street.
