Page 54 of Six of Hearts
"Stay," I said. "Not just tonight. Stay."
She smiled against my skin.
"I'm not going anywhere."
And as we lay there in the dark, her body warm against mine, I realised that maybe I didn't have to carry everything alone. Maybe, just maybe, I'd found someone who could help me carry the weight.
Someone who saw past the leader, the organiser, the strong one, and loved the man underneath.
Fifteen
Ethan
The knock on my door came at nine-thirty, and I knew exactly who it was before I even opened it.
I'd been thinking about her all day—during Leo's soccer practice, while making dinner, even during the bedtime routine. The way she'd smiled at me that morning when she dropped Leo off, that knowing look in her eyes that said she'd been thinking about me too.
Aria stood there in jeans and a fitted sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, looking like she'd just finished putting all the kids to bed. Beautiful in that effortless way that made my chest tight.
"Hey," she said, a little breathless. "Is this a bad time?"
"For you?" I pulled the door open wider, unable to keep the smile off my face. "Never."
She stepped inside and I caught the scent of her perfume mixed with something sweeter—maybe the lavender soap she used on the kids before bed.
The domesticity of it hit me harder than it should have. This woman who cared for my son, who'd become part of our lives in ways I hadn't expected.
"I just needed to get out for a bit," she said, turning to face me. "It's been a long week."
"Tell me about it." I closed the door behind her and leaned against it, studying her face. There were shadows under her eyes, but she was smiling. "Wine?"
"Actually..." She bit her lip, and something in my chest shifted at that gesture.
"I was thinking of something else."
I raised an eyebrow, my pulse quickening.
"Yeah? What did you have in mind?"
She crossed the distance between us in three steps and pressed her body against mine, her hands sliding up my chest. T
he touch sent electricity through me.
"You."
God. I didn't need to be told twice.
I grabbed her hips and spun us around, pressing her back against the door. My mouth found hers and she melted into the kiss, her fingers working at the buttons of my shirt with an urgency that matched my own.
"Couldn't stop thinking about you," she breathed between kisses. "All day. Every time I saw one of the other guys, I just kept thinking about when I'd get to see you."
The admission made something warm bloom in my chest. My ex-wife had never said things like that. Had never looked at me with this kind of want. I hadn't known what I was missing until Aria.
"I've been going crazy," I admitted, pulling back just enough to look at her.
"That smile you gave me this morning—I've been replaying it all day."
I yanked her sweater over her head and tossed it aside, revealing a black lace bra that made my mouth water.
