"Yeah." His voice is rough. "Wow."
"So... now what?" What happens next? Where do we go now that we’ve crossed the line?"
"Now?" He presses a soft and sweet kiss to my lips. "Now we take this slow. We communicate and figure out what we both need."
"What if I don't know what I need?"
"Then we'll discover it together." His hands frame my face. "But Lily? I need you to promise me something."
"Okay, what?"
"If this gets to be too much. If you need space or if I push too hard or if you just change your mind, I need you to promise you'll tell me. No matter what." I can tell by the tone of his voice, he won’t take anything but a promise from me.
"I promise."
"Good girl."
There it is again. Those two words that send heat spiraling through my body and a shock straight to my clit.
"You keep saying that," I murmur.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No."
His smile is slow and devastating. "Then I won't."
CHAPTER 6
Ifloat through the next two days.
There's no other word for it. I'm working harder than I've ever worked as I coordinate last-minute details, confirming vendor arrivals, triple-checking the gift presentations. But underneath it all is this constant hum of happiness.
Ethan and I haven't crossed any major lines since that kiss in his kitchen. But the air between us is charged. Every accidental touch. Every shared glance. Every "good girl" when I finish a task or solve a problem.
It's intoxicating.
Friday afternoon, I'm putting the final touches on the party setup when my phone rings.
Madison.
"Please tell me you're coming tonight," she says without preamble.
"Coming where?"
"Book club. My place. Seven p.m. It's an emergency."
"What's the emergency?"
"You. Obviously. You've been MIA all week, and we need an update."
I haven’t texted much this week, I’ve been busy and well, I haven’t had any answers to give them. I also haven’t read my chapters either. I pick up my e-reader and I try to read. One or two sentences later and my mind was wandering back to Ethan. After rereading the same paragraph three times, and having no idea what was going on, I turned it off.
I glance at my watch. The party is tomorrow. Everything is confirmed and ready. And honestly, I could use a break from the intensity of being in Ethan's orbit.
"Okay. I'll be there."
"Thank God. Holly was threatening to show up at Doctor Mansion's house and drag you out herself."
