Ethan’s jaw clicked. “Maggie?—”
“I know. It was dumb. I literally wasn’t thinking. I just felt sad. So I grabbed my holiday sweater and left.”
He sighed, a long I-do-not-approve sigh, before packing the stuff back into the bag and crouching in front of her. “Hop on.”
“You want me to climb onto your back?”
He turned his head and grinned. “Think you’re too old?”
No. She was too in love with the guy. “My jeans are already wet. You don’t need?—”
“Maggie, I’m not letting you walk through the water again. Either get on or I throw you over my shoulder.”
Her jaw dropped. He couldn’t be serious.
He lifted a brow in challenge. He was.
“Fine.” She swallowed before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. His large palm went toher thigh as he rose, tugging her a bit higher, and holy Hannah, she felt that hand everywhere.
He took long strides through the river. “See. It’s not that bad, is it?”
It wasn’t anywhere near the vicinity of bad—that was the problem.
When he got to the bank, he didn’t put her down. And she didn’t try to get off his back. He just continued to carry her through the forest to his truck.
They didn’t speak the entire way back to her place. For her, it was one hundred percent because she couldn’t get the feel of Ethan’s palm on her thigh out of her head.
Was he silent because he felt guilty? For Nel?
They pulled up at Polly’s place. “Thanks.” When he started taking off his seat belt, she shook her head. “You don’t have to get out.”
“I’m walking you up, Mags.”
“You don’t?—”
He was already out.
Goddammit, he was stubborn.
When they reached the door to her apartment, she didn’t step straight in, instead turning to look up at Ethan. “Thank you for coming and keeping me company tonight. It was really thoughtful.”
His eyes were dark and intense, boring into her. “It was good for me too.”
And suddenly, she was lost. Lost in his moss-green eyes. In the deep vibration of his voice. Even his deep sandalwood scent.
“I can’t be friends with you.” The words burst out of her—and she simultaneously wanted to pull them back and let them sit in the air between them.
He nodded. “I was never on board for the friends thing anyway.”
He stepped closer, and she couldn’t breathe. Air literally didn’t make it into her chest.
“Maggie—”
“We can’t do this to Nel.”
His brows tugged together. “What?”
“I want to kiss you. And maybe, well, I don’t know… Ithinkyou want to kiss me too?” She shook her head. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t matter. You’re dating another woman and?—”
