Cutting an unamused look at him across the table, she said, “I never lie to you, and it had nothing to do with you.”
“When’s the last time you had one?” he asked, raising en eyebrow. Her response was a telling blush, and he merely nodded his head. “That’s what I thought.”
“It’s fine,” she insisted, shrugging it off. “I don’t want to think about it. My last dream was much nicer, so we don’t need to give it another thought.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Well, I hope that’s not a regular occurrence.”
“I’m sure it won’t be,” she told him, taking a bite of her toast, her gaze catching on the small rectangular box in the center of the table. “What’s that?”
Glancing at it, he replied, “That is a present.”
“For whom?” she asked, eyebrows jumping.
“For you.” Before she could remind him he already gave her a present, he added, “It was your back-up gift, in case you hated the painting.”
Willow rolled her eyes, smiling faintly. “If I hated the painting, you should have told me tough luck. The painting was wonderful.”
Nodding his head once, he replied, “I’m glad you like it. I’m still going to give you this one though. I would have last night, but I was distracted.”
Willow wiggled her eyebrows at him playfully and he grinned in response.
After she cleared her plate, Willow tucked a leg under her body and reached for the box in the center of the table, eyeing Ethan questioningly. He gave her a nod of encouragement, taking a sip from his coffee cup, and she grinned as she took the lid off the box. There was a long, thin jewelry box tucked inside, which she deftly worked out, setting the empty box aside.
Carefully opening the box, she gasped when she saw a diamond bracelet set in white gold, glimmering as the light hit it.
“Oh, my god, Ethan…” She stole a glance at him, then back at the bracelet, gently fingering it and pulling out the soft black material holding it in place. “You got me jewelry? This is not a friend gift.”
“Well, I think we’re a little more than friends,” he said, smiling as she took it out and slid it around her wrist. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she told him, fastening the bracelet and holding her hand up, moving her wrist around the make it sparkle. “It’s so, so beautiful. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome,” he told her, giving her a satisfied smile and a little nod.
Willow stood and came over to his side of the table. He was too close for her to sit down as she had originally intended, so instead she stepped over his lap and straddled him, winding her arms around his neck and smiling. “Thank you.”
She watched his pupils grow larger as he gave her a heated look, his hands moving under her skirt to cup her ass, pulling her even closer against him. “I should have made you get out of bed sooner,” he murmured.
“Or stayed in bed longer. I’m not so opposed to waking up when I have incentive,” she replied, reaching beneath her to rub his arousal.
Tilting his head back and closing his eyes, he breathed out a sigh, his fingers curling against her ass. Willow bent her head and began trailing light kisses up his neck, then she took his earlobe between her teeth and tugged.
“Jesus,” he muttered, one of his hands skating up the back of her shirt. His other hand slid up under her panties. She gasped as he ran his fingers across her entrance, then bit his neck as he pushed one of those fingers inside of her.
“Do we have time?” she murmured against his neck, hoping he said yes.
His voice, thick with lust, rumbled in her ear. “There was traffic—what could I do?”
She laughed into his shoulder, then he plunged a second finger inside of her and her laugh drifted off into a sigh. Despite his light-hearted traffic comment, she knew they should hurry, so she wasted no time unfastening his pants.
“Are you on the pill?” he asked, dropping a kiss on her shoulder.
“No,” she replied, grimacing.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “I should start hiding condoms everywhere.”
“Tape them right under the table,” she agreed.
He stood, instructing her to wrap her legs around him, then she grinned at him as he carried her back to the bedroom.