Page 22 of More Than Words (Trickle Creek: The Lyons #2)

Chapter Seventeen

Delaney

“ Y ou know this is a bold choice, right?” Ethan handed me a mug of hot chocolate.

At least, I assumed it was hot chocolate. There was so much whipped cream on the top that I couldn’t really tell what was underneath it all.

“How so?” I raised an eyebrow and reached for the tray of hot chocolate toppings.

“You went full classic.” Ethan grinned as he sat next to me on the couch.

His thigh pressed up against mine in a way that sent sparks flying through me, and made me wiggle a little bit closer.

“Not just an old classic, but a really old classic. Quinn thinks the nineties were old and the eighties were ancient.”

I sprinkled chocolate chips on the top of my drink.

“That’s a problem?” For the first time, I was genuinely concerned that maybe I’d not chosen my very first movie night selection well.

As soon as I’d received the invite from Quinn, the day before when she burst through the door of Plot Twist with a grin and more of a demand that I attend, rather than an invitation, I knew exactly what movie I wanted to bring.

“She’s a teenager.” Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Teens are a fickle bunch.”

“She’s not a teenager yet.” I laughed. “We still have a few months before we need to face that particular battle.”

We.

“Besides,” I continued as if I hadn’t just casually referenced the fact that I hoped to be around and involved for Quinn’s troubling teen years. “She’s going to love Gone with the Wind . I think she may even find a kindred spirit in Scarlett.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Ethan shrugged. “I’ve never seen it.”

My mouth fell open, and I sat back on the couch, rethinking all of my life choices. “Seriously?”

He nodded.

“I don’t know if I can date you,” I joked as Quinn joined us with a mug in hand and the biggest bowl of popcorn I’d ever seen.

“Are you breaking up with him already?” She plopped down on the other side of me. “Is it because he didn’t use enough whipped cream? I told him it wasn’t enough.”

With a raised eyebrow, I glanced from my overflowing mug to Quinn’s, which somehow had even more whipped cream spilling over the top.

“No, the whipped cream is fine.” I shook my head. “He’s never seen Gone with the Wind ,” I told her. “It’s a classic.”

“Isn’t that what we’re watching tonight?”

“It is.”

“Then we’ll all be caught up,” Quinn told me. “And you can keep him around a bit longer.” She elbowed me gently. “Even if he is a little cheap on the whipped cream.”

We both laughed, but Ethan just groaned and reached for the remote control. “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s get to the movie before we make any big decisions.”

“Good point.” Quinn turned to me. “I hope it’s not too boring,” she said. “Because if it is, you’re banned from choosing for like…what? A year, Dad?”

“At least,” Ethan agreed with a grin.

“Deal,” I said, even though I already knew she was going to love it. She was way too smart not to.

The opening credits rolled, and the three of us settled in.

Ethan’s arm stretched behind me on the couch, his fingers dangling over my shoulder like he was trying not to touch me, lest Quinn think it was gross, but still wanted to be close.

Quinn tucked her feet up under her and leaned her head against my shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Like the three of us were the most natural thing.

And maybe we were.

My thoughts flitted back to the conversation I’d had with my friends a few nights earlier. I wasn’t trying to be her mom. I was just trying to be there .

More importantly, I wanted to be there.

That meant something.

Ethan

I rinsed the last of the hot chocolate mugs and handed them to Delaney, who stood at the ready with a dish towel.

Behind me, the dishwasher hummed quietly with the rest of our dishes.

Almost as soon as the end credits rolled, Quinn had slipped away to her room under the pretense of being exhausted and far too tired to be able to help clean up.

I didn’t press the issue the way I normally would have, eager to spend even a few moments alone with Delaney.

Movie night had been fun, but I was more than ready for a little PG-13 rated time. At least .

“She liked it,” I said, breaking the easy silence between us.

Delaney looked up. “Quinn?”

I nodded, and she smiled.

“I knew she would,” Delaney said with a grin. “It might be an oldie, butI thought she might connect with Scarlett.”

“You were right.” I took the dry mug from her hand and put it in the cupboard. “She said it was old but pretty cool for a super classic . And I’d say that’s pretty high praise coming from a twelve-year-old. Good job on your first pick.”

“I’m just glad I didn’t get banned. Besides, now that you’ve seen it, I guess I can keep you.”

“Oh yeah?” I leaned back against the counter. “You think so?”

“Hmm.” She stepped closer, the dish towel still in her hand. “Should I make you give me a movie report?”

I raised my brow in question.

“It’s like a book report, only for a movie.”

“Gotcha.” I reached for her hip and pulled her close. “Well, let’s see…a feisty heroine, old-school romance. Big grand gestures and goodbyes that aren’t goodbyes. How did I do?”

She pressed up against me, her lips only inches from mine. “Pretty good.”

I closed the space between us and kissed her until she groaned into my mouth.

“That was pretty good, too,” she said after a moment.

“I can do a whole lot better than pretty good .” I bent to press kisses on her neck to demonstrate my point, but she pulled away.

My body ached to have her closer. It felt like an eternity since we’d been alone together. Besides a few stolen moments here and there, we’d hardly even kissed.

“You don’t have to leave,” I told her. “Not tonight.”

“Ethan. I?—”

“Tell me you don’t want to.”

“I can’t,” she said without hesitation. “It’s just…”

“I know,” I said softly. “It’s a lot and it’s still new and…all of that. But, the truth is, I like having you here.”

“I like being here.”

“So stay.” I wiggled my brows.

She laughed, but in the next second, shook her head. “It’s just so…”

“I know.” My laughter dried up, and a soft smile crossed my face. “But this feels different, doesn’t it?”

She nodded, confirming what I already knew. This thing between us was different than anything I’d ever felt before with anyone.

“If there are rules to how we’re supposed to move forward, I don’t know them,” I continued. “And even if I did, I don’t think I care.”

I reached for her again, my hands gripping her hips.

“What about Quinn?”

I didn’t take my eyes off her. “Her room is on the other side of the house. And, she’ll be asleep by now.”

“And in the morning?”

“She’ll be thrilled you’re still here.” It was the truth.

Delaney hesitated, as if she were weighing the pros and cons in her head.

“Stay,” I said softly. “Please.”

She leaned in, closing the space between us with a kiss.

When we pulled apart, the look she gave me went straight to my chest. I had to suck in a breath just to steady myself before I could move again.

I took her hand, laced my fingers through hers, and led her down the hall, flipping off the lights as we passed through the quiet house.

Delaney

As Ethan closed the door with a soft click behind us, I took a moment to take in his room.

It was pretty basic, and definitely that of a single man with a simple comforter covering the bed and no throw pillows.

There was a picture of Ethan and Quinn when she was little, riding on his shoulders, in a frame on the dresser.

A print of a mountain landscape hung over the bed.

But beyond that, there was nothing in the way of decoration.

When I turned around, Ethan was watching me, but he didn’t say a word, just looked at me with a familiar hunger in his eyes.

The weight of what this was, and what it might mean to spend the night, settled over me. But I didn’t want to make it into more than it was, so I cocked a hip and said, “So, do you bring all your dates to family movie night?”

He grinned and stepped closer. “Only the ones who can make classic movies seem cool. So far, there’s only ever been one.”

“So far?”

“I can’t imagine there could ever be another.”

My stomach flipped.

When he reached out to brush the hair off my face, I was totally gone.

“It’s been a while,” I said, my voice shaky. “Since we’ve been alone.”

“Too long.” He leaned in.

“Way too long.”

The kiss started slow, but it didn’t stay that way for long. My hands were on his chest, then under his shirt, and then it was coming off and over his head.

His hands slid down my back until he found the hem of my sweater. I lifted my arms so he could pull it up and over my head. I reached for his in return, taking my time brushing my fingers over bare skin.

Back and forth, we took turns peeling layers of clothing off each other between charged kisses that grew more and more insistent, like we’d been waiting forever to be together again like this.

It felt like it.

He tugged me in, our mouths meeting again and his hands sliding down my back while my hands moved over his body. Together, we stumbled backward toward the bed.

“Did you lock the door?”

“Quinn’s out cold.”

“That’s not a yes.” I pulled back and gave him a look.

It already felt way too risky to be here like this—not that I wanted to leave, but we needed to be smart.

Ethan groaned, kissed me once more, and stepped away to click the door lock in place.

When he came back, he cupped my cheek and kissed me hard.

The moan that slipped from deep inside me was swallowed by his kisses until my back hit the mattress. His body followed. Warm and solid and exactly where I wanted him.

“I missed this,” I said, breathless as he worked his way down my body with his lips.

He looked up with a sexy half smile. “You’re not the only one, sweetheart.”

His hands skimmed down my sides and over my hips, as if he were memorizing every inch of my body.

We’d done this before, but this time it felt different.

It felt like more.