Chapter 16
Ethan
I clench my stomach muscles and grit my teeth, urging my blood to stay where it is.
But Tilda is on her hands and knees before me.
Ass in the air.
And my thoughts are backstroking through the gutter.
Because I want to kneel behind her.
I want to kneel behind her, flip her skirt up onto her back, and…
She pushes herself up so her hands are no longer on the forest floor. And she twists her torso to glare at me.
Her purple hair is a curly mess.
Her cheeks are hot with emotion.
Her hands have dirt on them.
And she looks exactly like the troublesome mountain fairy she is.
She points a finger at me. “You, sir, are a bastard.”
She’s not smiling at me this time.
Not masking her feelings.
And I like it so much I have to work to keep my expression even.
“Well?” She drops her hand.
“Well, what?” I step closer, leaving only a few feet between us.
“Well, aren’t you going to argue?”
I lift a brow. “I’ve been called worse.”
She huffs. “I believe that.”
The urge to smile grows, but I keep my lips flat. “Plus, you’re not wrong.”
Tilda puts her hands on her hips, drawing my attention down her delicious body. “What, that you’re a jerk, or that you were born out of wedlock?”
This time my smirk wins. Wedlock? Who says that? “Both actually. Though, considering my parents aren’t alive to defend themselves, I’ll just admit I’m a jerk.”
Her shoulders slump, and her fists fall from her sides. “Oh… I’m sorry.”
Probably shouldn’t have casually mentioned the orphan detail. But it’s been twenty years, and I didn’t really consider how fucked up that might sound.
The pretty girl presses her lips together.
Better for Tilda to be mad at me than pity me, so… “You need to pay better attention to your surroundings.”
Her mouth drops open. “Excuse me?”
I gesture around. “I’ve been here since you decided to illegally cross through the fence, and you didn’t notice me at all.”
She glances back at the fence, and I know we’re both remembering how that went.
My smirk grows.