“Well, aren’t we in a mood?” Ivy said.
“My siblings have turned into nosy busybodies,” I growled. I moved around to stand next to her. Grabbing the can opener, I opened the beans and tomatoes, dumping them in the pot of beef and onions that Ivy had browned. She grabbed some seasonings and starting adding them in, no measuring spoon in sight. I debated pulling one out for her, but this was chili. It would likely be good no matter what.
The growler of stout from the brewery was still on the counter. I poured a bit into the pot, then filled up our glasses. While I could still hear the vibrations from my phone, the music, beer, and smell of great food were all doing the work of relaxing me.
Ivy gave the chili another stir. She leaned over the pot to take a deep inhale. “That smells amazing. Just needs to simmer for a bit.”
I nodded, trying not to make it obvious that I was staring. But Ivy, steam, beer, some chili simmering—it was a lost cause. “Yup. Longer the better.”
She tilted her head as she looked at me. The notes from “Gypsy” began to flow out over the kitchen, and she raised an eyebrow. “So,Just Jake, do you feel like having a dance party?”
Just like that, my relaxed mood vanished.
I cleared my throat. “What are you asking, Ivy?”
She raised a brow as she came toward me, that kimono/robe thing billowing around her. Coming to a stop in front of me, she said, “Hmm, we’ve progressed to my name again?”
She slid her hands up to my shoulders. My arms found their way around her lower back without a conscious decision on my part. She began to sway with my body following suit like she was in charge. Or maybe she was. What in the ever-loving hell was happening? My heart was hammering out a new beat. Dang.
“I just love dancing, Jake. Thought you seemed a bit tense. That’s all.”
Closing my eyes, I decided to stop questioning what in the hell my life had become tonight and just go with it. I pulled Ivy closer until her body was flush with mine, her breasts pressed into my chest. We moved by the window, and I watched our reflections. Ivy’s eyes were closed, her gorgeous hair cascading over her back. I couldn’t see my hands—they were under this kimono thing—but I had a strong desire to let them move south and rest them on her ass. What was my life?
The notes of Fleetwood Mac continued to surround us. I could hear Addie talking to Chief in the living room. The vibrations sounded from the drawer again.
Ivy chuckled. “You think that’s still your siblings?”
She started to pull away, but I tugged her back against me. “Probably.”
Her head rested on my chest. I wished like hell that we were skin-to-skin. Damn. I couldn’t think that right now or Ivy was going to be feeling more than the beat of the music.
“Why are they bugging you?”
Where to even begin? “Well, tonight it seems my mom called my sister to tell her you were here.”
This time Ivy did pull back so she could meet my eyes. “And that’s newsworthy?”
I felt my brows draw together. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I can’t be the first women your mom found out is at your house. Why the five-alarm fire via text?”
“I don’t have women here.”
Now Ivy pulled back completely. I hoped she never tried to play poker, her face was not made for it. She appeared completely confused. “What do you mean, ‘I don’t have women here’?”
I controlled the eye roll that wanted to spring out and moved to stir the chili. “What I said. Women don’t come here.”
“So are you a monk?”
I laughed. “Hardly.”
“So you hook up, but no one comes here.” Ivy didn’t look too broken up by that. I had to admit I wish she had, at least a little. What was up with that? “What about your family? Do they ever meet anyone you are dating?”
“Nope.”
My phone called out from the drawer again.
Ivy looked from it, back to me, then outside. Her quiet expression made me a bit nervous.
