I covered my mouth with both of my hands. “Oh my gosh, no.”
“Where does Ivan fit into all of this?” Jane waggled her eyebrows at me, and I wasn’t sure if she was just giving me a hard time or if this was some other kind of teenager antic.
“Yes, I would love to know where I fit into all of this,” Ivan said as he walked into the room, all business. His hair was wild around his head, and as much as I wanted to think it was intentional, I wondered if he had a grooming routine like all the other men I’d grown up around. He wore a tight Henley with nice jeans and, as always, shoes that looked comfortable and business-like… but also that he could run in them if he needed to. He looked like a rich frat boy. I could see how Jane thought there was something more happening here.
I swallowed thickly, my appetite suddenly gone. It had been a few days since I’d told him about Donovan. I hadn’t meant for it all to come out the way it did, but it happened, and I couldn’t take it back. Hearing his voice again, directed at me in some capacity, was like a balm to my torn-up soul. He hadn’t spoken directly to me since, at least not in a familiar manner. It was always strained and sometimes full of animosity. “Ivan is my bodyguard for the foreseeable future.”
Would Donovan keep him on forever? Would he expectIvan to move into the penthouse with me once we were married? I didn’t think I could do it. I knew I couldn’t do it. There was only so much I could handle. But continuing my long lifejustbeside this man wasn’t a torture I wanted to endure.
“Why do you need a bodyguard? Is it because of the money?”
Ivan chuckled. “Yes, your sister is very rich now and, for whatever reason, people want a piece of her.” His eyes were molten as he watched me from across the room.
I rolled my eyes, overly dramatic for Jane’s sake. “It’s complicated.”
The elevator dinged, and Don stepped out, thankfully interrupting whatever was happening. “Time for school, kiddo! Get your stuff.”
Jane shot me a wink before she groaned loudly. Don smiled in the foyer. “Good morning, you two; anything fun planned for today?”
Usually, my days consisted of nothing. There weren’t many hobbies I had when I was back home in the city, which made it easier for me to travel most of the time. Sitting around, doing nothing was driving me insane, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I was going to be working out or taking on whatever hobbies Donovan Madden wanted me to do.
Ivan answered for me, overly cheery. “Poppy has a date today.”
Jane bounced her eyebrows as she joined Don in theelevator. “Have fun!” She totally thought I was dating Ivan in secret; this was not good.
The elevator doors closed and Ivan leaned against the counter. “She seems happy about you dating.”
My shoulders fell. “That’s because she thinks I’m secretly dating you.”
He peered into the untouched container in front of me and pulled a pancake free between his thumb and pointer finger before he wiggled it in the air. He sniffed it and then shoveled the whole thing into his mouth. His nose wrinkled. “Me? That’s kind of silly. Right?”
I rubbed my temples. Was it silly? He was living here, the chemistry was off the charts between us… at least before Donovan came into the picture… and he’d saved me that day in the city. When I’d come back to our hotel room, all disheveled and with stitches, with a robe on, I couldn’t pretend nothing happened. I told Jane the cliff notes of what transpired and that thankfully Ivan was nearby to offer his special set of skills, but now I could see how that looked suspicious. Oh and then, of course, there was the fact that he’d taken my virginity, but she didn’t need to know that. Hell, he didn’t even need to know that.
What a mess I’d found myself in.
He pulled the container across the counter and finished off the rest of the pancakes and the fluffy eggs that were under them. “This isn’t too bad.”
All I could do was stare as he gobbled everything down. “Help yourself.” I motioned to the fridge.
“They all have your name on them. Poppy, I can’t just take the food intended for you.”
“How about this?” I leveled him with a look. “You can have as many of those as you’d like, and I’ll continue to order take-out for the rest of my life.”
He pressed his lips together before he went to throw the empty container away. “That doesn’t sound very healthy.”
I laid my head on the counter and closed my eyes. “I don’t care anymore.”
“That’s no way to thank your fiancé for all of this generosity.”
I ran my tongue over my teeth as I considered a sassy retort. “Can we just get all of this over with?”
He chuckled as he pulled on a light jacket and waited for me in the foyer. “I’m as ready as you are, I suppose.”
I doubted that. I dreaded this entire thing more than I could ever admit out loud.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Poppy
