“Are you gonna tell me why you let Greg-Fucking-Lewis put his hands all over you this morning?” he growled as he slowly faced her.
Ivy snorted a laugh. “Why would you possibly care?”
His brown eyes softened marginally, and she thought she saw the briefest hint of hurt pass over them. But it was gone so fast she likely imagined it.
“It’s my gym. I care about everything that happens here.”
“Well, you don’t have to care about this. My thing with Greg is not your business,” she said indignantly.
“You shouldn’t tangle with him.”
Ivy unfolded her arms, and propped her hands on her hips. “Are you kidding me, Sean? I shouldn’t tangle withhim? And why the hell not? He’s nice, he’s hot, he’s into me, oh, and also, I happen to be a free goddamn woman, so please tell me why I can’t tangle with him?”
Sean’s eyes hardened, and he straightened himself to full height, making the room shrink further around him. “Because I don’t like it,” he said in a deepMr. Seriousvoice.
Most people would cower at the sheer dominance emanating from him.
Ivy responded with a snort of laughter. “Oh, that’s rich coming from you. Besides,” she sniffed, assessing her nails as if she had a lovely manicure to admire instead of half bitten stubs. “You’re too late. We’re going on a date.”
“Like hell you are!” His voice boomed so loudly that they could probably hear him at the reception desk.
Ivy recoiled, jerking backward until she nearly stumbled. Luckily, she caught herself before she made a total ass of herself and fell.
With a low growl, Sean reached out to help steady her. This time, she resisted the urge to flinch, barely. As if he sensed her knee-jerk fear, Sean took a massive step backward, and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. After about ten seconds, he opened his eyes, looking more in control, though not necessarily calmer.
He assessed her for a moment, then he scrubbed a rough hand over his head and down the back of his neck. He inhaled fiercely through his nose before he exhaled loudly. Crossing to a chair by her desk, he fell into it. Immediately, the tension in the air lessened.
“What’s going on with you, Ivy?” he asked in his usual gentler tone.
Ivy moved behind her desk and started tidying the folders and reports from the day.Lie, don’t look at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” Sean’s voice was a rumble. “Look at me.”
The intensity of his tone gave her no choice. Like a moth to a flame, she raised her gaze to his, and the invisible thread that constantly pulled her in his direction eased.
“First last night. Now with Lewis. Something’s up. You’re not yourself.” He leaned forward, bracing his elbows against his knees. “Talk to me. You always tell me everything.”
Not everything. Not even close.
Guilt clawed at her. In so many ways, Sean was closer to her than anyone, even Hope. Hope knew Ivy’s every secret, but with Sean—it was like he knew her soul.
From the beginning, when she showed up at his gym inquiring about kickboxing classes, it was as though he saw right through her. He could read her nuances flawlessly, knowing when to push her and when to let her retreat. He understood, without having to ask, when she needed to be held close and protected, and when she needed to stand on her own and feel strong and capable. She never had to tell him. Their connection was intuitive. Their friendship had been effortless.
Until she’d screwed it up by throwing the curveball of all curveballs and kissed him, then demanded he be her friend with benefits. Of course he was confused by her behavior. It was night and day from what he was used to. Night and day from whatshewas used to.
It would be so much easier if he knew where her sudden demand for casual sex had come from, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about telling him a thousand times. But each time she thought about it, the result was the same. She was convinced her history would change the way he thought about her, and Ivy couldn’t risk that. She didn’t want Sean to see her as broken, or worse, damaged. She didn’t want to see the look of worry in his eyes that she often saw in Hope’s—and now Gabe’s, too.
Sean was always gentle with her, but he never handled her with kid gloves. He expected her to live up to her full potential, no excuses. If he knew that she’d been violated so traumatically, he’d wrap the tragedy around her like a blanket. He’d treat her like a fragile, cracked piece of glass. She knew that about him. His protective instincts ran deep, and if he knew the truth, he’d never treat her the same.
All she wanted was to move on. To feel normal. To be touched and not have a panic attack. To have sex, like a normal person, and not constantly be trapped in her head. If Sean knew about the assault, he’d never treat her like a normal, healthy woman. And he probably wouldn’t want to have sex with her. Make that definitely, since he hadn’t wanted to have sex with her yesterday and he knew nothing.
“There’s not much to tell. Greg’s been asking me out for months. You know that.”
Sean grunted in disapproval.
A surge of frustration shot up Ivy’s torso. “What’s wrong with Greg? He’s handsome. He’s a decent guy. He’s persistent. And most of all, he wants to go out with me.”
She let the insinuation hang there.Unlike you.
