Hope just stared at her for a moment, then nodded. “Call me in the morning, first thing. Or before. I’ll have my phone on me all night. I can sleep over in my old room if you want? Whatever you need. Just say.”
Ivy dragged Hope into a hug. She didn’t deserve a friend like this. Didn’t know what she’d done to get lucky enough that Hope had moved to the same city, so she had access to her love and support every day. Most of the time, Ivy needed it. But tonight, in this moment, filled with a sense of resolution, she didn’t need Hope. The only person she needed was already heading back her way.
“I’m fine. This is right. I can feel it,” Ivy whispered, feeling her friend’s nod against her shoulder.
By the time Sean pulled up next to Ivy, holding her purse, they’d pulled apart.
Hope looked up at Sean, bright-eyed and serious. “Sean Thompson,” she said, “hurt her and die.”
The vehemence in her voice was so out of character that Sean’s eyes widened in shock. Ivy swallowed a laugh. It was funny/not funny. Anyone who didn’t know what had happened to Ivy might have thought Hope’s caustic sentiments were an attempt at humor. But Ivy knew better and had no doubt Hope would cast aside her sweet nature in a heartbeat to bring down anyone who dared hurt Ivy again. She’d done exactly that when Adam confronted them at Bowie’s not long ago.
And even in this immensely opposite situation, Ivy appreciated her best friend’s support and sentiment.
Sean reached for Ivy’s hand and tugged her against his side. “Noted.”
“Oh-kay.” Ivy steered Sean toward the exit. “Time to go.”
From behind them, Hope hollered, “Have her home by 9 a.m.!”
Jesus. “Yes, Mom,” Ivy groaned under her breath, while tugging Sean more firmly toward the door, immediately feeling bad because she knew Hope had every right to be concerned. Pausing, she turned and blew her friend a kiss, then mouthed,I’m good.
When she finally glanced up at Sean, with a big toothy grin fixed on her face, her heart sank to her stomach at his expression. His brow puckered and jaw clenched, his hand flexed against hers.
Uh oh. She couldn’t let him second-guess his promise to her and change his mind. Not only had she realized that she’d been kidding herself when she thought she could share this moment with anyone but him, she was now achingly aware of how much she wantedhim.
Her whole body was alive with wanting. Her palms itched to touch his skin, her heart fluttered erratically in her chest, her breasts were sensitive against the satin of her bra, and between her thighs she was drenched for him. Her mind, for the first time in a long, long time, matched all the physical things happening to her body. They wanted the same thing. And that thing was Sean.
Now. Immediately.
This was happening. Nobody was backing their way out of anything tonight.
It was time to put the past as far behind her as she could shove it.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
She looked like she wanted sex. She talked like she wanted sex. And she was walking like she wanted sex. But for the first time in his whole damn life, Sean had no idea if the woman he was about to fuck actually wanted sex.
Ivy dragged him through the bar with a fierce grip on his hand, as if she were afraid that if she let go, he’d run off.
Well, she was crazy if she thought that, because he had no intentions of running. If she wanted him, she had him, but he sure as shit needed to know for a fact she wanted this before they went any further.
He let her pull him into the quiet hall that led to the stairs up to their apartments before he tugged at her hand and pulled her to a stop.
She staggered back, looking up into his eyes. Panic shifted through them but was gone as quickly as it came, a mask of cool determination coming down in its place.
“What?” she demanded breathlessly. Her lips parted, moist from her tongue. Her cheeks flushed, bringing a pretty pink blush to her pale face. Christ, she was so crazy beautiful.
“Ivy, what was that?”
“What was what?” she replied innocently. Yeah, she knew exactly what he was talking about.
With a dramatic sigh, and her signature eye roll, she said, “Hope is the ultimate mother-hen. She worries about me. Needlessly.”
“Needless? Really?”
Here was the elephant in the room between them. The incident in the bar several months ago that they never spoke of. He beat the shit out of a man for her, and didn’t even fully know why. All he’d had was a gut feeling and the instinctive knowledge that the bastard had deserved more than a beating.
But that had only been one piece of the puzzle. Her ‘play dead’ routine when he’d gotten on top of her on the couch had been another. Then Hope’s mama-bear routine a moment ago. Not to mention the state Ivy had arrived in when she appeared at his gym all those years ago. The picture was shaping up to look terribly grim.
