Take Me Now (13 page)
Ivy is stock still in my arms, but when I mention that I dropped everything to run to Lauren, she flinches. It isn’t going to be easy to finish this story. There are a lot of details that are going to upset her, but I keep talking.
“When I arrived, there was no one in the office. It was the weekend before Christmas, and the parking lot was empty except for her car. I rang the doorbell even though the place seemed deserted. I was a little pissed at having driven all the way over there, but at the same time I was relieved that maybe Lauren had changed her mind. Just when I was about to walk away, the door opened. It was Lauren, and she was wearing nothing but a camisole and a tight skirt even though the temperature was in the upper teens. If I had any doubt as to why she called me, her appearance confirmed my suspicions. She was holding a bottle of wine in her hands, and she invited me up for a nightcap. She thought we could celebrate the holidays and talk business at the same time.”
Ivy’s hands drop to my wrists, pushing them with all her might, but I don’t budge. If she runs away now, she won’t know the whole story. She needs to hear it all.
“We ended up on the couch in her office. She actually had a list of the advertisement placements she wanted me to run, but before I even realized it, the bottle of wine was empty, the paperwork was on the floor, and she was on top of me.” I hate letting Ivy down. I have to keep telling myself this all happened before I knew her. When I was alone and missing Cassidy and there was no hope of a new beginning.
“Things happened that I wish didn’t. But I was drunk and not thinking clearly. She was eager. She’d doggedly pursued me for months and now that she had me where she wanted me, she made it known that she was ready to give me whatever I asked for. I just wanted to forget, get lost in someone else for a while. Regardless of how dangerous the situation was. I didn’t have a condom, and she’d been practically stalking me before all of this. If I slept with her, there’d be no pretending like it didn’t happen. And if I got her pregnant, I’d be tied to her for life.” For the first time, I can’t look at Ivy. I close my eyes as I confess what I did.
“I helped her remove her camisole. She had nothing on underneath. That’s all the encouragement she needed as she worked at removing my jeans. I was ready to let her blow me if that’s what she wanted to do. But her finger got stuck in my zipper and she broke a nail. Instead of just ignoring it, she made a federal case out of it. She cursed and ran to her desk for a file or clippers or something. But her outburst brought me back to my senses. I couldn’t go through with it.” I raise my eyes again, but Ivy is still looking down, undoubtedly trying to process what I’m telling her. It’s a lot to handle.
“So you didn’t have sex with her?” Her whispered question is barely audible.
“No.” I bend my head and place it against her stomach, urging her to forgive me.
“That explains so much.” She sighs and I feel a whoosh of air leave her lungs. “She always gets what she wants, one way or another. Why didn’t you tell me before tonight?”
“I thought I could get away with it, that you’d never have to know. I believed it would only hurt you if you knew how close I came to sleeping with her. I never imagined she would go to such lengths to get back at me for turning her down. When she threatened me, I panicked. She said she’d fill your head with all kinds of things that didn’t happen and that you’d never believe me if I denied what she told you.” I freeze when Ivy’s fingers thread through my hair as she yanks my head back to face her.
“But why did you have to kiss her tonight?” The hurt in her eyes is torturing me. I made such a terrible mistake in doubting her faith in me.
“She made a deal with me as soon as I got there. She said she wouldn’t embarrass you at the gala by revealing what happened between us. I didn’t want you to be humiliated in public because of my lack of judgment. I thought I could get away with a couple of kisses and explain it all to you later. But of course, Lauren took things too far, like she always does.” Ivy is hesitating and I can’t say that I blame her. I don’t know how I’d react if our roles were reversed. I hate the thought of anyone touching her but me.
“Eric, you have me so confused.” She slumps against me and I trace circles against her waist with my thumbs, trying to soothe her. “I never wanted to be a part of something so complicated. All my life, all I ever wanted to be was Will’s girlfriend. That’s it. But you’ve made me feel so much since I’ve met you that it scares me.”
“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Ivy. I promise.” I smooth a strand of hair away from her face and let my palm settle against her cheek which is now wet with her tears. She’s shaking as she silently begins to sob. “Please, baby, don’t cry.”
She finally gives me an indication that she’s letting down her guard when she throws her arms around my neck. When she falls on top of me, I groan as the tenderness of my bruises surfaces. “Oh, Eric! I’m so sorry.” She tries to slide away from me but I hold my hands firmly against her back.
“I’m a big boy. I can take it.” Tilting my head up, I capture her lips with my mine. There is nothing delicate about this kiss. It’s raw, intense, ravenous. It’s like our tongues are battling each other for dominance. There is a ferocity in the way she’s kissing me, like she’s still trying to work out her anger. She hasn’t completely forgiven me yet. She’s going to make me earn it.
The pain I’m feeling from my injuries becomes a driving force. The only way I’m going to lessen the hurt is by feeling how my body responds to what she’s doing to me. The competing sensations are driving me insane. It heightens every touch of her hand, every flick of her tongue, every breath from her mouth. I growl when she breaks away from me, allowing a surge of agony to rip through me.
She’s trying to unzip the back of her dress but she’s struggling as the skirt rides up her thighs as she straddles me. She has her arms behind her head, lowering the zipper little by little, but as she does so, she’s inadvertently rubbing against me. Her knees are gripping the sides of my hips as her legs are spread over me. I jerk in an attempt to meet her motions. She rolls her head back, exposing her neck as she rides the rhythm she created, the wetness of her panties sliding over the bulging crotch of my pants again and again.
I don’t want to assist her with the zipper. My hands are digging into her waist as her grinding motions get harder and faster. She’s going to come and we’re still practically fully dressed. She releases her hold on the broken zipper and digs her nails into my shoulders as she nears the tipping point. We’re like two adolescents who are able to get off by dry humping each other. This is crazy. Even if she never lets me touch her again, I’ll die a happy man reveling in how incredibly hot she is right now.
She rubs against me. I rub against her. And she comes screaming my name before collapsing on top of me. That’s all it takes and I explode beneath her. Gasping for air, she laughs as she realizes what just happened to me. It was total show of dominance on her part. She didn’t touch me with her fingers or her mouth, yet she brought me over the edge, begging for more. It’s been a long time since a woman has worked me over like that.
Her laughing causes more friction between our bodies and my cheeks redden as I immediately start to get hard again. She can feel me straining against her, and she picks her head up to look me in the eye. “Impressive, Mr. Young.” She bites her bottom lip and I thrust my hips against her.
“Take it off. The next time I come, there’s no way in hell I’m going to be fucking outside of you.” The tone of my voice is commanding. She may have won round one, but I intend to even the score.
“Well, you’re a strong man. If you get this damn zipper down, I’ll be happy to oblige.” She smiles at me seductively from beneath her lashes. Reaching up, I spin her around so she’s facing away from me. Trailing my hands up her back, I find the offending zipper and give it a sharp tug. It won’t move. She sighs in frustration, wiggling above me. This won’t do. I need her naked, now. Throwing caution to the wind, I rip the seam of the dress, splitting the zipper. She gasps in surprise as it pools around her waist. She quickly covers her breasts with her hands as I lift her up and tear what remains of the dress from her body.
I am liking how that felt and I don’t plan on stopping with the dress. She’s working her hips over me again in an attempt to show me who’s boss, but she’s got another thing coming. I remove her hands from her breasts and rip off the adhesive bra cup on the right before doing the same with the left. The surprise move on my part causes her to stop what she’s doing. Knowing I have the upper hand, I push her up until she rests on her knees. Tossing away the shredded remains of the stick-on cups, I start to undo my belt, but she groans. With her hair falling over her shoulder, she pouts back at me.
“I wanted to do that.” Her arms are still crossed suggestively over her breasts, hiding her nipples.
“I have other plans for you.” I don’t hesitate as I lower my zipper. Arching my back, I yank down my pants along with my boxer briefs, but not before snatching the condom out of the front pocket. “Put it on.” I order, holding it up to her. She slowly lowers her hands and takes my offering. I hear her open the wrapper and I guide her hands back to me. She’s still facing away from me as she slides the condom over me, and it’s sexy as hell as she feels her way through getting it on. I give it a final tug before taking advantage of the opportunity her lowered hands present.
My palms immediately cup her uncovered breasts as I play with her nipples with my thumbs. Her back gets ramrod straight as the sensations engulf her from my surprise attack. She molds her body against my hands, writhing in my touch. She feels so fucking good. This time, she’s closer than I am. I better be careful or she’s going to be spent before I make my move.
Lowering one hand across her stomach, I guide her back onto me. When my tip nears her opening, she moans, widening her legs even more. Who knew we’d be so inventive in our positions? And it’s just our first time. If this is only the beginning, I can’t wait to see where we go from here. She seems game for anything, which is more than I expected.
I slide into her and she’s so tight. I still myself a moment, letting her get used to me. I’m already in pretty deep but in this position I know I can go even farther. Her elbows have dropped to the couch and she’s on all fours before me. I feel her contract around me and I can no longer stop. I begin moving inside of her, in and out. She grasps my knees, trying to remain upright. Now that I’m where I need to be, my hands find her waist as she bounces on top of me. For a brief moment, I let them find her jiggling breasts again and my pace increases. I can’t keep my hands here as my grip tightens. Reluctantly, I lower one down her back and across her butt until I find the place where we’ve come together. Moving my hand to the front of her entrance, I massage her there as I continue to pump in and out of her from behind. The dual sensation of my other hand tugging at her nipple sends her over the edge and she comes again.
Her spine weakens as she collapses onto the couch, but I’m not done yet. Holding her in place, I forcefully thrust into her while tilting my pelvis upward. She’s like a rag doll in my arms, totally spent. I don’t even feel my bruised ribs as I strain with everything I have to hit my climax. She leans back just a little as her hair tickles my stomach and that’s all it takes. I’m gone. “Fuck,” I cry as I press my face into her shoulder.
We’re a contorted mass of limbs as I catch my breath and start removing myself from inside of her. “Don’t,” she whispers, clasping my wrist to stop my action. She wants me to stay where I am. Despite just coming undone, I feel myself twitch. It won’t be long until I’m ready to go again.
“Hold on,” I say against her ear. Taking her with me, I lie back on the couch, keeping her on top of me. Injured or not, it’s a more comfortable position than being bent at the waist. With every breath, the smoothness of her back chafes against the hair on my chest. My fingers wander to her belly button, tracing patterns against her stomach. Her ear is against my lips as the stubble forming on my chin scratches her neck. She stretches, bringing her hands to rest in my hair. We’re splayed out all over each other as I intertwine my legs with hers.
“I can’t fucking wait to do that again,” she cries as I nibble her earlobe.
“Who said anything about waiting?” I smile against her cheek as my hips start to move again.
“You are something else, Eric Young,” she giggles. “But this time, you’re going to be on top.” She carefully slides off of me and rolls onto the floor, dragging a nearby blanket with her. As she is sprawled out naked before me, I crawl on my knees before I hover over her.
“I aim to please,” I confess as I tease her by propping myself above her without touching her.
“Oh, really?” She asks, raising her eyebrows as her arms surround my waist as she tries to pull me on top of her. My biceps shake as she wraps her legs around me as well. Succumbing to her demands, I lower myself on top of her and get to work. We have a long night ahead of us and I intend to enjoy every moment.
We’re tangled together in the blanket, barely aware of our surroundings, groggy after staying up all night. I admit we dozed off once or twice, but I made sure to wake Eric up whenever I caught him falling asleep. The blanket is soft, but the floor is hard. There was no way I was getting comfortable enough to snooze through what remained of the predawn hours. My thoughts are beyond scattered, and just feeling the rhythmic rise and fall of Eric’s chest beneath my head has me too wound up to get any shut-eye.
It’s definitely morning but the sky is grey with the threat of dark clouds hanging in the air. It’s unusual to get a thunderstorm at this time of day. It’s a bad omen I don’t want to consider. Last night was perfect, and the thought of reality intruding back into our lives makes me want to snuggle even closer to Eric. But Shep’s whining at the front door and one of us is going to have to get up and let him out. It may as well be me.
“Where are you going?” Eric mumbles as I sit up, clutching the blanket around me. I don’t know why I’m suddenly so shy around him, especially after all of the things we did last night. But in the light of day, I feel self-conscious parading around his house without any clothes on. No matter how great the sex was, we’re still at the point in our relationship where we’re getting to know each other. For the most part, I’m not particularly confident about my body. I don’t even strut around my dorm room naked.
“Shep needs assistance,” I joke, grabbing the nearest item of clothing—Eric’s shirt—and covering myself with it. His hand encircles my ankle when I try to walk away from him. “I’ll be right back. I’m not going anywhere. I swear.” It looks like he’s quickly coming to the same realization—we can’t stay in this cocoon any longer. We’re about to dive head first into a firestorm.
Shep jumps up, begging me to open the door. As soon as I do, he flies outside, regardless of the wind that’s beginning to deposit giant raindrops on the roof. I stand there and wait for him. There’s no way I’m leaving Shep out in this. He does his business and comes scampering back. I shut the door, and he shakes off whatever water droplets are clinging to his fur.
Eric is propped up against the base of the couch. He looks so unbelievably sexy with his tousled hair and bare chest. How did I get so lucky? We have a lot of stuff to figure out but he wants me to stay here with him. This could all be mine. I have to pinch myself to believe this is actually happening.
“How did Shep get out last night anyway? Do you know?” Eric scratches his dog behind the ears while trying to keep his exuberance to a minimum. His ribs are still hurting him and his bruises have deepened to an ugly shade of purple.
“He was with your dad in the garden center. He took off when I let him out and I followed him up here. Oh my God, Sophie!” I completely forgot about her. Did she ever make it to Riverside Gardens? She must want to kill me after she drove a half hour in the dark to get me.
“Who’s Sophie?” Eric’s confused. There’s so much about my life he doesn’t know. It sort of freaks me out that I’ve never mentioned Sophie to him before now.
“She lives in my dorm. She was going to give me a ride and I bailed on her. She must be wondering what the hell happened to me. Can I use your phone?” I’m panicked as I race across the carpet in my bare feet, Eric’s shirt whipping against my knees.
“Ivy, relax. My father probably told her where you went. And she didn’t come up to the house…so, you know…” He gives me a sideways look, and I don’t know what’s more traumatizing—Eric’s dad knowing we had sex or Sophie knowing.
“Oh jeez, the cat’s out of the bag now, huh?” I can’t resist heckling Eric as I join him on the floor. A crack of thunder echoes through the house, and I scoot closer to him.
“What? Are you scared?” He teases me, pinching my side.
“You could say that. I know it’s Saturday but I have to reclaim my phone and get my car fixed. And both of those tasks mean facing Lauren, something I wish I could put off…forever.” I nestle against his shoulder as he rests his cheek on top of my head.
“You’re not going to have to deal with this alone. I’m going with you.” By his tone, it’s clear he intends to accompany me but I can’t let him do that.
“Eric, I need to do this on my own. No doubt she’s going to fire me. I’m prepared for that. I know now that it would hurt a hell of a lot more to lose you.” I bend over and lightly kiss his lips. “I’m ready to sever all ties with that family. I gave it my best shot. I tried, but it’s over. There’s no point crying over something that turned into such chaos. I’m just glad it brought me to you.”
“I’m sorry it has to end like this.” He buries a hand in my hair, massaging my temple with his thumb. “Do you have any idea what you’re going to do now? Because I have something in mind.”
“You do?” I smile at him even though my world is falling apart around me. Just having him on my side makes me feel like I can pull through anything.
“Get out of that damn internship. Take the loss. Hell, take the semester off. Stay here with me.” I lower my eyes, but he tilts my chin up for me to look at him. “I’m not saying you walk away from earning your degree. Just take some time to regroup. Lauren screwed up your plans. Let me help you find another internship and get back on track.”
“You make it sound so easy.” I shrug, holding up my hands. “But there’s so much at stake. We’re talking about my future here.”
“I know.” He cups my face in both of his hands. “I only want what’s best for you. But please don’t walk away from me. If you head off to the main campus, we’ll never see each other. I don’t think I can make it through the next year or so without you, especially after last night.”
This is serious. It’s the dilemma ambitious young women everywhere are forced to confront—their love life versus their career. And Eric is already asking me to choose. Even if I did say yes to him and eventually got my degree, there aren’t too many jobs in journalism in this neck of the woods. I always thought I’d go test the water after graduation and see where I ended up. Depending on the leads I received, I was willing to travel anywhere in the country to start my life as a reporter. Now the freedom to pick up and go isn’t there. I already feel bound to this man. How can I turn my back on something so good?
“We don’t have to make any decisions now. I still have a couple more weeks before the fall semester starts. Once Lauren pulls out of my internship, I’ll need to talk to my advisor and find out what can be done.” I’m starting to feel a little sick inside, but with Eric’s arm around me, at least I have a safety net to fall back on if things don’t work out. It terrifies me to think that I’ll be without a job or a place to live if I can’t move on to the main campus. This is serious.
“Too bad I got into it with Ryan. He might have been able to persuade Lauren to at least sign off on your credits.” The look he gives me is searching, like he wants to reveal something more but he’s holding back.
“Ryan caused so much trouble last night that it hurts my head to think about it.” I cringe at the memory as a flash of lightning illuminates the gloom.
“What exactly did he do to you?” The defensive tone is back in Eric’s voice, and I don’t even want to contemplate what Ryan might have told him about me.
“You don’t want to know.” I try to put some space between us but Eric pulls me back to his side.
“I think I do. Did he hurt you?” He starts rubbing my shoulders to ease the tension, so at least I’m facing away from him. I can’t have him looking at me when I tell him the details.
“He got a little carried away. It got rough, but I handled it.” Eric’s hands pause in their motion, cradling my neck. “Let’s just say he’s not the person I thought he was.”
“How far did things go if he had your panties in his back pocket?” I can’t stand to hear the mixture of jealousy and bloodlust coming from Eric’s mouth. He wanted to avenge my honor in that fight. Too bad he was a little late.
“He tried to force himself on me in the Jeep. He had me pinned down but I got away. I think he felt sorry about it afterwards. He made a remark like he thought I wanted it or something. Maybe I was giving him mixed signals by trying to be his friend. I don’t know.” I shake my head, wondering if I had any part in leading him on. I never thought he’d turn violent though.
“Ivy, you should have called the cops and reported him. What if he tries it again with some other girl?” The heat in Eric’s words is blazing. If Ryan were with us right now, there’s no doubt in my mind that Eric would finish the job he started last night.
“There’s no way I’m pressing charges on my oldest friend, Eric. He was just confused, that’s all.” At least that’s what I’m trying to tell myself. “Besides, the cops aren’t going to buy my story when they find out who is family is. It’d just be one big scandal with me on the losing end of it.”
“But that doesn’t mean he should get away with it.” He drops his hands from my shoulders and I twist around to confront him.
“Eric, you already beat the crap out of him. What more can you possibly do?” I’m worried that he’s going to do something stupid.
“I can teach him a lesson.” Malice glints in his eyes and I draw away from him.
“How? You won’t get anywhere near him after last night.” I try to see where he’s going with this, but I’m coming up empty.
“I’ll bide my time. There’s always a way.” He seems so certain. How can he be so sure?
“Well, I want to get you patched up from this round first. How about we call your doctor and see if he can examine you today?” I cast a worried glance over his battered appearance and he groans, closing his eyes.
“But it’s Saturday. I have to open the garden center. It’s the busiest day of the week.” He’s going to fight me on this, but I don’t intend to budge.
“I don’t care. I’m sure your customers will understand if you open up a few hours late. Your health is more important. Besides, it’s raining out anyway.” I stand regardless of his entreaties for me to sit down. “What’s your doctor’s name? I’m calling him right now.”
“Carter,” he mutters under duress. “The number is on the magnet on the fridge.”
At first, I get the answering service so I leave a message, and five minutes later Dr. Carter calls back. He’s going to come in and see Eric in his office. He’s known Eric since he was a child and was there for the family when everything was going down with Cassidy.
The next person I call is Eric’s dad, who agrees to take his son to the appointment. He doesn’t sound the least bit surprised that I’m calling from Eric’s house. I try not to blush on the other end of the line.
After that, I dial Sophie. She chews me out at first but then she admits that she’s glad that I’m okay and that I owe her for coming all that way for nothing. She’s driving to the museum to begin her marathon of guided tours so I don’t keep her long.
Now my only problems are getting a ride to the office and finding something halfway decent to wear. I examine the back of my dress. Eric effectively tore it in half. There’s no possibility of salvaging it.
“Eric, do you sell any other type of clothing besides clogs?” He raises an eyebrow as he potters around next to me in the kitchen.
“I have touristy items like t-shirts with the name of the town on them and those plaid shorts that look more like pajama bottoms.” He pours me a glass of juice before handing it to me.
“That’ll work.” I slide a piece of bread into the toaster, my mind figuring out the next step. I’ll probably call a cab from the garden center then.
“I didn’t think I did such a number on your dress.” He grins wryly at me while getting a box of cereal out of the cupboard.
“Are you kidding? What you did was so unbelievably hot. It’s not every day that a girl gets ripped out of her clothes.” I reach back and snap the waistband of his boxer briefs, and he hits me in the rear end with a dishtowel. And then it’s on as he grabs me around the waist, placing me on top of the stove. “There’s no time for this. Your father’s going to be here any minute.” I make excuses against his lips as he devours me.
Sighing in frustration, he releases me when the doorbell rings. “He would have to be early.”
“He’s probably just worried about you. I know I would be.” He’s wearing nothing but his underwear when he answers the door, expecting his father. But I feel a chill run through me when I hear someone else’s voice greet him.
No, it can’t be…
