by Piper James
I owed it to Ivy for doing me this huge favor, sure, but I also couldn’t deny that something else was pushing me to bring the old girl back to life. It would make Ivy’s mom happy, which would make Ivy, herself, happy.
I tried to rationalize it all away. To convince myself I was just excited to finally have the chance to work on one of my bucket list cars. To tell myself that making Ivy happy was just a small victory in our ongoing battle of wills, that it would prove I was not the devil she seemed to think I was.
But the thought of making Ivy happy made my heart pound in my chest. Anticipating her smile of joy and gratitude made my breath hitch. The idea that finishing this car on time would soften her toward me—even the tiniest bit—brought a smile to my face I couldn’t suppress.
I thought about my texts to her earlier. I’d been teasing her with ridiculous pet names, hoping to clear the air between us after that disastrous date. When she’d responded back—calling me corn muffin and threatening to punch me in the junk—I’d been…elated.
Her silliness had told me all I needed to know, that things weren’t totally broken between us. That we’d be able to finish this ruse of an engagement, at the very least. I’d get Charity off my back, and things would go back to normal.
Normal. Did I really want that? Ivy going back to tossing barbed insults at me every chance she got, and me going back to exaggerating my player ways just to piss her off? Was that really where I wanted this whole thing to end up?
The stubborn half of my brain said yes. That Ivy and I were just too different, and we were destined to live as enemies once the act was over.
The other half? Well, it held out hope that we could somehow come out of this as friends. Or maybe more…
I shook my head to clear the crazy thought. There was no way that was ever happening. There was too much water under that bridge. We could never go back.
I went into my office to sit down at the computer and start my search for parts, but my brain refused to cooperate. My mind kept drifting back to the early days, when Ivy and I first met.
The first time Rafe had introduced me to his new coworker, I’d been a little dumbstruck at how gorgeous she was. Blonde hair, bleached by the sun, soft blue eyes, and those cute freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks made her look like she should’ve been wearing a wetsuit and carrying a surfboard.
I’d seen the interest in her gaze, the way her eyes roamed over me when she thought I wasn’t looking. I’d flirted with her, and she’d blushed, but her shy embarrassment hadn’t stopped her from flirting back. As she and Rafe grew closer, I found myself getting jealous—which I’d thought completely ridiculous. I’d grilled Rafe on their relationship, making it sound like sibling teasing, until I was satisfied that his only feelings for her were ones of friendship.
Then I upped the ante. I made my intentions clear. I could feel the sexual tension between us growing thicker and thicker, and just when I decided to go for it, something changed. Drastically.
One night, we were playing footsies under the dinner table. The next, Ivy had basically disappeared from my life. It seemed as if she’d started deliberately avoiding me, and when I finally saw her again, she was a completely different person.
She was cold and distant, and when I tried to break through and figure out what had happened, she turned hostile. I reacted poorly, lashing out to soothe my hurt feelings, and things had been that way between us ever since.
If she would’ve just told me what happened to change things between us, I might’ve been able to smooth it over. I would’ve apologized and used my charm to win her back, but I had no idea what I’d done.
I heaved a sigh and pushed the past away. I started tapping the keys on my computer, looking up part numbers for the items I’d need to fix the Bel Air. That was what I needed to focus on. Fixing that car, and upholding my end of the bargain.
“Hey, corn muffin.”
The voice startled me, and my rolling chair slid back a couple of inches as I jerked upright to see Ivy standing in the doorway of my office.
Like I’d conjured her.
“Hey, love monkey,” I said, giving her a wide smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I just got back into town after dinner with Mom. I saw the lights on, and thought I’d stop by to get your first impression of the car and see how much work it’s going to need. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course,” I said quickly, standing and moving toward her. “It’s definitely a beauty. Your dad did a good job.”
She gave me a misty smile, telling me I’d said the right thing. “He loved my mom, and he loved that car.”
“I can tell,” I said. “I’ve made a list of parts, and assuming I can find them all in a timely manner, I should be able to have her fully restored by the deadline.”
“Really?’ she asked, hope shining in her eyes.
I nodded. “Really.”
And I would, if it meant seeing that happy expression on her face again.
“Nate, are you in here?”
My entire body froze as I recognized the voice calling out from the front door. I met Ivy’s eyes, which were wide with question, and mouthed, “Charity Glasscott.”
“I came by to see what you’ve deci—oh. Hi.”
Her whole tone changed as she laid eyes on Ivy. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the full length of Ivy’s body before settling on her face. My palm settled on Ivy’s lower back, offering her support as well as showing Charity there was something between us.
Ivy’s hand dug into the pocket of her coat. After a couple of seconds, she withdrew it and wrapped the arm around my waist. I assumed she’d taken off the ring while at dinner with her mother, and was surreptitiously putting it back on for Charity’s benefit.
The weight of her arm across my lower back felt divine, and I had to clear my throat to speak.
“Ivy, this is Charity Glasscott. Charity, this is Ivy Anderson…my fiancée.”
As Charity seemed to choke on her own spit, Ivy unwound her arm from my waist and offered her hand to the conniving witch. Charity took it, giving it a small shake. Her eyes grew wide when they landed on the ring, and her face turned an unflattering shade of red.
“Nice to meet you, Charity,” Ivy said graciously before gently pulling her hand from Charity’s grip.
“Since when are you engaged?” Charity spat, all pretense of civility gone.
I opened my mouth to give her a snide answer, but Ivy beat me to it.
“Oh, it was so romantic,” she said, her eyes glistening with love as she looked up at me. “I know we’ve only been dating for a few months, but when he got down on one knee and told me I was the only one who would ever hold his heart, I had to say yes. And the ring.” She held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Isn’t it exquisite?”
“You never mentioned you were dating someone,” Charity accused, refusing to look at Ivy and the sparkly diamond she was waving around.
“I didn’t think I needed to explain myself to you. We barely know each other.”
“You know what I said I’d do…”
“And what is that?” Ivy cut in. “What is going on here, corn muffin?”
Her face was so utterly bewildered as she looked up at me, her tone so sweet, I was having a really hard time keeping a straight face. Ivy was an A-list actor, and I couldn’t have been more proud.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about, love monkey,” I cajoled, stroking a finger down her cheek. “Charity here just thought I was available because we were keeping our relationship under wraps like you wanted. Now she knows better. Isn’t that right, Charity?”
I looked back at the bane of my existence, and she glared at me with hot, savage anger. I started to say something else, but the words flew right out of my head as Ivy’s hand ran up the center of my chest. Her touch was like fire, sparking the embers of my lust to all-new heights.
When her fingers reached my neck, they curled around behind it and tangled in the hai
r at my nape. I’d never been so glad I’d put off getting a haircut before. Her grip tightened, and she pulled my head down, bringing our faces close together.
She locked gazes with me as her other hand fisted in the front of my shirt. She paused to take a deep breath, tilted her head, and sucked my bottom lip into her mouth. Her teeth grazed it lightly, followed by a soft sweep of her tongue, and I completely lost my shit.
My hands flew to either side of her neck, my thumbs stroking her jaw as I took control. My tongue delved into her mouth for the first time, and all rational thought deserted me. All I knew was Ivy tasted like peppermint and heaven, and I didn’t want to stop tasting her. Ever.
A small moan vibrated in her chest, making my dick stand up to attention. Before I knew what I was doing, I’d pushed her back against the nearest wall and hooked a hand behind her knee, pulling her thigh up by my hip so I could grind into her.
The fog of lust thinned when Ivy turned her head, breaking off our kiss. But it didn’t completely dissipate. Still enthralled, I planted a trail of hot, wet kisses across her neck before sucking her earlobe into my mouth and biting down gently.
“Nate,” she breathed, and it was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard.
I wanted to strip every scrap of clothing from her body and worship it for days. I wanted to run my tongue over every single inch of her to see if she tasted this good all over. My fingertips slipped under the hem of her shirt, teasing the soft skin of her waist before gliding upward.
“Nate, stop,” she said, her voice only slightly stronger than before.
But it was enough to jerk me back to my senses, and I froze. Ivy and I were both breathing hard, and I slowly disentangled my body from hers and took a small step back. Ivy stayed where she was, leaning against the wall for support as her face flamed with a bright red blush—whether it was from embarrassment or desire, I didn’t know.
“She left,” she said between harsh breaths.
“Who?” I asked, and Ivy’s expression turned incredulous.
“Charity. You know, the person we were putting on that little show for?”
“Oh, right,” I said, looking over to see she was right.
Charity was gone. And I’d honestly forgotten she was ever there. And that was something to analyze later, because I looked back to see Ivy edging toward the door. The rational side of my brain knew her leaving would be for the best—the smart thing to do—but the irrational side ruled by my cock wanted to shove her back against that wall and finish what she started.
“Well, hopefully that worked,” she said, her voice a little too bright for my liking. “Maybe she’ll leave you alone now. I have to go. Talk to you later.”
Then she was gone, and I was left alone to figure out what in the hell just happened.
16
Ivy
Holy shit. What the fuck?
My brain was still in panic mode when I barged into my apartment and slammed the door closed behind me. I paced around the living room, my heart pounding a staccato beat as I wrung my hands together and silently questioned my sanity.
That was not supposed to happen.
Charity showed up, and I decided to play my part as Nate’s loving fiancée—which required touching him, almost intimately, for her benefit. And I was fine with that. I’d expected it to come to that.
What I didn’t expect was the heat that filled me as I ran my hand up Nate’s chest, my fingers caressing every ridge and hollow. I didn’t expect to feel his heart speed up as my palm glided over it, or to catch that little hitch in his breath when my fingers tangled in his hair.
And I didn’t expect the entire world to melt away when our lips met.
One second, I was putting on a show for the bitch blackmailing Nate. The next, I was sandwiched between his chest and a wall, practically dry-humping him as he kissed me with what seemed like several years’ worth of pent up passion.
It was overwhelming. It was exhilarating. It was the sexiest fucking kiss I’d ever experienced. Yet, here I was, alone in my apartment, filled with nervous energy as I paced with uncomfortably soaked panties.
I’d almost turned around three times during my drive home. My body urged me to go back and beg Nate to finish what he started. To give me that release that I knew would be epic. If the expertise of his mouth was any indication, that man would be a master in bed.
My train of thought led me down a dark road, bringing me to only one conclusion—Nate was that good because he’d had a lot of practice…like sex against the bathroom wall at Hero’s kind of practice.
And just like that, the heat inside me evaporated. What had I been thinking? Of course, I shouldn’t have stayed, allowing myself to sleep with Nate. It would’ve been a disaster.
Because while sex with him would have been something special to me, it would’ve been nothing but another Thursday night for Nate Walton.
I checked the time on my phone. It was only nine p.m., and I knew Jessa sometimes went out for girls’ night on Thursdays with Karly and Felicia. I pulled up our group chat and sent a message.
Me: Hey are you guys out tonight? I could use a drink and some girl talk.
I walked into my bedroom and stripped out of my clothes before striding to the bathroom and turning on the shower. I needed to get the feeling of Nate’s mouth and hands off of me before I drove myself crazy.
My phone chimed a few times, and I smiled as I read the messages.
Felicia: We’re at The Bullpen. Jessa’s working, but she can take a break when you get here.
Karly: Hurry up. I’ve got a margarita with your name on it, but I WILL drink it if you don’t get here soon.
Felicia: Please hurry. If Karly drinks any more tequila, she’ll be dancing on the table, and Jessa will have to kick us out.
Karly: It could happen.
Felicia: It has happened.
Me: I’m just hopping in the shower, but I should be there in thirty.
I set the phone down on the counter, twisted up my hair so it wouldn’t get wet, and climbed into the shower to begin scrubbing the remnants of Nate’s touch from my body.
“Hey Ivy,” Karly shouted as I neared the table.
She stood up and wrapped her arms around me, and it wasn’t until that moment I realized how badly I needed that hug. Felicia stood, too, hugging me as soon as Karly let go. Once we were all seated, I looked over at the bar and caught Jessa’s eye. She gave me a little wave, then held up one finger to indicate she’d be over in a minute.
I turned back to Karly and asked, “Where’s my margarita?”
“She drank it,” Felicia said, rolling her eyes.
“In my defense, it was getting all melty and watered down,” Karly said. “Don’t worry, I told Jessa to bring you a fresh one.”
“Hey, Ivy. Here you go.” I looked up to see Jessa setting a frosty drink down in front of me before sliding into a chair. “So, what’s going on?”
I pulled my left hand from where I’d been carefully hiding it in my pocket and slammed my palm down in the center of the table. The girls seemed startled at first…before they noticed the ring.
Karly and Felicia’s eyes rounded comically, but I noticed Jessa didn’t seem surprised at all.
“You knew?” I asked.
She nodded. “Rafe told me about you and Nate.”
“Nate,” Karly squealed. “As in, Nate Walton?”
Felicia zeroed in on what Jessa had said. “You knew, and you didn’t tell us?”
Jessa held up her palms. “Not my story. Not my place to tell.”
“How did this happen?” Felicia asked. “I thought you couldn’t stand him.”
“I’ll tell you everything, but you have to swear not to tell anyone. And I do mean anyone. If this gets out, it would be a disaster.”
“You can trust us,” Karly said, already leaning forward over the table with an anticipatory gleam in her eye.
“We won’t tell a soul,” Felicia promised, looking just slightly less intrigu
ed.
I leaned forward and motioned for Jessa and Felicia to do the same, so we practically had our heads together. I told them about Charity and her threats against Nate and his business. I told them about our deal, our date at Hero’s, and everything that happened tonight.
By the end, Karly was fanning herself. Felicia eyed me critically, and Jessa stared at me with compassion. Only she knew the truth behind why I hated Nate and the significance of him taking me to that restaurant, of all places.
“So, let me get this straight…you’ve hated him for years, but one kiss had you ready to get him naked and jump his bones?” Karly asked.
“Pretty much,” I admitted.
“So, why didn’t you?” Felicia asked, tilting her head. “If there’s no feelings involved, it would’ve just been sex. And from the sound of it, hot sex.”
“But he’s not her type,” Karly cut in. “Remember? She said she likes blonds.”
“He’s obviously her type if a kiss had her climbing him like a tree, Karly,” Felicia said, arching a dark brow at me as she spoke.
I looked at Jessa, and she gave me an encouraging nod. She knew what I was asking, if I should tell them the real deal about my feelings for Nate. Honestly, I wanted to tell them everything.
“So, I kind of lied before,” I started.
“Lied about what?” Karly asked.
“I don’t really go for tall, skinny blonds. I only said that because it was the opposite of Nate Walton. He is one hundred percent my type.”
“Why did you think you needed to lie to us?” Felicia asked, her expression inquisitive, but not hurt or angry.
“Because I was denying my feelings,” I said.
I went on to tell them the same story I’d told Jessa at her Halloween Party. How the sexual tension I’d felt between Nate and I in the beginning led me to believe we could have something. How I’d followed him to the bathroom at Hero’s that night and found him sexing up some waitress. How I’d turned bitter and hateful toward him, lashing out any chance I got until it became habit.