Hold Me Close, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 7)

by J. H. Croix

  He carried her into the shower, tossing the blanket to the floor as they stepped through. Hot water appeared as if by magic. Ivy’s engineer brain realized he must have a system direct to this shower that was motion activated, as the lights were. In seconds, she was standing under the scalding hot water with his hands sliding soap over her skin. His touch was practical and soothing at once. He was quiet, and she didn’t want to talk either. All she wanted was to enjoy every minute of this. When he soaped between her thighs, she felt a subtle sting. His eyes flicked to hers. “Okay?”

  “Uh huh,” she managed. “Just a little sore.”

  A flush of embarrassment rose within. Losing her virginity definitely wasn’t like learning to drive. His seemed to sense her reluctance for further talk and nodded. Moments later, he handed her a fluffy towel and she dried off. This was the part she hadn’t considered. She’d had this crazy idea they’d do this thing and then it would be over, and the wild, pounding need he drew from her would be sated for once and for all. The satiation was fleeting, and the intimacy of tonight hung around them.

  As she stood there wondering what to do, he saved her by curling his hand around hers and tugging her to his bed. He lifted the blanket above them, cool air rushing over her skin as it drifted down. A chill raced through her, but he curled on his side and tugged her firmly against him. His heat immediately warmed her. With her body humming still from the pleasure he wrought, she slowly fell asleep.

  Chapter 10

  Owen strode quickly down the hallway at Off the Grid. As he passed by Derek’s office, he heard his name and came to an abrupt stop. He took a few steps back and leaned through Derek’s doorway. “Yeah?”

  “Any word on the status of the project we sent to assembly?” Derek asked.

  “Yup. Should have a prototype ready by next week.”

  Derek nodded quickly. “Got it.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, Owen couldn’t help but ask, “Anything else?”

  Derek glanced from his computer screen back up to Owen. “Nah. I was actually wondering about that, but more curious to see if you were paying attention.”

  Owen took another step into Derek’s office and crossed his arms over his chest. “And why’s that?”

  “Because you’ve been half out of it for days now. You’re getting plenty done, but not paying much attention to anyone. What gives?”

  Owen beat back the annoyance rising inside. Derek was on point, and Owen knew precisely why. Ever since he’d gone completely mad and decided there was some chance he could get Ivy out of his system, he’d been facing the brutal truth that he was now at the mercy of the wild, powerful connection between them. He’d been stupid enough to think perhaps a few nights with her would flush the pounding need for her clear out of him. Instead, he’d hardly been able to stop thinking about her since the other night. Even worse, the idea that they were somehow going to move past what happened to a platonic, collegial friendship was ridiculous. Simply thinking about it made him angry. Because if there was one thing he knew now, all he wanted was more.

  More of her dewy skin, her abandoned response to him, the feel of her channel clenching around him, her lips under his, the amber fire of her eyes flashing…and hours and hours of engineer-speak. God, he loved talking to her. She was flat brilliant and so damn passionate about her research. It was like intellectual sex, definitely a first for him, just as the other night was the first time he’d experienced sex that went beyond the physical—a melding of body and mind. The fleeting concerns he’d dismissed beforehand—the logistical concern about her virginity and the practical concern about how to graciously get past any awkwardness—had turned out to be inconsequential. However, he’d completely underestimated what it would be like to actually be skin to skin with her, to feel the depth of connection between them beating as if it had a heart of its own.

  Back to Derek’s point. Yeah, Owen was distracted. He’d thrown himself into work the last few days and knew he might be coming across as snappy at points. Work was his refuge. Complicating his distracted state further was Ivy’s presence at Off the Grid. He was being scrupulously polite and constantly fighting, full on internal battles, with himself to keep from slamming the door to her office and taking her against the wall, on the table, against the windows and so on. His mind spun back to the other morning and waking up beside her. He tended to sleep lightly, yet falling asleep with Ivy’s luscious body curled up against him had been a heaven he’d never imagined. He’d slept so deeply, he’d been disoriented when he woke. His body hadn’t been the least bit disoriented as he woke up rock hard and ready for more.

  Derek cleared his throat, and Owen realized he’d been standing there zoning out. What the hell had Derek asked? Oh right, he wanted to know why Owen was so distracted. Startling himself, he was completely honest. “It’s Ivy.”

  Derek arched a brow and turned fully away from his computer. Being the good friend he was, he didn’t tease just now. He nodded to the door behind Owen. “Close the door,” he said.

  Owen reached behind him and gave the door a push, just enough for it to swing shut. He walked to Derek’s worktable and sat down in the chair across from Derek, running a hand through his hair and leaning back.

  Owen wished Derek could save him from trying to stumble through how to explain the mess in his brain. Instead, Derek went straight to the heart of the matter. “Right. Ivy. What about Ivy?”

  Owen angled his head to the side and rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it enough I admitted it? What do I need to explain?”

  Derek cracked a laugh, his grin fading quickly when he saw the pained expression on Owen’s face. “Okay, fine. I guessed right. You like her. No need to go into the gory details, but what’s the problem? I’m not all about romance, but if there was ever a woman perfect for you, it’s Ivy Nash.”

  Owen leaned his head back with a sigh. “The problem is she makes me crazy. I don’t like being distracted like this. I don’t know what the hell to do about her and…” His words ran out, and he shook his head.

  Derek was quiet for a few beats. He angled his head to the side, idly twirling a pencil between his fingers. “Your work doesn’t seem to be affected, if anything, you’re like a madman. It’s just you’re a bit cranky with everyone around you. Maybe you should stop thinking so damn much about it. You like her. Go with it.”

  “Go with it?”

  Derek nodded. “Yup. For once in your life, stop trying to compartmentalize everything personal. Far as I can tell, Ivy’s in as bad as you. It’s kinda funny how you both just bury yourselves in research as an escape. I’m not even trying to be funny. I’ve known you long enough to know what I see. You like her, and she likes you. Stop worrying about keeping it clean. Maybe you’ll be better off if you let some steam off anyway.”

  Owen stared at Derek for a long moment before shrugging. “I’ll take that on advisement.”

  Derek chuckled. “Do that. Try being nicer to everyone while you’re at it.”

  Owen pushed back his chair and stood, managing to laugh for the first time in a few days. “Working on it,” he said over his shoulder as he exited Derek’s office.

  Instead of heading to wherever the hell he’d been going, and damn if he could recall, he turned back in the direction where he’d come from and stopped in front of Ivy’s office. She was angled away from the door, her hair tied up in another loose knot atop her head. He rapped lightly on the glass door and opened it as soon as she glanced over and waved him in. He locked the door behind him and tapped the button that levered the vertical blinds over the glass closed. Ivy spun in her chair, her eyes widening slightly. This was the first time since the weekend that he’d allowed himself to be alone with her because being alone with her was downright dangerous.

  She wore a bulky red sweater over a pair of leggings. As he’d come to learn was common, she’d kicked her boots off, and they lay on the floor by her worktable. Her socks were bright red to match her sweater. For some reason, thi
s small detail made his heart squeeze. He walked straight to her and leaned over, his hands resting on the arms of her chair. Getting this close fuzzed his brain, the scent of her wafted over him. He could see her pulse fluttering in her neck. He forced himself to hold still for a moment. The moment immediately got shorter when she bit her lip—the sight of her teeth denting the plump cushion of her bottom lip undid him. He carefully took her glasses off and set them on the table before dipping his head and kissing her.

  Kiss didn’t quite capture what passed between them—scalding hot, raw need poured through him when her tongue slid sensuously against his. He yanked back, searching her eyes. She closed them and swallowed.

  “I can’t think when you do that,” she whispered into the silence loaded with the weight of their need. “You’ve hardly talked to me and I don’t know…”

  “I know. I’m sorry. This isn’t what I thought it would be.” His rough whispered reply startled him. This was the second time today he’d shocked himself with his honesty.

  She opened her eyes, meeting his. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t really know, but I know I don’t want to keep trying to steer clear of you. I want…” He paused, trying to clarify what it was that he wanted. “You.”

  The single word fell into the space between them. Her eyes widened and her breath came in short pants. “Does that mean you’re going to hardly talk to me anymore?”

  He shook his head. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but trying to keep her in a corner in his mind was hell. He was going to take Derek’s advice, not because of Derek, but because it felt right. “No. I think it’s better if I stop avoiding what I want.”

  She swallowed again, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. “Okay. So what does that mean?”

  “This.” He leaned closer and curled his hand around her hips, lifting her up into his arms and against him. Her legs reflexively wrapped around his hips, and he gloried in the feel of her heat against his cock. Every second he was near her, he was fighting an erection. It was pure relief to stop worrying about it. With the wall conveniently right there, he spun around and eased her back against the wall before diving into another kiss.

  He poured everything into her mouth—the pent up need burning and yearning inside of him. She didn’t hold back, throwing herself into their kiss, which got rougher and hotter with every stroke and nip. He pulled back and shoved her sweater up, grinning at the sight of her barely there bra. She was so practical when it came to her clothes, he loved that no one would guess her tendency toward sheer lace lingerie that was so decadent it hardly passed for doing its job. With one hand gripping her hip and holding her in place against him, he used the other to trace circles around the tight peaks of her nipples, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger and reveling in her soft gasps. He yanked her sweater over her head and flicked the clasp between her breasts, groaning at the sight of her pink nipples. He let the reins loosen more when he dipped his head and drew one and then the other into his mouth, biting down softly before he pulled back.

  “Owen, we can’t…”

  “Can’t what?”

  “We’re in the office and it’s the middle of the day!” she whispered fiercely, her cheeks stained with a pink flush.

  He was so far gone, he truly didn’t give a damn. But he wasn’t stupid either. “I didn’t just close the blinds. I locked the door. Hardly anyone comes down here anyway. As far as everyone knows, my schedule says I’m tied up on a conference call.”

  Her eyes stared back at him. He could practically see her fighting with herself. “Well, shouldn’t you be on the conference call then?” she asked, biting her lip again.

  He couldn’t help but arch into the warm shelter of her hips, his cock hardening further at the feel of her damp heat against him. He shook his head. “No, I shouldn’t. I can hardly think. I just need a little of…” He paused and dragged his thumb back and forth over a nipple before sliding it down over the curve of her belly, under the waistband of her leggings and over the damp silk of her panties. “…this. Then, maybe I can think straight.”

  Her eyes fell closed on a moan as he dragged a finger back and forth over the silk, before shoving it out of the way and delving into her folds. Her head fell against the wall as he slid one finger and then another into her channel. She was so wet, he almost came at the feel of her on his fingers. Within seconds, her channel was clenching with her hips rolling into his touch. He could sense she was holding back.

  “Ivy,” he whispered roughly.

  Those gorgeous eyes opened, her lids at half-mast.

  “Just let it happen.”

  He swirled his thumb over her clit with the next surge of his fingers, and she bit her lip as she cried out, her head falling to the wall again.

  Ivy dragged her eyes open to find Owen’s bright blue gaze waiting for her. She’d gone and lost her mind, letting him drive her wild with his fingers in her office like that. In her office! Part of her thought she should be mortified, but under the warmth of his gaze, she didn’t feel anything other than satisfied. He slowly slipped his hand out and eased her down. When he stepped away, she sensed he intended for her to be the only one who walked away from this with release. She was finding Owen made her greedy. She wanted more, and she wanted him to find the same satisfaction she just had. She reached for him, swiftly unbuttoning his jeans and sliding her hand inside.

  “Ivy, you don’t have…”

  “Oh shut up.” She felt emboldened and reckless, a feeling she was coming to associate solely with Owen.

  She curled her palm around the heated length of him before shoving his jeans and briefs down, just far enough to free him. Before he had a chance to say anything else, she spun around, pushing him against the wall and leaning forward to take him in her mouth. He groaned, and she grinned when she heard his head slam against the wall behind him. She savored the silky feel of his skin under her tongue as she explored him. He gripped her hair as she settled in—alternating between bringing him into her mouth, curling her fist around his length and exploring every inch of him with her tongue. He tasted sweet and salty, and she wanted more. She felt her channel clenching in response to his low groans. She took him deeper into her mouth and settled into a rhythm with her palm curled loosely around him. With a growl, he gripped her hair as his body went taut, his release spurting into her mouth. She slowly drew back and looked up at him.

  He lifted his head and stared down at her. The air between them tightened, the same powerful wash of intimacy she’d felt with him the other night shimmering around them. She almost couldn’t bear it and broke away from his gaze as she slowly stood. Surprising her, he pulled her close to him, brushing her hair, which had fallen loose in the midst of this madness, away from her face. He leaned his forehead to hers. “Thank you,” he said, his voice gruff.

  She leaned back. “I think I’m supposed to thank you first.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “I guess I didn’t expect that.”

  “I didn’t expect any of this, so…”

  He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, she couldn’t quite read his gaze.

  “I suppose we should get back to work,” she finally said.

  He nodded slowly, easing his hold on her waist. They tugged their clothes back into place. She started to tie her hair up, pausing at the sound of his voice.

  “Leave it down,” he said.

  When she stared blankly at him, he spoke again. “Please.”

  Uncertain how to respond, she dropped her hands and sifted them through her hair, tidying it. He walked to the door and paused beside it.

  “Can we have dinner again?” he asked.

  She nodded before she even thought about his question. Because, the truth was, she couldn’t even fathom saying no to anything he asked.

  Chapter 11

  Ivy nearly jumped out of her chair when George bounced into her lap from the windowsill. “George! You startled me!” she ex
claimed as she glanced down to pet him.

  Ginger laughed from over by the refrigerator where she was putting away groceries. “He still scares me sometimes. He’ll be hanging out chillin’ and all the sudden, he’s in my lap.”

  Ivy stroked George’s silky gray ears as he settled into her lap. “How was your day?” she asked.

  Ginger had arrived home a few minutes behind her. Ivy had just finished helping her lug groceries in from her car. Ginger closed the refrigerator and lifted her hands to brush her hair away from her face and pull it into a knot. She sat down across from Ivy with a sigh. “Long. We had student planning meetings all day today.”

  “Oh, how often do you have to do those?”

  Ginger shrugged. “Once a year unless something needs to be tweaked. Since I’m the only speech therapist at the school, if a student gets speech therapy, I’m involved. After today, I only have a few annuals left. Anyway, enough about me. How about you? What’s up at Off the Grid?”

  Ivy’s mind flashed to the last few days, and heat rolled through her. Ever since Owen had nearly melted her into a puddle in her office the other day, things had been much better between them. The simmering tension was still present, but there was an outlet now. They’d yet to have the dinner he’d asked her about, but she hadn’t really thought about it. Stolen kisses were getting her through her days.