But even as she thought that, she realized that maybe he didn’t care. He’d been avoiding her as strictly as she had him for the last couple of days. She’d heard him typing or muttering from behind the closed door of his office. But he hadn’t spoken to her since she’d handed him back the watch.
So where did that leave her?
“You know exactly where,” she whispered. “You’re in love with a man who doesn’t even know who you really are.”
A scratching at the back door caught her attention and Ivy gratefully shut down her self-pity party to check it out. She opened the door to a cool night, with a sharp wind racing through the trees and found a bedraggled dog staring up at her through huge, limpid brown eyes. One ear stood straight up, the other flopped over his head. His fur was matted over a well-defined rib cage telling Ivy that he hadn’t eaten in quite a while. He wasn’t wearing a collar, but he was sitting politely on the porch, watching her hopefully.
In a quiet, soothing tone, she asked, “Well now, who are you?”
The dog’s tail whipped back and forth across the porch and he regally lifted one paw as an offering.
Charmed, in spite of the dog’s straggly appearance, she reached out carefully to gently hold his paw before stroking the top of his head. He leaned into her touch as if hungry for the connection and Ivy’s heart melted.
“Poor baby. How long have you been on your own?”
Even as compassion swelled inside her for the poor little thing, anger blistered the edges of her heart as she realized just what had happened to this dog. She knew all too well that sometimes people from the city drove through the area and abandoned pets they could no longer keep for whatever reasons. It infuriated her that anyone could be so callous as to just drive away from what had been a member of their family. But she’d seen it too often to be surprised by the action.
“Bet you’re hungry, as well as lonely, aren’t you?”
The dog whined a little and she turned for the kitchen, in tending to get him food and water. She stopped abruptly when she ran into Tanner standing just behind her. She shrieked, then clapped one hand to her chest. “Seriously? You need to not do that to people. I’m going to have a heart attack before I’m thirty if you keep that up.”
“What is that?” he asked, looking past her to the dog.
“It’s a dog.”
He grimaced at her. “I know that. What’s it doing here?”
“Looking for food,” she said, with a glance back at the poor creature now staring up at Tanner. “And some company.”
“That’s probably the dog that’s been leaving his calling card on my lawn,” he muttered.
“Probably,” she agreed, and moved to stroke the dog’s head again, as if to make up to him for Tanner’s surly attitude. But the animal wasn’t interested in her attentions now. Instead, he stood up and walked straight to Tanner, then sat down again, placing one paw atop Tanner’s foot.
Typical of animals, it went directly to the one person who was less than happy to see it. Ivy couldn’t help smiling, despite the fact that she didn’t think the little dog was going to get much of a welcome reception.
She knew how it felt. There was no shining warmth in Tanner’s gaze for her, either. But then, they’d spent the last couple of days studiously avoiding each other, so what did she really expect? Shaking her head to dislodge the wayward thoughts, she focused instead on the dog and the man staring down at it.
“He likes you,” she said.
“He’s filthy.”
“And starving, no doubt,” she added, moving past the duo staring at each other with mixed looks of suspicion and curiosity. “His family must have dumped him here at least a week ago. Looks like he hasn’t eaten in days.”
“Dumped him?” Tanner asked, shooting her a look. “What?”
She dug around in a cupboard for two bowls. One she filled with fresh water and the other she carried to the counter. Shaving off a couple of generous slices of the freshly cooked pot roast, she broke them up in the bowl and then carried both offerings to the dog.
The animal glanced at them, but wouldn’t tear his gaze from Tanner to eat, regardless of the fact that he had to be desperate for food.
Ivy shook her head as she watched the little guy. He was no bigger than a medium-sized spaniel, but he looked even smaller thanks to the fact that he’d been scrounging for survival on his own. He must have been terrified, she thought sadly. New sights, new sounds, nothing familiar and no pack to turn to.
“City people,” she whispered with a shake of her head. “They drive out to the countryside and dump whatever pet they no longer want along the roadside. Then they take off again, leaving behind a poor animal who has no idea how to survive on its own.”
“What the hell kind of people would do that?”
She smiled at him, pleased that he was as outraged by the practice as she was. “You’d be surprised.”
“Don’t know why I would be,” he muttered, going down on one knee to study the dog more closely. “Mostly, people suck.”
“On this one point, I’ll agree.”
He flashed her a smile, then turned back to the dog.
Tentatively, he rubbed the animal’s head and smiled as the dog whined a little in appreciation of the affection. Then Tanner scooted the food bowl closer to him and watched as the animal politely ate what he’d been given instead of wolfing it down in huge, starved gulps.
“So, what am I supposed to do with him?” Tanner mused, reaching out to pet the dog again.
“You could call the pound,” she suggested, almost as a challenge, to see what his reaction would be. He didn’t disappoint her. “The pound?” He looked at her in astonishment. “Won’t they just put him down?”
Pleased at his response, Ivy said, “If he’s not adopted, then after a week or so, yeah, they would.”
“Well screw that.”
Ivy smiled to herself. She’d been wondering how the two of them would ever start speaking to each other again after they’d left everything so muddled and confused between them. Then this little dog had appeared and in their shared concern, that last night together was, if not forgotten, then at least set aside. For now.
She’d have to be honest with him eventually, tell him who she was and then she’d have to live with the knowledge that anything they might have had together was ended. But that was for another day.
Tanner King might not be very fond of people, she thought. But, as she watched him with the dog, she knew that he had a full and generous heart, no matter how he might pretend otherwise.
“Okay then,” she offered, “if you’re going to keep him, then we should take him to the vet and get him checked out. And buy him a leash and a collar.”
He shook his head slowly as the dog finished his meal and turned to Tanner, leaning up against him with a heavy sigh of relief at having been found and accepted. Laughing, Tanner said, “And shampoo. Definitely shampoo.”
The dog sighed with contentment again and stretched out on the kitchen floor, completely at home.
Tanner waited until just before Ivy was leaving for home to say, “Thanks. For helping with the dog. He probably hasn’t slept in a week. He’s practically unconscious.”
“He likes his new bed then?”
Tanner grimaced. “No. He likes my bed. Anyway, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She hitched her shoulder bag higher and looked at him.
Weren’t they being polite?
He hated that things were so strained between them. He hated that their incredible night together had ended so abruptly. Mostly, though he hated that they hadn’t repeated it. Just having her here in the house, Tanner’s body was taut and ready all the damn time. Now that he’d had her, the desire he’d felt, rather than being sated had only been enhanced. Now he knew what she felt like, tasted like and he wanted her again and again.
Hell, he could hardly draw a breath without inhaling her scent—real or imagined. His dreams were filled
with her and every waking moment was a study in torture. He had to find a way to get her back into his bed.
“About the other night,” he said.
“I know,” she said softly. “It was a mistake.”
He jolted. “A mistake?”
“God, yes,” she breathed. “It never should have happened, Tanner. It just makes everything so…complicated.”
That’s what he’d thought at first, too. That’s why he’d bought her the stupid watch. But it wasn’t. The mistake, he thought, was not making love to her again. “Doesn’t have to be,” he said, “it’s only complicated if we make it that way. If we just take it for what it is—”
She looked up at him and in the bright kitchen light, her eyes looked impossibly pure and deep. “Which is what?”
Her features were wary, and there was a shadow of regret in those beautiful eyes of hers. He didn’t know what she was thinking. How the hell could he? He knew what he wanted though. Now all he had to do was convince her that he was right.
“It’s two adults who want each other. Why does it have to be more than that?”
She laughed sadly and shook her head. “Because it’s not enough. Not for me.”
“It could be.”
“I don’t want it to be,” she countered quickly, then reached out to lay one hand on his forearm.
Heat skittered along his skin and Tanner sucked in a deep breath to calm the suddenly raging sense of need clawing at his insides. He took her hand in his and stroked his thumb across her knuckles until he saw her shiver in response.
He should have expected this. Ivy Holloway was not his usual kind of woman. She was home and hearth. She was the forever kind of woman, not the pick-her-up-at-a-club-and-forget-her-the-next-day type. Which meant Tanner was out of his element completely. He didn’t do forever. Hell, he barely did months.
But he wanted her in a way he’d never wanted anyone else. So who could blame him for trying to convince her to step out of her comfort zone and try something different.
“Why the hell not, Ivy?” He drew her in closer, needing to feel her in the circle of his arms. Her breasts pillowed against his chest and he wanted her more than his next breath. “We were good together. Great.”
“Yeah, we really were,” she said, swallowing hard as if she, too, were feeling the swamping flood of heat that was roaring through him. “That night was…really fabulous, Tanner. I mean that. But I’m just not the fling kind of girl, you know? Besides, there are other reasons why this should not be happening.”
He caught her scent and thought nothing in the world had ever smelled better than whatever the hell it was she used to wash her hair. Everything in him was hard and tight and desperate to hold onto her. He didn’t know what she was talking about, but as far as he was concerned, there was no good reason for turning your back on what they’d found together.
“I didn’t say this was a fling. Who says that anymore?” He gave her a slow smile filled with the promises of what he’d like to be doing to her at the moment instead of talking. When she didn’t respond, he said, “Fine. So I’m not talking about forever, but there’s no reason you have to label this—whatever we have—as a fling. I’m talking about now, Ivy. What we feel. What we want. What we could be to each other.”
“Yeah,” she said with a laugh that had no humor in it. “I get that. And that’s why I can’t. One of the reasons, anyway.”
“Give me another.” He ran his hands up and down her back and felt her move languorously beneath his touch.
“I work for you?”
“I could fire you.”
“You probably should,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she said and reluctantly stepped back out of his embrace. Turning her face up to his, she said, “I really can’t, Tanner. Trust me when I say one day you’ll understand.”
He didn’t know what was going on with her, but damned if Tanner could ever remember a time in his life when he’d had a woman turn him down so neatly. Along with taking a ding out of what some considered his too healthy ego, her rejection slapped at what he was feeling for her. Because if she was trying to pretend she wasn’t as turned on as he was, she was a liar.
“That’s bull, Ivy. I know what you’re feeling. I know you want me just as badly as I want you.”
“I really do…”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Tanner…”
“Look, if you’ve got something to say to me, say it now.”
“I should,” she said with a short nod. “I really should. But I’m not going to, because apparently, I’m a coward. Good night, Tanner.”
She left and he stood alone in the brightly lit kitchen watching her disappear into the darkness.
“You’re impossible, you know that, right?” Ivy shook her head as she stepped into the kitchen the following day.
“Can’t fault a guy for trying,” Tanner told her, watching her reaction as she looked around the room.
The watch hadn’t worked. He knew that, though he still wasn’t entirely sure why not. An expensive watch would have swayed not only his mother, but every other woman he’d ever known in a heartbeat. Ivy, though, was a whole different story. So he’d tried to keep that in mind when he set up this little surprise.
The dog barked and jumped at her in excitement, as if even he knew something special was going on.
Ivy turned in a slow circle, letting her gaze slide across the kitchen as she did so. Every surface was covered in flowers. He’d bought out Carol Sands’ shop, forcing her to close for the rest of the day to make a trip into the city to stock up fresh.
There were vases and bowls filled with roses and daisies and some kind of weird purple flower. There were ivy plants and orchids and even a few tulips. The scent in the room was overwhelming and the brilliant splashes of color were a feast for the eyes.
But all he had eyes for was Ivy.
“You like?”
She smiled and looked at him. “I’d be crazy not to like,” she pointed out. “But Tanner, you don’t have to make a big statement like this.”
He shoved both hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I saw your reaction to the watch, believe me, I know. At least, I’m learning.”
Ivy winced and walked toward him, trailing her fingertips across a dark peach rose. “I’m sorry, Tanner. But when you gave me that watch as if you expected it to buy your way out of an argument…”
“It always has before,” he told her, not ashamed to admit that he’d fallen back on tried-and-true in an attempt to heal the breach with her.
She shook her head again and smiled wryly. “What am I supposed to do with you?”
“I can think of a few things,” he said, reaching for her.
But Ivy stepped back, preventing his touch. “It wouldn’t solve anything, Tanner. Don’t you see that?”
“What’s to solve? I want you. You want me. End of story.”
“I wish it were that simple.”
“It could be. You’re making this harder than it has to be.”
“And now we’re having the same argument all over again.”
They were and that hadn’t been his intention at all. There was only one thing left to do. To say. “Ivy, I’m…sorry.”
She blinked at him, clearly surprised. Well, she wasn’t the only one. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d apologized to anyone. But as he’d already acknowledged, Ivy was different.
“Whatever’s going on between us, I want to fix it.”
Reaching up to cup his jaw briefly in the palm of her hand, she whispered, “Oh, Tanner. I don’t know if we can.”
Over the next few days, the tension between Ivy and Tanner only escalated. Neither of them broached the subject that seemed to hover over them. Ivy did her job, but there were no more shared moments while Tanner worked on his next project. She steered clear of him and he missed her interference.
Which only went to prove that he’d been r
ight about hiring her in the first place. And the next time he talked to Mitchell, he was going to tell his old friend that in no uncertain terms. If he’d never let Ivy into his life, then Tanner’s world would be just as it always had been. Quiet. Controlled. Orderly.
Well, mostly.
After all, Hairy was a part of his world now, too. And the dog had become such a part of Tanner’s routine, he could hardly remember life without the little mutt. A bath had lightened the dog’s fur color to a honey gold and a couple of good meals had already started filling him out.
Funny, when he was a kid, all Tanner had wanted was his own dog. Of course, moving from palatial hotel to hotel was no way of life for a dog of the kind he had wanted. A boy’s dog, not one of those purebred, prissy types older women and young girls carried around in their purses.
Yet, once he’d grown up and had his own place, he’d never once considered getting a dog for himself. It hadn’t seemed important anymore. Now, he couldn’t imagine why not.
Tanner and Ivy had taken the dog to the vet to get his shots and the news that in spite of being malnourished, Hairy was in surprisingly good condition. The vet guessed his age at about three and told Tanner that with love, good food and exercise, he should be perfectly fine in a week or so.
It took far less time than that.
Hairy had taken command of the glass and wood palace that Tanner called home. He slept on the designer couches, or Tanner’s bed, had his own food and water bowls in the kitchen and lay at Tanner’s feet while he worked. Ivy took him for a walk most every day when she arrived and sometimes, Tanner accompanied them. Those walks were quiet adventures though, since each of them not only refused to speak about what was between them—they also avoided even brushing up against each other. And the banked lust pulsing inside him was threatening to engulf him completely. But the damn woman was more stubborn than he’d have guessed.
She treated him as she would have an acquaintance. Someone she didn’t know very well and intended to keep it that way. There were no more easy smiles, no casual touches of her hand to his and no snooping in his office to see what he was creating next. Which was just as well, Tanner told himself since the game he was working on now starred an avenging angel with the face and figure of Ivy Holloway.
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