by Mia Ford
But she suddenly shoved him away.
“No.” She blurted out and when she looked up she saw the confusion on his face.
“What?” He asked, his voice reaching a quick high note. He was shocked at her reaction. She usually simply melted in his arms, he didn’t have to ask her twice.
Ivy remained silent, avoiding his gaze and biting down on her bottom lip, where Leon had been kissing her. How was she supposed to explain to him that she still yearned for him, that she still wanted him to kiss her? But she had to push him away.
“Fine. I’m not going to force you.” He said, in a menacingly angered voice, and he pivoted on the heels of his boots and was out of her room in a flash, banging the door shut behind him.
Ivy breathed in deeply, in an attempt to even her breath. She was afraid of breaking down, and afraid of crying. Because of what she had done, because of Archer, she had managed to push away the man that she cared for. The man who was the first one to make her feel good. The man who had taught her everything.
She flung herself on her bed, burying her face into the pillow again. There was nothing else for her to do but to wait and see what the next day would bring for her. One thing she was sure of was that she was going to avoid Archer Cooper like the plague.
Ivy woke up in her bed, covered in sweat. It was the middle of the night; the house was shrouded in silence and her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness.
She had been dreaming about Leon, about Archer, about them both.
She gulped and blinked up at the ceiling, realizing that she was wet between her legs. The dream was too realistic; it didn’t feel like a dream at all. She thought she was touching him, Leon or was it Archer?
When she shut her eyes close again, Leon’s somber face drifted up again. She could see him clearly, his brown eyes and sandy hair, with the cowboy hat on his head, riding his horse. Ivy couldn’t help but bite down on her lip. Her hips arched upwards as she writhed under the sheets. She had pushed him away when he visited her in her room, but the reality was that she was pining for him.
She knew how he tasted, how his mouth tasted on her lips. And now he was tracing down her skin, her throat, the top of her bare breasts with his wet tongue. He found her nipples and latched on to one of them, sucking on it hard with his slippery tongue. Ivy jerked her eyes open, she realized she had been pinching her nipples herself, and they were hard, ready. She shut her eyes again. Even though she knew this was wrong, it was unfair, she couldn’t stop herself. She had gone too far to turn back now.
Now it was Archer she was imagining. With his glistening, rugged muscles, covered with a film of sweat, his harsh muddy boots, his dick pulsating roughly against her thighs. Archer had laid her down on hay, and was licking her belly, down her navel, cupping her wetness with his hands. He was going to slide his fingers into her again. Ivy jerked her eyes open. She was breathing hard; her body was covered in sweat. She flung the covers off the bed, only to realize that her fingers had found her own wetness. She had been stroking herself, where Archer had stroked her that afternoon.
Ivy breathed in deeply. This was so wrong. She was dreaming about both the brothers. Archer and Leon. Leon and Archer. She shouldn’t have been. She should have remained true to Leon. But now, even with her eyes open, she could see Leon stripping down. She could see the way his dusty jeans fell to his ankles. He still had his hat on. His eyes were narrow and dark, focusing on her naked body, on her bouncing breasts, on her fully erect nipples. He had stripped down completely, naked and hung, he had started stroking himself.
She gasped in the silence of her bedroom, when she imagined Leon’s enormous dick. Or was it Archer’s?
Ivy jerked up in bed, yanking herself out of her dream. This had to stop. This was so wrong. She shouldn’t be interchanging the two brothers’ dicks! She had to choose. No. She shouldn’t have to choose. She should never have slept with Archer!
She realized that she was still wet between her legs, sticky and moist between her thighs where her nightdress had revealed it. She had pulled the nightdress up to her waist so that she was completely bare, exposed and ready for Leon, or Archer, to ravish her.
Ivy tried to steady her breathing. This had to stop. She had to tell Leon. It was going to be up to him to make a decision.
But she had seen the anger in his eyes when she had pushed him away. Leon was not an easy-going man. There was no way that he was going to simply forgive her for what she had done. He wasn’t just going to sit back and accept the fact that she had slept with his brother.
And now she was spoiled goods. Archer wasn’t going to accept her either. Now that he knew that she had been sleeping with his brother, in his mind he would think that she had tricked him.
Ivy gulped, licked her lips and tried to think straight. If she absolutely had to choose between the two of them…Leon was strong, handsome, had been the first man she slept with, he knew how to make her feel good. Archer was new, equally handsome, tall and rugged and knew how to please any woman. How was she supposed to choose?! Did she even have a choice?
Chances were that neither man would want her any more. Was it time for her to leave?
Her heart was beating fast, as she thought about the option of simply disappearing. She didn’t want to cause trouble between the brothers, and neither did she want to have to look at Leon’s face when she told him what had happened.
Her body was returning to its normal state now. Her heart had relaxed to a more even pace; her brain was now capable of thinking again. She was forcing herself to forget about the two brothers and their gorgeous bodies and focus instead on her possible options.
She would much rather leave the ranch than cause Leon to lose his calm. In fact, wasn’t that what she deserved anyway?
Ivy winced when she thought about leaving. Leaving this life where she had everything. Her work, the luxury, her studies, and most importantly a man who she trusted, who she had started to care for and who she felt safe with. This was what it had come to. She would have to give all this up, give up Leon, because of one moment of weakness.
But despite herself, Ivy couldn’t help smiling when she thought about that moment of weakness. It was one Hell of an orgasm and a little part of her, didn’t regret it so much.
Leon came into the kitchen the next morning for his breakfast, while Ivy was standing, leaning against the kitchen sink, chewing on a piece of buttered toast. Her mind was boggled. She was still day dreaming about the two men, and also trying to force herself to stop thinking about them. When she heard Leon’s, boots scraping the marble floor of the kitchen, she straightened herself with a jerk, ashamed of the thoughts that she had been having.
Leon was the one who seemed to be avoiding her gaze now, while she yearned to talk to him. She wished she could tell him everything, get it all off her chest. But he wasn’t in a mood to talk.
“Morning.” She dared to say, as she watched his tall brooding form, sit down at the kitchen table. He reached for the pot of jam in silence, lathering one of the toasts with it using a knife.
“Did you sleep well?” She asked, when he hadn’t responded to her.
“I slept alright.” He said, suddenly fixing his deep brown eyes on her. It made Ivy blush instantly. He was looking at her like he was challenging her, like he knew what she had been thinking. Like he knew she was lusting after his brother.
There was silence in the room, save for the sound Leon made while chewing his food. She could tell that he was upset about her behavior the previous night.
“Leon…” She said his name in a near whisper, but he didn’t look up at her.
“You don’t have to explain.” He said, like he didn’t mean it. He continued to chew on his food and stare at his plate in silence.
“But I want to.” She said, hearing the crack in her own voice. She was trying to build up the courage in her to say something, to tell him the truth.
“No, you don’t have to.” Leon snapped, focusing his eyes on her, which c
ommunicated exactly what he was feeling. She could see that he was hurt. That he hadn’t expected her to suddenly push him away like that, for no reason, out of the blue.
She knew Leon was still hurting. She remembered why he had moved to Montana, why he had bought this ranch, why he had chosen to live away from his family. She remembered the story about Vivienne, his redhead childhood sweetheart who had promised to marry him, but married his cousin, Michael instead.
A whimper escaped Ivy’s lips. She had turned into Vivienne, she had slept with Leon’s brother, she had essentially betrayed Leon the same way that Vivienne had.
She whipped around, to turn her face away from him, in silence, but she could feel her lips quivering.
“Ivy, you don’t have to explain. You should have just told me that you didn’t want me last night. I would have gone away without putting any pressure on you.” She heard him get up from his chair. He was walking towards her. She felt her muscles contract, her limbs grow cold, she was so ashamed of herself. She didn’t deserve his kindness. She had betrayed him and he didn’t even know it.
“Ivy, look at me.” She heard him say and then his hand was on her shoulder and he was trying to gently coax her to turn around, to turn to him.
She did, unable to meet his gaze, unable to actually look directly into his eyes. His harsh gaze had softened, he even had the flickering of a smile forming on his face.
“Hey, it’s alright. I’m not angry with you. You should have just told me.” He said, and he pulled her close to him. Ivy broke down, she bit down on her lip to stop herself from actually crying, but she couldn’t hold it back any more. This man was like a dream come true. He was so kind to her, so understanding and yet had no idea the way in which she had betrayed him. She didn’t deserve him; she didn’t deserve his generosity.
“Ok?” He said, pushing her gently away from him and looking into her eyes.
Ivy tried to force a fake smile on her face, and she nodded her head wildly, hoping that he would believe that she was only upset about her rude behavior the previous night.
“I’m sorry for pushing you. I shouldn’t have.” He said, whispering.
“No, you didn’t. I’m sorry I pushed you away.” She said, in a tearful voice.
“Don’t be silly. You have a right to push me away.” Leon said, and gave her his best full smile. Those sharp jaws, the high cheek bones stretched in a warm genuine smile and Ivy could feel her heart melting. She had given up all this, she had given up Leon!
“Now, back to work for me. And you should be getting on with your classes!” He said, in a sudden jolly voice. She tried smiling at him again as he turned from her and left the kitchen.
There was a harsh ray of sun filling the kitchen with a bright golden hue. Ivy turned and saw Leon leaving the mansion, through the kitchen window. She saw him walking confidently, his back straight, his shirt sleeves rolled up for the day, his cowboy hat on his head.
Ivy felt like crying again. She had betrayed him, his trust and done the very thing that he had been running away from. She had turned into his worst nightmare and done the one thing that he had never expected her to do.
Ivy knew she should be punished, she should leave the ranch. She knew she needed to go before she could cause any more harm or heartache to the man who had put all his trust in her. But before that, she would have to face Archer again. He had to take responsibility for it, just as much as she had.
Ivy found Archer lying on the field behind the house, a few hours later. He had his hat covering his face and seemed to be enjoying a sunny nap.
“You!” She thundered at him as she walked towards him like she was on a mission. She was wearing a long cotton dress, the bottoms of which were trailing in the dust but she didn’t care anymore. Her clothes were the last thing on her mind today.
Archer lazily lifted the hat off his face when he heard her voice, and blinked his eyes against the sun’s harsh glare.
“You!” Ivy repeated herself as she walked closer to him. She had lost her trail of thought when she saw him. How could she express her anger at a man who looked like that?
Archer was lying in the sun with his shirt off. His skin was glistening, tanned to the color of caramel, his washboard abs were hard and rigid as he bent his torso upwards to support himself on his elbows. She could see that he was assessing her again, with his usual dangerously blue eyes. His dark wavy hair fell over his forehead in a mess, one thick curl was over his right eye as he stared at her with an unwavering gaze.
He had noticed the way the blue cotton dress stretched fabulously over her big breasts. He was following the bounce of her hips with his eyes. She was curvaceous, small and had a big frame, and his eyes told her that was exactly what he liked looking at.
That devilish smile was still on his face as he watched her approaching him, the dimples dangerously close to appearing on his cheeks. He seemed to have forgotten their conversation in his room from the previous day. He didn’t seem to be concerned any more about what he had done.
“Are you offering fries with that shake?” He asked, just as Ivy came to a halt in front of him, folding her arms over her chest. She rolled her eyes at him, ogling his beautiful naked torso and at the same time, annoyed at his casual air.
“I’m glad to see that you don’t care anymore.” Ivy snapped at him and Archer smiled fully now.
“Care about what?” He asked, straightening himself to a full sitting position.
“That we have both betrayed Leon. He’s your brother, in case you’ve forgotten.” Ivy said, trying to narrow her large green eyes at him. But she kept getting distracted by his smoking body, and Archer knew that. He had caught her looking.
“Betrayed? Don’t be so dramatic, my dear Ivy.” He said with a short laugh.
“You were quite dramatic last evening too!” She snapped at him, still in disbelief that he could be this nonchalant.
“I was surprised that Leon was sleeping with you. In retrospect, it doesn’t surprise me. After all, we do have the same tastes as you can imagine. We’re twins.” Archer was still grinning, enjoying the way Ivy’s face lit up, from shame and anger.
He didn’t seem fazed. He seemed like he didn’t care, while Ivy was aware of what Leon’s reaction was going to be. She cared that she had betrayed him the same way Vivienne had.
“Well, I’m going to just leave then.” She said, whipping around. Archer had heaved himself up in one quick motion and pulled her towards him, so that Ivy landed with a thud on his glossy bare chest. Despite herself, how much she was mad at him, how angry she was with herself, she couldn’t help but admire the strength of his maneuvers, how absolutely smooth this man was.
“And just where do you think you’re going?” He asked, in a whisper, looking down at her face menacingly. Ivy jerked her arm away from him, her nostrils flaring. As sexy as this man was, he wasn’t going to be able to hold her back.
“I’m leaving this place. I don’t want to be a part of this. I can’t do this to Leon.” She said, finally managing to break free from Archer’s grip.
“Are you afraid of not being able to resist me?” He asked, flexing his muscles at her. He was standing with his feet apart, grinning at her, enjoying the fact that she couldn’t keep her eyes off his washboard abs.
Ivy rolled her eyes and whipped away from him. She was glad she had made this decision. She was glad that she was going away. Archer was right. He was a temptation. She knew how he could make her feel, how easily he could make her come. He wasn’t just a fine thing to look at. And she didn’t want to put herself in that position again, of betraying Leon.
“Just don’t tell him.” She said, suddenly remembering what she had come here to say to him. When she turned, she found that Archer was in the process of silently putting his shirt back on. He took in a deep breath as he slipped it over his shoulders. Ivy saw his muscles arch, his torso move, the dark trail of hair down his navel that disappeared into his jeans. She forced herself to look back up a
t his face.
“But I don’t keep any secrets from my brother, Ivy.” Archer said, with a teasing cruel look on his face. He seemed like he had nothing to lose. He knew his brother couldn’t fault him. He didn’t know Leon was sleeping with Ivy, she did. And she had chosen not to tell him.
“Please, don’t. Not till I leave.” Ivy said, gulping.
Archer shrugged his shoulders and gave out a short laugh. Ivy knew immediately what that meant. She had to leave the ranch, and soon. Before Archer told Leon, before the cat was out of the bag.
Ivy turned on her heels and started running towards the house. She still had a chance to make it. If she ran fast enough, she might still be able to get out of the house before Archer told Leon and he found her, and stopped her, and made her regret that she ever met him. Ivy was afraid, very afraid now.
Ivy threw her clothes into her bags, and was out of her bedroom door in a matter of minutes. She hadn’t even had a chance to look at herself in the mirror, or prepare herself otherwise for leaving the house. What she also hadn’t thought about, was how she was going to get to her own home. Her father’s house was several miles away, closer to the town center, which meant that she definitely wouldn’t be able to walk it there.
Her only option was to leave the ranch and start walking, after that she would have to try calling her father on her cell phone and hope that he would be able to drive over and pick her up. What else was there to do?
Ivy felt like a criminal, or someone who was trying to escape alive as she rushed towards the main door, carrying her bags in her hands, stumbling and rushing. She knew she had to stay strong. She had to make sure that she didn’t just burst into tears.
She had spent nearly seven weeks at this ranch. This place had soon become her home. And now she was going to leave this place forever.
Thankfully, she could sense that she was alone in the house. Neither Leon nor Archer were in yet, but she had a feeling that Archer had found Leon in the fields and now they were both on their way back to the house.