Often (Iron Orchids Book 4)

by Danielle Norman

  “The detective called me.”

  “Why?” I asked, still confused by this entire situation.

  “Why? Because I’m in love with you.”

  “Huh? How did you know I was here?” Okay, I was losing it. I was on replay.

  “Leo, did you hear me? I’m in love with you.” He stepped forward and gripped my shoulders with both of his hands and squeezed them. The thin fabric of my shirt was doing nothing to defend me against the warmth of his hands, and my skin burned under his touch.

  Fuck.

  He really just said he loved me.

  I met his gaze, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. I had been through too much. “I must say that you have a funny way of showing it. So what? I’m proven innocent, and now you’re in love with me? How am I to believe you? More than that, why should I care? If I’ve learned one thing from your family, it’s that you stand by those you love. Hell, even Sophie and Ariel—two people who weren’t allowed to interact with me for fear of jeopardizing their husbands jobs—sent letters and messages via Stella and Katy. Kayson and Carter thought it was better to stay on the inside and try to solve the problem then going against it. Hell, Piper found me and led me in the right direction. But you? You who I gave so much to, more than you may even realize…” He’d had my whole heart for my whole life and he’d given up on us. “You left me.”

  “I didn’t.”

  I pressed my eyes closed and swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to calm my nerves. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest that it was almost painful to catch my breath. My knees shivered, and I didn’t think I could stand any longer. I was so exhausted. I didn’t think I had any energy left to fight him. Biting my bottom lip, I counted...one, two, three.

  “It was a setup. The detective suspected you were innocent, and then after you called in Aiden’s accident and my phone showed no text and yours did...well, pieces started falling in to place. I agreed to allow him to have a recording app put on my phone. Whenever my phone was turned on, it took a screenshot of who was using it and then tracked the key pad.”

  “But it wasn’t Taylor.” I took a step back. His efforts—if he wanted to call it that—were all for naught.

  “I know that now, we caught her being a bitch, a petty bitch. She wasn’t at my house for any other reason than for me to try to get information for the detective. That was it. If you don’t believe me, talk to Mana. She’ll tell you all about it. Please...” Ian’s gaze locked with mine, and his sincerity almost broke the walls that I was barely starting to build.

  His voice was so soft as if he was afraid it would break me if he raised his tone. “I’m in love with you. You can’t tell me you don’t feel something for me.”

  “I don’t have time for any of this.” I jerked back from his touch. “Yes, I’m innocent. Yes, everyone knows that now. But my world is still falling apart.” I sobbed as the words finally escaped my mouth. Tears flowed down my cheeks, and the look on Ian’s face made me sob harder. Moving his hands, he cradled my face and bent so he was looking me in the eyes. My vision was clouded with tears, but the concern on his face was a clear message that he was not going to let me get away so easy.

  “Shh...” he hummed, wiping the tears off my cheeks. “I understand. I understand everything. If there is something I don’t, then make me. You have my ears, my heart, and my body. I’m yours, Leo.”

  “You aren’t mine, and I am not yours.” With my fists clenched and held to my sides, I took quick, large footsteps away from Ian. I knew that he’d catch up to me in no time, but I had to try to get away. It didn’t matter if I had to walk all the way to my apartment building. I didn’t care.

  When I reached the crosswalk, he pulled me back, twirling me so that I was facing him.

  “Leo, please, we can talk about this.”

  “You don’t understand, Ian. Please let me go.” I pressed my hands on his chest, desperate for space knowing that it wouldn’t take him long to break the walls. “I’m moving.”

  “Moving? Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I need a fresh start. My reputation is ruined. I can’t go back to my job. Even if I could, how do I know the next thing that happens won’t have everyone turning their eyes to me. That they won’t put me on leave without pay again. I can’t pay my rent.”

  “I paid it.”

  My eyes widened. “You paid my rent?”

  Ian nodded.

  “You felt sure enough about me to pay my rent, sure enough about me to be part of this secretive takedown with the detective, but not sure enough to trust me with that information? Who the fuck are you, because you aren’t the man that I fantasized about all these years. You do thoughtful, romantic shit, but you don’t actually believe it. If you did, then you would have told me about all of this.”

  “Leo, the detective told me not to tell anyone, even you, so I didn’t. You may not get this because the majority of the world doesn’t have this kind of responsibility, but I live in a world where if I’m told something, I could go to jail if I repeat it. I will never be able to tell you everything that goes on at my job. Please tell me that you understand this. Please, Leo. This is important to me, it’s important to us.”

  “Ian, I—”

  “Please, can I finish?”

  I nodded, biting back the apology I wanted to give him. I did understand the position he was put in. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t think it was fair, but life was rarely fair.

  “I knew that you were innocent because I was with you that first night and because I’ve known you most of my life. The only thing that I’m guilty of and I’ll admit it, is that it took me too damn long to see you, gorgeous, beautiful Leo. And for that, I’ll never forgive myself. God, I am so fucking in love with you.”

  That was the second time he’d said the words, and I was still trying to wrap my brain around it. We were standing in public, outside the sheriff’s station, and Ian Christakos was defending his love for me. It was as if I’d been on this tilt-a-whirl for the past six weeks and with three little words, he brought the ride to a halt, opened the door, and was helping me to get the fuck off.

  “You love me?” Not original, but it was all I could think of at that moment.

  “Yes, I love you.”

  “I can stay a little longer in my apartment?” Okay, I was sounding like an idiot, but this was a lot to take in.

  “You won’t lose your apartment. But I wouldn’t mind if you let your apartment go and you moved in with me.” His tone had turned husky, making my stomach plummet as a tingling sensation traveled down my spine.

  “But you live in suits. I’m a grease monkey. You work in a glitzy office while I bathe in sweat all day,” I said before biting my bottom lip as I stared at his slightly parted mouth. I loved the thought of being with this man, but we were so different and from such different worlds.

  “Well, I can always fix that.”

  “I’m not going to change. I like being a mechanic.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant. I meant that I can always get out of the suit, shower with you, scrub you...”

  I groaned as he painted the enticing image in my head. He pressed his mouth gently to mine, leaving me breathless. It was a soft and tender kiss, the kind that made sinful promises.

  God, I loved this man.

  He was still kissing me as the people around us started applauding and cheering, and his lips pulled into a smile against mine.

  “That sounds tempting, when?” I buried my face against his chest, too embarrassed to look at the people who seemed to be having the time of their lives watching the show we were putting on. I was dumb to think I was in a friggin’ eighties movie, this was more of a romantic comedy.

  “Anytime you want, babe.” Ian planted a kiss on my hair, making my heart melt.

  “I’ll be right back.” I held up my hand and pushed away from Ian and away from the crowd of onlookers, who were making lighthearted remarks like “get a r
oom” or “take it elsewhere.” I think someone had even yelled, “Bone her.”

  I crossed the street heading for Queen’s Gold, Ian following behind me.

  Pushing the door open, I immediately saw Coco. “What can I do for you?” The expression on her face was blank and untrusting, which was almost the same as the morning I’d met her. It was only her protective shield and under it was a woman who probably cared far, far too much.

  “I just came by to say thank you.” I took a few steps forward and held out my hand. But she stepped back and stared at me absently.

  “I have no clue what you are talking about. You must have me mistaken for someone else. Why don’t you head on back to your side of town?”

  The words were indifferent, but something in Coco’s stance had relaxed. I paused, smiled at her, and knew that people who judged a book by its cover were missing out on tons of wonderful stories. Coco was one of those wonderful stories.

  Playing along, I backtracked. “You’re right. My mistake.” With a faint smile, I turned on my heels and allowed Ian to guide me toward the door. At least I got to say what I had to say. I would never forget what she had done for me.

  When we stepped out of the shop, I stole one last glance at Coco through the glass windows and caught the smile on her face.

  I beamed at her and nodded.

  Yep. Coco was definitely a wonderful story.

  22

  Leo

  Ian opened his car door for me and helped me in, snatching a kiss as I slid past him. “Do you mind if we swing by your apartment and grab a few things then head to my house?”

  “Like what? Or should I ask for what?”

  “Well, I’m thinking you should probably grab your cat and some clothes. That way, we can lock ourselves away for a few days and not have to worry about anything. I’ve called into work and asked for some time off. I have tons of vacation.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I want you to myself for a little while.”

  His words did something to me, and I couldn’t put a word to it, but it warmed me throughout. When we got to my apartment, I hurriedly packed some things, filling the boxes that I had already put together. A half hour later, I was trying to orientate Throttle to her new digs, and Ian was trying to get me out of mine.

  “She’s fine, leave her.”

  “Give me a minute.”

  “Come on.” Ian pulled at the hem of my shirt.

  I swatted his hand away as I made my way to the kitchen and filled her bowl with water. But I couldn’t move because he was pressed into my back. Well, he was pressing his hard erection into my back.

  “She’s fine. I’m not.” He tugged on my hand and set the bowl down, and then I allowed him to pull me through his house and up to his bedroom.

  He kicked off his shoes as he fumbled his way to the bed. I craned my neck to look up at him just in time to catch a glimpse of his eyes before he kissed me. The hunger in them had grown to a desire-filled spark that reflected my own.

  Between all-mouth-consuming kisses, I blurted, “Why do you like me?” The question had been whittling away at my subconscious for days. I had never been able to understand why Ian, this handsome creature, saw anything in me. I wasn’t his type at all.

  “I don’t just like you, Leo.” Ian sighed, and I gasped as he pushed me back onto the bed. He dropped to his knees in front of me and forced himself between my legs. “I love you.”

  And just like that, I was five years old and feeling as if I’d seen the sun for the very first time. A sun named Ian. I found myself falling for him all over again. My heart thundered as he reached for the button of my jeans and popped it open.

  “Lift your ass,” he ordered, and I did as I was told as he slipped the jeans down from my hips and straight off my ankles. He tossed them on the floor without taking his eyes off me, and when his hands pushed my thighs apart, my breath hitched in my throat.

  “But we’re so different.”

  “No, we aren’t.”

  “You’re a rocket scientist. You say smart shit.” Ian let out a low chuckle and gave me that damn David Gandy smirk.

  “Smart shit? Because everything you know about rocket science you learned from television.”

  Trying to hold back my grin, I looked down at this gorgeous man who looked up at me from between my legs.

  “Today, we make history.” He hooked his fingers under the edge of my panties, and I giggled at the excited look on his face.

  “Make history? How?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “One small clit for you, one giant lick for me.”

  I gasped in shock as Ian gripped my thighs and brought his face down between them. His tongue stroked ever so lightly against my pussy. “I’m not sure that’s how it goes.”

  When Ian’s eyes opened to look up at me, I felt my stomach flip with excitement and desire. “That’s how it goes in this house.”

  I could not argue with that as Ian’s mouth came back down. His mouth explored until I was dripping wet and panting. He teased me, making me want to beg for release, and whenever my thighs tried to close on his head and force him away, he gripped my legs just a little tighter.

  “Ian, please...” I begged through each gasp, and I felt him smile against my skin as he began to blow against my feverish flesh.

  “What is it that you want, Leo?” he asked in a husky voice that drove me wild.

  “You. I want you.”

  His smile turned to a smirk and amusement filled his glistening eyes.

  “I’m not sure you are ready for that just yet.” He slipped the tip of one finger inside me. I tried to force myself down, but his other hand came up to rest on my stomach to keep me from wiggling.

  “Ian, please, don’t tease me. I can’t take it.” I tried to shift away from him, but he continued to hold me.

  “Is this what you want?” He slipped his finger in a little deeper.

  “Ian, please. I want you. I told you I want you!”

  “That isn’t good enough. I want to hear you say it.”

  “Say what?” I gasped as I felt myself close to unraveling.

  “Say it.”

  “I want you, Ian! I want your cock inside me!”

  I felt only slight relief when Ian pulled his finger from me and pushed himself to his feet.

  “That is what I like to hear.”

  “Ian...”

  “Shhh...” His voice was low as he stripped off his clothes and came to rest on the bed between my thighs. I was driven so wild with desire that I didn’t resist when he flipped me over and pushed me flat against the mattress. He moved me as though I weighed little more than a feather. When he spread my legs with his knees and brought his body down on top of my own, I could feel his cock pushing at my entrance as he nuzzled his face into my ear. “I love you, Leo.”

  “I love you too.” I gasped as he drove himself deep inside me. It was perfectly timed so that my voice hitched up on the words “love” and I felt him smiling against my ear before he took my lobe between his lips.

  He thrust in and pulled out with such agonizing slowness that I felt myself hanging on to the edge of my climax. My fingernails dug into the sheets as his hands slipped under my arms and he pinned me to the bed with his own body.

  He worked my body expertly with his cock until I was a writhing mess beneath him, and when I finally tipped over the edge, I felt myself clench around him. He groaned with pleasure at the sensation of it. I felt his own body begin to quiver and delight overwhelmed me as I felt his dick pulse.

  When he collapsed onto the bed beside me and pulled me into his arms as he had that first night, I couldn’t help but smile.

  “You’re amazing.”

  I sighed and found myself playing with the hair on his chest, running it between my fingers as he pulled me in tighter against him.

  We drifted there for a long while before he shifted, saying, “I want to talk with you about your mom.”

  That was enoug
h to murder the last little bit of bliss that was lingering. We were naked in bed together, bodies still sweaty, and he wanted to ask about my mother.

  The man needed to work on his timing.

  “Are you serious?”

  “I have never been more serious in my life. I am serious about you.”

  “I’m not sure you understand quite what you are asking.” I was nervous all over again. “She’s a sandwich short of a picnic.”

  “I don’t want her acerbic tongue and animosity coming between us.” Ian crooked one finger under my chin and gazed into my eyes. “Especially not if she’s going to be my crazy mother-in-law.”

  Wait. What? His words hitched my excitement up a level. Did he say mother-in-law? Was he thinking marriage?

  “Listen to me, please. I’ve tried to have some kind of relationship with her for the last ten years. But it’s pointless. There have been times when I’ve seriously considered moving and not telling her where I was going because I wanted to start fresh and new.”

  “How about now?” He wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me down so that my head rested on his chest and I could hear his heartbeat.

  “Now, let’s just change my number and help me move. As long as I have you and your family, I’m good.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, I’ll call her, but I’ll block my number so she can’t see it.”

  “Can we disable Siri too?” I felt the vibration of his chest as he laughed at his own joke.

  23

  Ian

  I uncurled Leo from my arms and reached for my phone, which had been vibrating on my nightstand for the past ten minutes. When I saw who was trying to get ahold of me, I groaned. What the fuck was my work calling for? I was on leave, and it wasn’t as if there weren’t three other guys on the team who could take care of whatever problems came up. While I was holding my phone, it went off again, so, I let out a heavy sigh and answered.