by Tara Rose
Chapter Six
Ivy stared at her reflection in the mirror. I asked two men out on dates. Yes, she certainly had. And not just any men. A Durante and a Raleigh. And the world hadn’t imploded. Imagine that.
Her concentration at work would be minimal today, which was okay because it wasn’t a flight day. She could fake it, and she’d have to, because her nerves were on edge. It had taken her so long to work up the courage last night to call one of them that she was afraid she’d wake him up by the time she got around to picking up her phone. And then she couldn’t decide who to call first, so she’d ended up flipping a coin.
She only waited until this morning to call Merrick because her hands hadn’t stopped shaking for long moments last night after Tom agreed to see her. This was ridiculous. It’s not like she’d never dated. She really needed to get a grip. There was no reason to be afraid of Tom or Merrick. They were only men, after all.
Right. Men you’ve secretly lusted after since puberty.
That was beside the point. And now it was time to get some work done, or at least make it look like she was doing so. She didn’t want to invite questions from her parents or her siblings by giving the impression her head was in the clouds. Ivy wanted to keep these dates to herself for a while. Who knew how this would go tonight? Tom might turn out to be as much of an ass as Nadine, and she didn’t want to hear “I told you so” from anyone.
She’d worry about Friday night with Merrick once she got through tonight.
* * * *
Tom was already waiting for her when Ivy walked into Coffee In The Caribbean. She loved the smell in here. It reminded her of Starbucks, but the atmosphere was much cozier and the coffee smell stronger. He waved her over and stood. Ivy had to word hard not to stare at him. He only wore jeans and a button-down shirt, but it was the way he wore them.
The clothes couldn’t hide his muscles, and now that he was smiling instead of arguing with Merrick, she realized why she’d fantasized about him for so long. His blue eyes were dark as sapphires in here, and his hair was slightly messed up, as though he’d been running his hands through it recently. In her eyes, the look screamed sexy.
He pulled out a chair for her. “Thank you for this.”
“Thank you for accepting. Did you order yet?”
“No. I wanted to wait for you.”
A server came over so quickly that she startled Ivy. They were all like that here. Fast and super-happy. It amused her but she also realized it might get old quickly. After they each ordered soup, a sandwich, and something to drink, Ivy realized how nervous Tom looked. She needed to clear the air about Scott and Nadine, or they wouldn’t be able to relax tonight and talk about anything else. If it was on her mind, then surely it was on his, too.
“Okay. Let’s get this out of the way. I’m not upset with you about Nadine and Scott.”
He blinked a few times, and it struck her that she’d been right. He honestly believed she’d hold what those two had done against him. “Thank you.”
“You thought I was, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“You had no part in it. But I can’t imagine how torn you must feel.”
“You’re wrong about that. Nadine needs to learn to keep her hands to herself. She never could, come to think of it. What they did to you was wrong.”
The venom in his voice was impossible to miss. “I feel so foolish for even imagining that you’d take her side.”
“Well, I feel foolish for thinking you’d blame me for what they did.”
Their server appeared once again, bearing food and drink. That was another thing she liked about this place. The service was fast. Ivy took a bite of her sandwich, glad she’d said something up front about Nadine and Scott. Now they could move past it and get to know each other.
“This is really good,” said Tom. “I should have come here before now.”
“We’ve been ordering out from them a lot since they opened.”
“I imagine you don’t get much time to eat when things are really busy.”
“It’s more like we forget to.” Ivy took a sip of her drink and tried to slow down her eating. She hadn’t been this nervous in a long time, but there was no reason to be. “So, I always thought you and Merrick were friends. But last night it didn’t seem that way. I hope it was nothing I said.”
“No. It wasn’t. We are friends. Things are just…they’re strained right now.”
“You mean because of what his brother did?”
“Partly.” He gave her a sheepish look. “And we feel odd around each other now because you and Scott are no longer together.”
“I don’t understand.”
“JD Construction uses McMurphy Flight all the time. They’re always flying extra workers or contractors on and off the island. And that was fine when you and Scott were engaged. But now…” He leaned close and lowered his voice. “Merrick told me he wishes they could stop using them. He’s that upset over it. Not only because of you, but because they use your company so much for business, too. He took what Scott did to you personally.”
“Business is business.” Her response was automatic because she was too busy trying to keep breathing. Merrick and Tom both were upset over what Scott had done. Tom wasn’t siding with his sister at all. And, Alaina had been right. They were both interested in seeing her. She’d never expected that to happen.
“That’s true,” he said, “but it does complicate things when you’re trying to work up the courage to date one of the employees.”
His comment filled the space around her, dimming all the other conversation in the room, until the only person she was consciously aware of was Tom. “Are we still talking about Merrick?”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah, I guess I kinda walked right into that one, didn’t I? I was talking about me. But I do happen to know he’s had a thing for you for a long time. Well before Scott asked you to marry him.” Tom sighed. “And, since we’re being brutally honest tonight, so have I.”
She put down her sandwich and hoped he wouldn’t notice her hands trembling. “Why didn’t I know that?”
He shrugged. “I’m an idiot. I let the history between my father and your parents cloud my better judgment. I can’t speak for Merrick, but if I had to wager a guess, I’d say he’s just a bonehead and should have asked you out a long time ago.”
“You both should have.” As soon as she said it, she wished she could take it back. What had possessed her to speak it out loud? “I’m sorry. That was out of line.”
“No, it wasn’t. You’re right.” He put down his sandwich and took her hands. His touch was warmer than she’d expected it to be, and an image of those hands all over her body flitted through her mind. The pictures in her head were so hot that Ivy had to bite back a moan.
“So let’s make a pact,” he said. “I’ll forget about what a moron I’ve been not to chase you all over the island until you went out with me, and you’ll stop apologizing for stating the obvious.”
Ivy smiled. “Okay. I can live with that.”
“And now that I have you captive, I should make up for lost time. What are you doing Friday?”
Shit. “I’m busy.” She’d tried to control her reaction, but it was obvious he noticed it.
“Working?”
She could lie, but how would that make her any better than Scott or Nadine? “I have a date. With Merrick, by an odd coincidence. He called this morning.” That was none of his business, but considering they’d just been discussing Merrick, it didn’t seem right not to divulge that detail.
“Oh. I see. Are you coming here?” His voice was a bit too casual as he slid his hands from around hers.
“No. We’re going to Lady of The Night.”
“I like it there. Very atmospheric.”
“I suppose so. Better than the high school hangout, anyway.”
His laughed was forced. “Yeah. Let’s avoid that place.”
Ivy finished her sandwich, which now tasted li
ke cardboard, as she tried to think of something to say. “How are things at Phoebe’s Playthings? I imagine they keep you pretty busy.”
“All the time. Asa promised me months ago to promote someone to run the department with me, but he hasn’t done it. I get called in at all hours of the night.”
“That sucks.”
He shrugged. “It’s not too bad, really. I love what I do and someone has to run the department.”
“Is that what your degree is in?”
“I have two. An MBA, and one in information technology.”
“Impressive.”
“What about you?” He leaned back slightly, looked far more relaxed now. “Where did you learn to fly?”
“Officially, in Biloxi. But my father took us all up when we were old enough to sit in the cockpit and reach the controls.”
“Risky.”
She laughed. “Yeah, it was. Don’t tell anyone, okay?”
He smiled, and her heart gave a strange lurch at how the gesture lit up his entire face. “Your secret is safe with me. But now you owe me.” He waggled his brows and she had to bite back another moan.
“Uh-oh. Now you got me. I suppose I do, at that. What payment do you require for keeping such a scandalous secret?”
He watched her for a few seconds, seeming to weigh a decision. Then he rose slightly, leaned over the table, and kissed her right on the mouth. Ivy would have normally been mortified at such a stunt, but once he cupped her face gently, as if it might break, she forgot all about where they were, and the fact that this was the first time she’d ever exchanged more than quick pleasantries with him.
His lips were warm and skilled, and it was only when their server’s annoyingly-chipper voice broke through the fog that Ivy mentally retreated. She’d been about to part her lips and let his tongue inside. Not that it mattered if they shared a hot kiss in a public place, but damn…her thoughts had raced to more than kissing just now.
“We’re fine,” she heard him say.
Had the server asked them something? She had no fucking clue. “Wow.” She sounded like a high school kid but she had no words right now.
His slow, sexy grin sent a rush of wetness to her pussy. “I was about to say the same thing.”
Had his voice been that smooth and seductive five minutes ago? “You’re an amazing kisser.”
He cast a glance toward the counter. “I’m even better when I’m not interrupted.”
Holy hell. “Does that mean I haven’t completely paid you back yet?”
She saw him swallow. “What happens if I say ‘no’?”
What happens, indeed? She shook her head. “We can’t have that. I always pay my debts.”
He leaned back in his chair again, and Ivy tried to keep breathing. “So tell me what it’s like to grow up learning to fly an airplane before you reach puberty.”
She laughed softly, more from nervousness than anything, and then the words poured out of her mouth. She told Tom about the time they helped repaint all the planes, and how she and Elaine had paint in their hair for months afterward. When she relayed the story of how Edgar, her youngest brother, had once tried to taxi one of the planes into the hanger and nearly ripped a wing off it, Tom howled in laughter at her description of the incident.
“Was he drunk?”
“No. He was twelve. He had no business in the cockpit alone. But he was fearless like that, and now he’s the best pilot of all of us. But my parents nearly killed him over that stunt because they had to buy a new plane.”
“Who will take over the business one day?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ve never really discussed it. I suppose we need to, but my parents are blasé about things like that.”
He shook his head. “Scott’s parents are exactly the opposite, which is interesting considering they ripped your parents a new one after they wouldn’t hire my father.”
Ivy picked up her spoon to finish her soup, even though it was cold by now. She had no idea how to respond to his statement.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Now who’s apologizing for stating the obvious?”
He almost smiled. “Touché. But I still shouldn’t have said it. It just slipped out because I find it interesting that you describe your parents as blasé, and Scott’s are so rigid about most things.”
“My parents almost hired your father.” He looked genuinely surprised. “They talked about it for a long time from what I’ve been told. They even went to see Asa.”
“Thank you for telling me that.”
“We were already learning how to fly as teens, but you have to understand that those were controlled conditions. None of us have flown while not feeling well, or at any time we believed we couldn’t give the flight one hundred percent. We simply trade shifts with someone if we’re not feeling right about going out that day. Safety has to come first.”
“Ivy, I understand. Honestly, I do. You don’t have to make excuses for my father. He fucked up his own life.”
Tom asked her more questions, and soon they were back to talking and laughing about pleasant things. He was charming and charismatic, just as she’d once thought most of the Durante and Raleigh men were. She’d never expected to have such a fun time with him, and was surprised when he glanced around and suggested they leave. “It’s getting crowded and I think they need this table.”
She cut her gaze to her cell phone. They’d been there almost three hours. And not once had she wished Tom would walk into the ocean and drown.
He took the check before she could reach for it, and when Ivy started to thank him for paying for dinner, he waved a hand in the air. “Please. It’s my pleasure. I usually eat take-out in front of my bank of computers at work. This is a rare treat for me, and you’re a lot prettier than Asa or Tim.”
She laughed so hard that she had to excuse herself to the bathroom.
Once they were outside, Tom pulled her into his arms, but he didn’t kiss her. He cupped her head in one strong hand, and with the other he smoothed down her hair. “I’ve waited a long time to be this close to you, but I don’t want to presume anything. I kissed you, not the other way around, but tell me I wasn’t imagining things in there. You were ready to jump on the table with me.”
Oh God. She could hardly breathe. Every fantasy she’d ever had coalesced into this one perfect moment. What waited for her at home? Nothing but loneliness and regret. She’d never done anything like this in her life, but wasn’t it time to shed the old ways? What had hanging onto them earned her? A fiancé who had sneaked around behind her back for months with a woman who hated her for no discernible reason.
But Tom wasn’t anything like his sister. He was a charming, funny man who looked at her right now as if she was the most amazing woman on the planet. And he kissed like nobody’s business. What other talents had he hidden away from the world? And how could she have entertained such terrible thoughts about him or Merrick simply because they’d been born to Durantes and Raleighs?
“You didn’t imagine it,” she whispered.
“Thank God. When is your first flight tomorrow? I should know that but I can’t think right now. There’s no blood in my brain.”
She almost laughed, but didn’t want him to think she was making fun of him. “Seven. But I can get someone else to take it. I’ve never done that. I think I’m due for a day off.”
“I’d say you were due for at least a year off.”
She pulled out of his arms and took out her cell phone. As he listened, she lied outright to her sister, Irene, who was on dispatch tonight.
“Oh my goodness, Ivy. You’ve never taken a sick day. Take the whole week. Stop worrying. We have it covered.”
After she disconnected the call, she gazed into Tom’s handsome face. “It’s official. I’m going to hell.”
He laughed and pulled her back into his arms. “Not quite yet. I think we have a bit of debauchery to commit before you earn that status.”
Ivy snuggled against his warmth and smiled, happier than she’d been in years. “Is that the rest of my payment? This debauchery of which you speak?”
Shivers ran up and down her spine as he nuzzled her neck. “Oh yes, my beautiful Ivy. More than you can even imagine.”
As she slid into the passenger seat of his Jeep, Ivy knew she was about to have a night unlike any she’d ever had, and she couldn’t wait to see where it led them.
Chapter Seven
Tom was ready to lose it by the time he navigated the Jeep into the garage of his home in the hills. Never had he expected this. Not even close. He’d barely recovered from the realization that she hadn’t asked him out to read him the riot act. And then when she’d started talking about payment of debts, and gave him that look, well...there’s only so much a man can resist. He wasn’t a computer, after all.
Once he showed her inside, he asked if she wanted a drink, but she shook her head. She looked so uncertain and vulnerable, standing there in his foyer, glancing around at the ridiculous show of wealth. Would she leave now? He would, if he were in her place. This was a huge mistake. What would a girl like Ivy want with him? And even though they’d talked about it and each had said it was okay now, she wasn’t likely to simply forget he was Nadine’s brother.
“Would you like a tour?”
She shook her head again. “No. I mean, not right now.”
He stared into her beautiful eyes, unable to form a coherent thought. It wasn’t something he’d ever admit to her or anyone, but it had been far too long since a woman had spent the night. He almost felt like a horny teen, about to have sex for the first time.
That is, if they did have sex. He may have assumed too much.
Might as well ask her and see what she says. “What would you like to do, then?”
She stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds while he held his breath, and then she advanced toward him and put her arms around him. This time, when their lips met, he didn’t hold back.