by M. J. Perry
“What are you guys talking about?” Ivy asked as she came to my side. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“We were talking about Ted, honey.”
“He said to me that no one ever left him unless he let them.” I felt her shiver. “He wanted to hurt me today, to cause me more pain than he already has. I’ll testify against him if I have to.”
“You’re a brave woman,” Lee said as he came to stand by us.
“I’m not brave. I’m terrified. If he gets out, he’ll kill me.”
“He won’t get out, sweetheart. His new home is a prison. If he’s granted bail, he won’t take it unless he’s sure he can slip past his boss, because Sid will be gunning for him and he won’t let Ted get away easily.” I told her.
“I don’t feel anything for him except hate.” She whispered.
“That’s normal, Ivy. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Matt said. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She bit her lip. “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I just want to pretend it didn’t happen for tonight.”
I exchanged a worried look with Matt, but I didn’t say anything. She might be burying her head in the sand, but tonight we’d let her.
“Let’s play strip poker,” Lee announced.
Ivy tapped Lee’s arm. “Only if I can put on every single item of clothing that I have here. I’m terrible at poker.”
He pouted. “It’s no fun if you don’t get naked.”
I took a step towards him. I was joking, I knew I had nothing to worry about with him, but he didn’t know it, and his wary gaze met mine. “Okay, okay, we’ll play the regular poker.”
“You and Ivy set it up. Matt and I have a couple of things to sort out.” I told him.
I kissed Ivy’s forehead and let her go. “Will you be okay?” I asked worriedly.
“I’ll be fine. Hurry back, though.”
“I won’t be long,” I promised.
“What’s up?” Matt asked as he followed me out of the room and up the stairs.
“I want to move all of her stuff out of her room and into mine. I don’t want her to have to go back in there.”
“Good idea. Do you think she’ll want to share a bed with you?”
I shrugged. “If she doesn’t want to, I’ll sleep on the floor,”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Or the last I suspect. Although, now I won’t be doing any cases that take me away from home. I’m not leaving her again.”
“Ian will understand.”
“I know he will. As soon as she’s given her statement tomorrow, I’m taking her away for a few days, maybe weeks. Ivy wants to see the world, so I’m going to show her some of it.”
“We’ll all pick up the slack while you guys are away. You both deserve it.”
“Thanks,” I said as I started emptying her drawers, and carrying the contents to my room. Matt did the same, and with the both of us, it didn’t take long. After closing the door to her room, we went back downstairs to find the table set up and ready to play cards with a bowl of crisps, a jar of dip, and chocolate covered pretzels in the centre.
Ivy’s eyes lit up as she caught sight of me, and I took the chair next to her. My heart hammered in my chest as she slipped her delicate hand into mine and gave it a squeeze. Locking eyes with her, I smiled, I felt so happy that she’d forgiven me. My mouth broke wide open into a grin, and she repaid me the favour, her eyes smiling with happiness as well. I didn’t deserve her, but I would spend the rest of my life trying to be the man she needed me to be.
“Are you guys finished with the mushy looks, or do you need a bit more time?” Lee’s amused voice broke the moment.
“Let’s play then,” Ivy said. “I haven’t played in a while so you’ll have to go easy.”
“Sure, sweetheart, we’ll help you out.” Lee grinned.
“I didn’t believe him. Neither did Ivy, but it turned out she didn’t need help because she ended up beating us all. Lee ended up losing the most, and I had a feeling Ivy took the greatest pleasure in that. Her smile didn’t waver as she placed her last hand on the table.
“I think I beat you, Lee. I’ve taken all your money.” She giggled.
The sound was the cutest thing I’d ever heard. “Well done, honey,” I said.
She grinned. “The last hand I won had an IOU. So, Lee, what will you give me if I cash that in?”
He chuckled, “How about I give you Maverick? He offered.
She pretended to think about it, her brow wrinkled. “Okay.” she agreed. “However, he has to do his own washing up.”
Lee held out his hand, and she shook it. “Deal.”
“Jeez, Ivy, you could have asked him for his car.” Matt chimed in.
“Maverick will do just fine.” She laughed. “I’m a lucky woman.”
“No, baby, I’m the lucky one.” Lifting a hand to my cheek, she brushed her thumb over my bottom lip. It was such a turn on; the feeling so erotic I wished we were alone. I caught the arousal in her eyes. The thought of rushing out the door with her in my arms was tempting.
“I’m tired,” She told me.
“Do you want me to come with you to bed?”
“I can’t sleep in that room not after…” She trailed off.
“Matt and I moved all your things into my room.”
“Oh.”
“Is that okay?”
“That was sweet of you, but where will you sleep?” She winked cutely, and I chuckled.
“With you?” I asked her.
“I’d like that.”
“I would too.”
“Then will you kindly go upstairs, and leave us, please.” Lee groaned. “Any minute now you’re going to start tearing each other’s clothes off, and I really don’t want to see Maverick’s naked arse.”
Ivy blushed. “Lee, you are so crude.”
“No, I’m telling the truth.”
She opened her mouth, but I placed a finger over her lips, stopping her words. “You will never win because he will never stop.”
She shook her head. “Fine, let’s go to bed.” She said as she moved to get up tugging me by the hand.
“See you in the morning,” Matt called with laughter in his voice.
“Goodnight,” I called back. I watched Ivy’s arse move as she walked up the stairs in front of me. She was stunning, an absolute delight to look at. The memory of her under me, of her face as she’d found her pleasure had haunted me all day.
Her steps stuttered as she walked by her room, but she took a deep breath and carried on into mine. I was so proud of her.
She perched on the end of my bed and stared at me with eyes that saw too much. “Where did you go?” She asked me.
I closed the door and sat next to her. Taking her hand in mine, I caressed her knuckles as I tried to find the words. “It’s hard to explain.”
She smiled again. “We have time.”
Chapter Fifteen
Ivy
I sat patiently, waiting for him to speak. He looked so tormented; I almost told him that he didn’t need to tell me.
“I went to visit Gwen’s grave.”
“Oh,” I said in surprise.
“I went to say goodbye.”
I turned to him with tears in my eyes, as I realised what he was saying. He was going to give us a chance. “That couldn’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t, but it was time. I’ve been hiding in the past for too long. It’s time to look to the future. Our future,” He slipped his hands under me and lifted me onto his lap. He kissed my lips, my nose, and my brow, then rested his forehead against mine. “If you’ll have me, that is?” He whispered.
“I have a lot of baggage,” I whispered.
“I have a lot too, but we can sort it out together. Isn’t that what love is all about? Facing our problems together?”
“You love me?” I exclaimed.
He chuckled. “You didn’t know?”
“I’d ho
ped, but I hadn’t dared to dream.”
“Ivy, do you honestly think I would have taken you to bed if I hadn’t loved you from the first moment I met you?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure. You’ve given me quite the run around.” I stared at him in shock as his words registered. “From the first moment, you met me?”
“Yes. There you were all wide-eyed with terror, and I wanted to hold you in my arms and protect you from all the evil in the world.”
“Including yourself?” I added softly.
“You confused me, and the feelings you were stirring up scared the crap out of me. I’ve been in the dark for a long time, and you were a risk to that, a complicated risk.”
“You told me that at the start,” I remembered.
“And I was right. But, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m not fighting us anymore.”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Ivy.”
I smiled hugely. I was full of so much happiness that my heart felt like it was going to explode. “I love you too.”
He caressed my cheek. “Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“Thirsty?”
I giggled. “No, I’m good.”
He kissed my smiling lips. “I put the t-shirt you wear to bed on the pillow for you. Do you want to get ready in here or the bathroom?”
“I’ll get ready in the bathroom,” I said as I slipped off his lap. I was too shy to strip off in front of him. “I’ll just grab some clean underwear.”
“The second drawer,” He offered, as I looked him in question.
“Thanks.” I pulled out a clean pair, got my t-shirt from the bed, and turned to face him. “Maverick?” I called.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Do you promise me that you’ll be here when I come out?”
He came to stand in front of me. “Ivy, I promise, I will never leave you again.”
I stared at him, seeing the truth in his eyes. “I believe you,” I told him as I hugged my clothes to my chest. “I’ll get ready.”
He kissed me, a sweet meeting of our mouths. “Go get ready. I’ll be waiting.”
“Okay.” I turned away and closed the door behind me.
Resting my head on the door, I sighed. He was so affectionate, so sweet to me. I hadn’t imagined our connection, and it was there stronger than before. He loved me; he’d actually said the words and knowing he felt the same way as I did, gave me so much joy.
I got ready for bed. After I pulled on my t-shirt, I brushed my teeth and washed my face. When I opened the door, my eyes touched on Maverick lying in bed, he had his arms folded behind his head, and the duvet lay across his bottom half. His chest was bare, and the sight made my heart go berserk. He was so beautiful; he made me want to do so many things to him, things I’d only ever read about. I turned the bathroom light off, closed the door behind me, and walked to the side of the bed. Maverick flipped the duvet back so I could climb in. Feeling a little shy, I kept my eyes lowered. The last time we’d shared a bed, we’d made love.
As I lay down, I felt the bed shift, and then he was pulling me into the warmth of his body. His thigh pushed against mine, and his hand skimmed along my side coming to rest on my stomach, just below my breast. He turned the lights out and slipped his other arm under my head. With his arms around me like a cocoon, I felt protected. It was the safest I’d ever felt in my life. Maverick made my nightmares dim and my entire being glow with happiness.
“You’re safe now, sweetheart. Go to sleep.”
“Goodnight,” I said quietly.
“Sweet dreams, honey,” He said.
I lay there in the silence of the room thinking that there was no way I could sleep after the day I’d had, but I woke up to a warm body at my back, and a very warm hand cupping my breast.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Maverick said in a sleep roughened voice.
“Morning,” I yawned. “What time is it?”
“It’s time to get up; the police will be here soon.”
“Oh.”
“Do you want to talk about it now? Tell me what he said, what he did?”
I turned in his arms. Our faces were inches apart.
“The two weeks that Ted had held me a prisoner, he told me many times that no one gets to leave him unless he says they can. Well, I did, and it pissed him off. He wanted to take me home with him. He wanted to be in control of me, and I wouldn’t let him.
“He didn’t hurt you?”
“He didn’t have time, thanks to you. How did you get in?”
“I climbed through the window,” He closed his eyes. “When I saw Ted standing so close to you with that knife, my heart stopped. At that moment, I’d wished for a real gun rather than the tranquiliser gun I held.”
“I’m glad you didn’t shoot him. You could have been charged with murder.”
He shrugged. “Self-defence, maybe, I have a good lawyer.”
I shook my head. “He isn’t worth it.”
“No, he isn’t.”
“What will he be charged with?”
“Lee should have that information. Let’s get dressed and find out.”
“Okay. By the way, thank you for leaving your robe in the bathroom for me.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to be cold.”
“It was sweet of you.”
“How did you know it was mine?”
“I could smell you.”
“What do I smell of?”
“Citrus and vanilla.”
“You smell of vanilla.”
“It’s the perfume Kate packed for me.”
He shook his head. “No, it isn’t. You smelt the same way the day we met.”
A loud knock on the door made me flinch, bringing back memories of Ted barging through it. I stared at it in horror, expecting the same. Maverick pulled my shaking body into arms. “Ivy, it’s okay,” He whispered as he rubbed his hands up and down my back in soothing motions.
“Yes?” He called louder.
“The police will be here in ten minutes, thought you should know,” Lee shouted.
“We’ll be down in a minute.”
“Ivy, it’s okay, it’s just Lee, it’s not Ted. It will never be Ted. It’s okay.” He soothed.
Despite his comforting words, my sobs reached a high pitch, and I just couldn’t stop.
Maverick moved us until I was flat on my back, his body pressing mine into the mattress. I lifted my tearstained face, and our lips met in a frenzy of need. I needed him to show me I was safe, that he was truly here. He dragged my t-shirt over my head and my knickers down my legs. Somehow, he pulled his boxers off and before I could catch my breath from our kisses, he was inside me. He captured my groan with his mouth and pinned my body to the bed, his hands held mine above our heads. Being immobile ramped up my arousal, and as he thrust harder and faster, I lost all sense of time and space. I screamed into his mouth as my orgasm washed over me, taking everything from me. Maverick ripped his mouth away and groaned into my neck as he found his release.
We were both breathing hard, both of us holding each other tightly.
“I hate that I can’t take away your fear.” He said as he lifted up on his elbows, shifting most of his weight from me but staying close.
“It’ll fade with time. It’s still so fresh in my mind.” I said as I reached up to cup his face. “At least we’ve found a way to make it disappear for a little while.” I grinned.
“I’m glad I made you feel better.” He smiled back as he lifted from me. I watched him get off the bed. “We’d better get ready. The police will be here soon.”
“Crap,” I cursed.
Maverick walked into the bathroom, I heard the tap running, and then he was back with a flannel.
“Thanks,” I said with red cheeks.
“I’ll just use the bathroom then it’s all yours.”
“Okay.”
He walked inside and shut the door. A few minutes later, he came out wearing a pair of boxers a
nd nothing else. I’d already gathered what I needed so as we passed, I gave him a smile and closed the door behind me.
To be honest, I was nervous. I needed a couple of minutes to myself. Things were happening fast. Ted was playing on my mind, and I wasn’t looking forwards to going over it. I washed and dressed, took a few deep breaths, and opened the door.
Maverick was sitting on the bed, and he looked grim.
“What’s happened?” I asked with concern.
“It’s Ted.”
I gasped. “Has he got free?”
“No, no, he hasn’t. Calm down.” He ordered gently as he hurried over to where I stood. He gripped my hands in his. “He’s dead.”
“What, but how?”
“On the way to the police station, the car he was in was intercepted.”
“What does that mean?”
“It was rammed by another car.”
“Is the police officer okay?”
“He’s fine. There wasn’t much damage to the car, and he managed to crawl out through the windscreen. Ted survived the crash also. The police officer was trying to get him free when the driver of the other car walked over to them. He shot Ted three times.”
I stared at him, lost for words.
“Ted was a loose end, a liability.”
“So he deserved to die?”
“Sid wouldn’t risk anyone being able to rat him out not even his trusty financial adviser.”
“So it’s over?”
“Yeah, it’s over.”
I let out a sob. “I feel guilty for saying this, but knowing he can’t hurt me anymore is such a relief.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty. He doesn’t deserve anything from you.”
“Does this mean I don’t have to testify against him?”
“There’ll be no trial.”
“What about Sid? Am I in danger from him?”
“A deal was made that kept you out of it.”
“You made a deal with him?”
“I called in a marker.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that your name won’t ever be connected with Ted’s again.”
“Okay,” I said, still not fully understanding.
He tugged me into his arms. “You’re free. We’re free. And now it’s time for a holiday.”
