by Terry Towers
Ivy chewed at her lower lip, averting her gaze. The truth was that she didn’t really know anymore. A few hours in the guy’s presence and her whole plan was falling to pieces at her feet. There was a definite attraction toward Trey and it rivalled her attraction to Ethan. It was surprising and confusing at the same time.
Ethan sighed, drawing her attention back to him. She stared up at him as he thrust a hand into his brown hair in agitation. “Don’t answer that, Ivy. I don’t want to know.”
“But –”
His gaze shifted to meet hers. “Can we just forget that past happened and just start over? Maybe just accept my apology and go from there. I handled the situation wrong and I don’t think I’m entirely to blame, but if accepting full blame can help put this behind us then I’ll happily accept it.”
She hesitated for a brief moment, but eventually nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” He took another step closer, then two, pulling her into his arms. This time she didn’t tense or hold back like she’d done in the kitchen, but fell into him, slipping her arms around his neck and burying her face into the crook between his neck and shoulder.
Unlike Trey who had the enticing smell of cologne Ethan was simpler and more natural, soap and aftershave. It was equally good and enticing and seemed to reflect their personalities. Trey had always been the wilder one, he always tended to do things in a big way. Ethan had always been the quieter and more responsible one. The only thing the two friends had in common was the fact they were devilishly handsome and sinfully sexy in their own unique ways and they were desired by most of the women Ivy knew.
He pulled her tighter and she responded. “That’s more like it.”
“Huh?”
Ethan chuckled. “The hug. You’re actually hugging me like you mean it and not like I have some disease or something.”
“I didn’t –”
“You did. And it’s okay. Maybe I deserved it.” He pulled back from her and she immediately missed the feel of his body against hers. It had felt so damned right in his arms. “I’m not feeling great. I think it’s a mixture of exhaustion and too much alcohol. I’m going to hit the sack, but I’m sure Trey will be happy to keep you entertained.”
“All right. ’Night.” She grabbed the doorknob and went to open the bedroom door when he stopped her, his hand over hers. She looked up with questions in her eyes and met his gaze.
“We’re not the same men we were, Ivy. Neither of us are. And yes, we did know you had a weight problem, but we never considered you the fat girl, even if that’s what you may have felt.”
Chapter 4
Trey
Trey watched her in amusement from atop his bike as Ivy eyed his motorcycle with skepticism.
“I don’t think this is what Ethan meant when he said you should entertain me today while he’s working. Personally, I was thinking we could drive down to the beach,” Ivy stated.
“We will.” He patted the back of his bike with his gloved hand. “But on this, not in your car. It’s too nice of a day to be cramped up in a car.”
Ivy looked down at the helmet in her hands then back up at him. She looked so damned cute in the leather jacket and tight jeans it was becoming agony to keep his hands to himself. The memory of their kiss the previous night kept replaying itself in his mind and he wanted more. The problem was that her demeanor had changed after she’d come back downstairs from her talk with Ethan; she’d gone from flirty and seemingly into him to subdued. He wasn’t sure quite yet what that meant – neither she nor Ethan said what they’d spoken about – but he intended to find out. Usually he preferred working the same shifts as Ethan, but was glad this week their shifts were alternating so he could get some alone time with Ivy.
“But, I’ve never been on the back of a bike before. What if I do something wrong and the bike falls over or something?”
A wide grin spread across Trey’s lips as he looked over his shoulder and patted the back of his motorcycle seat again. “Get on, hold tight to me and that’s all you need to do. Come on. The girl I used to know wouldn’t think twice about it. Has college made you uptight and rigid?”
“That’s a nervy assumption.”
He shrugged, his smile widening.
Cocking her head to the side she returned his grin. “Fine. You win.” Pulling a pair of black leather gloves onto her hands she swung her leg over the bike and settled in behind him. “Uptight my ass.” Pressing her front tight to his back she pulled the full-faced black helmet over her head.
“Tighter.” Grabbing her hands in his, Trey pulled her even tighter to him, until she was flush against him and then settled her hands around his chest. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
~*~*~*~
Ivy
He started the bike and it roared to life. Her legs tightened to the machine under her as the vibrations of the bike between her legs raced through her body. Excitement filled her. Despite her slight fear of being on a bike she’d always secretly hoped Ethan would take her for a ride, but he never did.
The bike lunged forward and she yelped, tightening her grip around him and placing her forehead against his shoulder. Hearing him chuckling, she smiled as they pulled out onto the street and tore down it.
While she was initially timid, after Trey took several turns with expert ease she began to get used to the feel of the bike under her. Her confidence in Trey increased and she was able to relax somewhat and begin to enjoy the ride. In fact, there seemed to be something soothing and sexy about being behind Trey, cuddled tight with the roar of the motorcycle engine in her ears and bike vibrations rushing through her. Twenty minutes later, when they pulled into the parking lot of the nearly deserted beach, she was disappointed the ride was ending so soon.
Slipping the bike into a slot, Trey cut the engine and kicked the kickstand down. With reluctance, Ivy released her tight grip on him and swung her leg out, sliding off of the bike. By the time she finished fiddling with the chin strap of the helmet Trey had already removed his gloves, helmet and jacket and was leaning against the bike, arms folded across his chest watching her with amusement dancing in his dark eyes.
“You could have helped, you know.” She hung the helmet off of the handle of the bike, bent over and fluffed out her hair. When she straightened back up her eyes met his; the amusement had disappeared and was replaced with hunger. It took her by surprise and for a moment her breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked.
“Come here a minute.” Trey crooked his finger at her.
Ivy’s brow furrowed as she took a step toward him, then another. “What’s wrong?” She raked her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten out the flattened mess the helmet had made of it. “My hair –”
Once she got within his reach he grabbed the front of her leather jacket and pulled her to him until only a couple of inches remained between them. “Your hair is fine.” His gaze lowered from hers to settle on her lips.
She looked down at the ground between them as she ran her tongue along her lower lip. “Then –”
Releasing her jacket, Trey cupped her chin in his hand and forced her face up so she was looking him in the eye. His lips turned into a sexy smirk and sent her pulse racing. “You owe me something.”
She crinkled her nose up at him. “I do?”
“Yup. And I think I’ve waited long enough.” Before she could respond his lips were on hers and the hand that was grasping her chin slid around to the back of her neck, urging her closer to him.
Every nerve ending in her body seemed to come alive at the feel of his lips on hers and the need to be closer, for even more intimate contact became undeniable – and why shouldn’t she? There was no harm in wanting him. Sure the point was for him to want her, but there’s no reason why she couldn’t enjoy the ride, she just couldn’t get emotionally attached – that’s all. As their tongues duelled, she fisted the front of his shirt, attempting to keep her desires in check. But the feel of his growing erection ag
ainst her stomach and his hands sliding down her back to grasp her ass, pulling her tight to his erection was fuelling her desire, coaxing her body to respond in turn.
Unclenching her fists, she placed her palms flat against his chest and pulled away; another minute of his teasing tongue and roaming hands would surely be her undoing. She pulled away gasping, her face flushed and her heart thumping so quickly in her chest she feared it may break through her rib cage.
~*~*~*~
Trey
The girl could kiss, no doubt on that. Trey had been disappointed when the kiss ended, but seeing her rattled with her face flushed was both amusing and sexy as hell. She was a refreshing mixture of sexy and innocent. He’d always enjoyed Ivy’s company and he’d secretly admit that in the past he may have overlooked her as a partner. In the past he’d had a tendency to go after girls who were assertive in what they wanted and had no problem making their intentions toward him clear. Ivy on the other hand had always been so shy and reserved – her self-consciousness clear. But now, the Ivy standing before him held onto many of the characteristics he liked when they were friends, but she’d grown such confidence. She shined both inside and out.
He had no idea what had gone on between her and Ethan, but it was evident something had. He suspected he knew, he wasn’t blind, he’d taken notice of how she looked at him before she went off to college, but chose to keep his mouth shut on the matter. If either of them wanted him to know what had gone on, they’d fill him in. But with his interest, shouldn’t he find out? At least a crib notes version.
“Ready to go for a walk?” He didn’t wait for a response, but took her hand in his and began to lead her through the parking lot and to the beach area.
“I’d forgotten how nice it was here.”
Trey scanned the small beach and nodded. “Yeah, it’s incredible at sunset.” He regretted bringing her in the afternoon and not a little later.
“It’s not that long until sunset.” They were halfway to the water when Ivy stopped and pointed to the deserted playground. “Over there.” Giving his hand a tug she led took the lead as they made their way to the playground.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to ask this question, but I think I need to.”
She looked up at him and frowned, but continued walking.
“Are you? Do you? With Ethan?”
Her frown disappeared and a smile spread across her lips and she laughed. “Are we, do we, what? Come on and spit it out, I don’t remember you ever getting tongue-tied before.”
Trey placed a hand on the back of his neck and gave it a quick squeeze attempting to loosen the knot forming in the back of his neck. This was awkward, but the last thing he wanted to do was step on Ethan’s toes; it’s not like they could slice her in two and each have a half.
“Do you have a thing for Ethan? Before you went away I suspected maybe you did, but…”
She spun around and pointed toward the slide. “Come on, slide with me.” He followed her to the slide and climbed the stairs after her to the platform.
“I think we’re a little big for this, Ivy.”
She smiled, looking at him over her shoulder. “Yeah, but there’s no one here to rat us out so I think it’s okay.” Sitting on the platform, she gave herself a push and squealed as she slid down and jumped to her feet at the bottom, spun around and grinned at him. “Come on.”
“When I get down there I want an answer, just so you know.”
She crinkled her nose up at him but didn’t reply, only motioned for him to get on with it. “Just get down here first, then we’ll see.”
Laughing at himself for being charmed into sliding down a child’s slide he plunked himself down to the platform and gave himself a push. He laughed despite himself as he came to the end. “There, ya happy? If people from our high school could see me now.”
“I think it just says you’re fun-loving.”
Standing, Trey walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. “Well, this fun-loving guy is hoping to get an answer. I don’t want to be stepping on anyone’s toes here. So do you have a thing for Ethan?”
She fingered the neck of his shirt, her eyes following her fingertips. “I did. I told him before I went away.” She shrugged, and looked up at him. “But that was then.” She forced a smile onto her lips. “And this is now.”
“But you still have those feelings?”
“Is that relevant? He wasn’t interested in me.”
“Little bit. And I’m not sure that’s entirely the truth.”
Ivy’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Trey thrust a hand into his dark hair, which was a tad too long, but looked bad boy sexy on him. “I mean… Fuck.” He released her and took a step back, throwing his hands out to the sides. “Just forget what I said, I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Her green eyes narrowed at him. “I think you do.”
“Come on, let’s take that walk on the beach.” Trey turned, but Ivy grabbed his arm and forced him to stop walking and turn back to her. He didn’t want to continue talking about Ethan, he regretted bringing up the topic in the first place, but just seeing her reaction gave him the information he needed. It was Ethan she wanted – not him. He was simply a distraction, a substitute, the runner-up.
“Trey.” She placed herself directly in front of him. “I know we have a connection. We didn’t before, but it’s there now.”
“But there’s Ethan…” He could feel himself swaying. Of course it didn’t help that she was looking up at him with those stunning green eyes and lips that had turned into a pout begging to be kissed.
“Listen, Trey. I want you.” She stretched up against him, until her body was flush against his and ghosted her lips across his. “The question is, do you want me?”
The words had barely left her lips when he was pulling her roughly against him, devouring her with his lips. Fuck Ethan. He’d had his chance with her and blown it, Trey wasn’t about to make the same mistake.
~*~*~*~
Ivy
“It’s getting kinda chilly.” Ivy snuggled closer to Trey as they lay on his leather jacket, watching the sunset, while reminiscing about old times and catching up on everything that had gone on in each of their lives in the past year and a half. The day seemed to fly by being with him. Despite the chill in the air it was easily the most perfect time of day; the streaks of red and orange and yellow in the sky were beautiful. While the sun’s rays danced over the incoming waves, the individual drops of stray water looked like little diamonds dancing over the crests of the incoming tide.
Trey leaned over her and brushed a lock of hair from her face that a gust of wind had tossed over her eye. “Let’s see what I can do about warming you up.” He lowered his lips to hers. His lips hadn’t even touched hers when a soft whimper escaped her lips in anticipation. He was such a passionate kisser, as if he put his heart and soul into each kiss, each caress. No wonder women fell over themselves for him. He pulled back and nipped at her lower lip as his hand caressed her side, just under her shirt, but not going any further up than her rib cage. It was like he had no urgency. It was driving her crazy.
Ivy grinned. “Better, but I’m still a little chilly.”
She slid her hands under his shirt, feeling the definition of muscle in his back. “You’re warm.”
Trey lowered his mouth to her shoulder and placed a tender kiss there. “You know skin-on-skin contact is a much warmer option.”
Ivy cocked a brow up at him. “Are you suggesting we get naked on a public beach?”
He looked up and made a show of craning his neck as if checking for other people. “Looks pretty deserted to me.” He looked back down at her. “I’m just trying to give you options. That’s all.” He was in the process of lowering his lips to hers again when the sound of a phone buzzing came from his jacket pocket, just under Ivy’s left hip.
Reaching into the pocket, Ivy grabbed the phone and passed it to him. His mother’s name was lit up o
n the screen. He looked down at the phone and sighed, his mood becoming dour. “Dad’s been…” he sighed. “I gotta take this.”
Ivy didn’t press. It was no secret growing up that Trey’s father had a tendency to be abusive. When Trey was younger and still lived with his parents he’d come around with bruises; on a couple of occasions he’d even had a black eye. He’d refuse to talk about it but you would have to be stupid not to realize what was going on. Apparently, some things remained the same.
Chapter 5
Ivy
“Where’s Trey?” Ethan asked, poking his head into Ivy’s room an hour after Trey dropped her off. They’d stayed at the beach until sunset, cuddling and talking on the cool sand. It had been a wonderful day and she really didn’t expect a man like Trey to be so romantic – he hadn’t been before to her knowledge, but he was now.
