by Vivian Wood
He pulled back, his motion gentle. Wide-eyed, gasping for breath, Ivy stared up at him in confusion.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—” she started, blushing to the roots of her hair.
“Don’ apologize, Ivy,” Elijah uttered. She liked the way he said her name, like Ey-vay. “It just means we suit, is all.”
“I just didn’t mean to go rubbing all over you like some kind of pervert,” she said, unable to hold back a chuckle.
“Aye, I’m very offended,” he said, grinning.
“You look offended,” she said, laughing. She felt all aflutter, somehow.
“I was about three seconds from trying to get you out of your pretty dress,” he admitted. “But I thought it might be rude to do that before dinner. I’m not sure what the rules are in this situation.”
Ivy threw her head back and howled with laugher, the tight feeling in her chest finally loosening up a bit. When she regained her composure, she stood and grabbed his hand, guiding him to the dining room.
“I don’t know what the rules are, either, but I do know that I made quite a nice dinner for us. I don’t want it to go to waste.”
“Nor the wine,” he agreed, following her like a docile puppy despite his size and strength.
“No, certainly not,” Ivy said, giving him a happy grin. Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to go her way again. For the first time in a long time, she felt that perhaps it wasn’t too much to hope.
Chapter Three
At the end of the night, Elijah opted to return to Garrett and Kiley’s house instead of staying the night with Ivy. It wasn’t what he’d wanted, exactly; Ivy was gorgeous, intelligent, and intriguing, and she’d definitely gained his wolf’s interest. Still, Elijah had needed a few hours to process everything, and he wanted to say goodbye to Kiley and Garrett before they left for Asheville, off to visit Garrett’s brother Lucas and his new mate.
Pulling out his phone, he decided to bite the bullet and call his father right away. If he called now, he’d have several days of peace and quiet to figure things out with Ivy. Otherwise his father would have every blood relative in the whole bloody family tree calling to check in on him, to see if he was accepting his father’s ultimatum.
Ignoring the gnawing irritation he felt at the thought of his father’s demands, he called Castle Buchanan’s single landline. He sighed as it rang a good fifteen times, and then scowled when a younger cousin picked up the phone and started jabbering about the Scottish weather.
“Put my ma phone, Alain,” Elijah growled.
He pulled into Garrett and Kiley’s driveway but sat in the car, wanting to finish his phone call first. After several more minutes, he finally got his mother on the phone. She took all his father’s messages and correspondence, and was generally more amiable in conversation anyway.
“Hallo?” his mother asked, seeming confused.
“Ma, I’ve got a lass,” Elijah told her.
“Eli?” she said. “I’d no idea you were going to phone us!”
“I didn’t know meself,” he admitted. “I can’t really talk right now, Ma. I just wanted ye to get the message to Da.”
“What message is that, now?”
“He can call off giving the castle and the birthright away, and all that goes with it. I found a lass, and she’s agreed that we’ll start trying for little ones right away.”
“A lass? Are you taking a mate then, Eli?”
“Not exactly…” he admitted.
“Oh, Eli. You can’t just do that to a lass. They’re verra tender, you know,” his mother advised.
“It’s not— Listen, Ma. Don’t worry about it. Just tell Da what I said, and I’ll ring you next week.”
“Well, get a picture of the girl for me, will you? I like to know who the mother of my grandchildren might be.”
“Will be, Ma. It’s decided. I love you, and I’ll ring you later.”
“Well, alright,” his mother said. He could hear the disapproving frown in her voice, but he hung up anyway.
“Right,” he said to himself. “Now just Kiley and Garrett.”
Hopefully his friends would be a little happier for his news than his mother had been.
The next evening, Elijah felt that he’d been moderately successful smoothing things over with Kiley and Garrett. Not that Garrett cared in the least, of course. But Kiley had more than made up for over the course of the day, interrogating Elijah relentlessly and insisting that he keep her ‘in the loop’ about everything Ivy-related.
Elijah knew that Kiley meant well, and he supposed it was nice that she had such a caring friend…
“You’ll be good to Ivy, won’t you?” Kiley asked, for about the seventh time. Elijah grunted as he hefted one of her suitcases into the back of Garrett’s black SUV.
“I promise,” Elijah said, trying not to seem testy. She was just trying to look after her friend, after all.
“She’s had a difficult time the last few months. Actually, most of her life. She’s never had anybody. So if you’re going to leave her high and dry, you’d better tell her up front.”
“Kiley,” Elijah sighed. “I’ll do my best, okay?”
“Okay,” Kiley replied, her shoulders sagging. It was obvious that he hadn’t said the right thing, but damned if Elijah could figure out what that might be.
“Ready to hit the road?” Garrett called, coming around the car. The big blond man clapped Elijah on the shoulder, leaned down to kiss his petite brunette mate, and grinned at them both.
“Sure,” Kiley said, brightening. If Elijah were honest, it was a little disgusting how happy Garrett and Kiley made each other.
“I know Eli’s got some business to attend to,” Garrett teased, arching a brow.
“Jesus. Get on with you both,” Elijah said, shooing them.
“You got the keys? You got instructions for taking care of the wolf pups? They need care for another week still,” Kiley said, her worry evident.
“I’m not gonna burn the place down. Go have your holiday,” Elijah said, already heading for his own vehicle.
In moments he’d left the big ranch house behind. He’d packed a few of his belongings into a suitcase, and he had several brown paper bags of groceries and other goodies from when he’d run to town earlier. He checked his watch. Seven o’clock, right on time.
He pulled his SUV up in front of Ivy’s austere wood-and-glass cabin, the house seeming as though imported directly from the Swiss Alps. He smiled, thinking of how she’d lit up last night as she’d told him all about the design and construction of the house. It was clear that she cherished her home, and that she’d planned it with a family in mind.
His smile dropped at the word family, but he shook it off. Ivy hadn’t said that she didn’t want a mate, only that she wasn’t expecting one. Elijah shook his head, knowing that he was getting ahead of himself.
He hadn’t even done more than kiss Ivy yet, as his ravenously horny wolf had been reminding him all day. Rolling his eyes at himself, Elijah pulled his suitcase and the grocery bags from the back of the SUV and closed the trunk, heading up the stairs.
He put down his bags, surprised that Ivy hadn’t already heard him and come to open the door. Just as he raised his hand to knock, he heard the sound of glass shattering. His military training burst to life, urging him to rescue Ivy from… well, his brain didn’t get that far.
He tried the door knob and found it unlocked, flinging the front door wide open and rushing inside. He saw Ivy kneeling on the floor across the living room.
She turned and flashed him a surprised look as he dashed to her, dropping to his knees next to where she sat, hunched over something. A photo frame lay on the floor, face down in a pile of shattered glass.
“I— I dropped it,” she said, raising a hand to wipe at her tear-stained face. It was clear that she’d been crying for some time, but Elijah didn’t mention that.
“Here, let me help,” he said. “Did you cut yourself?”
&n
bsp; She shook her head, looking embarrassed.
“No. I’m not hurt, just clumsy. I feel stupid,” she said.
“Let’s get you over to the couch, and you can just tell me where the broom is, alright?”
Taking her hands, Elijah pulled Ivy to her feet and gently moved her over to the couch. She pointed him to a small closet off the kitchen, and he grabbed the broom and dustpan. After sweeping up all the broken glass, he went over it with a wet cloth, just to be certain that he got every last shard.
He picked up the photo frame, checking to make sure that there were no bits of glass clinging to it. When he turned it over, he saw that it was an older photo of a woman that looked very much like Ivy, but with darker hair.
He looked at Ivy, with her long sweep of blonde hair, those big gray eyes just the color of a summer storm, the tightly fitted navy pencil skirt and tailored white cashmere sleeveless top she wore. She was an absolute knockout, and the woman in the photo was no less.
“Is this your mother?” Elijah asked, heading over to the couch and sitting next to her.
Ivy nodded, reaching over and taking the frame from him. She gazed down at it for several beats, seeming on the verge of explaining her reaction. With her petite frame, those big gray eyes, and the longing in her expression, she seemed younger than before. Yesterday she’d been setting her own path, making the rules. Today, she seemed delicate, vulnerable.
Something in Elijah’s stomach twisted. He felt the need to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say.
“She passed away when I was young,” Ivy said at last, saving him the trouble.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “That must have been terrible.”
He reached out and covered one of her hands in his own, his wolf giving a rumbling growl of pleasure at the contact, no matter the context. Ivy looked up at him, her cloud-colored eyes luminous. Again, she seemed on the verge of speaking, of confessing something, but at the last second she bit her lip and nodded.
“It was,” she said, clearing her throat. “Today isn’t a day for mourning, though. I just got flustered when I dropped the photo. It’s one of the few things I have left of her. I didn’t mean to get all sappy.”
Elijah chuckled, shaking his head.
“I find I rarely have much control over what makes me emotional,” he said. “As a silver lining, I do have a couple of steaks for dinner that might brighten you up.”
“You brought dinner?” she asked, a shy smile emerging.
“I did. Steaks, asparagus, new potatoes. And I have a surprise for you,” he said. Elijah didn’t consider himself an excitable sort, but he felt a sudden desperation to cheer Ivy up. When she was laughing and warm and happy, as she had been at dinner last night, she was unbelievably sexy.
He wanted more than anything to taste her again, to kiss her all over and make her crazy with wanting him, but first he had to chase her sadness away.
He jumped up, Ivy following him, and together they brought in his suitcase and the brown-bagged groceries. Ivy immediately stuck her head in one of the bags, exclaiming at the contents.
“Fresh orange juice! Oh, and cantaloupe… and berries… and wheat bread… oh, and freshly ground peanut butter! Did Kiley tell you what I like?” she asked, shooting him a suspicious gaze.
“She told me you like to eat healthy, lots of protein, fruits and veggies and the like. I eat the same way, so I just got what I thought we’d both agree on,” he explained.
“This is amazing. Let’s get you settled first, and then we’ll think about dinner,” she declared.
Elijah grinned at her. Her tears were gone, and Ivy was once again the take-charge woman who’d first bewitched him.
He grabbed his suitcase and followed her down the hallway. She stopped before a set of doors, turning to him with a serious expression.
“I’m going to give you the guest bedroom,” she said. When Elijah cocked his head and opened his mouth to ask why, she stopped him. “Just to give you a place of your own. I just think it’s best for both of us if you have the option of sleeping in your own bed, or being in your own space sometimes.”
“Alright,” Elijah said, following her as she opened the door and showed him in.
“There’s lots of space, a private bathroom, and even a desk if you need a quiet spot to work,” she said.
“Very nice,” he said, dropping his suitcase on the bed.
Ivy grinned up at him, mischief in her eyes.
“I’m not sure how else to go about this. It’s a little strange, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Only as strange as we want it to be,” he teased, cocking an eyebrow at her. “I suppose you ought to show me the rest of the house, at any rate.”
They both chuckled, and Ivy complied. She showed him the master bedroom, her office, the laundry room, the home gym, and numerous sparsely furnished upstairs bedrooms.
“Oh, and there’s one more secret room. But I’m sure you’ll get to see that later,” she said, eyes twinkling.
“A sex dungeon?” he teased.
“You wish!” she laughed and flushed, shaking her head. “Nothing so wild, I assure you. Still, I think you’ll appreciate it.”
They bantered as they cooked dinner, worked their way through two bottles of wine as they ate, and then talked and teased one another for an hour after dinner. Only then, sprawled out on the couch next to Ivy yet not quite brave enough to touch her, did Elijah remember the surprise he’d brought for Ivy.
“You almost made me forget. I brought you something,” he said. “Wait right here.”
He slipped off to the guest bedroom, returning with two DVD cases. Kneeling on the couch, deliberately letting his body brush up against hers, he gave her a sly smile. When he handed the first DVD to Ivy, her face lit up.
“Bedknobs and Broomsticks!” she cried, delighted. “Oh, I guess there is a reward in letting your best friend set you up with someone. I absolutely love this movie, and I haven’t seen it in forever.”
“I’ll admit, I haven’t seen it. Neither have I seen this one, though it comes highly recommended,” he said, handing her the second.
Her expression changed in an instant, a deep blush settling on her cheeks.
“Ah, Secretary,” she said, looking up at him. “This film is pretty… adult. Not much like Bedknobs and Broomsticks. A lot more spanking, that’s for sure.”
She bit her full bottom lip, her gaze catching his as she spoke so boldly. Suddenly Elijah couldn’t wait anymore to touch her. Holding her gaze, he took the DVDs from her and dropped them to the floor.
Dipping his head down, he put one hand on her waist as he brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Her lips were lush and warm against his as he explored her, pulling her body closer. Her hands fluttered to his chest, fists slowly forming to grip the fabric of his shirt.
When she gave a soft moan and rubbed the tips of her full breasts against his chest, Elijah deepened the kiss. When her lips parted for him, he invaded her with his tongue, tasting the fruity red Beaujolais wine they’d been drinking. More than that though, was her natural perfume: jasmine and ripe melon, underscored by a sweet earthiness.
Elijah splayed one hand over her lower back, fitting her closer to his body as he took her mouth in hungry, demanding strokes. He pulled at her top with his free hand, untucking it from her skirt to give his greedy fingers access to the smooth skin of her hip.
The second he gripped her bare flesh, his wolf howled with satisfaction. The musky, earthy scent of her lust hit him, and he sucked in a breath at the way his body hardened with pleasure. Muscles taut, cock achingly stiff, wolf baying for release… Elijah needed more of her, and he needed it now.
Forcing himself to release her lips, Elijah reared back and stared down into her luminous eyes.
“Ivy,” he uttered, his accent thickening as his desire for her raged, testing his control. “If ye want to wait, tell me now. I can court ye proper, and I will. But if we go further down this road now, I don’
know that I’ll be able to turn back—”
A smile teased Ivy’s lips as she rose from the couch. For a moment, he thought she would pull away, and Elijah’s heart faltered for a beat.
She cocked her head and considered him for a moment, giving him time to notice the rosy pink blush that lit her cheeks, the plump dampness of her lips, the growing scent of desire that rolled off her in waves.
This female wanted him as much as he did her, there was no denying that fact.
“I don’t have time for a proper courting,” she said, teasingly imitating his burr. “I think you’re very handsome, Elijah, and my wolf adores you. So…”
Ivy looked him right in the eye as reached behind herself, her body flexing in a sultry sway that hinted at her fantastic curves. She unzipped her skirt, exposing creamy bare skin and sheer white lace panties as she pushed the tight blue fabric down her hips.
The skirt hit the floor at her feet and she kicked it away, never breaking from his gaze. Drawing her white top up and over her head, she cast it aside, giving him an eyeful.
Her high, full breasts shifted with each breath, tantalizing him. Her hips and ass were nicely rounded, perfect for his big hands. All that beautiful, smoothly tanned skin, marked only by her lacy bra and panties… she shook him to his core.
“Ivy,” he breathed, coming to his feet. He toed off his shoes, leaving them by the couch.
He crossed the space between them in two big steps, halting just inches from Ivy. This close, he could see that she trembled, some mixture of nerves and desire. She tilted her head back to look at him, the silky curtain of her blonde hair spilling down her shoulders and back. Her eyes gleamed, promising that she felt more lust than fear, and the hopeful expression on her face did him in.
