Simon’s hand remained on mine but his eyes widened. “Oh,” he murmured.
“I . . . I wanted to forget you – our kiss and how I’d embarrassed myself,” I continued.
“You didn’t embarrass yourself, Ivy,” he argued, but I shook my head.
“I did. I invited you back to my place. You refused me and then you disappeared the next day. I thought you were disgusted by my offer, that you couldn’t stand to be around me and had to go.”
Simon released his grip on my hand and ran it through his dark hair. “I did leave because of you, Ivy, but not because of what you think. I’d planned on leaving long before we kissed. It was going to be my last day at home anyway,” he explained.
“So why did you leave?” I dared to ask.
“Like I told you . . . I wanted to get away from my feelings for someone . . . ”
“Someone?”
“You,” he replied.
Despite everything that had happened with Marco, I couldn’t help but feel giddy with excitement. This confession was a long time coming. We’d spent the better part of our lives hiding it from each other and everyone around us.
“But why did you have to leave? You knew I wanted you,” I said. My voice was cracking. I couldn’t help but regret all those lost years we could have been together. A lot of pain and misery could have been avoided if he’d just told me then what he was telling me now.
“I knew you wanted me, Ivy, but only for that night. That’s what I thought. You’d been drinking. You’d just turned nineteen. Before that night, I hadn’t seen any signs that you might have wanted me the same way,” he explained.
I shook my head, leaning towards him. “I always wanted you, Simon. Sorry, but I was just too chicken to say anything. Firstly, you were Shay’s brother and I didn’t want to lose my best friend over a fling with you. Secondly, you were just . . . just so out of my reach. You were the hottest guy in town. All those girls from our high school wanted you. I didn’t think I stood a chance,” I said, looking at him pleadingly. Hoping he would understand.
Simon sighed and nodded. “And, of course, the fact that we’d grown up together. People viewed us as brother and sister – like Shay and me,” he added as I looked away embarrassedly. “That’s never how I viewed you, Ivy. You were always special to me. I wanted to protect you, but not because you were my sister’s friend. It was because I had feelings for you.” Simon inched his chair closer to me, leaning towards me as he spoke. “So, you’re saying that all this with this . . . Marco. It’s all my fault?” he asked.
“No! Of course not. It was my bad decision. You had nothing to do with him. Shay warned me repeatedly when we were first going out. She always got a bad feeling about him. I was just so desperate to get over you that I figured anybody would do. I made the wrong rebound choice,” I explained.
Simon was looking into my eyes with concern. I could see that all he wanted was for me to be safe.
“Simon . . . Why did you come here? Why did you come to my apartment?” I asked him.
He gulped and then smiled weakly. “I thought you were gone, that you weren’t coming to the office to say your goodbyes. I didn’t want to lose my chance to tell you what I wanted to say.”
His dimples were deep in his cheeks, his eyes were fiery and dark green. The more I stared at him, the more I melted in his eyes.
“What did you want to say?” I asked him hoarsely. I could barely get the words out. I was in that trance-like state again.
“That I’m in love with you and I don’t want you to go. I’m sorry for losing my temper that evening. I don’t care which guys have been trying to get your attention . . . as long as you pick me now. I don’t want to lose you again. Not when I have you.”
I stared at him with my lips quivering. I couldn’t believe I was really hearing those words. They seemed unreal. Impossible. Had Simon Hutch just declared his love for me?
“There are no other guys, Simon. If there are, I haven’t noticed them. All I’ve been doing is trying to get away from Marco. You have no idea how much I’m in love with you!”
He threw himself at me, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. He kissed my cheeks and neck and lips and eyelids. He was showering me with kisses.
I held on to him like my life depended on it. It was actually happening . . . Simon and I could finally be together.
When he decided he was done kissing me, he looked into my eyes again. “So, you’re not going to leave?” he asked and I shook my head.
“I’m not going anywhere. Are you?”
“Never again,” he replied and we smiled at each other.
He stroked my hair and kissed my forehead. I rested my head on his chest, snuggling warmly in his arms.
“You don’t have to worry about Marco. I’m going to take care of him. He’s never going to get anywhere near you. I promise you that, Ivy,” I heard him say.
I nodded, wrapping my arms tightly around his muscular torso. I trusted him wholeheartedly. More than anyone in the world. He’d always looked out for me as a kid, and now we were going to get the chance to look out for each other for the rest of our lives.
When he kissed me again, it was long and gentle. I could feel myself growing wet between my legs. When he pulled away, I was hot and flushed.
“Shouldn’t we be heading to work?” I asked him.
Simon smiled. “It’s our day off together. I’m the boss. I can do what I want,” he said and lifted me up, making me squeal with joy.
Epilogue - Simon
Six months later
I was in my office, but I could hear Ivy’s voice in the room beside mine. She was giving an induction speech to the new recruits.
In the past six months; our company had grown exponentially. With the investments that Knightly and the others had put in, we had been able to double our expansion efforts in just a few months. The strength of our office had tripled, and Ivy had been on a fierce recruitment drive. She believed that it was important for us to hire more women – to give women a chance in the staggeringly male-dominated tech industry.
After her internship was completed, I offered Ivy the role of office manager. With her keen business sense and attention to detail, I knew she would be able to recruit the right people and keep all of the departments on their toes. So, that was what she was doing. In fact, she was a natural at it. Her recruitment drives were successful and she was able to find the right fit for all the people she was hiring. With the help of the newcomers, we were able to grow our effort in rolling out new apps and educational games. We were now developing ideas for language-based games too, which Ivy was overseeing. So, things at Madbox couldn’t be better.
Ivy and I couldn’t be better either. Within a few weeks of us confessing our feelings for each other, I asked her to move in with me. It didn’t seem too soon at all. We’d known each other our whole lives and we’d lost so much time together already. I didn’t want to miss another moment of spending my days with her. Even though we lived together and ate together and worked together, I couldn’t get enough of her. I was sure that I wouldn’t have enough of her until the day I died.
She was perfect for me. A living goddess. I worshipped the ground she walked on.
***
When Ivy was done with her induction presentation, she walked into my office, blowing air out of her mouth.
“Hey, you,” she remarked, walking straight over to my desk so I could kiss her.
She was dressed smartly in a dark pencil skirt and a purple blouse which accentuated the curves of her breasts and hips. Man, I wanted her all the time!
“How’d it go?” I asked and she smiled.
“It went well. They’re so enthusiastic to work here. I think we’ve got another great bunch as an addition to our team,” she said, brushing her long curls with her fingers.
“You’re amazing,” I said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to me.
She kissed me again, smiling and giggling as I he
ld her.
“No! Simon, we can’t. We have exactly two hours to get out of here and get on that plane. We can’t miss this flight!” she argued, pulling herself away from me.
Sighing, I stood up.
Shay’s wedding was in two days, and Ivy wanted to get there early. She was right. As much as I wanted to fuck her right there on my desk again, we couldn’t miss this flight!
***
Shay looked beautiful on her wedding day, dressed in white lace and a delicate veil, her dark curls pinned up with a daisy crown. In the past two days that we’d been back in town, I’d seen very little of Ivy and my sister. The two of them were completely busy with the wedding.
“I can’t believe you’ve kept her away from me this long!” Shay scolded me. It was pretty much the first thing she said when she saw us, her arms wrapped around Ivy, refusing to let her go.
“It’s my fault, hon. I took on more than I could handle with these new recruits. I’d planned on coming sooner,” Ivy said.
Shay rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. You’re here now and you’re together. You have no idea how happy I am!” She hugged us both, and I could see how genuinely delighted Shay was with us as a couple.
Then they disappeared together, and I barely saw them. Ivy was her maid of honor, after all.
I knew the rest of the town was talking about us. My parents had told everyone that Ivy and I were together now. Some people seemed surprised, but a lot of people weren’t. Especially Ivy’s parents. When Ivy and I got a chance to walk around together at the rehearsal dinner, it seemed like more people were congratulating us for getting together than Shay and Brian. It was heart-warming to see how many people were happy for us.
I held Ivy’s hand as we talked to old acquaintances and friends. Some people even took photos of us together. Ivy was glowing and she blushed as I kissed her repeatedly.
“I feel like a celebrity with you,” she said in a heady whisper in my ear.
“You should be celebrated. You deserve it,” I replied, brushing some curls away from her face.
“I love you, Simon. I’m so happy to be here among our friends together,” she added.
“I love you too, Ivy. I’m happy. I never thought we would actually be together like this.”
Shay watched us proudly with a wide smile on her face. It seemed like despite it being her own wedding, she was more delighted with us.
I watched the two of them together — Shay and Ivy giggling and laughing and whispering in each other’s ears. It reminded me of when we were kids. Only now, things were different. We were all content.
Epilogue - Ivy
Shay and I were alone in her bridal suite. She was all made up and looking beautiful. I couldn’t get enough of just staring at her. I knew she was having her dream wedding and she was marrying her dream man. I was happy for her.
“You’re staring at me!” she remarked with a laugh when she caught me in the mirror behind her.
“I can’t help it. You just look so damn beautiful,” I replied and went over to give her a hug. She patted my arm and looked up at me.
“And you have no idea how beautiful you look, happy like this. I always knew you two were meant to be together,” she said.
I got teary-eyed. It was an emotional moment. I could see Shay’s eyes were watering too. “Well, he was always the only one for me. And you are responsible for all this. You got Marco out of my life and led me to Simon. I will always be grateful to you for that, Shay,” I said.
She dabbed her fingers on my cheeks and then on her own. “Don’t make me cry, you silly witch! It’ll ruin my makeup,” she scolded as we laughed.
“I knew it, though, even when we were kids – that my brother and you liked each other. No matter whichever chick he was dating, I knew he was thinking about you. Which is why I wasn’t so surprised when you told me you kissed,” Shay continued.
“I feel like we’ve wasted so much time tiptoeing around each other,” I told her.
“Are you kidding me? You’re still twenty-somethings. You have your whole lives ahead of you. It’s good you got all those distractions out of your system, and now you can focus on yourselves,” Shay replied.
She always knew exactly what to say.
***
Shay and Brian were married, and they looked like the happiest couple. Everyone at the wedding could see exactly how much in love they were. Simon and I were the happiest. Shay was an important part of our lives, and we wanted her to be happy and content.
After the ceremony, I made my way to Simon. He’d been standing and clapping as Brian and Shay ran down the aisle under a rain of flowers and confetti.
He looked magnificent in his tuxedo, clean-shaven and handsome. When I came up to him, he encircled his arm around my waist and kissed me.
“It’s done. She’s not just ours anymore,” I told him, placing my hands lovingly on his lapels.
He tapped my nose softly and smiled. “Jealous?” he asked.
“A little bit,” I replied, and we laughed.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to replace Shay in your life,” he said and I shook my head.
Some other acquaintances came up to us to congratulate us and tell us how good we looked together. Then, Shay and Brian were sharing their first dance and everyone else eventually went on stage to join them.
I tugged at Simon’s hand, but he refused to budge.
“Don’t you want to dance? C’mon, just one dance,” I begged him humorously. I knew just how much he hated dancing. He pulled me back to him and swayed me gently in his arms.
“I think I know something else we can do instead,” he said, with his eyes glowing.
It felt deliciously wrong, but I couldn’t resist. He grabbed my hand and I was giggling as we wove our way around the chairs and people to the back of the venue.
It was nighttime, and the gardens were decorated with fairy lights. In the distance, we could hear the music ramping up and people’s loud, cheerful voices. Simon and I were all alone in the midst of the trees and shrubs. It felt like a wonderland moment.
We found our way to the back of a thick tree trunk and we started kissing. I hadn’t seen him much in the past two days, I’d been so caught up with Shay’s wedding. I’d missed him, and I was ravenous for his body.
We kissed and my hands crept down to his pants. I was going to pull the zip down so I could feel his bulge, but Simon pulled away.
“What’s the matter?” I asked when he stepped away from me.
“I lied. This isn’t why I brought you here, sorry,” he told me.
I was confused and I stared at him, blinking. “What’s going on?” I was on tenterhooks, worried that something had gone wrong. Being with Simon always felt like such a dream that I was afraid of waking up and realizing I’d imagined it all.
Simon had a sheepish grin on his face. While I was still full of confusion and worry, he bent down on one knee in the grass.
“Oh my god!” My hands flew up to cover my mouth. Within moments, I realized what was happening. I wasn’t expecting it, least of all at Shay’s wedding.
Simon pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and popped it open. A glittering diamond ring sat inside it. His eyes glowed.
“Ivy Marie Soleman, I have an important question to ask you . . . ” he began.
I realized I was holding my breath.
“Will you please do me the honor of marrying me?”
I stared at him, dumbstruck. “Of course, I will!” I screeched and threw my arms around his neck. He stood up, laughing as I tried to kiss him but was too giddy to do so.
I felt the warmth of the ring as he slipped it on my finger. It shimmered beautifully on my hand.
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Simon. To marry you,” I whispered to him in a gush as he picked me up.
“That’s funny. It’s what I’ve wanted, too,” he told me and we kissed again.
There were tears streaming down my cheeks. Tears of joy. It
was the happiest day of my life. I knew that nothing could tear us apart. While he kissed me and I moved in his arms, feeling his heart beat against mine, I couldn’t remember why I was sad before. How could I be sad when miracles like this happened in this world?
*****
THE END
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading “My Bossy Protector” as much as I liked writing it. Please consider leaving an honest review here; it means a lot to me to hear from you.
Charlize Starr
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My Bossy Protector: A Best Friend’s Brother Romance Page 9
