by Terry Towers
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 on 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.
Ivy looked up from the novel she’d been reading and caught Ethan’s stare. He looked exhausted; he’d already stripped down to just a pair of jeans, the muscles in his chest and shoulders tight. Presumably another hard day. “He got a call from his mother. His dad’s been drinking and getting rowdy. She asked him to drop in and defuse the situation. He assumed he’d be gone for the night. Said he’d swing by after his shift tomorrow.”
“Ahhh.” Opening the door wide, Ethan entered and crossed the room, sitting on the bed next to her.
“Ever think of knocking?” She motioned to the pair of Snoopy boxer shorts and camisole she was wearing, sans a bra. If you looked closely you could see the outlines of her large, dark areolas. “I’m not really dressed to be seen.”
His eyes lazily took in every inch of her body, a cocky grin on his lips. “I’d beg to differ.”
She averted her gaze, a blush forming on her cheeks as she shifted uneasily on the bed as the heat began to form between her legs. The way his eyes seemed to drink in every inch of her made her stomach do a little flip-flop. “What do you want?”
“What are you reading?” he asked as he made an attempt to grab the novel from her hands, but she jerked it out of his reach.
“None of your business.” The last thing she wanted him to know was that she still read the corny romance novels he used to tease her about.
He frowned and made a swipe for the book. “Come on. Let me see.”
She jerked it out of his reach a second time and put her hand behind her back. “No. You can’t. Now scram.” That was the last thing she wanted.
They stared at each other, neither one of them moving an inch. A slow smile crept onto his lips and she saw the devious gleam in his eyes.
“I said no.”
He lunged, grabbing behind her back and yanking the book from her fingertips. With the prize in his hands he sat back and examined the cover. “A Cop’s Passion. Sounds steamy.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and flipped to the page she’d bookmarked when he came in.
“Ethan! Give it back, you bully!” She lunged at him, attempting to get it back, but he held it out of reach.
“Nope, not until I see what’s got you all hot and heavy.”
“I’m not hot and heavy! Who uses that term aside from you anyhow?”
“Their eyes locked as she lowered her head and wrapped her lips around his large, throbbing cock…” he read, his smile so large it looked like his head was cut in half. “Well, little sister, I can’t believe you’re reading porn.”
“It’s not porn.” She lunged again just as he was about to read another line and yanked it from his fingertips. “It’s steamy romance.”
“I don’t know about that, but sounds like porn to me. That being said, you didn’t give me much of a chance to evaluate.”
With a groan, she swatted him on the shoulder with the book, her cheeks burning, turning a deep crimson. “That’s why you’re a bully.”
“I’m not a bully!” A bark of laughter erupted from him.
“Bully, bully, bully.” She whacked him several more times.
“Stop abusing me!” His laughter was contagious and she found herself laughing with him. “You’re the one being the bully. I never assaulted you!”
She pulled her arm back to swat him again when he lunged at her hand. Ivy yelped as she went tumbling backwards, Ethan’s body toppling over hers. The book fell from her fingertips as she squirmed under him until his body was situated between her legs.
Grabbing her wrists, with a little effort he forced them above her head and secured her wrists with his one larger, stronger hand. She continued to squirm under him, attempting to free herself, but all it managed to do was cause a hard ridge to form beneath the crotch of the jeans he was wearing.
Picking the book up with his free hand, he flipped to a random page. “He entered her slowly, savouring the feel of her heat engulfing him, inch after blissful inch… Kinda hot.” He dropped the book by her head and looked down into her eyes. “So, does this turn you on?”
The look of desire that was flaring up in his blue eyes set her body aflame and she squirmed under him, not to escape, but so the ridge of his cock was settled against her mound. She moved under him again, the friction teasing her clit through the clothing.
“Does it?” All teasing was now gone from his eyes and all that remained was an intense hunger.
Ivy caught her lower lip between her teeth and moaned softly.
“God, Ivy…” He moved over her, grinding his hardened dick against her mound. Whether it was intentional or he was attempting to relieve the tension as she was, Ivy didn’t know, but it sent a tremor of need through her. Her hands fisted above her head as she attempted to restrain her need to kiss him.
“Ethan, I –”
He lowered his head until his lips grazed her neck. “Ivy.” He inhaled deeply. “You smell so good, I don’t remember you smelling so sweet.”
“It’s been a long time,” she managed to gasp.
He nipped at her neck, sending a jolt through her and she moaned, moving under him. It wasn’t necessarily her intention to provoke him, in fact, she wasn’t thinking much of anything as surges of need rippled through her.
“Ivy,” he whispered as his lips and teeth made their way up her neck and along her jaw. He pulled up just enough to look deep into her eyes as he released her hands and ran his index finger along her collarbone. “I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.”
Her hands immediately went to his face. A slight beard had begun to form at his chin. She’d waited for so long to touch him like this and to feel his hard body covering hers. Slipping a hand to the back of his head she urged his lips down to hers. When his lips met hers it was like a dam had broken and the years of wanting and needing him surged through her in a ball of fiery need. The kiss wasn’t sweet or intimate like it had been with Trey; it was fierce and urgent, like they were starving and the other person was their own source of nutrition.
Ethan’s hand slipped between them, cupping her breast over the sheer material, as he ground his covered cock against her pelvis. Ivy wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him tighter, rocking against the hard ridge of his cock. But she wasn’t getting relief, instead it was only fuelling her need for more.
“Ethan. God, Ethan, what are we doing?” she moaned, pulling her lips from his and arching her back, giving him full access to her neck.
“What you’ve been wanting.” His lips travelled down the side of her neck, nipping lightly at her ivory flesh. “What I’ve been wanting, I was just too stupid to realize it until now.”
She lowered her hands to his shoulders, her fingers digging into the tight muscle as his lips reached her collarbone. As his lips trailed a string of kisses across her collarbone he pushed the hem of her camisole up and over her breasts.
The plan. This isn’t part of the plan. His fingers pinched her nipple, then rolled it between his fingertips until it was a tight, dark nub, sending another surge of pleasure through her that made her pussy throb. Fuck the plan. Ivy moaned as Ethan’s lips grazed her breast and tongue flicked the nipple.
The heat between her legs was becoming intolerable, demanding relief from the tension. Ivy’s hands slipped down his well-defined, muscular back to the waist
band of his jeans, slipping underneath the waistband and gripping his ass, pulling him down tighter to her.
Ethan released her nipple and his lips began travelling lower. Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her boxers, he tugged them down. Ivy’s body froze, her hands slipping to her sides, fisting the blanket under her, as she watched him slowly work his way down her stomach to the top of her shaven mound.
This. Her and Ethan. Was it finally going to happen… Now?
Trey!!! His name screamed out in her head. She groaned inwardly. This couldn’t happen, at least not right now. She needed them both onboard to sharing and that wasn’t going to happen if she let this proceed and caused a competition between them for her.
“Wait! Ethan, stop.” Her body screamed out in protest as she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him off of her. “We can’t.”
He looked up at her, confusion and disappointment etched in his expression. But he didn’t protest. Taking a deep breath in, he slowly released it and crawled up to lay beside her as she pulled her boxers back up and adjusted her camisole. She turned onto her side, propping her head up on her elbow. The throbbing between her legs was killing her, but she was pretty confident he was also suffering. At least they could suffer together.
“I’m sorry. I just think we shouldn’t take this too quick. Not until we iron out a few things…” Not exactly true, but it would have to do.
“I get it.” He began to sit up and leave when she grabbed his arm, pulling him back down.
“I don’t suppose you’d be up to a horror movie marathon. Maybe some popcorn.”
