Page 81 of Vicious Sabotage

She’d brought the threat down on herself when she took that shot at the man about to steal Ivy’s truck. Because of her, Carver had suffered.

How could she ever set things right? It seemed easier to come up with the money her father owed the loan shark than figure out how to go on with her bodyguard.

The determination burning on his rugged features told her that he wasn’t going to walk away. And she’d already seen the fight in the man.

A light rapping sound made her turn her head. Ivy stood in the doorway, concern pinching her pretty face.

“Do you want some company?”

She released her hold on her knees. “Yes, please.”

Ivy silently crossed the deck on bare feet like the country girl she always would be. She sank down on the edge next to Livia and stared out at the land she would someday inherit.

“I love this time of day.” She let out a low sigh.

“It’s beautiful.”

“You okay?”

She nodded.

“Are you and Carver okay?”

She bit down on her lip. That question was far more complicated. She considered the answer.

The make-up sex had been fantastic, romantic, filled with passion…but all wrong, because Livia had already made up her mind to walk away from the man before he ever returned from his ordeal.

“Uh-oh. Do you want to talk about it?” Ivy dipped her head to catch Livia’s gaze.

She hugged her knees again. “You’ve been such a good friend to me through all of this. But…I’m not ready to talk about it.”

She nodded. “I understand. And it’s okay. Just know that I’m here for you.”

“Are the men still in the dining room talking?”

“Yes. They’ve been at it for hours, hashing out everything that happened.”

She had to find a way to start protecting herself. She’d bring back Big Dan and hire a second bouncer. Get more locks on the doors, set more rules put in place for her employees when it came to coming and going to ensure that an exit was never left unlocked for some unwanted person to enter through.

The breeze freshened, bringing the scent of the mountains—pine and sap. She swore she could smell the blue of the sky too.

But maybe all of the scents flooding her brain really belonged to her lover.

A deep jolt of want in her core reminded her of just how bad she wanted him. Bad enough not to wait for him to locate a condom before she let him fill her with his cock.

“You guys look thirsty.” The female voice made her and Ivy turn to see Meadow crossing the deck, carrying a small tray of cocktails.

Meadow took in her sister and Livia, her face reflecting the solemn moment between them.

Meadow leaned over, extending the tray to them. Ivy took her glass first, and Livia did the same. She wasn’t in the mood for happy hour, but she loved Meadow for her effort and took a sip.

It was mixed well and just strong enough to make her relax a little bit.

She took another sip, the bitter alcohol mingling with fruit juice and tangy lime doing little to ease the ache in her heart at what she knew must come next.

She had to break things off with Carver.

It took her an entire night of believing he was dead to come to terms with it, but she knew it was the right move. She’d lost too many people in her life already. Her mother taking off had hurt. Her father’s death left a small hole of grief. Her sister running off with her boyfriend had left her lonely and a little bit lost.

---