Page 52 of Tempest

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Friday

Ryan entered the bright kitchen and saw Colin sitting at the island with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Mornin’,” he said as he made his way over to the coffeepot. “You kept Phoebe out on the dance floor most of the night.”

“Had to. Did you see that pack of wild dogs sitting at the bar? If I had let her go for a second, they would’ve been on her like a piece of fresh meat.”

“I thought that pack of wolves were your friends,” Ryan said, as he leaned against the counter.

“Former friends,” Colin grumbled. “I blame my sister. She should’ve given her something more appropriate to wear. I knew the minute we walked into Mercer that we were in trouble. Every man there had his eyes glued to her, and she had no clue.”

Clearing his throat, Ryan waited for Colin to amend his statement. “I don’t know if every man’s eyes were on her.”

“Might be a slight exaggeration,” Colin said before draining his cup. “It felt like it, though. I kept her wrapped up in my arms as a way to protect her virtue.”

Ryan looked over the top of his cup and studied Colin. The poor bastard was hit, and he hadn’t figured it out yet. It was going to be interesting to see how Phoebe felt about it. “Let’s go take a run before the girls are up. If we’re lucky, Ivy will make us breakfast.”

“That’s pretty much guaranteed. My sister likes to feed people. She figures it motivates them to listen to all of her advice. Which she has a lot of, on almost any subject.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his head and grinned. “She hasn’t offered me any.”

“That’s because she’s waiting until you’re legally bound and can’t get away from her. She may appear to be sweet and kind, but underneath all of that is a will of steel. A will she likes to impose on the people she loves. Her mama does it, and so does Grams. It’s like a genetic chip that can’t be turned off.”

Ryan played the phrase over in his mind: until you’re legally bound. Shit. What a great idea. While the notion of them together forever had been floating around, it had never coalesced into the concept of marriage. It was fucking brilliant. Just the thought of it spread calm through his body. Why he’d been blind to it, he couldn’t say.

Ivy bound to him permanently. The picture of them together forty years from now made his heart turn over. It felt soft and full…Was this love? He’d never experienced anything remotely like it, so he couldn’t be sure.

“You okay, man?” Colin asked loudly.

He looked up and grinned. “Yeah. I’ll grab my shoes and be ready in five. Meet you out front.”

Could he be in love with Ivy? Walking into their room, he looked at the bed and saw her dead asleep. Her face was pushed into a pillow, and she was snoring lightly while her hair lay in a tangle of knots. Married to this woman…forever. Definitely something he could do. He grabbed his shoes and leaned over and kissed her cheek before he walked out. He looked over his shoulder and everything snapped into place. It was the same feeling he had when he looked through the scope of his rifle and the target came into perfect focus. Ivy Bellows was his target. Now all he had to do was make sure she was safe and then convince her he was the one for her. Closing the door quietly, he walked down the hall and started formulating a plan.

***

Ryan walked back into the house with a towel wrapped around his waist. He’d jumped into the pool in his running shorts after his run and was starving. Ivy sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee at her elbow and her eyes glued to her computer. The expression she wore reminded him of the moment when he’d first seen her. About eighty percent of the assumptions he’d made that day were incorrect. The things he’d thought would make him nuts were the things that he ended up liking most. “Hey, honey.”

Her hand went up in a wait signal, and he decided to grab a bottle of water while she finished. After he emptied it, he sat down beside her and kissed her shoulder. “What are you working on?”

She turned her head and kissed him in greeting. “I just confirmed a purchase of a new Bell helicopter for the San Francisco office. The broker met my terms, and SAI now has a helo available in every office. I need to let Ryder know. He’s been chomping at the bit.”

“Congratulations. Not a bad way to start your day.” Her small hand slipped inside his, and he thought their clasped hands were the very definition of man and woman. His big, scarred hand encased her small one in protection. Strength and delicacy. Every thought in his head was circling back to the idea that had gotten planted earlier by Colin. Legally bound.

“After my shower, I’ll make us some breakfast. It’s my turn to take care of you.” That was it. Think about something else. If he wasn’t careful, he would blurt out his idea and she would refuse. “French toast.”

“Okay. That sounds perfect. I have a couple of hours of work to get done before we meet with Stuart this afternoon. Phoebe is putting together information on him, and she said she should have something by lunchtime.”

“Did you tell me we were meeting with him?”

“I thought I did.” Shrugging, she returned her eyes back to the computer. “Maybe I didn’t since you stripped me naked within seconds of coming home yesterday afternoon. I hardly had a chance to catch my breath before you had me on my back.”

Lifting her chin, he smiled. “I waited until we were safely in the bedroom and the door was locked. I also distinctly remember you riding me hard and chanting my name like it was a prayer. More than once.”

“If you play your cards right, I may be willing to do it again.”

He moved his hand to the back of her head, cupped it and brought their mouths together. When he felt satisfied that he’d branded himself on her, he released her lips. “I’ll make sure I do everything I can to ensure it happens again and…again.” Her breath hitched, and he rested her head against his. “I’m going to get cleaned up.” Reluctantly he stepped away and walked back to their bedroom. Drop the mic. The show was over and Ivy Bellows officially owned his fucking heart. The grin that was plastered across his face was probably permanent. How much of a problem that was going to be would take a long time to determine.

***

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