Page 22 of Volatile

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Chapter Seven

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Jon pounded his heelshard on the pavement, breath heavy, heart beating mercilessly in his chest. He was pushing it to the extreme and loving every minute of it. It’d been far too long since he’d exercised outdoors and the open air had been calling his ass for a while, but he’d ignored it. Not anymore.

He jogged the rest of the way, cooling down as he neared his house. He felt like a completely new man. Even better than when he’d chopped wood at Jacque’s. He wiped the sweat from his eyes, and a familiar black car came into sight. He rounded past it and into his driveway, preparing himself for the shitstorm that awaited him. No worries. He felt fucking alive that morning; he could deal with it.

He’d been wondering when the fallout would occur. It’d been five days since Ivy stormed out and there’d been no contact, not even to set up an appointment for Lily. She’d probably booted him off the case. Hell, she was probably there to tell him about the sexual harassment suit she’d filed.

Ivy waited on his doorstep, hands crossed in front of her. He’d enjoyed the reprieve, his dick needing the time away from her to get its priorities straight, but seeing her right then standing on his porch.... He had the sudden, crazy urge to wrap her curls around his hand and yank her towards him, but... what the fuck? Down, boy. Not your type, remember?

“Ivy. This is unexpected. Is there something I can do for you?”

She cleared her throat. “Um, do you have a moment?”

“If you’re here to schedule Lily’s appointment, you could have texted and saved yourself the trip.”

When she shook her head no, he paused to consider the situation. Deal with it right here or take it inside? He had no idea if the visit would be quick and easy or long and grueling. He could never predict the outcome when this woman was involved.

He held the door open for her. If she was going to bitch at him or accuse him of anything, better to do it away from the neighbors. Ivy skimmed past him, her eyes getting sidetracked by the sweat-soaked shirt that clung to his chest. She didn’t look like a woman about to threaten legal action; she looked like a woman in heat.

Jon wiped his face with a towel. “Is this going to take more than a few minutes?”

“Yes.”

“Then do you mind waiting while I grab a quick shower? I won’t be long.”

“No, that’s fine.”

He turned and set off down the hall. He wanted to get the grime off him, but it was more than that. He needed the extra time to clear his head. And to keep his libido in check. She probably didn’t even realize how fucking horny she looked standing there, touching her face, sucking in her bottom lip. Her body was sending out the signal loud and clear, even if she was hating every minute of it. But he’d already almost crossed that line once, and it had been a mistake. Ivy was not the kind of woman who should’ve been doing a damn thing for him sexually, and that’s what he had to keep reminding himself.

Jon peeled off his clothes and stepped under the stream, hot water pelting down his back. If she was there to talk more about Lily, he couldn’t see it ending well. He ran the soap over his body and lathered up his hair, trying to ignore the fact that she was waiting for him. The reason why really didn’t matter. She was fucking radioactive. It could never end well.

He turned off the shower and stepped out, snagging a towel off the rack. After he dried and dressed, he made his way back to her, coming to a standstill when he caught movement by the study.

What the fuck?

Ivy noticed him and jumped back, hand on her chest. “Oh, Jon... that was quick.”

“What are you doing?”

“I hope you don’t mind... I was just wandering around to pass some time. The door was open a bit, so I peeked inside. Just for a sec. Who’s that woman in the painting? I swear I know—”

“It never once occurred to me that when I left to take my shower, you’d take it upon yourself to go wherever you pleased.”

She gave him a tiny smile. “Now, who’s the one interrupting?”

“Do you think you’re being cute?” She tilted her head, her mouth falling open. “I don’t take kindly to an invasion of privacy. Waiting for me is not an open invitation to go through my things.”

“Is... is that what you think? But it wasn’t like that at all. I was only....” She glanced into his study again, and Jon pulled the door shut. “Does this strange mood of yours have anything to do with that painting?”

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