“Drowsy. I woke up and didn’t know what year it was.” She smiles softly. “But it was also refreshing.”
“Good. You needed it.”
She plays with the button on my Henley and rests her cheek on my shoulder. “What have you been up to?”
“Making calls, talking with Curt. The usual.”
“I don’t think today was usual.”
“No, you’re right. It wasn’t. I can honestly say that I haven’t had any excitement out here since I built the ranch.”
“And yet, it’s built to be a fortress.”
“Came in handy today.” I kiss her forehead. I can’t keep my lips or my hands to myself. She’s a fucking siren.
“So, what’s the latest?”
I don’t want to give her too much information because I want to protect her, but then Curt’s words come back to my mind, and I decide to take them to heart.
Because he’s right. She’s intelligent and capable. And maybe I’m doing her a disservice by keeping the details from her.
At least where this current situation is concerned.
“I’m headed into Denver tomorrow morning,” I begin and tell her about meeting with Cameron and my family. “We’re going to come up with more answers and a plan for moving forward.”
“What time do we leave?” she asks.
“We aren’t going. I am.”
Ivie scowls. “You’re killing me here, Shane. I need to go with you, for my mental health.”
“And I need you to stay here, for your physical safety. I won’t risk taking you into the city. You’ll stay here with Curt.”
“Great, so I have a babysitter.” She pouts, and I can’t resist taking her mouth with mine, nibbling that plump lower lip.
“He’s not a babysitter. He’s a companion. Don’t flirt with him.”
She grins at that, which was exactly my intention. “I could use that time to try to get more information out of him. I’m determined to be his friend.”
“Good luck with that. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. It’ll be a quick trip.”
“Okay.” She sighs. “This all sucks balls.”
I can’t help myself. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tightly against me. “Yeah, it does.”
“I mean, I thought I’d get to spend time with you and get to know you better under much different circumstances. I didn’t think we’d be forced into it.”
I scowl. “I don’t think that we’re being forced into anything.”
“Aren’t we? I’m not allowed to leave. You have to stay here to protect me. Feels pretty forced. And I’m not complaining, I’m just saying it’s not a fun way to start seeing a guy. Pretty unconventional, actually.”
“Well, I never was the traditional type, I guess.”
She laughs and then sighs. “So, what do you want to do this evening?”
I raise a brow, thinking it over. “You seem to be feeling better.”
“I’m just fine, thank you for asking.”
I stand with her still in my arms and walk through the living room, down the hall to my bedroom.
“Do you want to take another nap?” I love this playful side of her.
“That’s not what I had in mind, actually.” I set her gently on the bed and climb on next to her, my head braced in my hand and the other one gliding down her torso. She’s wearing an orange tank and black shorts.
No bra, as evidenced by her tightening nipples.
“Do you want to talk some more?” she asks, all innocence.
“Yeah, I want to talk.”
She glances up in surprise. “Okay, what do you want to talk about?”
“How fucking sexy you are,” I reply as my hand glides up her smooth stomach, under the tank top that was clearly designed to drive a man out of his fucking mind.
“That’s not a fun conversation.”
“I think you’re wrong.” I scoot down to kiss the skin I just uncovered. “I think it’s the best conversation ever. And it’s going to take us a while to go through all of the talking points.”
“Did you make a PowerPoint presentation?”
I chuckle as I unearth one perfect breast. “I should. Maybe I will, actually. I’ll have to include photos. So, I should probably take some pictures of your perfect body.”
“A: My body isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. And B: No one, and I do mean no one, will ever take naked photos of me. It would ruin my political career.”
I snort and then look at her in surprise. “You want to be a politician?”
“Of course, not. But if I did, it would ruin it. So, no photos.”
“I guess that means I’ll just have to commit everything to memory.” I pluck the nipple with my lips, enjoying the way her back arches at my touch. “Like that?”
“Yeah. I like that.”
“There’s much more where that came from.”
“Are you going to tell me or show me?”
“Both.” I surprise her by flipping her over onto her belly and then cup her round ass in my hands. “You have a stellar ass, Ivie. You’ve just gotta love any god you pray to for making an ass like this.”