“I tried to, but you kept interrupting me. You said that Leon wouldn’t mind.” Ivy had a tear in her voice, she had grown desperate. She could see that Archer was afraid of what had happened too.
“I meant that he wouldn’t mind me sleeping with his housekeeper. That’s what I meant!” Archer thundered, shocking Ivy into sudden silence. She hadn’t expected this kind of rage from him, she hadn’t expected him to react this way, to direct his anger at her. She wasn’t the only one at fault here.
Ivy let out a deep breath and rushed out of his room, without looking back. Not that Archer had called out for her either. She was bounding down the stairs, and eventually locked herself up in her bedroom. The food was ready, it was all laid out on the table, she was going to stay in her room all night again. She didn’t want to see the faces of either brother. She didn’t want to face Leon. She didn’t want to know what excuse Archer might give him. All she wanted to do was be by herself.
Ivy stuffed her face into the pillow and let out a loud scream, her voice muffled by the bed. She wanted to throw a plate at the wall, she wanted to scratch her own skin. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have been so weak? When Leon was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
“Ivy?” Leon’s voice came like a warning through her bedroom door. She had remained on her bed, with her face stuffed in the pillow for several hours. She could hear the brothers in the dining room, chatting and laughing. She was angry at Archer. Angry at how he could act so normal after what she had told him. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Leon, and he was out there breaking bread with him.
“Are you sleeping?” Leon’s voice returned, making Ivy jump up in her bed. She knew he could see the light in her room, and he hadn’t seen her the whole night. It was only fair that he might be concerned about her at this point.
She dragged herself out of the bed, aware that her hair and her face were in a mess, and she opened the door silently, avoiding looking at Leon directly.
“No, I’m not sleeping.” She said, leaving the door open for him to come in. She walked back lazily to her bed, clutching the folds of her silk robe tightly over her breasts. She had changed out of the clothes that she thought reeked of Archer’s scent and had put on a different pair of pants and a fresh blouse.
Leon was standing silently at the door, he had only taken a few steps in. The one thing she knew about Leon was that he was a gentleman. If he got the feeling that she didn’t want him here, he would leave. He would never force her to talk or be with him. It made her feel worse. It made Ivy even madder with herself for cheating on him. And cheating on him with his own brother, no less!
“What’s wrong then?” He asked sternly. His brows were crossed with concern as Ivy continued to avoid his gaze. She knew she would break down if she looked into his eyes directly.
“I just wasn’t hungry.” She said, noticing now that he was stepping towards her.
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re avoiding me?” Leon’s voice was calm and even. He wasn’t accusing her; he was only curious about her behavior. Ivy knew that and she wished she could explain, but she didn’t have the courage in her to confess.
“No, I’m not avoiding you Leon. I just wasn’t hungry.” She said, now aware that he had come even closer. She nearly winced when she felt his large hands on her shoulders, right where his brother had held her, stroking her muscles. She was instantly filled with guilt and dread, she hoped that he couldn’t see it in her eyes.
Leon was trying to catch her gaze, he was being gentle with her, trying to understand what was wrong and all Ivy could do was push him away, because of how angry she was with her own self.
“I missed you last night.” He said, in a low deep voice that sent shivers down her spine. She wished she could kiss him, that she could bury her face in his chest. As much as Archer was tempting, as much as she had enjoyed herself with him, Leon was the man who made her feel safe, who made her feel comfortable. And she had betrayed this man, and it made her angry.
She didn’t reply to him, and her limbs froze when he bent down to kiss her. His lips found hers and he was pushing his tongue into her mouth to part her lips. She felt his large masculine hand with the thick long fingers she knew so well, start tracing out the curve of her breast. He kissed her, and at the same time tenderly caressed her breast, reaching for her nipple, circling it and then pinching it gently between his thumb and forefinger. They were hard for him. As much as she was angry with herself, as much as she wished she could push him away, she couldn’t. Her body had the same animalistic reaction to Leon’s touch.
His mouth was sucking on hers, feverishly now as he pressed himself to her. She could feel his hard on, the throbbing erection in his pants, pressing against her abdomen. It instantly made her wet between her legs, she was going to slide down her own panties, she was going to put her hand down Leon’s pants just so she could feel how much his dick had grown, because of her, wanting her.
But she suddenly shoved him away.
“No.” She blurted out and when she looked up she saw the confusion on his face.
“What?” He asked, his voice reaching a quick high note. He was shocked at her reaction. She usually si
mply melted in his arms, he didn’t have to ask her twice.
Ivy remained silent, avoiding his gaze and biting down on her bottom lip, where Leon had been kissing her. How was she supposed to explain to him that she still yearned for him, that she still wanted him to kiss her? But she had to push him away.
“Fine. I’m not going to force you.” He said, in a menacingly angered voice, and he pivoted on the heels of his boots and was out of her room in a flash, banging the door shut behind him.
Ivy breathed in deeply, in an attempt to even her breath. She was afraid of breaking down, and afraid of crying. Because of what she had done, because of Archer, she had managed to push away the man that she cared for. The man who was the first one to make her feel good. The man who had taught her everything.
She flung herself on her bed, burying her face into the pillow again. There was nothing else for her to do but to wait and see what the next day would bring for her. One thing she was sure of was that she was going to avoid Archer Cooper like the plague.
Ivy woke up in her bed, covered in sweat. It was the middle of the night; the house was shrouded in silence and her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness.
She had been dreaming about Leon, about Archer, about them both.
She gulped and blinked up at the ceiling, realizing that she was wet between her legs. The dream was too realistic; it didn’t feel like a dream at all. She thought she was touching him, Leon or was it Archer?
When she shut her eyes close again, Leon’s somber face drifted up again. She could see him clearly, his brown eyes and sandy hair, with the cowboy hat on his head, riding his horse. Ivy couldn’t help but bite down on her lip. Her hips arched upwards as she writhed under the sheets. She had pushed him away when he visited her in her room, but the reality was that she was pining for him.
She knew how he tasted, how his mouth tasted on her lips. And now he was tracing down her skin, her throat, the top of her bare breasts with his wet tongue. He found her nipples and latched on to one of them, sucking on it hard with his slippery tongue. Ivy jerked her eyes open, she realized she had been pinching her nipples herself, and they were hard, ready. She shut her eyes again. Even though she knew this was wrong, it was unfair, she couldn’t stop herself. She had gone too far to turn back now.