to the floor, her back to the row of cabinets opposite him, and hugged her pink-and-yellow-clad legs to her chest. “About that...”
“Me first.” He sat down next to her, suppressing a smile at her slippers. Fluffy neon-green frogs with bulging eyes and broad smiles. She may have changed a little on the outside, but inside she was still the same funny, spunky, self-assured girl who had staged a sit-in when the school board tried to cut the high school jazz band.
Qualities he’d been too superficial to appreciate as a teen. But he wasn’t superficial now. So why was he resisting what she’d so willingly offered?
Because it wasn’t just her he stood to lose. It was Gabe. Holly. Noelle. Their parents. The closest thing to a real family he’d ever known.
Cade turned his head and met Ivy’s clear, gray-green gaze. “I know things have been awkward between us since our kiss.”
One corner of her mouth lifted. “Don’t you mean kisses?”
“If you want to get technical.”
“I do.”
He scrubbed a hand through his hair, still damp at the ends from the shower he’d taken when he got off duty. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
She shrugged. “You want easy, there’s always Sasha.”
He grimaced. “Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt.”
Ivy laughed, and just like that the tension between them deflated.
“So are we okay?” Cade asked. “You gonna stop avoiding me?”
“I have not been avoiding you.”
“Bullshit.” He held out a hand. “Let me see your cell. Guaranteed there’s at least ten unanswered calls from me and probably twice that many texts you ignored.”
She smacked his hand away. “Fine. I’ll stop avoiding you. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Stop treating me like your best friend’s pain-in-the-ass sister.”
“You’re not a pain in the ass.”
She laughed again, a sweet, soft, musical sound that made his chest tighten. “Now who’s bullshitting?”
“You’re not,” he insisted. “But you
are
my best friend’s sister.”
She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the cabinets and exposing the long line of her neck, a line he wanted to trace with his tongue from her ear to her collarbone. “Couldn’t you conveniently forget that for, like, an hour or so?”
“An hour?” Now it was his turn to chuckle. “You underestimate me.”
Her eyes shot open, pinning him with a heated stare. “Are you flirting with me?”
He shouldn’t be, dammit. His head knew it was a bad idea. But majority ruled, apparently, and the rest of him, especially the region south of his belt buckle, was screaming for him to quit stalling and give the lady what she wanted. “Maybe.”
“Don’t promise what you’re not willing to deliver.”
“Don’t ask for what you’re not willing to take.”
“So that’s how you want to play it.” Without warning, she kicked off her fuzzy slippers and climbed into his lap, straddling him. “I’ve never been the aggressor before, but there’s always a first time.”
He’d never been the aggressee before, either, but if she was game, so was he. Especially if it meant her crotch pressing into his stiffening cock and her breasts crushed against his chest, her nipples hardening to pinpoints under her T-shirt.
“What about Gabe?” he asked, half hoping that saying his friend’s name would snap him out of his lust-ridden stupor, half praying it wouldn’t.
“Gabe who?” Ivy leaned in to brush a kiss across his lips, and her red-brown curls tumbled over her face, teasing his cheeks. “I thought you were going to forget him for the next hour.”
“Or more.” Cade buried his nose in her hair and breathed her in. Damn, she smelled good. Like sunshine and sugar cookies and the air after a warm spring rainstorm.
“More?” She arched her neck, inviting him to lick the path he’d just fantasized about. It was an invitation he wasn’t strong enough to refuse, his
“Me first.” He sat down next to her, suppressing a smile at her slippers. Fluffy neon-green frogs with bulging eyes and broad smiles. She may have changed a little on the outside, but inside she was still the same funny, spunky, self-assured girl who had staged a sit-in when the school board tried to cut the high school jazz band.
Qualities he’d been too superficial to appreciate as a teen. But he wasn’t superficial now. So why was he resisting what she’d so willingly offered?
Because it wasn’t just her he stood to lose. It was Gabe. Holly. Noelle. Their parents. The closest thing to a real family he’d ever known.
Cade turned his head and met Ivy’s clear, gray-green gaze. “I know things have been awkward between us since our kiss.”
One corner of her mouth lifted. “Don’t you mean kisses?”
“If you want to get technical.”
“I do.”
He scrubbed a hand through his hair, still damp at the ends from the shower he’d taken when he got off duty. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”
She shrugged. “You want easy, there’s always Sasha.”
He grimaced. “Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt.”
Ivy laughed, and just like that the tension between them deflated.
“So are we okay?” Cade asked. “You gonna stop avoiding me?”
“I have not been avoiding you.”
“Bullshit.” He held out a hand. “Let me see your cell. Guaranteed there’s at least ten unanswered calls from me and probably twice that many texts you ignored.”
She smacked his hand away. “Fine. I’ll stop avoiding you. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Stop treating me like your best friend’s pain-in-the-ass sister.”
“You’re not a pain in the ass.”
She laughed again, a sweet, soft, musical sound that made his chest tighten. “Now who’s bullshitting?”
“You’re not,” he insisted. “But you
are
my best friend’s sister.”
She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the cabinets and exposing the long line of her neck, a line he wanted to trace with his tongue from her ear to her collarbone. “Couldn’t you conveniently forget that for, like, an hour or so?”
“An hour?” Now it was his turn to chuckle. “You underestimate me.”
Her eyes shot open, pinning him with a heated stare. “Are you flirting with me?”
He shouldn’t be, dammit. His head knew it was a bad idea. But majority ruled, apparently, and the rest of him, especially the region south of his belt buckle, was screaming for him to quit stalling and give the lady what she wanted. “Maybe.”
“Don’t promise what you’re not willing to deliver.”
“Don’t ask for what you’re not willing to take.”
“So that’s how you want to play it.” Without warning, she kicked off her fuzzy slippers and climbed into his lap, straddling him. “I’ve never been the aggressor before, but there’s always a first time.”
He’d never been the aggressee before, either, but if she was game, so was he. Especially if it meant her crotch pressing into his stiffening cock and her breasts crushed against his chest, her nipples hardening to pinpoints under her T-shirt.
“What about Gabe?” he asked, half hoping that saying his friend’s name would snap him out of his lust-ridden stupor, half praying it wouldn’t.
“Gabe who?” Ivy leaned in to brush a kiss across his lips, and her red-brown curls tumbled over her face, teasing his cheeks. “I thought you were going to forget him for the next hour.”
“Or more.” Cade buried his nose in her hair and breathed her in. Damn, she smelled good. Like sunshine and sugar cookies and the air after a warm spring rainstorm.
“More?” She arched her neck, inviting him to lick the path he’d just fantasized about. It was an invitation he wasn’t strong enough to refuse, his
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