12. New Ways to Say Thank You
CHAPTER 12
NEW WAYS TO SAY THANK YOU
IVY
M y shoulders drop from around my ears, and I melt into Mars’ hold as he sways me around the dance floor. I love weddings, even when I want to toss some of the guests into the nearest lake. He hums along to the music, his hands spanning my back, and his nose tucked into my neck.
A slower song comes on, and the rest of the world drops away. It’s only me and Mars, his solid shoulder, and his strong arms caging me in. He holds me as if he’s always been holding me, like there was never a time when we weren’t Ivy and Mars, partners in crime.
The frequency of people approaching him with something backhanded to say has slowed down. Maybe they finally got bored. Or I scared them off.
“Was I too harsh?” I ask into his shoulder.
“When?” he asks into my hair.
“With your family. Was I too harsh?”
Mars laughs and shakes his head. “Nothing a little Bactine and gauze won’t fix.”
“They just...they just made me so angry . Don’t they know nobody messes with my Mars, no matter how backhanded the comment?”
He stumbles for a second but tightens his hold on me. “Your Mars is fine. Yeah, sometimes their needling stings, but ultimately most of these people don’t matter to me. The ones who I really love, who love me...they’ve never treated me like that. They don’t care that I’m accident-prone. They don’t turn me into an easy target.”
“Except Susan.” My voice is tight when I think about all the digs she got in last night and tonight. Some more subtle than others, but no less mean.
“Except Susan,” he confirms. “Our relationship has always been hard. But I’m finally letting her go. I’m old enough to not let her digs touch me. I love my dad, but I’ve decided to keep my distance from her, even if that means spending less time with him.” I hear the sadness in his voice, and it makes me angry all over again.
We take a few more spins around the dance floor, quietly deconstructing the day. Food was alright, if a little underwhelming. Music was great. People were a mixed bag. “Today was infinitely better with you here,” Mars murmurs when we’re pressed together under the fairy lights.
There’s no sign of this reception winding down, but I want to put a lid on the evening. I’ll take my cues from Mars though. If he wants to stay longer, I won’t protest. Leeza and I exchanged numbers earlier, and I’m already looking forward to the next time we meet up.
Coming off the dance floor—where he didn’t tread on my toes one single time, thank you very much—Susan steps in front of us. She’s got a tipsy sheen to her eyes, and she’s listing a little to the left. At least her hair is still perfectly, mother-of-the-groom neat.
“Milton,” she says carefully, in the way only someone trying really hard to sound sober does. “Iris,” she says to me.
“Ivy.” Mars corrects her, his hand bunching the fabric at the back of my dress.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, happens all the time.” It almost never happens, but I’m tired of this woman and this is not the hill I’m dying on today.
“Susan, it’s been a wonderful wedding. I know how much work you’ve put into it.” How this man manages to stay above it all when I want to throw a tantrum is beyond my understanding. It’s good that I carry enough pettiness for the both of us.
“Thank you.” She preens a little.
She leans in like she’s about to tell us a secret. “Not one single disaster,” she says in what she probably thinks is a whisper but is quite loud. She taps her forehead. “It’s because I have a noggin for planning. Like putting you at a table across the room from the ice sculpture and the cake.”
Mars’ arm tightens around me, and I feel him completely still beside me.
Susan’s oblivious to his reaction. “I mean, it would be like Jaylen’s eighth grade graduation all over again.”
Mars lets out a frustrated breath that ruffles my hair. “You’re going to have to let that one go, Susan. Also, who gives out frisbees as party favors at an indoor event?”
“Yes, well. Learned my lesson, didn’t I? ‘Keep Milton away from the breakables.’ That’s what I say every time he comes for a visit.” She has the ovaries to smile at me like I’m in on her little joke.
I straighten but stay in the circle of Mars’ arm. I have about five inches on this woman, and for a split second I think about picking her up and tossing her at her precious ice sculpture. Swans are overdone anyway.
“Wow, I’ve never met someone who could hold a petty grudge for so long.”
“Ivy, it’s fine,” Mars starts to say.
I whip around. “It’s not fine. Nothing she’s said to you all evening is fine . If they handed out ribbons for passive-aggression this woman’s wall would be covered in them.”
Susan pats her hair. “Thank you.”
“You know, it’s sad,” I say, turning on her. My eyes burn and I make an effort to keep my hands from fisting at my side.
Susan looks down at her red wine like she’s bored already. “What’s sad?”
“That you can’t see beyond your idea of how people should act. That you’re trapped in your little fiefdom of pettiness—and not the good kind of pettiness. The cruel kind. And you rule with all the power of a low-level manager at the mall.”
“Ivy.” Mars tries to pull me away, and I realize that I’m invading Susan’s personal space. I take a step back but don’t stop.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” She sniffs.
“When you met Mars’ dad you were given a gift.” I wave my hands at Mars. “But instead of treating that little boy with the kindness he deserved, you decided to push him out of the herd, one tiny hurt at a time. It’d be sad if it wasn’t so insidious. Do you even realize what you missed out on?”
“I already had two perfect sons.”
It’s my turn to snort.
“I know I’ll never convince you otherwise, but you lost so much when you chose the path of spitefulness. Mars will always be too good for you because you threw away any chance to have a real relationship with him.” Look in the mirror, you hypocrite . I shake off the quiet voice in my head—I’ll deal with that asshole later.
“You’ve got to be joking.” Susan’s cheeks turn redder, and she rolls her eyes.
“No, Susan . I’m not joking. Do you even know your stepson? I mean, he’s been in your life for more than twenty years and you don’t seem to understand him at all. To you he’s only a series of mishaps.” People around us have gone quiet, so I lower my voice because I’m a goddamn lady and don’t want to ruin anyone’s big day.
I notice Mike standing a few feet away, looking stunned, his eyebrows up in his hairline and his mouth open. His eyes dart between his son, Susan, and me. Fuck, I really didn’t want to make a spectacle, but sometimes things need saying no matter the moment.
“Come on, Ivy.” Mars pulls on my arm. He shoots his dad a nervous look and Mike’s eyebrows knit together.
“I’m almost done, babe.” I turn and give Mars a quick smile. I turn back to Susan, and in a quiet, hard voice I start ticking things off on my fingers.
“He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met, probably no thanks to your influence. He’s smart, he’s funny, he doesn’t let things like being a little clumsy stand in his way of enjoying hobbies that could kill him. On cloudy days he’s everybody’s sunshine.” I swallow past a lump in my throat and take a deep breath. “He’s a massively talented artist. Have you ever seen any of the skateboards he’s designed?”
“Skateboards?” Susan blinks at me.
“She doesn’t know what you do?” I shoot Mars a look, and he shrugs.
“Didn’t seem worth it to mention it to her,” he says calmly, but I can see the hint of pain in his face. It makes me want to commit crimes.
I turn back to her and take a deep breath, smoothing my hands down my dress, fighting for calm. “Mars is right. You’re not worth it.” I hope I never lay eyes on this woman again. I have more to say but something stops me.
I was so focused on tearing into Susan that I didn’t notice Mars slipping his hand in mine. Glancing down at where he holds me, my anger leaves me in a whoosh of breath. She’s not worth it . He squeezes my hand, turning me away from the target of my frustration.
And I gladly follow.
MARS
I can’t seem to catch my breath as I watch Ivy lay into my stepmother. This tightness started as soon as she began her Mars Is The Best litany, and now all I want to do is touch her. It feels like I can’t continue existing without touching her. So I do. I grasp her hand, and she gives mine a squeeze, not missing a beat in her diatribe.
She’s incandescent, and I’m standing here basking in her light. I always thought I could fight my own battles, but Ivy is having none of it. How she’s managing to give Susan a dressing-down while keeping a smile on her face is the most arousing thing I’ve ever seen.
But I can’t take it anymore. I have to touch her, to hold her. Right fucking now.
I tug on her hand until she turns around and faces me. Susan huffs, but I no longer care what Susan does or says. “And one more thing,” Ivy trails off. Her eyes widen as she takes in my expression. I can feel my ears turning bright red, and my eyes won’t leave hers.
She sees it. She sees that I need her. That this is going to be more than a friendly dry hump. “We gotta go,” I say and she dips her chin in agreement, her body leaning into mine.
Leeza steps in front of us and holds her hand up in front of Ivy. “Tag me in, queen.” Ivy lets out a watery laugh and smacks Leeza’s hand in a high five. Leeza spins around and squares off with my stepmother. “Alright, Aunt Susan, you and I are going to have a little talk.”
Susan shakes her head at my cousin and starts to walk away.
“I guess we’re doing this the hard way,” Leeza says. “I know about that time you dented Uncle Mike’s car and blamed it on Mars.” The chatter around the two of them quiets and Susan’s face pales as she spots my dad standing a few feet away. Good .
I want to stick around to hear the rest of this. But I want Ivy more.
We leave Susan sputtering and Leeza ticking her grievances off on her fingers. I’m sure she’ll text me later with a full recap.
I practically drag Ivy from the reception.
Out the door and into the cool night air, I suck in a breath. But it does nothing to slow the fierce, hard rhythm of my pulse. I don’t make it more than a few steps before I push Ivy up against the wall and frame her face with my hands. “I’m going to kiss you now,” I say, my lips only a breath from hers.
“Okay. Yeah.” Her eyes are wide as she grasps my wrists. Whatever else she’s going to say is cut off when I take her mouth with mine. She moans long and deep when our lips meet.
There’s no audience, nobody we’re trying to convince. It’s just me and Ivy, and this fucking kiss. My hands find her hair and hers grip my lapels. She tastes like champagne and cake and Ivy, and I’m losing my mind with how perfect her lips feel against mine. How perfect she is.
I pull back to take her in. Her wet lips are parted, her eyes glazed. I smile to myself because I love how I put that look on her face.
“What was that for?” she sighs, sagging a little against the wall.
“Because I’ve wanted to”— her eyebrows wing up—“for months. But also because you’re the most kick-ass wedding date I could ask for. The way you handled Susan...it made me want to do this.” I kiss her again. Deeper, harder than before. She meets me with the same need, the same intensity. She nips my lower lip before driving her fingers through my hair and bringing us even closer.
My chest inflates at the sight of her swollen lips and dazed look. Fuck, she’s perfect.
“Thank you,” I whisper before trailing my lips along her jawline. Sucking in a breath of her citrus scent, I know I have to tell her. Not that I love her, even though I do. She’d run all the way back to Wavecrest if I let that one slip.
I have to tell her, and show her, what her standing up to my family means to me.
“But I didn’t do anything,” she starts to protest. I try to cut her off with a quick, hard kiss, but she keeps going, her eyebrows knit together. “I’m pretty sure I just cratered your relationship with your stepmother.” She searches my face, but she won’t find any regret there.
I take a moment to try and put it into words but my mind is a jumble. “Susan will be fine, and even if she’s not I don’t think I care. What you did in there,” I trail off, trying to swallow past the lump in my throat. “Nobody’s ever done that for me. Stood up for me, stepped into the line of fire.”
Ivy’s face softens but the furrows still fill the space between her brows. I want to smooth them out—I want to spend hours simply touching her warm skin, learning every inch.
“I’m sorry you’ve had to fight that battle on your own. And fuck the people who could’ve stepped up but didn’t. You’ll never have to again if I have anything to do with it.” I don’t think she knows what she’s saying. Ivy can’t give me forever, but she’s already given me so much tonight.
“I don’t know when I stopped responding to their jabs and decided to act like none of it affects me. But this weekend reminded me that it still stings.”
I shake my head and let a slow smile spread across my face.
“And then you stood by my side and unleashed Ivy, Warrior Princess.” I squeeze her hips, mentally adding to the sketch I already started of her.
“All I did was get cranky at them.” She gives me a hint of a shrug and stares at my chin. “If they’re going to be immature dicks they should expect to be treated in kind.”
I press closer to her, willing her to look at me again. “It meant a lot to me— you mean a lot to me. And it was hot as hell.” Her breath catches when I trace my fingers along her jaw, down her throat. Enough talking. Her pouty lips are begging for another kiss.
This one, this is another favorite kiss. I pour my want into it, my gratitude that she’s in my life, my consuming need for her. She opens for me immediately, and I groan long and deep.
I want more of this, more of her needy sounds. But not here, only a few feet from the reception. I step back and grab her hand.
The hotel is a ten-minute walk from the event space along winding paths through groves of trees. I’m not sure I can wait until I have her inside our room.
I pull her along one of the tree-lined paths, guided by fairy lights strung high up in the branches. A fork in the walkway leads to a grass-covered clearing, and I steer us toward it. Nobody’s around, the sun set hours ago, and all we can hear are crickets and our own breathing. At the far end of the clearing it looks like something is under construction. A large fire pit or some kind of outdoor gathering space. There are tarps and loose stones, but there’s also a large patch of freshly laid sod that looks soft. Perfect .
Pulling us under the protective branches of a tree, I press her against the trunk and take her mouth again. We consume each other, my lips opening her to me, our tongues meeting in a hot tangle. This . This is what I need.
Her leg hooks around my thigh, our bodies aligning perfectly.
Rock hard and aching, my cock rubs against my zipper. She moans when I press my length against her, just above her mound. I press harder and am rewarded with her rocking her hips back and forth.
I pull back for a split second, and she growls at me. I don’t waste any time trailing my mouth to that spot behind her ear, her collarbone, and the pulse in her neck.
I clutch the skirt of her flowing dress in my hands as I sink to my knees at her feet. I should wait until we’re back in the room, but I can’t. Not with her face pink with anticipation, her scent in my nose.
“Mars,” she chokes out. “Your suit’s going to get dirty.” I can already feel the cold, damp earth through my pants. I don’t give a fuck. I look up, lingering for a moment on her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her chest rising and falling with her rapid breathing.
“Ivy, I’m about to stick my tongue up your hungry little cunt and make you scream my name. Do you really care about my suit?”
Her mouth falls open, and her eyes flare with shock and heat.
“Holy shit, Mars, who knew you had such a filthy mouth?”
“You complaining?”
“Uh, nope.” She shakes her head.
“Great. Hold this.” I drag her skirt up her legs and wait until she’s holding it before I lean forward to take her in.
In front of me is a dream, a fantasy. Ivy’s pale thighs rubbing together with a small scrap of pink lace between them—a damp spot growing as I watch. Running a quick finger along her covered seam has Ivy sucking in a breath. I shake my head at my unbelievable fortune that this woman is wet and waiting for me.
I lean forward to smell her, to feel her heat, and she lets out a small moan. “Mars, please.”
“Whatever you want, Ives.” I nuzzle the bend of her thigh where it meets her pelvis. Dragging the piece of lace aside I finally get to see the most perfect pussy I’ve ever seen. Art. Pink, dripping, waiting for me. I brush my hand through her curls and use my thumbs to open her up to me. She lets out a choked sound, and her head thunks against the tree.
“Please,” she begs over and over, even before I get my mouth on her.
“Oh, Ives. The things my mouth wants to do to you.”
IVY
I don’t know what happened, but a few minutes ago I was chewing out Mars’ stepmother, and now I’m leaning against a tree with his mouth on my pussy.
The words, “The things my mouth wants to do to you,” ring through my head, and I can’t catch my breath. His mouth finally— finally —meets my skin, and I want to celebrate.
The first swipe of his tongue makes me almost drop my skirt over his head. I tighten my hand on the fabric, but my other goes to his hair, pulling him closer. I need closer.
Mars’ thumbs hold me apart as he explores me, feasts on me, drives me crazy. “Yes, like that,” I whisper when he nuzzles my clit with his nose then takes it into his mouth. He tries to push my legs wider apart but my underwear is in the way. With a grunt, he yanks on it twice before it tears free of my body.
With one hand holding me firmly against the tree he brings one leg up and over his shoulder, opening me wider to him. I feel the cool night air right before his mouth is back on me.
I’m so wet for him, so close to coming, that I start rocking my hips against his face. He hums as he concentrates on my center, one hand wrapped around my thigh on his shoulder and one exploring my entrance. His tongue and lips circle my clit, sucking and flicking until I start to shake. When he presses the flat of his tongue exactly where it needs to be, every nerve-ending in my body lights up.
When he drives two fingers into me and finds that spot I fall apart. I come hard, shattering on a scream. “Mars,” I shout into the dark, not caring if there’s anyone around to hear. If it wasn’t for this tree and his hands holding me up, I’d crumple to the ground.
He keeps pumping his fingers into me, his tongue gently pulling back from my clit, but my hand is still in his hair pressing him to me harder. I’m not ready to be done. “No, not yet,” I beg.
“So beautiful. You’re gorgeous when you come,” he says against my thigh where he nuzzles and nips. My hand finally loosens from his hair, and as soon as I let him go, he surges to his feet and takes my mouth in a hard kiss. I could almost come a second time like this.
He rocks into me, pressing his hard length against my core as we try to devour each other. I reach down to rub the palm of my hand against the bulge straining against his zipper. He jolts, biting my lip.
“Fuck, Ivy,” he chokes out.
“I need more of you. Just...more.” I squeeze him, and his head falls against my shoulder, his body tense against mine.
“I don’t know if I can make it back to the hotel room.” He pulls me away from the tree, and my skirt falls back around my legs.
I reach for Mars’ shoulders and push his jacket off him, tossing it on the soft grass like a picnic blanket. I guide him down as I lower myself to the ground. “Here’s good. Don’t need a bed, just need you.”
“You’re sure?”
“Grab that condom I know you carry in your wallet, and I’ll show you how sure I am.” I kick off my shoes and take a second to enjoy the feel of grass on my bare feet.
“Three,” he says with a smirk.
“Three what?”
“I keep three condoms in my wallet.” He pulls it out of his pocket, finds a packet and tosses the wallet to the side. I’m not sure he cares if he finds it again. His eyes eat me up from my toes to my head, lingering on where I’ve pulled my skirt back up and spread my legs for him.
He swallows hard as he kneels in front of me. “Look how wet you are for me. Look at the mess I made of you.” He runs his thumb down my center making me shiver.
My legs tremble, and I lay back on his jacket. “Come here,” I whisper. I reach for him, but he loosens his tie first. When he undoes his belt and unzips his pants, my mouth drops open. But there’s no time to admire him before he slips on the condom and moves over me.
His cock lies heavy between us, and he kisses me long and deep, seemingly not in a hurry. But I am.
“I’m so empty right now. I need you to...”
“What do you need, Ivy? Do you need my cock to fill you up? Do you need me to treat this tasty cunt right? Because I will.” He moves his hips back and forth, teasing me. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I want you...I need you to fuck me good and hard. Please .” I reach down and wrap my hand around him, squeezing him until he releases a grunt. He grasps my hand and helps me guide him to my entrance.
With one swift kiss and a thrust of his hips, he’s buried deep in me. My back arches off the ground at the feel of him spreading me open. A long, “Yes” comes out of me at the same time he groans, “Fuck.”
He leans on one elbow and skates his hand down my cheek and runs a hand through my hair. “Okay?” he asks, his eyes studying my face. His jaw is clenched tight with whatever he’s holding back.
“Would be better if you moved. I need you to move.” I’m drowning in need, barely able to breathe with the feel of him filling me up, but I need motion. I need him to use me.
So he does. He draws back and snaps back into me. “Perfect cunt. Can you feel it, how your body takes mine? Fuck, Ivy, I want to ruin this pussy.”
“Do it. I want you to ruin me.” The contours of him are delicious as he moves in and out of me, as I meet him thrust for thrust. The sound of crickets and the wet slap of our bodies meeting over and over make their way into my veins. My blood buzzes and hums with every drag of his thick head against my g-spot, with every time his hand reaches for my dress-covered breast.
He’s moving fast now, driving me closer and closer to the edge when he reaches up and wrenches my dress down enough to free one breast. His mouth comes down on my nipple, and I tighten my legs around him, begging him with my body to push me over the edge.
The feel of his tongue and teeth on my nipple collides with the flames licking up my body from where he pushes into me over and over. It’s too much, it’s perfect. He’s perfect, the way he already knows what my body needs, what I need.
“Not going to be the last time. Never going to get enough. My cock needs your pussy, Ives. The things I’m going to do to you when we get back to the room. When we get back home.” His words light up my body. My hands find their way to the taught muscles of his ass, and I dig my nails in, trying to get him even closer.
His hand tunnels into my hair and tilts my head back so his lips and teeth find the thin skin of my neck. His other hand skates down my body, finding where we meet over and over. Mars uses two fingers to rub tight, hard circles against my clit, sending me spiraling into an orgasm that rips me apart. Every muscle in my body clamps down and a tattered scream rips from my throat.
“That’s right. Let me hear you. Scream for me,” Mars says through clenched teeth. My orgasm races through me, and I sob in time with the pulsing of my inner muscles. “Fuck. Yes, like that. Just like that.”
He’s not far behind, following me into the abyss with two more snaps of his hips and my name spilling from his lips over and over. His body shivers over my own and I feel it all. I feel everything. Every nerve ending in my body is exposed to the world as we rock into each other after the most monstrous orgasm of my life.
He said he’d ruin me, and Mars is a man of his word.
MARS
I slowly slump onto the ground next to Ivy, hating the loss of her body under mine. I try to catch my breath, but I’m distracted by the sight of her laying there after what we did. Fucking hell, that’s the best thing I’ve ever experienced.
She rests there, her face pointed at the stars, a loose smile on her face, one breast out of her now wrinkled dress, the skirt pulled up around her hips, and her release glistening on her thighs in the moonlight. I want to draw her like this.
Still looking up at the sky, she reaches over and clasps my wrist. “Again,” she says.
“Yes,” I say.
There are voices in the distance now—the reception is probably winding down. I don’t want us getting caught out here, so I roll up onto my knees to start putting us back together. Gently I pull Ivy’s dress back up over her breasts, making a silent promise to her nipple that I’ll be seeing it again soon. The torn scraps of her underwear lie next to her elbow, so I shove them in my pocket with a smile.
We manage to quietly straighten our clothes and smooth our hair before leaving the clearing. But Ivy doesn’t put her shoes back on. I take her hand but catch her grimacing as we make our way up the path.
“Shoes?” I ask.
She shakes her head and curses under her breath as she steps on something. “My feet are done with those little fuckers.”
I make a split-second decision that benefits us both. I scoop her up in a bridal carry and make my way back to the hotel. She gets to save her poor feet, and I get more time with her body pressed to mine.
With her arms wrapped around my neck and her face tucked into my shoulder, I smile as I get us back to the room. As if the universe decides today is going to be the best day ever, I don’t drop her or knock her head or feet into anything on the way.
It’s close though, because she takes my earlobe between her teeth and gives it a nip. “Mars, did you know you fuck like you surf?” she whispers. My arms tighten around her, and my cock hurts with how much I want to be back inside her. She nips me again. “The way you move…all fluid and rhythmic and smooth.” My chest vibrates with pleasure, and it takes all of my strength not to press her against the nearest wall and take her again.
Reaching our door, I slowly set her on her feet, my dick twitching as her body slowly slides down mine. She leans into me, speaking into my neck as I fish the key out of my pocket. “Remember when I said, ‘Again?’” I nod.
“And you said, ‘Yes.’” I nod again.
“Now, please.”
“Yep. Gotcha.” I clear my throat. Her arms wrap around my neck again, and we tumble into the room. The glow from the one lamp we left on bathes her in warm light. I could paint her like this, with a few blades of grass stuck in her hair and her lips swollen from our kisses.
I back her toward the bed, and she sits down. “Don’t. Move.” She giggles as I rip my tie over my head and kick off my shoes. She tosses my suit jacket onto a chair, and I step into the bathroom to get the strip of condoms from my Dopp kit. The original three might not be enough tonight.
I turn back to the room. In the few seconds I took in the bathroom, she’s removed every last scrap of clothing. And there she is, standing at the foot of the bed completely naked. My chest squeezes, and I lose the ability to breathe.
With her hands on her hips and her shoulders thrown back like she’s a warrior she’s...everything. She’s a goddess in a tall, willowy body. With her strawberry blonde hair still a mess and the skin on her thighs red from my stubble, she’s stunning beyond anything I could’ve imagined.
“Ivy, fuck, look at you.” My cock strains against my pants when my eyes drop to her breasts. “Those. Those are next on the menu.” I nudge my chin at her chest.
“What, these little ol’ things?” She gives me a little shimmy, and I laugh and then groan at how her small, perfect tits bounce.
“What are you waiting for?” She cocks her hip, and it snaps my restraint. Not that I had a lot of that left in the tank.
I rip my shirt off, forgetting about the buttons. My pants and socks are next. In the blink of an eye, I have her pinned to the bed, caging her with my body as I nip and kiss and lick my way across her skin.
She sighs into my touch, her hands exploring and squeezing and scratching wherever she can reach. “All this from surfing,” she murmurs to herself.
“All this for you,” I say against her lips. She smiles and tunnels her fingers through my hair, guiding me to where she wants me. But Ivy’s got another thing coming if she thinks she’s steering this ship.
I let her guide my head down to her tits where I spend time meeting and greeting them. Her breathing quickens as I suck a nipple into my mouth and flick it with my tongue. She arches off the bed when I move to the other one. So responsive.
Ivy lets out a whimper when I pull back and sit up. She pouts for a second before I squeeze her hips and flip her over onto her stomach. Her surprised laugh makes my cock even harder. It’s already leaking precum, aching to get back inside her tight heat. I kiss down her spine, holding her to the bed as she squirms.
I give her a little swat on the ass. “Stay still while I do this.” She moans long and deep so I do it again. “You like that?”
“Yes,” Ivy hisses out in a long breath. She wiggles her ass, begging for another. I give her what she wants. Stinging, quick smacks to her ass until her skin is pink with my handprints. I’m beyond turned on as I watch honeyed arousal gather between her legs. My legs straddle hers, keeping her thighs pressed together.
Ripping open a condom and rolling it on, I swipe my fingers along her slit and lick her off my fingers. She tastes like mine.
With her legs held together, I squeeze into her tight, wet heat, slowly finding my way until I’m buried to the hilt.
“The way you grip me...” I trail off as I begin slowly gliding in and out of her, watching my cock disappear between her thighs.
This time it’s slower, sweeter, but filthier. I put my weight on top of her as I move my hips. My lips find the back of her neck, and I nip her. Everything I do, every thrust and kiss and squeeze earns me a moan or a mewl. Her sweet sounds drive me on.
“Touch yourself, baby. Make yourself come.”
Her hand finds her clit, and I watch her arm move as she gets herself there. And then she’s screaming and quivering, her cunt squeezing me until I can’t hold back anymore.
I thrust one last time and let myself go. I spill into the condom with a ragged shout. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
I collapse onto the bed next to her and draw her into my arms for a slow, tired kiss before I get up to deal with the condom. When I come back to bed, she’s under the covers, and her eyes are half closed.
I pull her against me, spooning her with all I have. The best spoon , I think tiredly.
“Ives, I need to change my opinion of the food tonight.”
“I’m listening,” she says into my bicep where her head rests.
“I had the finest meal of my life.” I slide my hand down her hip, to her stomach, then gently cup her mound. She giggles and then hums when I give her a soft squeeze. We fall asleep with my hand resting in its new favorite spot.
IVY
Once again, I’m curled around Mars, using his body as a pillow. He’s got one arm flung over his head, and the other holding me tight to his chest. We used every condom he brought with him last night, and the sun’s not even up. His stubble probably made a permanent impression on my thighs, but I’m not complaining.
Warmth and an unfamiliar giddiness fill my chest, but my brain hasn’t caught up. My brain, the stone-cold asshole that she is, is melting down. Because what we did last night—over and over—is not what friends do.
Mars stirs and brings me tighter against him. “I can feel you freaking out, Ives,” he mumbles, the gravel in his voice shooting directly to my core. “Knock it off.” His eyes are still closed like he’s trying to keep the morning from coming.
Panic rises in my throat, buzzes in my ears. He’s too good, too solid. There’s no way he’d want this, want me. I don’t want this. You sure wanted it last night, Ivy. I swallow past the tension, trying to keep my body loose.
“What happens in the room stays in the room, right?” The words come out tight and higher than normal. I hate them as soon as they leave my mouth. Mars’ arm stiffens around me, and he finally opens his eyes to look at me.
His gaze is assessing—not cold, but not warm either. “Is that what you want? Keep it in the foothills, and back to normal when we get home?”
No, I don’t want that at all. I want you, you sweet, amazing man.
“Maybe not one hundred percent normal. Normalish?”
He gives me a noncommittal hum. I hate it when I don’t know what Mars is thinking.
“You know how I feel about relationships.” My protest sounds weak as soon as it leaves my mouth.
He hums again.
If we start something, I won’t survive the end of it. Not like I did with all my previous exes. The end of me and Mars will slice me open.
“I think it’s for the best, don’t you?” I’m a coward, but at least I’ll keep my heart intact.
He turns on his side to look at me, taking the arm that was around me with him. I want it back. “It sounds like you don’t exactly know what you want, Ives. If you need to forget this happened, fine. But if you want more, all you have to do is say the word.” He traces a lock of my hair where it falls across my face, and I close my eyes against the sensations that fill me up, that press against the back of my eyes.
That’s the problem. I’m never going to forget about this as long as I live.