CHAPTER SEVEN #3
“Do you have to be such a goddamn motherfucker all the time?” I bark, stuffing a cherry lollipop in my mouth instead of slamming his face into the wall. This might be business, and he may be family, but him even thinking about what’s mine like that ends today.
He smooths out his coordinating gray T-shirt with a grin. “Plenty of people find that to be my most appealing quality.”
Deciding it’s best to let that lie so as not to be riled before seeing the Little Storm, I lead us out the door.
We make our way to the pool, and the sight of Ivy halts my steps.
Lying on a daybed, she’s stretched out like a feline, every subtle curve on display beneath the tiny royal-blue bikini.
I might need to burn that. The triangles leave little to the imagination.
Her fiery tresses are bunched into a messy bun on top of her head with a few wisps fluttering about her face and neck.
She stares through her white-framed Jackie O-style glasses at a book, AirPods in, foot bopping, probably to the beat.
Fucking gorgeous.
“Jesus Christ,” Liam spits out at the same time Ty breathes, “Goddamn. Great side boob.”
I’m going to end up killing the both of them. “The fuck? Thought she was like a sister, Tytan? ”
“More like a stepsister,” he drawls, never taking his eyes off her. “Which means admiring is completely acceptable.”
“No, it’s not,” I hiss. “She’s. Off. Limits. Even in your thoughts. Got it?”
“Thought she was a business deal, Chief, a means to an end?” Liam jabs, squaring his shoulders to me while Ty chuckles.
“Still true, but still mine.” I eye them both. “Don’t push it.”
Gage saunters over, stopping before us, arms crossed and usual scowl in place, taking the three of us in.
“Enough fucking drooling. Half a decade of work, drowned in a pussy. Pathetic.” He ignores the heated warning daggers I shoot at him and holds his unforgiving gaze on me.
“That girl over there is trouble for you, for all of us. We should’ve stuck with the original plan. We still can.”
Fuck that.
Ty scoffs. “We’re not throwing her to the wolves alone, man.”
Liam hangs a cigarette from his lips, shielding his Zippo flame from the balmy breeze. “Aww. Is the little girl getting under your skin, Big Guy?”
He grunts. “She’s a damn ballbreaker.”
Ty furrows his brow. “After the trouble you’ve given her, what’d you expect? A book club meeting?”
Liam sucks in a deep drag. “Ivy didn’t let you read with her, brother?”
“Oh, no,” Gage balks. “After two hours, bored as hell, I yanked her earbud out and asked what she was reading—an attempt to show interest and prove I’m not always a dick.
She licked her lips slowly and told me she was reading some book about a big, tatted muscleman who has sex with the girl he’s guarding in public .
When my mouth fell open, speechless, she hummed, forehead pinched in thought, and added that the girl slits his throat. ”
The three of us erupt into laughter. She can certainly strike unexpectedly—I’ll give her that.
Gage huffs, clearly annoyed by us finding humor in her game. “I ripped the book from her, pissed off, and read the synopsis on the back to find out it’s about some fucked-up stepsibling romance. Who the hell reads that shit?”
Liam smacks Ty on the back, who’s howling, which garners a peeved groan from me. None of which slows Gage down.
“When I called her on it, she blinked up at me through her long, curled lashes and said, ‘My bad. Must’ve been fantasizing.’ ” Those last two lines are delivered in his best high-pitched girlie voice—not at all like Ivy’s, but funny nonetheless.
He stares at me. “I’m telling you, Wells, trouble.”
“It’s under control.” I pat his bicep before eagerly erasing the remaining steps leading to Ivy and perching on the daybed next to her sexy legs, tinged a soft rosy gold from the sun.
She shifts her chin toward me, and a slow smile slides over her cheeks as she plucks out one earbud. “Hi.” Her voice is rough and sultry, causing my cock to twitch.
My fingers pull at the loose strings on her bikini top.
I’m sure she was avoiding tan lines, but this will be the last time she sunbathes like this at a public pool.
Unacceptable. Slowly, I draw them up over her collarbone, grazing the skin along the way and watching chilled bumps flare in my wake as I tie them behind her neck.
“I’m taking you to eat now. Get your things. ”
She lowers her glasses to the tip of her button nose, her big blue eyes twinkling at me above the rims. “So damn bossy. I’m at a good part in my book. Thanks for asking.”
Leaning in, I let my lips latch on to her earlobe, knowing my breath and the wet contact will keep those bumps alive. “Yes, Ivanna, I am. And in one day, you’re going to realize what an understatement bossy is. Scared you can’t handle being married to me?”
Her breath catches, but she doesn’t falter for a second. “Bring it. Whatever you throw at me, Wells, I’ll shove it right back at ya. And you’ll hate yourself for how much you love it.”
Intuitively accurate.
With that, she rises from the daybed, sliding a plain white shirtdress over her head, gathering her belongings, and pulling out her messy bun so those strands of fire drape her shoulders and cascade to her lower back. “Ready, dear,” she sings, meeting me toe to toe.
Gage isn’t wrong. This girl holds more power over me than I’d like, which needs to be fixed, but fuck if that sass of hers doesn’t undo me.
My arm snakes around her waist in a forceful sweep until she’s smashed against me, melting into my chest, her heart racing.
Tangling my fingers into her hair, I force her neck up, my mouth nearly brushing hers so I can taste her lemon-scented breath.
“Look at that. You talk like a brat, but you jumped right up to do as I ordered. Good girl, Ivy. You’ll do just fine. ”
She clamps her lips and muffles a whimper.
Jesus, I want to claim her. Show her who owns her. Watch her drop to her knees, beg for my cock, and wrap those smart, pouty lips around it.
My little obsession.
This may be precarious, but it’s going to be far more fun than I ever imagined.