Chapter 17
Ivy watched some of the last stragglers leave Java Junction. Dax told them goodbye and headed her way.
Finley and Emerson had remained with her. She’d been glad her friends had stayed. They now each sipped a cup of herbal tea. Arlo and Paloma had already said their goodbyes. They would be leaving early tomorrow morning to return for their last week in Houston. She promised to stay in touch with them, sending them photos of any paintings she completed.
“Well, that was a tremendous success,” Emerson said.
“You’re right about that,” Deke said, joining them. “Every piece of art sold this evening, down to the last piece of jewelry.” He looked to Ivy. “Your landscape brought the highest price of the evening.”
She had allowed Deke to place one of her paintings on display, telling him he could take his usual commission if it sold. Ivy had wanted to see if she would be able to move a painting or not. So many people who lived in the Hill Country already had art representative of the area.
“That’s good to hear,” she said.
“I could’ve asked more for it and gotten it,” the art dealer told her. “I think you undervalued your work, Ivy. Let me know if you have anything else on hand. I’d be happy to display it in my gallery.”
“Thank you, Deke. My friends from Houston whom you met will probably be representing me in the future. I may have something to contribute to a future Harmony Hues night, though. We’ll see. I still need to get started on Dax’s mural. That’s going to take me a couple of weeks to complete.”
“Just let me know,” Deke said. “Thanks again for including me in your fusion nights.”
They said goodnight to him, and Ivy saw Dax and his workers were cleaning up.
“Why don’t you both head home?” she told her friends. “I think I’ll stay and see if Dax needs any help.”
Finley gave her a knowing smile. “Oh, I think Dax could use your help with quite a few things.”
She couldn’t stop her face from flaming. Finley hugged her, saying, “I’m teasing you, Ivy. I think Dax is a great guy.”
“I’m happy for you, Ivy,” Emerson said, also joining in the hug. “I hope you two have a bright future together.”
Her friends left, waving goodbye to Dax as they left the coffeehouse.
Ivy had yet to be alone with Dax. She headed toward him now, asking, “What can I do?”
“I don’t think anything,” he replied. “I’ve taken the sound equipment to the back and stored it for the next fusion night. All the dishes are now washed. Scott has already swept up. He and Sean said they’ll mop.” He paused. “Looks like I’m free the rest of the night. Are you?” he asked softly.
“Are you asking for now—or literally all night?”
Dax sighed, taking her hands in his. “I’ll take whatever you choose to give me. Five minutes. Five hours. Anything in-between that. The ball’s in your court, Professor.”
“Can we play it by ear?” she asked, wanting to commit to him, yet a little fearful of doing so.
“Want to come upstairs for a nightcap? I’ve got this great bottle of wine from a local winery that you might enjoy.”
She laughed. “A glass of wine sounds perfect.”
He took her hand and called out to the others. “Thanks for everything. You guys rocked it.”
“I’ll lock up,” Scott said. “Goodnight.”
Dax took Ivy upstairs. She had been in his apartment before, but this time her heart beat so fast, she was afraid it was loud enough for him to hear.
He closed the door, telling her to have a seat while he poured them a glass of wine.
“Red or white?” he asked. “I’ve got both. Lost Creek Vineyards doesn’t produce a bad one.”
“Red,” she suggested, preferring the more mellow tones in a red.
He opened a bottle and got out two wineglasses, filling each one about half full. Bringing them with him, Dax handed her one and kept the other as he sat on the sofa next to her. Ivy took a sip, feeling the wine’s smoothness on her tongue.
“What? No sniffing or swirling? No aerating? Have you forgotten everything you preach?” he asked in mock horror. “Well, what’s good for this goose is also good for this gander.” He also took a long pull of the wine, his eyes closed as it went down.
Then he opened them, the chocolate brown color warm as he gazed at her intently.
“We should talk about things,” he said.
Ivy nodded. “Okay,” she said, hearing how small her voice sounded.
Dax took her glass from her hand, placing it on the coffee table before them. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Or embarrass you. I took a risk playing Forever’s Embrace like that.”
He raked a hand through his hair, sighing aloud. “I hadn’t planned to perform it tonight. I only had practiced the other two songs with Sylvia and on my own.” He hesitated. “Yet when I looked at you Ivy, all I wanted to do was share with you the feelings I have for you. I’m sorry it was in such a public way. It was something I should’ve saved for when we were alone together. Saving it for now would’ve been smarter.”
She placed her hand on his knee. “I’m not upset with you, Dax. Don’t think that. If I gave you that impression, get rid of it. Did the song surprise me? Yes—but in a good way. Your lyrics were so moving. I felt cherished with every note.”
He leaned forward, taking her face in his hands. “That’s how I wanted you to feel. I have never written a song for or about anyone. Ever.”
“When did you write it?” she asked softly.
“The first day we met,” he admitted.
She drew in a quick breath. “Seriously?”
Dax nodded. “It’s as if I knew that first night, Ivy. That we were meant to be. I was drawn to you in a way unlike I’ve ever experienced with any other woman. Something in your soul speaks to mine. The best way I could express my love was through a song.”
“But the first night?” she pressed. “Dax, we barely knew one another.”
He shrugged. “Maybe we knew one another in a previous life, Ivy. Something in my soul recognized something in yours. The song just poured from me.” He paused. “I was afraid to play it for you. Afraid for you know how fast I’d fallen for you. I was scared you wouldn’t think my feelings were genuine. Or that I was simply doing whatever it took to get you into bed.”
Taking her hand, he brought it to his heart, placing it flat against his chest. “Can you feel it beating? Every beat speaks your name to me, Ivy. Every breath I take carries you inside me. And yes, the depth of these feelings frightens me a little. I know it wasn’t that long ago when I was married to someone else. I wouldn’t admit to myself that we’d been drifting apart for years. The divorce brought clarity to me, though. I think I was too young to have gotten married. I should’ve just lived with Shailene. I think we both would’ve figured out pretty quickly that it was more lust than love.”
He brought her hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly. “I mean what I’ve told you. I’m free of my old life and taking up my new one here in Lost Creek. This town spoke to me when I drove into it. I’m happy to sink roots here.” Kissing her hand again, he brought it to his cheek. “I feel I’m a better man when I’m with you. Better than I ever have been. I love you, Ivy. I want a life with you. I’m not foolish enough to ask you to marry me now. We still have a long way to go, getting to know one another. But I know your heart. Just as you know mine. And I want to show you how much I love you.”
Dax kissed her then, a kiss that told of days to come. One that promised Ivy he spoke the truth.
She captured his face in her hands. Breaking the kiss, she told him, “I love you. Part of me is terrified admitting that aloud. Another part of me thinks I’ve gone stark-raving mad. That it’s too soon to feel the way I do.”
Gazing into his eyes, she added, “But the biggest part of me silences all those doubts and fears. It tells me that you can’t set up a timetable for love. That it happens when it’s supposed to.” She swallowed. “I do love you, Dax. I want to give you the world.”
“I don’t need anything but you,” he said, his mouth covering hers.
His arms went about her, and Ivy lost herself in his kiss. She relished his taste. His masculine scent. The feel of his runner’s body pressed against hers.
They kissed for a long time, desire building within her. When she broke the kiss and placed two fingers against his lips, she could see the flames of desire in his own eyes.
“I want to make love with you, Dax. No, I need to. Now.”
Ivy kissed him again before he could answer. Bolder than she had ever acted before, she began unbuttoning the shirt he wore, slipping her palms inside, feeling the immense heat coming off him.
He placed his hands atop hers, pulling slightly away, staring at her. “Are you sure, Ivy?”
With complete faith in him—in them—she said, “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life, Dax.”
That was all it took. His mouth seized hers again, his fingers pushing aside the straps of her sundress. He broke the kiss, his lips trailing along her throat and down the slope of her neck to the top of her bare shoulders, where he pressed fervent kisses, causing her core to tighten. She finished unbuttoning his shirt, pushing the material off his shoulders, helping him to shrug out of hit.
Her eyes roamed over his chest and the six-pack she was seeing for the first time.
“I should have separated you and your shirt long before now,” she said, boldly leaning down and licking his nipple, an incredibly un-Ivy-like thing to do, but something had compelled her to do so.
Immediately, Dax groaned, his hands tightening on her elbows before he released them. His arms went around her, his hands finding the long zipper of the sundress. He started to unzip it and then brought them both to their feet. He turned her in his arms, wrapping them around her middle, holding her to him as he had that night at Renegade Roadhouse. His lips nibbled her nape before his tongue licked the length of it, trailing along her shoulder, causing delicious shivers to run through her.
Dax released her, his fingers returning to the zipper, slowing moving it down her back. His tongue followed the same path along her back, going lower and lower. Ivy now trembled with desire. He pushed the dress over her hips, and it dropped to the ground. Strong arms enveloped her again as he kissed her neck. One arm pinned her to him as his free hand grazed down her belly, his touch light. It went lower, his fingers slipping into her underwear, stroking her. She moaned softly. One finger pushed inside her, causing her to whimper. Dax’s lips continued to feast on her shoulders and neck as another finger joined the first. Ivy began moving against it, wanting more.
Then his fingers plunged deep inside her, caressing her, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably. She murmured his name as she moved against him, his arm still holding her tightly against him.
“Dax,” she managed to say. “Please. More.”
His lips moved to her ear. “I’ll give you everything you want, Ivy. Everything. And more.”
His fingers worked a magic she’d had never felt. Something built inside her, something wicked and wonderful. Suddenly, it was as if her body erupted. Light exploded through her, and she continued to move. The most exquisite feelings rushed through her, and she heard herself calling Dax’s name, over and over.
Then she went limp as spaghetti. His other arm went about her, securing her so she didn’t fall into a puddle on the ground.
It hit her that he’d brought her to orgasm. Ivy had never experienced one before. Jay had never been one for foreplay, only interesting in seeing to his own needs. She had been too timid to ask for more from him whenever they had sex, and she had been too shy to masturbate. Once she’d ended her relationship with Jay, she had put aside the need for physical pleasure.
But she’d certainly experienced it now.
Ivy reached a hand up, stroking Dax’s cheek. He responded by nuzzling her throat, causing desire to quickly build within her again.
“Maybe we could take this to your bedroom,” she said over her shoulder, feeling sexy for the first time in her life.
Quickly, he whirled her in his arms, his mouth coming down hard on hers, the kiss hot and demanding. They did something that vaguely resembled the two-step, with Dax lifting Ivy from the confines of her dress around her ankles, pushing her along the floor and into the bedroom.
He didn’t turn on a light, which she was grateful for. His fingers tucked into her underwear, pushing them down and over her hips. She stepped out of them and got to work on him, removing his belt and unbuttoning his jeans. Dax helped her push them down to his ankles, then he turned and perched on the bed to remove his tennis shoes and socks. Ivy helped get everything off him, and he stood once more, looking like a statue of Adonis from one of her art books, perfectly formed in every way. Muscled chest. Flat belly. Beautifully sculpted legs.
And a cock eager to claim her full attention.
Fearlessly, Ivy grasped it in her hand, her thumb stroking the sleek, hard shaft.
Dax placed his hand over hers. “Keep doing that, and I’ll explode.”
She smiled. “I think I’d like to see that.”
“Not until I’ve done some exploring,” he replied, lifting her onto the bed and lying down beside her.
They kissed again. While they’re mouths fused together, their hands roamed each other’s bodies, stroking, seeking, becoming familiar with every nook and cranny. He moved to her breasts, his tongue outlining the rise of them, his teeth and tongue teasing her nipples. When he blew on her nipples and then sucked her breasts, she went wild with the sensations he caused.
Ivy did her fair share of exploration, kissing his neck and pecs, working her way to one of his nipples, her tongue circling it teasingly before she grazed her teeth against it. She was doing things she had never done before.
And enjoying them immensely.
Dax kissed her everywhere. Her brow. Her elbow. Behind her knees, which proved to be quite ticklish. Then he pushed off the bed, opening a drawer in the nightstand, removing a small foil packet. She hadn’t even thought about a condom, her brain in a haze of desire.
“I can’t wait any longer,” he said, his breath coming harshly.
“I don’t want you to,” she told him, her fingers playing with his abs, watching them bunch at her touch.
Tearing the packet open, he removed the condom and placed it on his cock, which looked far too large to go inside her. Still, she innately trusted him.
He pushed her back into the pillows, hovering over her now, kissing her deeply. She felt his fingers again, pushing into her, caressing her, making certain she was ready for him. Then he removed them and pressed against her. Ivy took a deep breath and relaxed completely as he drove inside her.
She gasped, full and stretched, getting used to him. When he began to move again, she eagerly met each thrust. Their dance of love was heated. Frenetic. Fulfilling. Incredible.
His mouth took hers as their bodies came together, her orgasm building again because he’d brought his hand between them, playing with her even as he thrust wildly. He moved his finger in a circular motion, causing her to explode again with heat and light. She cried out his name and he called hers, as well, collapsing atop her, driving her into the mattress. Ivy welcomed his weight. She welcomed him.
How had she ever lived without Dax Tennyson in her life?
Slowly, he pushed back up on his elbows, his large hand cupping her cheek, giving her a sweet, tender kiss. He brushed her hair from her face.
“I love you, Ivy Hart. That was the most extraordinary experience of my life.”
Dax’s arms slipped under her and he rolled, bringing her with him as he turned on his side. They faced one another now, and she knew she wore the same sappy smile he did.
“I love you,” she told him earnestly. “You made me feel like a princess. A very aroused, sexy princess, but a princess, nonetheless.”
He laughed softly. “And you make me feel like the king of the world, Ivy.” He brushed his lips against her brow. “I don’t think Forever’s Embrace did you justice. I may have to write a new song about what it’s like to make love to you.”
“Just don’t sing that one in public.”
Kissing her again, he said, “I think you’ll always be my muse, Ivy Hart. I plan to write quite a few songs about you and how much I love you.” He grinned. “But I’ll keep those intimate details to myself. Like that small freckle just above your right nipple.”
She swatted him playfully.
He removed his condom and turned her so her back was now pressed against his chest.
“I’m exhausted. Let’s get a little sleep.”
“Okay.”
Ivy closed her eyes, blanketed by Dax’s warmth.
And love.