"When he died I vowed to change that." He pulls my hand to his face and lightly runs his lips across it. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you who I was. I was worried you were still tied to Mark and he was using you to entice me."
I jerk my hand away in one quick movement. "You knew I wasn't part of Mark's world anymore. You knew when I told you about the others he had slept with."
"Everyone knew he was cheating on you, Ivy." He runs his hand through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead. "Some women are okay with that."
"Okay with being cheated on?" I raise my eyebrow. "Who in their right mind would be okay with that?"
"Women who don't want to give up what they have for their pride."
"I'm not like that," I say the words with determination. "I just want to be free of Mark."
"I'm giving you the chance to have that." His voice is low and determined. "Just take my offer and you can have your freedom."
"I don't think so." I shake my head slightly. "Then I'm tied to you."
"In what sense?" He stills and stares directly at me. "How would we be tied together?"
I feel flush at the sudden realization that I've once again blurred the lines between business and pleasure. "I just thought…or assumed…that we'd still…" I sigh giving up any attempt to explain the ridiculous thought that we'd still be lovers after everything that happened. What's wrong with me? Why do I still want someone who used me to get back at Mark?
"That we'd still what?" He runs his hand down my shoulder now until it's resting on my wrist. "That you'd still be my lover?" He leans closer as his tongue runs lazily over his lips. He's going to kiss me now. I know it. I want it but I can't let it happen.
"No, of course not." I scoff. "That we'd still be tied together because of Veray." I pull that from mid-air and I high five myself internally for coming up with it.
"Oh, that." He pulls his eyes across my lips before he takes a step back. "I forgot about that."
I shake my head in mock amusement. "Of course you did. It's nothing to you, but it's everything to me."
"How could Veray be everything?" He smirks and I'm certain he's about to burst out laughing.
"It's all I have." I purse my lips together holding in all of the conflicting emotions that are bearing down on me. "That's it."
"No, beautiful." He reaches for my hand again. "You have much more."
"That's right." I let my hand fall into his. "I have all that money you're going to give me when I hand over control of Mark's company to you."
"I'm offering you much more than your ten percent is worth." He traces a finger over my knuckles and I shiver at the touch. "Ask around. Do some digging. You'll see that your shares aren't worth a fraction of what I'm giving you."
"So you're doing me a favor?" I tilt my head to the left anxiously anticipating his predictable egotistical response.
He stares at me. His gaze narrows as he leans in closer. I close my eyes wanting the world to melt away. I want to fall back into that bed in the apartment in Chelsea when he told me he wanted me to be his first. When he said I was his everything.
"Ivy." I feel the whisper of his words on my lips mere seconds before his breath connects with mine.
He pulls me into his kiss. His tongue tenderly running over mine, coaxing me. I lose all sense of space, or time or reason. I reach for the back of his head, pushing his mouth into mine. Moaning into him.
His hands encircle my waist. I feel his arousal as my body melts into his. I'm spun around quickly. I can't open my eyes. I don't want to. I feel the couch on my back. I feel him on top of me. Tell him to stop I plead with my heart. Tell him.
"Jax," I say softly against his lips. "Please."
"I need to taste you now, beautiful." His hands race up my thighs reaching my center. He rips my panties off and instantly enters me with two fingers. My back arches at the sensation. "You want me," he growls.
I push my back into the cushions. My body can't stop. I'm rushing towards my release when I feel his breath on my clit. I whimper knowing that when his tongue touches me my hunger for an orgasm under his touch will finally be satiated again. I bite my lip, as he tastes me. He delicately pulls my clit between his lips. I can't stop myself. I don't want to stop. I wrap my hand into his hair and push him into me. "Please, Jax, please."
"This is where I belong." He breathes against me before encircling my swollen clit again and again with his tongue. I let my body take control and take me over the edge. I moan loudly, clutching his hair with both hands. The desire races through my veins. He slows the pace. It feels like he's slowly and deeply fucking me with his tongue. I push my hips into him, wanting him to taste more, wanting to give him more. I'm near my edge when he moans deeply into me. I fall over the cliff and the pleasure tears through me. I feel it in every inch of my body. I'm so spent. I can't move.
"Beautiful." He barely touches my lips with his own and I taste both of us. "I'm leaving."
I open my eyes and he's there. So close. So tender. "But we didn't." I motion down with my eyes. I thought he'd want to be inside of me. I thought he'd want to feel me, all of me.