Dreaming Ivy. Rhonda Lee Carver
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Название: Dreaming Ivy
Автор: Rhonda Lee Carver
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
isbn: 9781616503802
isbn:
She brought her eyes up and met a dark stare, just as she felt wobbling. The impact of her body had sent him a step back. He lost his balance and together they fell to the wooden floor. The air whooshed from his chest as Ivy landed on top of the stranger.
Ivy cringed as she closed her eyes. She remained very still. She wanted nothing more than for the floor to swallow her whole. Several long seconds floated by. Neither of them said a word. She finally opened her eyes.
Embarrassed and confused, Ivy laid her palms against his shoulders, pushing herself up. She looked directly into his not-so-pleased expression and gulped. Enchanting green eyes, prominent cheekbones, midnight hair...and a pissed-off set to his jaw. She’d made a mistake–a huge one. “Max Shepard.” It wasn’t a question. She already knew the answer.
He narrowed his eyes. “Ivy Kennedy, journalist and amateur boxer?”
She couldn’t tell whether it was sarcasm or anger. She did notice the deep, rich tone of his voice did funny things to the pit of her stomach. His voice wasn’t the only toned part of him. Their bodies being pressed together gave her an up close and personal testimonial of his physical assets. From broad chest, tight abs to long legs, she could feel tight muscles and a curious bulge behind his zipper. She scooted her hip around the swelling in his jeans. Heat spread through her body.
One corner of his mouth lifted. “It’s my cell.” Could he see straight through her?
“Cell?”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out something and held up his phone. Ivy was certain her skin changed into the perfect color of mortification. She wondered just how bad this could get. She could handle this. Pasting a smile on her face, she said, “Nice to meet you.” The temperature rose between them into the triple digits. Their bodies seemed to melt together. Ivy’s nerves made her heady, making her feel like she floated on a cloud. He didn’t look like the pictures she’d seen on the internet. He looked more distinguished in person. “You’re older than I thought,” she blurted.
He curved his brow. “Older?”
Damn. “Older, I mean, in a good way.” All humor left his face. She licked her bottom lip and nervously pushed her hair behind her ear. “My mother said I have a bad habit of saying the most awkward things and rambling–” She swallowed. “–like I am now.”
She felt his heart race against her breast. His zipper started to swell again. Was that another cell phone in his pocket, or… Before her mind could complete the thought, he wrapped his large hands around her waist, and in one swift, easy movement he lifted her off him. He set her on her feet as he came to stand in front of her. “That’s better,” he said as he backed up. “Damn rug.” He kicked at the lump that must have been the reason behind their fall.
He was a tall man. Ivy guessed about six-feet-two. She certainly had to roll her head back to look into his eyes. He was also more handsome in person than in his photos. Not bad. Not bad at all.
“What’s that?”
She realized she had said the words aloud. She winced. “I mean, bad…very bad.” She pointed to the redness and swelling quickly appearing on his cheek. “I’m sorry.” Would he walk out? “I guess that wasn’t the first impression I’d hoped for.”
He stood there, silent. Awkwardly silent. This was a complete disaster. She’d humiliated herself and at the same time managed to give him a black eye to match the dark scowl on his face. Maybe she needed to start searching for a new job? Marshall would have her head for this.
Chapter 3
Max snorted. What the hell just happened? The tightness in his southern region had finally dampened. A strange woman had just given him a woody. He’d survive the hard-on and the black eye he was sure he’d have, but the lady Ivy Kennedy stood before him looking like she was on the brink of peeing her pants. He wanted to laugh but he resisted. Had he just gotten his ass kicked by a girl? The girl carried a wallop. He swiped his knuckles over the spot on his cheek. “I guess you taught me a valuable lesson, Ivy Kennedy. Never come up on a woman unannounced.”
That should have been the end of it. What was done was done. He had to give the woman credit where credit was due. She could defend herself. He wanted to move on and forget it, but it wasn’t happening. Ivy stood on her tiptoes, reached up and touched the place she’d socked him with the tips of her fingers. The gentle, warm touch made him jerk. “It’s swollen.” Her minty breath sweeping across his cheeks and the feel of her breasts brushing his chest pushed every arousal button he knew he had, and some he didn’t. Not that he didn’t like it–or rather, he liked it too much.
“No kidding,” he answered. Was that quivering that he noticed in his own voice? No, not possible. Did she have to stand so close, though? His body was acting like it’d been neglected for months. Hell, he should be glad to find out he was still a man after the Renee incident. He was taken back by Ivy’s touch and her closeness. Looking deep into her eyes, he was caught. They were crystal blue and surrounded by the longest lashes he’d ever seen. When had he ever noticed any woman’s eyes? He sniffed loudly. Enough with the admiration. “That’s usually the effect a hit has on the face.”
“We need ice.” She interrupted his thought. “I have a cooler. It’s that way. I’ll meet you in the sitting room, or whatever the room is with furniture. If I don’t return in ten, can you come and save me? You never know what’s hiding in these dark crevices. I keep thinking the floor is going to give out and I’m going to fall through.” She laughed, which quickly turned somber.
His quiet wasn’t in anger–only irritation at his body’s betrayal. He’d left a desirable, naked woman in his bed, untouched and unwanted. Now parts of his body wanted action with a woman who looked as innocent as a newborn kitten, as skinny as a rail and who talked way too much. There was only one thing he liked more than a voluptuous body–silence.
“I guess we got off to a rough start.”
“Guess so.” Rough wasn’t the word he’d use. Annoying was a better one. He was irritated with himself as much as he was with her
“Okay, I’m going now.”
She walked away and he couldn’t help but admire the swaying move of her firm backside. Nice. But Ivy Kennedy wasn’t his type–if he had one.
The smell of honeysuckle lingered in the room as a reminder that she smelled sweet. He liked the smell. What the hell was wrong with him? He wasn’t some wet-behind-the-ears schoolboy who got a rise every time a girl got close. What was happening to his male anatomy?
A sting in his cheek caught his attention. He touched the area and moaned. She couldn’t be much more than five-feet-four, in a good pair of stilettos, and one hundred pounds dripping wet. He’d think she was the size of a linebacker by that punch. And what the hell did he need an ice pack for? He didn’t need or want one, but if it made her feel better then so be it.
Max took off for the room with the furniture. He took a seat on what he thought was once a couch. A puff of dust surrounded him but he didn’t give it much thought. He’d been in worse joints spying on the extraterrestrial. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. The stillness was deafening and yet he felt like he was being watched. Opening his lids to a slit, he saw that indeed he was alone unless one counted the massive spider crawling across the wall. He СКАЧАТЬ