Page 23 of Recovering Ivy

“Here.” I tossed the shirt on the bed and waited for her to move so I could leave and give her privacy.

“I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” I questioned.

“Stay in here. Put you out like this.”

I looked at Ivy, really looked at her - her posture, the lines in her forehead, the way she crinkled her nose, her discomfort.

I was a dick.

“Ivy, listen, I’m not going to touch you. You’re safe here. We’ll work everything out tomorrow and reevaluate. If we find it unsafe for you to be out in the open, I have a safe house you can stay in. My secondary team can rotate watch. Bottom line is, I won’t come near you. You have my word.”

“Is that what you think the problem is? I think you’ll attack me?”

“Well, yeah. Hell, woman, you’re standing in the door frame with your arms wrapped around yourself.”

“Zane, you can bet your ass if I thought I was in any physical danger my rear end would be long gone. There would’ve been no way you could’ve made me stay in this apartment.” It was cute she thought that. I thought it best for me not to point out that I could easily put her sexy little ass anywhere I wanted it. And there wouldn’t be a damn thing she’d be able to do. I kept my mouth shut and waited for her to finish. “I don’t like being an imposition and I really don’t like asking for help.”

“Does that happen a lot?”

“What?”

“You asking for help?”

“Hell, no!”

“I didn’t figure it did. And you didn’t ask. I offered,” I reminded her.

Her lips tipped up in amusement. “Is you demanding I go to your office, then taking me and keeping me against my will, your idea of an offer?”

She was joking, and the tight ball of insecurity, another thing I wasn’t used to feeling, unraveled.

“Best you’re gonna get from a man like me.”

“What kind of man are you, Zane?”

“A man that doesn’t ask. I take. I demand. When I see something I want, there is no stopping me from getting it.”

“And is there something you want from me?”

Was she fucking flirting with me? I felt my cock start to lengthen at her playful tone. He seemed to remember last night just as vividly as I did.

She was still standing in the doorway, but her body had relaxed, and she’d unwrapped her arms from around herself.

I still wasn’t going to touch her.

I still wasn’t that man.

“There sure as fuck is. I want you to get your happy ass in my bed and get some sleep.”

Her smile slipped before she schooled her features. It was impressive. She almost had the mask of indifference down as well as I did.

I hated it.

I didn’t want her to hide her emotions from me.

I didn’t want to know how or why or where she’d learned the trait. None of it would be good. You didn’t learn to hide and wall yourself off because you’d been surrounded with hearts and fluffy fucking unicorns. You learned because you’d been surrounded with devastation and destruction.