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It’s too bad the world couldn’t wait. Danger was only a few miles away.
Chapter Seven
Connor
Ivy isthe woman I’ve been looking for. She’s the one.
We’ve been together for less than twenty-four hours, but I’ve never been more confident about anything. Hell, I probably knew she was it for me in under twenty-four seconds after meeting her but it took the day to really cement the feeling.
Waking up with Ivy wrapped tight in my arms, her body pressed into mine, was perfect. I lay there with her, watching her sleep, for as long as I could before I reluctantly peeled myself from her side. I didn’t want to leave the bed, but there were things I needed to look into that I didn’t want Ivy to know about.
I didn’t want to worry her.
The alarm last nighthadbeen my brother. When I’d hung up on him without any explanation, he waited for me to report back. When he got no response after thirty minutes—I was obviously occupied—he ventured over. But not before learning something very interesting.
Rina, Ivy’s stepmother, had gotten sloppy. She was getting desperate too.
One of Cohen’s undercover guys was able to retrieve updated financial records that indicated Rina was on the brink of bankruptcy. When she’d married Nathan Heartford, she wasn’t given access to the family funds. Instead, she was given a monthly allowance. She had no access to the business or the entirety of the Heartford estate.
After Ivy went missing yesterday, she’d had a full breakdown back at their mansion. All of it caught on video and sent to Cohen from one of his undercover informants.
I wasn’t worried about Ivy’s safety. I would protect her with my life. That didn’t mean though that I wouldn’t do my research and bump up the precautions I had in place around the cabin. If I’ve learned anything from what occurred with Lennox and Katrina, there’s no such thing as too many intruder traps.
After putting on a pot of coffee, I pull my tablet from the secret drawer I’d installed under the mantel. It wasn’t so much for security as it was to help get rid of clutter, but I liked the duality. Usually I’d head down into the office I had in the finished basement, but I didn’t want to be too far from Ivy this morning. I had yet to give her a full tour of the cabin. I’d also need to go over all the security measures with her today too.
I log into the secure VPN that I share with Cohen and Lennox and pull up the files on the undercover work already in play. I learn everything I can. With each report I read, my anger heightens. The close calls Ivy had told me about were all here to see. There were a couple other attempts on her life that she either didn’t tell me about or didn’t know happened.
There’s a picture, taken from a long-distance lens, that shows Ivy scraped and bruised after being run off the road during an early morning jog. Fury has my fingers shaking as I click to the next image.
“Fuck me.” I run a hand over my face and along my jaw, hating what I’m seeing. Ivy left out the part where her brakes were tampered with and her car crashed into a ditch. The police report is a joke—no doubt thanks to a generous bribe from Rina—and doesn’t say anything of importance.
I’m on my second cup of coffee and have just managed to get my anger under control when I hear Ivy’s soft footfalls in the hallway. Placing my mug down, I glance up in time to see her wander into the kitchen. Her sleepy expression and wild hair has my cock instantly hard. I’m a fan of this tussled, dreamy look.
“Morning,” she mumbles, rubbing the side of her eye. In a move that sends pride swirling through my chest, she shuffles in my direction, giving me a one-armed hug and a kiss on the temple before moving to the coffeepot. I watch her in amusement, not sure if she’s fully awake yet or maybe not a morning person.
“Morning, angel. Did you sleep okay?” She gives an affirmative grunt—I think. Bracing the mug of coffee between her hands, she sits beside me at the table and sips slowly.
“Do you want to get married today?”
Her question has me almost choking on my swallow of coffee.
“Jesus, Ivy,” I laugh, rubbing up the drips of coffee I’d spilt over my hand. “Give a guy some warning before you propose so romantically.” Grinning behind her hands, she apologizes. “Besides, I don’t think today is the day to tie the knot.”
“What? Why not?” There’s a note of hurt in her voice. Avoiding my eyes, she shakes her head. “Actually, you know what? You’re right. It’s a dumb idea. It won’t—”
“I said not today, Ivy. Not never.”
“Oh.” The room goes silent. From the corner of my eye, I watch as she twists up her mouth. “Why not today specifically?”
There it is. My girl is curious and tenacious.
“Because there are a few more things we need to discuss. Plus, you’re in hiding as of yesterday. We should keep a low profile for a couple days before going into town and making our relationship official.”
“Relationship? Really?”
Clasping the edge of her chair, I drag her closer to me and capture her lips in a slow, heated kiss. I can taste her sweetened coffee on my tongue and the pure essence that is all Ivy. When I try to end the kiss, she follows my lips.
“Ivy,” I murmur against her plump bottom lip. “I told you last night. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you. There’s no way I’m letting you go.”
