16. Marco

16

MARCO

“Okay. Time for this. Happy birthday, Marco.”

This was too easy. It felt too good.

I’d only just scratched the surface, and I already felt like I was getting far more than I deserved, especially when I hadn’t taken notice of her the way I should have all these years. I didn’t typically sit with regret, but when it came to Ivy, it seemed to be something I couldn’t avoid.

And now that Ivy and I had just finished our appetizers and salads, she seemed intent on doing things to make me realize just how much of a fool I’d been. Because she was holding out a gift to me that she’d apparently kept tucked away in her purse.

It shocked me to see it.

Not because I believed Ivy was the kind of person who’d miss my birthday or hadn’t ever gotten me something before, but because I knew how much she’d already done to prepare for the party yesterday. This was too much.

Plus, if I was honest, it was entirely unnecessary. Having her here with me felt like more than enough, better than I deserved.

From the moment she agreed to this date, I felt like I’d gotten an incredible gift. Ever since, things just got better and better. Over the last couple of weeks that I’d spent time with Ivy, it became clear to me that I’d been missing out on so much with her.

But even that realization, that understanding there’d likely be a whole lot more to come, hadn’t been enough to prepare me for what tonight was like.

I wasn’t quite sure I had any words for how it felt. Would I ever be able to tell her what it was like for me?

To see her open the door dressed up all for me. To have her step fully into my arms and press that gorgeous body against me. To have her look at me like she did. To know she was thinking about me at least as much as I was thinking about her.

I could still recall how tightly I’d gripped that bouquet in my hand when she first opened the door and the way my free hand balled into a fist at my side. I remembered the way my pulse pounded, and how the blood rushed in my veins as my gaze traveled over her body.

There was a flutter in my stomach nearly all day as I anticipated seeing her, and the second my eyes were on her, I ached with a need to touch her.

The sensations were the most I’d ever experienced being around her, and it was taking me a moment to adjust. But despite the quickened heartbeat, warmth, and undeniable attraction I felt ever since Ivy opened her front door until now, there was one thing I felt relieved about when it came to her.

I was glad that she now knew where I stood, that I wanted to see where things could go between us.

Sure, we were bound to have some obstacles to overcome—one of those things we’d discussed only minutes ago. And while it was important to acknowledge those potential challenges, I believed it was best for us to figure out where the two of us were headed first. The only thing that mattered to me at this point was Ivy. If things went as I hoped they would with her, I was prepared to face whatever came my way.

I reached up and took the wrapped gift box from Ivy. “This was unnecessary.”

“Are you crazy? It’s your birthday.”

“I know. But you didn’t need to get me anything. It’s not like you didn’t put a massive effort into that party yesterday.”

Ivy waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Oh, that wasn’t even remotely close to being a big deal for me. Between my family and yours, I barely had to lift a finger.”

Obviously, I was aware that my family and Ivy’s both contributed to the planning, but Ivy was diminishing the role she played in the preparation. I know how hard she worked, in general, and I didn’t doubt she had gone above and beyond the normal call of duty for the party.

I arched a brow in disbelief. “I know you better than that.”

She smiled, a hint of playfulness in her sparkling eyes. “If that’s the case, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that I’d do what I did to prepare for your party yesterday and get you this gift today.”

She had me there.

Recognizing I wasn’t going to win this battle, I offered a slight shake of my head and focused my attention on opening the gift. As I worked on unwrapping it, I tried to come up with guesses as to what could be inside. Not one idea came to mind, and when I sent a curious look Ivy’s way, her expression revealed nothing.

A moment later, I’d opened the box and felt something pitch in my stomach. “This is really nice, Ivy.”

“Do you like it?”

I wasn’t quite sure there were words to describe how it made me feel. Ivy had gotten me a woodcarving tool set. Maybe that seemed like a smart gift, given my line of work and how much I actually enjoyed the class we’d taken together. There was no question it wouldn’t be a wasted gift.

But it was so much more than that to me. It meant more than that. It was a reminder of one of the best days I’d ever had with her. It was something special to mark the first time we’d gone out together and done something fun with one another without anyone else around.

“I love it.”

Her face lit up. “You were so good at it, and I was pretty sure you enjoyed the class, so I thought you’d like these.”

It was at that moment I decided the first thing I was going to make with these tools was something special for her. “I do. Thank you for getting them.”

“You’re welcome.”

There was a sense of pride in her expression, and as much as I liked seeing it, something hit me as a result. “Can I ask when you got this set?”

“I bought it earlier today.”

It took extra concentration and effort not to allow my mouth to fall open with surprise. “You went out to purchase it somewhere?”

Almost immediately, Ivy understood where my line of questioning was headed, and instead of having me beat around the bush about it, she inclined her head and said, “It was the first I’ve gone anywhere on my own that wasn’t straight to work, the gas station, or home since the attack.”

That confirmation did it for me. I felt a thickness in my throat as I stared at her in disbelief. Obviously, I wanted her to get to a place where she felt confident being out in public on her own, but to know she’d gone out simply to get a gift for me had me feeling deeply moved.

I wanted to stand, scoop her up in my arms, and hug her tightly.

“That’s…” I stopped to clear my throat. “I’m so proud of you, Ivy. That you would do that for me means a lot.”

She sat up a little taller. “Thank you for saying that.”

“How did it feel? I know you’re here and seem okay, but did it go alright?”

Ivy nodded. “It did. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t a little panicked, or that I didn’t find myself feeling the need to be scanning my surroundings constantly, but in the end, I managed it without losing my cool.”

I reached across the table and took her hand in mine, offering a light squeeze. “You’re the toughest woman I know.”

“I felt like a wimp, though.”

Shaking my head, I insisted, “That took a lot of guts, Ivy. Don’t diminish what you accomplished today. As much as I love the gift you got me, I think I love this news on my birthday even more. You should be proud of yourself. I am. Tremendously.”

She licked her lips and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

And it was at that moment, our server arrived with our entrees, bringing our discussion of Ivy’s gift to me and the steps she’d taken to get it to an end. But I figured it was the perfect opportunity to shift our conversation to something else.

Before I had the chance to do that, though, Ivy took the lead. “So, I have a bit of a problem now.”

My brows shot up, silently questioning her. “I’d love nothing more than to help you out. What’s going on?”

A sweet look washed over her expression, and as her chin tipped down, her hair fell forward at just the right angle for the light to hit it. My fingers itched to run through it. She looked stunning. “As you’re aware, things have been rather chaotic lately. With the exception of when we were dancing with one another at your party yesterday, we haven’t had much of an opportunity lately to talk. Not only have we had so many interruptions from everyone around us, but I was spending a lot of time working on preparations for the party.”

“I knew you did more work than you let on.”

“That’s not the point right now,” she insisted.

I did my best to stifle the laughter. “Right. Sorry. So, what’s the problem you’re having?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with all my time now that I won’t be focusing on planning a party for you.”

Understanding dawned, and it was the perfect opportunity for me to tease her. “I see the issue. You could use the party as an excuse before.”

“An excuse? What do you mean?”

“The party planning was just an excuse you used to justify thinking about me all the time,” I explained, my lips twitching. “Now, you’ll have to admit the truth.”

Her eyes narrowed on me. “And what, dare I ask, is the truth?”

“You can’t stop thinking about me. I’m always on your mind these days, aren’t I?”

“That’s interesting.”

“Is it?”

She shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I don’t remember you ever being so cocky. Is this what happens after a girl makes you some chicken, throws you a party, and accepts your invitation to dinner?”

There was no containing my laughter this time. I wish I’d known all these years what I was missing out on, because this might have been our first official date, but there wasn’t a single thing I didn’t like about the woman sitting across from me.

I reached over, placed my hand on her arm, and squeezed. “Don’t worry, Princess. If you didn’t already know it, you’re always on my mind these days, too.”

Something changed in her expression, her gaze growing darker. “Are you being serious, or are you just saying that, so I don’t feel bad?”

“I can’t even make it through an hour without having you pop into my mind,” I revealed.

Her lips parted in shock. “One hour?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

Following a long pause, she confessed, “It’s the same for me with you. And I don’t know what to do about it.”

I brushed my hand along her arm to offer her some comfort and reassurance. “Now that we’re on the same wavelength, I think we can figure it out together.”

“Any ideas yet?”

“Nothing specific, but I think finding ways to spend more time with each other will help.”

She beamed at me, her eyes dancing. “I like that idea.”

I held her stare for a beat before I agreed. “Me, too.”

With that, we both returned to our food, our conversation shifting again.

By the time we’d finished dinner and shared two delicious desserts, it was safe to say I was on cloud nine. If I was honest, I’d been that way since Ivy agreed to this date last night. But I was relieved to know that the feeling hadn’t diminished as we spent time together tonight.

The only thing I felt now was an overwhelming sense of dread. I didn’t want this date to end. I considered options for prolonging it, thinking it would be nice to just take a walk with her. But given the cold weather and Ivy not being dressed warmly enough for an extended period in the cold, I decided against it.

Of course, there was one small part of me that recognized I might have Ivy cuddling up closer to me if she was cold. The potential for that certainly had me reconsidering, but ultimately, I decided I didn’t want that to be the reason Ivy got close to me. I wanted her to do it because she couldn’t stop herself.

With any luck, we’d have another opportunity for a date, and we’d have more time together.

I drove her home, and the walk to her door left me feeling a mix of emotions. I’d taken hold of her hand after opening her door for her, and I didn’t let it go as we walked along the path to her front door.

Ivy’s fingers twitched in my hold, and I was left wondering if she was feeling just as conflicted or nervous about what was next. I knew what I hoped for, but the last thing I wanted was for her to feel pressured to do anything she wasn’t ready for, especially not mere weeks after being assaulted.

When we came to a stop at her front door, she turned to face me. “I know it was your birthday today, Marco, but I feel like I’m the one who got the best gift. I had such a good time with you tonight.”

My thumb stroked lightly over her knuckles. “It was easily the best birthday of my whole life.”

She sent a disbelieving smile my way, but there was a hint of something else lingering there, too. “I didn’t think you were a liar.”

I arched a brow. “Why would you say that?”

“Well, it’s just… how can this be the best birthday of your life when you haven’t even gotten a kiss?”

And there she was.

The bold, fearless woman who went after everything she wanted.

My body had tensed slightly, my heart rate increasing. I needed to play this cool. “See? I think the problem is that you don’t understand just how much I enjoy your company.”

“Marco?” There was something impatient in her tone.

I grew uneasy. “Yeah?”

“Do you like me?”

“Yes.”

“So, will you shut up and kiss me?”

The corners of my mouth tipped up, the tension easing out of my body. I released the hold I had on Ivy’s hand and slid that arm around her waist. As I hauled her body against mine, my other hand drove into her hair and angled her head.

A moment later, my lips touched hers.

Ivy’s fingers pressed in at my chest, my hold on her growing firmer. And the second my tongue ran along the seam of her soft lips, she didn’t hesitate to part them.

The taste of her was something I’d never forget, and the moan that crawled up her throat had me fighting every primal urge.

Her lips. Her mouth.

That was it.

That was all I was going to have tonight.

Not her neck, her shoulders, her breasts, her legs, or that sweet spot between her legs.

Just her mouth.

It wasn’t anything to be upset about, either. Her lips were perfection, her kissing extraordinary. I couldn’t get enough. I never wanted to stop.

But after a while, we separated our mouths and were breathing heavily.

“I know you don’t want me to talk about it, but now I can die a happy man.”

Ivy’s soft laughter filled the air around us, and she tucked her face into my neck as she wrapped her arms around me. I thought kissing her was the best thing I would experience tonight, but I was wrong.

It was this.

It was having her laughing and cuddling close while I held her in my arms.

“Please don’t die. I’d really like to do that again sometime.”

My body vibrated with laughter, my arms hugging her tighter. “I’m going to do my very best to stick around. If I could get a hundred more years of that, I’m not sure why I’d ever want to leave.”

She hummed, nuzzling her face closer. God, I never realized how good that could feel.

“I know you were the one who struggled to sleep last night, but I get the distinct feeling it’s going to be me who won’t get an ounce of it tonight.”

Ivy pulled back to look up at me. “Why is that?”

“Because I’ll be thinking about you, about the way you kiss and how much I like the way you look. Because I’ll be too busy remembering how good it felt to have this with you tonight. All of it. And I’ll be wishing I had you in my arms, cuddling close to me.”

A slow smile formed on her face. “Well, you are the birthday boy.”

My brows shot up. “And? What does that mean?”

“You do get a birthday wish, don’t you?”

I swallowed hard. “I thought I already got that when you agreed to let me take you out for dinner.”

She shook her head slowly, something warm and seductive washing over her. “I think the date was more about me getting something I’ve needed for a long time. I think what happens next is about you getting something special in return.”

I didn’t want her to feel like this was something she had to do to repay me for taking her out tonight. “Ivy, I don’t?—”

“I want you to stay with me tonight, Marco.” Her eyes held mine, pleading with me. “Please. Come inside and give us both something we’re going to enjoy.”

That look in her eyes.

The way her fingers were pushing in at my chest, like she was afraid I might vanish.

And the feel of her gorgeous body pressed close.

How could I deny her? Deny us?

“Are you sure?”

She stepped out of my hold, pulled out her key, and opened the door. I worried that I’d ruined it, that I’d made her second guess herself, but after she stepped inside and spun around to face me, she allowed her coat to fall from her body.

“I’m going to get very cold if I strip out of this dress while you stay out there,” she said, her voice husky. “But maybe that’s what you want. Maybe you want me to strip myself bare, so I can feel the sting of the cold air before you finally come inside and do something about warming me up.”

No way.

As much as I liked the idea of Ivy stripping for me, there wasn’t a chance I didn’t want to be the one to peel this dress off her the first time I was going to see her naked.

So, I didn’t hesitate.

I stepped forward and closed the door behind me.

The second I flipped the lock, a victorious smile spread across Ivy’s gorgeous face as she stepped out of her shoes and walked toward me.