Take Me Now (12 page)
I have no clue how long I’m out when I hear Shep yelping in the distance. I sense the vibration of his paws galloping toward me before he’s licking my face, trying to revive me. I roll onto my back and taste the blood seeping from my busted lip. It’s the exclamation of surprise that follows that I don’t expect.
“Oh my God, Eric!” And then, like out of a dream, Ivy’s beside me, her eyes full of concern. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“I knew you’d end up here. It’s where you said you’d be.” I give her a crooked smile even though it hurts to move my mouth. All I envisioned was spending the night kissing her, and it seems like that reality keeps getting further and further beyond my reach. What I wouldn’t give to start this day over again.
“Eric, concentrate. Who did this to you?” She lifts my bruised and battered head carefully placing it in her lap. I don’t care what else happens to me. With her simple gesture, I’ve finally come home. This is what I want. There is where I belong, in her embrace, under her care, around her heart.
“It’s nothing. You should see the other guy.” I make an attempt at a joke but she’s not buying it. I can’t say that I blame her. It’s the lamest line in the book. And I’m not even that macho when it comes to bragging rights.
“Who was it, Eric? Tell me.” Her tone refuses to brook any opposition. It’s not like I can keep it from her. She’s going to find out eventually.
“It was Ryan. Where is the little bastard anyway? What, did he just up and run?” I grimace when it seems like my brain wants to pulsate out of my skull.
“Ryan? You’ve got to be kidding me!” I don’t blame her for being upset for learning that I got into a fight with her friend. “Has he completely lost it?” But I am surprised that she’s taking my side.
“Yeah, he made some unsavory remarks about you and I wasn’t about to sit back and let them slide.” I hate to break up our reunion but I’m going to need some ice or something. My entire body is begging for relief. I try to stand up but she resists my attempt.
“You’re such an idiot. You might have a concussion. Stay where you are. Why did you have to go after him for running off his mouth? I can take care of myself, you know. I already handled him earlier today.” She’s biting her lip as she begins to shake. I knew there was more to this than Ryan was letting on.
“What did he do to you? Did he hurt you?” I groan just imagining what a creep like that is capable of, especially having her alone with him in his car.
“Like I said, I took care of it. I can fight my own battles. You don’t have to go fighting them for me, especially when he’s the stepbrother of your fuck buddy or however you two define yourselves.” I can feel the pent-up anger in her voice. I know what it did to me just envisioning her doing stuff with Ryan. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like for her to actually see me kiss Lauren.
“Ivy, it’s not what you think. She was blackmailing me to go along with her.” This is a conversation I’d rather not have right now, but there’s no avoiding it. She needs to know the truth.
“How dumb do you think I am, Eric? I get it. You were in league with Lauren all along and this was the grand finale where the two of you got to shove it in my face. Well, mission accomplished because you succeeded in breaking my heart.” I can tell she wants nothing more than to run away from me. She’s only staying because I’m injured. Her good nature is getting the better of her survival instincts.
“Ivy, please. Hear me out.” I reach for her hand but I move my head too quickly and my vision gets fuzzy. I collapse back onto her lap, wincing.
“All right, that’s enough. You’re going to have to stay here while I go inside and call for help. I’m not wasting any more time on this nonsense.” She whistles loudly through her teeth. “Shep! Come here, boy.” He dutifully obeys, striding over before reclining at her feet. “You’re going to watch over your master while I use the phone, okay?” Carefully, she lifts my head, placing it on top of Shep’s back. He whines softly but stays put as she walks quickly toward the house. Without needing a prompt from me, she bends down and picks up the key from underneath the mat. She remembered, and that makes my heart hurt more than my battered body.
A light goes on inside and it casts a glow through the front window. She’ll be back soon but I’m already starting to miss her. What if I can’t convince Ivy that I was doing everything for her? What if she holds on to that image of me kissing Lauren? I have to come clean with her. She needs to know everything. I don’t want any more secrets hanging over us. I have to take the chance and risk losing her forever. As much as I hate to admit it, telling her is the only way we’re going to be able to move forward. It’s what I should have done from the very beginning instead of getting mixed up in this insanity.
Shep’s fur feels comforting against my cheek. He’s going to need a bath when this is all over since he’s already covered in my blood. But why was he outside anyway? How did he get out of the house? I’m positive that I locked him inside before I left for the gala. I was in a hurry but I could have sworn that’s what I did.
The door reopens and I see the shape of Ivy’s curves against the light. From this distance, she looks like a shadow, an outline of a shape. It’s like she’s already disappearing from my life, becoming nothing more than a figment of my imagination. The realization shocks me. I’m this close to losing her. These could be the final moments we spend together and I’m too messed up to make them count.
“C’mon inside, and I’ll clean you up.” She offers me her hand and I grasp it with mine. It feels so small and delicate against my palm. She’s not strong enough to pull me up, but she gives it her best shot. I get to my knees before the scene starts to sway again. Bending to stop myself from falling, I throw my arms around her waist in order to steady myself. My face is pressed against her chest and I can hear her heart racing. “You can do this, Eric.” Her voice is encouraging, but there’s a tremor in it as well. She tucks her arm under my elbow and tries again to hoist me up.
“Isn’t there an ambulance coming?” I don’t want to tax her to the limits if they’re just going to move me anyway. I may as well stay put and save her the trouble. She’s not strong enough to lift me, and I’m ruining her dress in the process.
“No, they don’t think it’s serious enough. They said as long as you’re conscious, then I should just keep you awake until morning and monitor you for a possible concussion. None of the lacerations are that deep, so they think you can wait until tomorrow to see your family doctor.” She doesn’t sound like she agrees with this assessment. “I have half a mind to get you in your truck and drive you to the hospital myself.”
“If they think I can wait, I’ll wait. Ryan really didn’t beat me up that bad.” I groan as I attempt to stand, trying not to place too much of my weight on her slim shoulders. “There isn’t a lot of blood coming from my mouth, so I don’t think I have any internal bleeding or anything. I’ll live. All I want to do is get in bed.”
“All right, lean on me. Let’s see if I can get you inside.” Her cheeks are blushing profusely after my last comment, but I don’t know if it’s because of the exertion of her efforts or because of what I said.
We shuffle at a snail’s pace toward the open door with Shep at our feet. The night air feels cool against my skin, reviving me. We somehow make it inside, and Ivy staggers as she props me against the doorframe for a minute.
“I just need a breather before we tackle the stairs.” She wipes her brow and gazes at the challenge looming before us.
“Don’t be silly, Ivy. Just get my sorry ass to the couch. That’s good enough.” I grimace as my feet start to give way beneath me. I have to remain standing. We can’t go back to square one with her dragging me off the floor. I’m determined to keep my footing even when my knees start to buckle.
“Hold on to me, damn it. We can do this. We’re almost there.” Throwing my arm back across her shoulders, she urges me forward. A few times, I almost sink to the ground but somehow we make it to the living room. We both release a sigh when she deposits me on the couch before collapsing beside me. The effort of moving me was a strain on us both.
“Stay here and don’t move.” She’s out of breath but she’s still barking orders at me. “I’ll be right back. Don’t even think about falling asleep on me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” My speech is slurred, and she shoots me a worried glance before darting into the kitchen. My eyes feel so heavy. All I want to do is close them and drift into a peaceful oblivion.
“What did I tell you?” Her voice is stern as she strides back into the room. I blink as a cool cloth touches my forehead. “Eric, you have to stay awake.”
“Okay…” I mumble against her hand as the cloth passes over my lips. Shep sticks his nose in between us as he goes to town licking my face. Now I’m awake.
“Shep, get down,” Ivy scolds him, clapping her hands to enforce her command. “I have to sterilize your master’s cuts. I know you love him, but don’t go infecting them on me, okay?” When she turns to me, the warmth leaves her voice. “Eric, where do you keep the rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide? In the bathroom upstairs?”
I nod once and her eyes darken. I’m running her ragged. For someone who was about to break up with me, she seems to be at my beck and call. It must be killing her inside to have to wait on me, but she’s staying. That has to count for something, right?
I hear her footsteps dash up the stairs while the buckles on Shep’s collar jangle behind her. I could get used to this, having her treat my house like it’s her own. Like this is where we belong together.
She returns to my side, making quick work of disinfecting the scrapes on my face. It hurts like hell and I grit my teeth trying not to show it. It burns like a motherfucker. One cloth is soon covered in bloodstains, so she moves on to another. There’s no way I’m anywhere close to falling asleep when the stinging sensation travels down my forearms as she tends to the cuts she finds there.
“You’re going to have to take your shirt off.” She says it in such an offhand manner, like she could care less if I get partially naked in front of her.
“Okay.” My hand shakes as I start to undo the buttons. It’s hard to be coordinated when the room is still spinning before me. I’m doing a terrible job of it.
“Let me,” she commands, sliding her hand next to mine before swatting it away. She begins to unfasten the buttons one by one and my breathing increases. As she parts the two sides of my shirt, her fingertips lightly brush against me, causing me to dig my nails into my palms. I want to respond to her touch so badly. Her hands glide inside my shirt before landing on my shoulders. Gently, she starts pulling it down. Her fingers find my wrist, and she can no doubt feel my racing pulse as she draws one arm out and then the other. I shiver as I sit exposed before her. I don’t even look down to examine my injuries. My eyes are locked on her expression as she takes in the appearance of my bare chest, despite herself.
“Oh, Eric,” she sighs as she lightly caresses the bruises that are forming under my neck and across my ribs. “Where does it hurt?”
“Everywhere.” I chuckle, but she doesn’t join in. She’s looking at me with concern.
“Let me make it better.” She leans forward and her lips bestow a line of butterfly kisses up and down my torso, creating a heady mixture of pleasure and pain. Pushing back on my heels, I press my body into the couch, letting my neck relax against the headrest. She moves with me, remaining perched between my knees.
“Does that feel good?” she asks, but her eyes still appear dead to me, like she’s only doing this for my benefit.
“Yes.” I exhale loudly as her kisses travel just above my belt buckle. I want to remain still but my body betrays me as my hips rise to meet her lips.
“Well, don’t get used to it because that’s all you’re getting.” She extends her arms on both sides of me, pushing herself up.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I say the words before I can even think. My body wants nothing more than to claim hers, but she’s teasing me in the cruelest way possible. She’s deliberately driving me wild while taking away the one source of relief.
“You’ve had enough. Don’t get any ideas.” She straightens her dress but I close my knees, trapping her between them. “You must be feeling better. Too bad you’re the last man on earth I feel like sleeping with.”
“Oh, I think I could convince you otherwise.” I sit up straight, grasping a handful of her dress. “The 911 operator did say you have to keep me up all night.”
“Eric, don’t…” I can feel her tremble, her resistance weakening. Her breath is warm on my face. She’s so intoxicatingly close. “I can’t…not after what happened with Lauren.”
I reel back as if I’ve been slapped. There’s no getting around the issue. It has to be dealt with. The timing is way off and I don’t think the fuzziness in my brain will let me make a cohesive argument. All I can do is provide the facts and allow her to decide how she wants to proceed.
“It’s not what you think, Ivy.” I don’t loosen my hold on her even as she tries to squirm away.
“I’m not an idiot, Eric. I know what I saw.” Finally, there’s some fire in her gaze. I haven’t lost her yet.
“Let me finish. I promise you can say whatever you want when I’m done, okay?” She nods petulantly, like I’m forcing her to do something against her will. She’s not going to like what I have to say, but it has to be said. I’m sick of hiding things from her. She deserves to know the truth.
“It was around the holidays and I was feeling really low. I was making progress, but when it’s the off-season at the garden center, I tend to have too much time on my hands, too much time to think.” Ivy doesn’t look at me, but at least she’s listening. “I was at the point where I didn’t get out of bed for three days when Lauren called. It was a Friday night and she was working late. She invited me down to the office to figure out my spring marketing plan. Immediately, I thought it sounded kind of funny that she wanted to discuss ads for potting soil and seeds when there was snow on the ground, but I was lonely and desperate for company so I foolishly took her up on her offer.”
