Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3 (56 page)

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Authors: Lily Harper Hart

BOOK: Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

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Jack rubbed her back and burst into tears, taking Ivy by surprise. “You’d better prepare yourself,” he murmured, crying into her neck. “You’re not going to be able to leave your bed for a week.”

“I can live with that.”

Twenty-Five

Ivy woke to a solid wall of muscle and Jack’s arms holding her pressed tightly against his chest. She sighed, relieved that it was over and momentarily sad that Laura lost everything due to her brother’s twisted mind.

“Honey, I’m still going to kill you,” Jack murmured into her hair. “Before that, though, I want to hold you and then eat breakfast. We’ll schedule your killing for after noon if that works for you.”

Ivy snickered, pressing a soft kiss to one of Jack’s scars. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Ivy wrenched her head back so she could fix Jack with a dubious look.

“Okay, I’m going to be fine,” Jack corrected. “I’m a work in progress.”

“You’re my work in progress,” Ivy said, running her finger down Jack’s cheek. “Wait … you don’t want to take off now that I’m safe, do you?”

Jack growled. “No.”

“That’s good. I was going to have to kill
you
if that was the case.”

“We’re not going to be apart again,” Jack said. “I’ve learned my lesson. This is where I want to be.”

“In bed with me?” Ivy asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Every minute of every day,” Jack answered. “For now I’m going to take hunkering down in this house with you for the next few days and call it a victory. We’ll work on the bigger picture down the road.”

“Few days? What about work?”

“I talked to Brian last night,” Jack said. “Technically Bellaire is going to take the lead on this one. Marcus kidnapped me, but Mark Dalton’s case is bigger. They took Laura’s body into custody last night and they’re handling the bulk of the paperwork.

“Brian said he would handle the stuff from our end and he told me to take the rest of the week off and spend it with you,” he continued. “Since that was exactly what I wanted to do, I didn’t put up much of a fight.”

Ivy did the math in her head. “That means we have five whole days together.”

“It does.”

“I’m definitely not going to be able to walk,” she mused, causing Jack to chuckle as he pressed his lips to her forehead.

“Well, as much fun as
that
is, I thought we would only spend today in bed,” Jack said. “I believe you mentioned something about a hike and a picnic, and I wouldn’t mind taking a drive over to Traverse City one day. How does that sound?”

“That sounds like the best offer I’ve had in … well … ever.”

“Good,” Jack said, kissing her forehead again.

“You know we’re probably going to be forced into a meal with my parents, too, right? My dad was hopping mad about me stealing his car last night. I’m going to have to smooth that over.”

“Yes, well, I’m going to enjoy watching him yell at you,” Jack said. “Why don’t we host a barbecue here? I can grill steaks for Max and me, and you can make weird vegetarian stuff for everyone else.”

“Really? You want to barbecue together, too?”

“Honey, there’s absolutely nothing I don’t want to do with you.”

“What about riding a horse?” Ivy asked.

“Except that,” Jack conceded, rubbing small circles on her back as he moved his uncovered feet against hers on top of the mattress at the end of the bed.

“Can I ask you one thing before we start our day of bliss?”

“Yes.”

“Do you really believe that Marcus was in Laura’s body, or are you just saying it because you don’t want me to feel like an idiot?” Ivy was afraid to ask the question in case Jack decided she was crazy in the light of day.

“That was definitely Marcus,” Jack replied. “I don’t know how he did it. I don’t know how any of it happened. I don’t understand how Laura came to you. I do believe it happened, though.”

“What’s the report going to say?”

“That Laura lost her mind and tried to avenge her brother,” Jack said. “I’m sorry, honey. We’ll both get locked up if we tell the other story. I … you know that, right?”

Ivy nodded. “I hope Laura found peace.”

“I hope so, too,” Jack said, tightening his arms around Ivy and rolling so he was on his back and she was settled on his chest. “We’re going to have a fight at some point about you walking into that basement. Since I’m feeling lazy and snuggly today, I need you to pick a time later in the week.”

Ivy laughed. “You want to schedule a fight?”

“Friday is good for me,” Jack said. “How is it for you?”

“Do we get to make up the same night?”

“That’s a must.”

“Then Saturday is better for me,” Ivy said. “I want to go to Traverse City on Friday.”

“Deal,” Jack said, kissing her softly. “Now, do you want to play here or in the kitchen first?”

Ivy rested her head on Jack’s chest, listening to the soothing beat of his heart for a moment. “I want to play here first.”

“That was a really good answer, honey,” Jack said. “Now, let me explain the game to you … .”

“Oh, no,” Ivy countered. “We’re playing my game today. I’m the boss.”

“Aren’t you always?”

“Maybe we can share the title,” Ivy suggested. “I want to be the boss first, though.”

Jack pushed Ivy’s mussed hair away from her face. “Okay. Just tell me when it’s my turn.”

“You’re on.”

Author’s Note

I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.

If you’re interested in upcoming releases, follow me on
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This book is available for lending. Please do so.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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