between her thighs. She heard her breath leave her lips on a soft whimper and her hand contracted around his erection. He was long, thick, engorged. She watched his eyes hood, felt his hips shift as he pressed himself more firmly into her hand.
“Is it always like this?” she wondered. She had only her ex and one other experience to go by. Neither had been so intense, so immediate.
“You don’t know?”
His voice was hoarse, strained, and he eased their hands away from his shaft.
Ivy felt her face color, and this time it was from embarrassment. The truth was, she had very little experience to draw on. But she was willing to change that. She looked into Jake’s face and discovered a battle there as he fought for control.
“I know I’ve never felt like this before. It’s never been this…hot.”
“No, never,” he agreed. “Not for me, either.” He dropped her hand and retreated a step. “And that’s why we’re going to be good.”
He adjusted his shorts, grimacing, and pulled the hem of his t-shirt lower to mask the reason for his discomfort.
“Good?” She didn’t like the sound of that, unless he was referring to how good they were going to be together. “You mean, so good we’re going to burn up the sheets?”
“Eventually.”
“We’re back to the freight train,” she realized.
He nodded.
“Why?”
“For once, I’d like to take my time,” he said, after a moment of thought. “And I have the time to take. It’s never been that way before.”
“You’re not shipping out anytime soon?”
“That’s Navy,” he corrected. “But no, I’m not deploying. Not until next summer. I have commitments that will take me out of town for a little while, but nothing major.”
“And so you want to take your time,” she repeated.
“To see what we have here,” he confirmed.
“I thought we’d have a fling,” she blurted. “I mean, it seems to me that’s what we’re all about.”
“How can we be about sex if we haven’t had it yet?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do. The word is intense. But we could have more than that.” He ran a fingertip across her lips and her breath shuddered out.
“Why do you think so?”
“There are other things I like about you, Ivy.” He brought his arms up and placed his hands on the wall of the elevator, framing her head. He tipped his face so that his breath swept across her mouth. “You’re strong. You care about others.” He traced a finger along the scalloped edge of her runner’s top and settled it above her heart. “And you have a sense of humor keeps me on my toes.”
He kissed her, just a brief touch of his lips, a stroke of his tongue she didn’t have a chance to reciprocate before he pulled back.
“Since we’ve been so good about communicating and setting up boundaries, I wanted to make this clear. I want more from you than sex.”
“What more?” she asked.
“Let’s start with a few dates,” he suggested, “and see what we’re building toward.”
“A few platonic dates?”
“Platonic? No. That would be impossible. But I think we should agree—no closing the deal until we’ve shared a few meals and a little more about our lives.”
She thought about that, her lips twisting into a kissable purse. “What if I don’t agree?’
“It’d be easier if you did,” he pointed out. “But if you’d like to try taking advantage of me, I’m open to it.”
He stepped back as the elevator doors opened and reached for her hand. She liked the simple act. The confidence in it, but also the warmth of his touch, the slight abrasion of his rougher skin. It was a simple gesture that Ivy hadn’t enjoyed in too long. It loosened a river of emotion in her chest. It belied a closeness they were only just establishing, but that felt right. It was something she wanted. Had wanted for a long time, but refused to focus on.
Men weren’t her specialty. In fact, her record in the relationship department was a sad 0-2. But she had to catch a break some time. Statistics were on her side. Right?
He guided them through the corridors, weaving around gurneys and strollers, and small knots of people until they slipped out the front doors. Across the street, the parking garage loomed and triggered Ivy’s memory.
“You paid for my new tires,” she said and rummaged through her purse for the bill and the cash she had folded into it. “I’m paying you back for that.”
He nodded. “This time,” he said. “So there are no