small of her back, bringing her into closer contact.
Oh, how she’d love to lose herself in him, Ivey thought. To have an entire day and night to touch and taste him in all the ways she wanted.
In the other room, they heard Justin laugh, and it effectively pulled them apart.
Corbin stayed close, his gaze searching. “What’s wrong, Ivey?”
She let her head drop to his chest. “It was an awful day.”
“I’m sorry.” He pressed another kiss to her temple, nuzzling gently. “You smell good.”
That made her smile. “It’s my new shampoo.”
“No, it’s you.” He stepped back and handed her the icy drink, then put his arm around her and steered her toward the kitchen. “Dinner is almost done. I had a late start myself with a meeting that went over. Lang headed off with Hope just a few minutes ago.”
That reminded her and she asked, “Did you see her in her bathing suit?”
He shook his head and pulled out a chair for her. “No. Lang went to her place and from there, out on the boat.”
Dropping into the seat, Ivey whispered, “Oh, Corbin, she looked so good. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that she’s coming out of her shell. It does my heart good.”
Wearing a crooked smile, he stroked two fingers along her cheek. “I’m glad you’re here, Ivey.”
She didn’t understand his mood. “I’m glad to be here.” Blinking up at him, she asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He kissed her once more, then turned away to the stove. “Breaded pork chops with cheese noodles and salad, coming up in ten.”
“Justin’s request?”
“He’s a bottomless pit.” He deftly turned the chops. “You look exhausted. Tell me about your day.”
So nice that he always asked, and that he seemed to pick up on her moods. Sipping her drink, she detailed the surgeries, the failure of the air-conditioning and then, finally, Geoff’s surprise visit.
Up to that point, Corbin had given appropriate replies and shown real interest, but now he slowly turned, a fork in hand and a piercing expression in his eyes. “Geoff? Your ex?”
“Yes. He’s called and texted a few times, but I rarely acknowledge him.” She wrinkled her nose. “He knows my schedule, though, so he was in the parking lot waiting when I came out.”
For a second or two, Corbin’s jaw worked before he made a visible effort to shutter his frustration. “What did you do?”
“Oh, that was well done. You went from looking pissed to merely curious.” When his eyes narrowed, she laughed and joined him at the stove, taking the fork from him and poking at the chops. “I made it clear that we were over. You don’t ever have to worry about that. Even if things ended between us tomorrow, I wouldn’t go back to Geoff.”
“Things aren’t ending between us.”
“God, I hope not! I was just saying, Geoff is no longer an option, regardless. But...”
He reclaimed the fork, then put it on the stove. “But what?”
It really was funny to see a guy like Corbin acting territorial. Funny and oh-so-flattering. Ivey turned down the burner, then wrapped her arms around him. “How long before Justin joins us?”
Reluctantly, he returned her embrace. “Justin?” he called out.
From the other room, they heard, “Yeah, Dad?”
“Get your hands washed, okay? Dinner is almost ready.”
“Kay.”
Corbin squeezed her closer. “Minutes, so tell me quick what’s going on.”
“Nothing between Geoff and me, I promise.” She looked up at him, and decided why not? “I’m falling hard for you, so you see, you have nothing to worry about. I’m the one who should be worried—”
His kiss stole the rest of her statement, but this time it was firm and fast. “No, Ivey. You have nothing to worry about, not where I’m concerned.”
Okay...awesome. Glad that she’d brought it up, Ivey grinned at him. “Go, me!”
A reluctant smile led to a short laugh. “Sometimes you’re nuts, you know that, right?” He turned her away with a swat on her butt. “But you’re also really good for my ego.”
“Ditto.” Leaning against the counter, Ivey asked, “What can I do to help with dinner?”
“You can quit stalling and tell me what happened with your ex.”
True, he already had the table set and he clearly had the meal in hand. “I suppose I should.”
“Ivey.”
“Geoff is actually misunderstood.” There, having said it out loud, she could finally address it. “I feel badly now for thinking he was such a jerk.” The incredulous look Corbin shot her made her sigh in frustration. “Well, I do. You should have seen him today.”
“No,