“I like it.”
The kiss that followed told him many things. That they’d be incendiary together. That they were inevitable. And that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Against her lips, he murmured, “Lang wants to spend Sunday with Justin, which would be the perfect time for us to get together.”
“For sex?”
Putting his forehead to hers, he silently laughed, then hugged her close. “Count me on board for that. One hundred percent, okay? But I wouldn’t mind taking you out somewhere, too. Dinner or a movie or something.”
She kissed his chin, his mouth, then smiled up at him. “I’ll cook at my house. If you want to watch a movie, we can stream something.” Her open palm moved over his chest, up to his shoulder. “But I really, really want to be with you. I think I’m obsessed lately, because it’s all I can think about.”
Damn, it was a heady thing to be wanted so much. “Me, too, actually.”
Maurice gave an impatient meow. Now wasn’t the time to get carried away, not when they’d soon have private time together.
It was getting late, Ivey looked wrung out and she had to work tomorrow, but there was one more thing he needed to discuss with her.
“About Geoff.”
Lost, she shook her head. “What about him?”
“I know you said you’re not getting back with him—”
“Definitely not.”
“But it feels like we have an understanding now, right?”
Her chin angled up. “An understanding?”
Okay, so maybe he jumped the gun on that. Doing a quick mental rewind, he restated, “I want us to have an understanding.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
She didn’t sound too keen on it. She might have even sounded a little testy. Screw it. “I think I know what Geoff is up to, even if you may not see it. I don’t like the idea of him using friendship as a way to edge back in.”
Taking a step back, Ivey folded her arms. “Is it Geoff you don’t trust, or me?”
Sensing a trap, he snorted. “Of course I trust you. But Geoff? No. Not even a little.” He drew her closer again. “I could tell you were feeling sorry for him.”
“So?” She dropped her arms and leaned into him. “Don’t tell me you’d rather I feel sorry for you.”
“What? No.” The last thing he wanted was anyone’s pity. “There’s no reason.”
“None at all,” she agreed. “You strike me as a guy who pushes through problems.”
Yeah, not much choice lately. “I do my best. I appreciate having Lang here, and I especially appreciate you.” Little by little, her disgruntled expression eased. “You’ve made everything easier, Ivey. In so many ways.”
“I’m glad. I was worried that I might complicate things.”
“Never.” He tipped up her chin. “So, that understanding? You and me, and no one else.” Especially not Geoff.
“No problem.” She flagged a hand toward him. “Compared to you, Geoff is still boring.”
Why that offended him, he couldn’t say, except that it had been a long day filled with emotional upheaval. “So I’m just the better of two choices?”
“Well...yes.”
He heard a distinct duh in the way she said that. “And if you hadn’t met me?”
She leaned in, an impish curve to her mouth, her eyes glittering. “Then I’d have been out seeking a few fleeting moments of excitement.” She patted his chest. “But this is better. No risk, and it’s all the excitement I can handle.”
No risk? Damn it, he didn’t like the sound of that, either. “Explain that.”
Her shoulders lifted. “Every minute with you is electrifying. It absolutely makes my heart race.”
Frustration gathered. “No, I mean that bit about no risk.”
“Oh.” She edged closer, smiling up at him. “I trust you. I trusted you almost from the moment we met. Somehow I just knew you were a good man. I think it was how you dealt with Justin. How you are with Daisy. And how you looked at me, like you really saw me.”
“Of course I see you.” He cupped a hand to the back of her head, keeping her mouth close. “Most men are aware of beautiful women.” The way she scoffed at that bothered him. “You don’t think you’re beautiful?”
Her mouth twisted to the side. “Let’s be real, okay?”
“Yeah, let’s do.”
“I know what I look like. I have mirrors, and I have a hairbrush.”
That wild, unique, adorable hair... Corbin threaded his fingers into the coiling mass. “Your hair is incredibly sexy.”
For that observation he got a rude laugh. “My hair is chaotic. When it rains? Oh my God, it’s impossible. Even when I tie it up, pieces