Brazen Ivy, page 18
Sophie’s explanation also clarified why Elliott saved my pussy for himself tonight, despite enjoying how other men sought me. Sex with anyone other than Elliott would have violated what I’d built with my guys at the cabin.
“Thank you, Sophie. You’ve cleared up a lot of things for me.”
She squeezed my wrist. “I’m glad. I hope you come back, Sophie. It’s been nice not to be the new gal here. And as much as I’ve loved chatting, we should return to the guys. I promised we’d meet them in twenty minutes and that deadline was about thirty minutes ago. There’s cute stuff in the changing room.”
We swung our legs over our loungers and padded barefoot on the damp tile. Several folded skirts and shorts awaited us in cubbies along with dozens of tops and an assortment of silky panties. “It’s our own little lingerie shop in here.”
“I told you, Tate knows how to entertain.”
I selected a cute floral romper and a thong, the string between my cheeks reminding me how I’d shattered. We left the cabana a few minutes later, laughing as we carried our shoes. Several women shot smiles in our direction as they made their way to the cabana we’d just exited. Couples and a few groups sat scattered on the grass, but most relaxed in chairs chatting or filling plates from the buffet. The young woman staffing the party still appeared a little shocked.
You and me both, lady.
“Believe it or not, they conduct plenty of business here. Tate acted as the venture capitalist for Liam’s first enterprise, and now Liam might do the same for Elliott. Those two women we passed, they own one of the largest hotel chains in the south,” Sophie said as we approached a table where our men discussed Elliott’s software project.
“Glad you finally made it,” Liam tugged Sophie against his side.
She lifted a brow. “Oh, are we late?”
“Late for when you’d told us you’d be here, but not for when I’d expected you to arrive,” he teased. The genuine affection between them left me yearning for the same. Is that why Elliott brought me here? Because he wanted something similar to what Liam and Sophie shared with me? Was this his way of showing me that?
“I think it’s time I got Ivy home,” Elliott said, reaching for my hand. “She has a particularly harsh math tutor this summer.”
“But he’s opening my eyes to all kind of...equations,” I replied. Yeah, before I’d met him, my sex had only been one plus one. Now it could be infinity.
“It was lovely to meet you, Ivy. It’s good to see our boy with someone,” Liam said, without a hint of awkwardness that he’d sucked my clit into his mouth not so long ago.
Sophie leaned over and kissed my cheek. With a wave, we left, but as we rounded the corner, I glanced over my shoulder one last time. Would I return or was this a onetime visit?
Chapter 13
Unlike our trip out to the party, we barely spoke on the return drive. I suspected this was Elliott’s plan of allowing me the time and space I’d need to work out any confusion. Sophie must have suggested I needed to do this on my own without his interference. This approach must be a nightmare for him. Giving me space ran counter to his directing nature. That he gave it to me anyway just made me love him all the more.
I hugged my hands around my waist and stifled my shocked gasp.
Love. Did I love Elliott? The word erupted in my brain like a microburst tornado. Elliott charmed me from the beginning. His brilliant mind. His encouragement as I learned to trust my abilities in school. His rocking body. How he pushed me past my limits. Introduced me to what Sophie called the frenzy. And it was. A frenzy of thoughts. Sensations. Emotions. Loving him meant joining with his friends in the society. Their ways would be my ways, and Elliott wouldn’t be content allowing strangers to only touch me. They’d fuck me, too. He desired what Liam and Sophie shared. Her ultimate faith in his absolute command.
The yellow porch light welcomed us back to the cabin. Inside lay quiet and still. An early riser, Julio must have already turned in for the night. Graham and Archer planned their return from Kansas for the wee hours of the morning. At my door, Elliott dropped a tender kiss to my lips.
I caught his wrist as he attempted to walk away. Indecision flickered across his features. I twisted the knob inviting him inside my bedroom to sleep with me. A momentous step. Other than my overnight trip with Graham, I’d never spent the night with one of the guys in the cabin. Never invited a roommate to join me. I shifted my weight from foot to foot with nervous energy.
His gaze dropped to my lips and he tensed. Fighting me, but why? Then his face hardened. After a regretful squeeze to my hand, he let mine drop. His footsteps sounded hollow on the hardwood floor of the hallway as he advanced to his room. The door snickered shut behind him.
With a sigh, I closed my own door and trudged to my bed. I dropped to the mattress, wrapping myself in the comforter like a cocoon, not bothering to take off my clothes. I argued with him and myself throughout my restless sleep. Around six I flung back the bedcoverings and grabbed my phone. If Elliot gave me this time to examine my feelings, then I’d tackle that the only way I knew how–researching the crap out of it on the internet. I spent the next hour scrolling and familiarizing myself with this new territory, reading up on sex contracts, preparing a fuck space and what Sophie referred to as the frenzy.
I appreciated Elliott believing I needed time to think on my own, but it might have been nice to be cuddled. Graham cradled me in his arms for hours after we’d freed me of my anal virginity.
One thing I understood: Elliott wanted me in his world. A world of sexual sharing and direction, and if he’d asked me last evening, I would have plastered myself against his body and said yes. This morning the doubts and what-ifs hammered me until I fled my room and slipped into the kitchen. I spotted Graham’s car parked along the gravel drive in front of the cabin, so I knew they’d returned home safely from their campus visit. They’d probably sleep in, but I’d already prepared bacon, kneaded together dough for drop biscuits and squeezed the orange juice to work off my anxious energy.
“Mmm, smells good,” murmured a sleepy Graham. “I missed you yesterday.”
A tremor of sexual excitement ignited inside me as he towed my back toward his chest, his morning erection against my ass. I’d wondered if I’d be up for lovemaking after last night’s experience but the spike in my senses told me yes.
“Will this keep?” he asked, cupping my breasts from behind. I leaned against the reassuring strength of his body. “Let’s work up an appetite.”
A noise startled me, and I jerked. Elliott’s broad shoulders filled the doorway. My stomach sunk and I yanked out of Graham’s arms. Why am I acting guilty? I’d done nothing wrong. Elliott set the rules and limits for this summer. All of us fucking. He also left me last night.
The muscles of Elliott’s neck worked, and his knuckles whitened as he gripped the molding around the door frame. Hurt and frustration flickered in his eyes before he masked it. Without a word, he pivoted on his heel and stalked down the hallway. Moments later, he slammed his way out of the front door.
“What’s his problem?” Graham asked as he stepped away from me and snagged a piece of bacon off a plate covered by a paper towel.
“I dunno,” I answered with a shrug, but I suspected Elliott giving me space cost him more than I’d realized. Last night I’d connected with him in the lifestyle he chose, and this morning, I’d returned to the one I preferred.
Wait, had I chosen a path already? I’d not even given the society a day’s consideration. I owed it to him, and myself to give each style of living a chance. I reached for a plate and passed it over to Graham. “You eat. I will see what’s wrong–”
The sound of Elliott’s car firing up cut off the rest of my sentence.
“Too late.”
Elliott didn’t come home that night. Or the next. By the third day I broke down and texted him.
Me: Where are you?
Him: I drove back to Lawrence. I’m at the apartment.
Me: Why?
Him: It’s quiet here, and I needed to work.
Me: You’ve been able to work here.
The ... popped up on my screen letting me know he was typing. Then it disappeared. I held my breath and only let it out when I saw the indication he was typing again.
Him: Sophie said you needed time to decide what you want. She suggested that maybe it would be easier for you if I weren’t hanging around.
Me: Oh
Well, that wasn’t a hundred percent unexpected.
Him: I’ll give you all the space you need, but I’m dying here, Ivy.
Me: Same
Him: Say the word & I’m there
Me: I know
Him: Make sure you know. If you choose me, I’ll never want to let you go
A tiny sob escaped as I read his response. I turned the screen off and tossed the phone into my purse. Maybe Sophie was right, and I needed distance from him.
Elliott loved me. But he’d also confirmed that if I accepted him, there’d be no Graham, or Archer or Julio in my life. There’d only be Elliott and the men he selected for me. Two paths. Two potentials. Both beckoned.
Julio’s friend finally came through and loaned Julio the boat he’d been hankering for all summer. Three days after my text with Elliott we prepared for a day out on the lake. I made sandwiches and packed drinks and sunscreen as the guys readied the boat by filling the fridge with ice and beer. And a tiny tub of my favorite ice cream. That thoughtful gesture must have been Archer’s work.
We parked at the marina and trekked across the blacktop to where they’d moored the vessel. I stopped mid-stride as the double-decker pontoon beauty came into view. Complete with a slide and diving board and topped with a pretty green and white striped awning.
“I see why you wanted this,” I said as we balanced on the swaying dock. Julio helped me cross the gap to board our borrowed pleasure ship. I wasted no time finding the galley and leaving the picnic basket and supplies in there, ready to explore. In addition to the galley, I discovered a small bedroom with a full-sized bed and a bathroom to the side. I suspected that bed would suffer a workout later, and I smiled to myself.
The guys wore only their swim trunks when I found them on the second story. Julio climbed to the captain’s chair and steered the boat out of marina so our adventure could begin.
“You want to go skinny-dipping?” Archer asked me.
I only laughed. “Not with the sun up.”
The three of us sat on the cushions with the wind on our faces and blowing through our hair drinking beer and talking. Less than a week remained before we’d all winterize the cabin and pack up the car to head back to Lawrence. Elliott hadn’t returned, and if the guys were curious, none of them mentioned anything to me.
I reached for another beer, determined to push thoughts of Elliott away. There was a reason I had this time with my other roommates, and I planned to explore to the fullest. Starting right now. I stood and lifted the sundress up and over my head, revealing the bright pink sting bikini comprising little more than three triangles of fabric.
Julio whistled and slowed the craft. “I’m dropping anchor here.”
The next hour we spent swimming and diving off the boat. The water rippled little today, perfect for cavorting. With it being a weekday, few vessels coasted along the waves of the lake. I could lose my top without strangers spying my nudity.
I’d jumped off the board several times, but hadn’t used the slide. Archer stood behind me waiting his turn, and knowing Archer, staring at my ass. “Hey, could you hold something for me?” I asked.
“Sure.”
I tugged the string tying my top in place. I handed him the bright scrap of fabric. “Keep that safe for me.” Then I launched myself down the slide, laughing until I plunged into the water.
Afterwards I treaded water beside the boat. Archer landed in the water with a splash. When he surfaced he scanned the water until he found me and swam over. His fingers sought my bare breasts under the surface. “I can also help by holding these,” he said, cupping me and tweaking my nipples with his thumbs.
“That’s very kind of you.”
“Always here to help a lady.” The humor faded from his face. “Always here for you, Ivy.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it.” His brown eyes had grown serious, his tone solemn. “This has been the best summer of my life. I can’t imagine starting school in August and you not being there.”
“I go to the same school as you do, Arch. I’ll be right in Lawrence,” I reminded him.
Sadness tinged his face. “Not like we are here.”
I sighed because I had no answers. Still.
“We’ve been talking, we could move in together. Same arrangement in the new place. You handle the food and stuff, we’ll cover the rent.”
“Elliott’s good with this?” I asked, my heart beginning to race. Had he touched base with the guys? Were the four of them working something out so I didn’t have to make a decision?
But Archer shook his head. “None of us have spoken to him since his disappearing act. We want you to live with us. We can try to find a place with five bedrooms. But there’s also an empty four bedroom in our complex, Julio already checked.” A new home for us–without Elliott. He left that detail unspoken.
Despite the chill of the water, it warmed me to know the guys had discussed this amongst themselves. Explored a few possibilities even. Their invitation wasn’t a what-if pipedream for them. My roommates were ready to make this happen.
Graham whistled at us. “Hey, you guys hungry?”
All the swimming and play in the water made me famished. “Be right up,” I called.
“You got lousy timing, buddy.” After Graham left, Archer cupped my chin, and lowered his mouth to mine in a sweet kiss. Sweet yes, but it also sparked a fire inside me. “Think about it.”
“I will,” I assured him with a nod. We swam to the ladder.
Graham held a large fluffy beach towel out for me as I stepped over the side. “I didn’t know titty was on the menu.”
I winked as he draped the towel over my shoulders. “It’s always on the menu.”
“In that case.” Graham lowered his head and sucked my nipple into his mouth.
“Not to be a cock block, but y’all are obstructing the ladder,” Archer said, and I giggled.
We moved out of his way and I aimed toward the galley. Hunger clawed at me, and as I planned to enjoy the hell out of my guys this afternoon, we all needed our strength. I left the towel on the counter and grabbed the picnic basket. I discovered a pop-up table stashed under a bench, swung out the legs and decorated it with a red and white-checkered cloth. Graham and Archer talked in low tones together, their gazes cutting to me. When I retreated to grab the drinks I’d stowed in the mini-fridge, Graham followed me.
The galley was tiny, and my breasts grazed Graham’s chest as I slid past him toward the fridge. “Archer said he’d asked you to move in with us.” Raw emotion lay behind his statement. Unspoken words of longing and hope. But Graham’s voice held an edge, and as I gazed up into his eyes, I couldn’t miss his open need that he didn’t bother to disguise.
“He mentioned it to me.” I swallowed past the lump and blinked back the sentimental tears. I don’t know what it was, but my emotions responded to the rare display of his. I reached out and brushed aside a lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead.
His eyelids flickered at my touch. My effect on him humbled me. “I can’t stand the idea of losing you.”
“Why do you think you’ll lose me?” I asked.
He gripped my hands in his. “You haven’t been the same after the night you took off with Elliott.”
I thought I’d hidden the turmoil I’d experienced since that night at Tate’s house. Damn, even the memory of the frenzy was enough to make me ache. But what of the rest of my cabinmates?
“I’m here now,” I said, and smiled up at him.
My reassurance seemed to relax him, and he helped me take the drinks to the table.
We spent the next hour or so drinking and chatting and eating. I felt so relaxed, so myself with them. So much more than when I was with–
Don’t think that.
But why not? Why deny myself Elliott, delve through all this emotion, if I wouldn’t examine my options from every angle?
The guys cleaned up the table and opted to catch and release fish off the side of the boat while I read. But after all that swimming and heavy thinking, my eyes grew tired. After the second time I nodded off, I gave up and put the bookmark between the pages. I stretched out on a cushion to nap and soak up a little sun.
Julio’s gentle touch awoke me sometime later. “Querida, I don’t want you to burn out here.”
His fingers tender, he tugged until I rose. “It felt so good sunning myself.”
A rugged smile played around his mouth. “Let me make you feel better.” He led me to a cushioned chaise underneath the wide green and white striped awning. “Lay face down.”
Still in a sleep fog, I’d offer no argument. I stretched out on the cushion under the shade. The delightful breeze could lull me back to sleep in no time. I heard the cap of my sunscreen pop, and then the sounds of Julio warming the cream between his hands.
He touched me with tentative fingers.
“Mmm, that’s wonderful.”
He sighed in relief. “I was afraid you’d burned, and it wasn’t showing yet. Still, I think you need this.” He smoothed the lotion into my back, moisturizing my skin and soothing my muscles. Bliss. After a few moments, he poured himself another handful, and worked up my arms, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open even if someone offered me straight As next semester.
The lid of the bottle snapped and additional lotion-covered hands settled on my thighs while Julio rubbed into my arms. I recognized Archer’s touch. How quickly I’d grown to differentiate each man’s different strokes with my eyes shut.
