“One thing at a time, okay?” Leaning over the box, Ivey kissed him. “Why don’t you wait and see how Darcie does, and then you can figure it out?”
He nodded at that plan. “Until then, I’m going to keep the box in the top of the closet. I don’t want him to accidentally run into it.”
“Agreed.” With a stretch and a yawn, Ivey slipped from the bed to pull on her shirt, panties and even her shorts. It hadn’t happened yet, but if Justin ever woke and came into the room, she wanted to make sure she was decent. “Will you show your mom?”
“Eventually.” He grinned. “For the next few days, she’s going to be inseparable from Justin. I know her and she’s going to want to spend as much time with him as possible.”
Ivey laughed. “She can be very compelling.”
“Tell me about it.” He put the box back in the very top of the closet. “Once she’s gotten her fill enough to relax, then I can get her alone to show her.”
His mother was a special woman who had raised special sons. Ivey had no doubt she’d be a phenomenal grandmother, too. “She’s something else.”
“Too much?”
“No.” Ivey snuggled back under the covers, close to Corbin. “I’d say she’s exactly right.”
* * *
“It’s been a week,” Hope complained, even though she’d tried not to. “Lang comes over for a while once I get home, but I’m not seeing him nearly as much. He said he’s running interference for you and Corbin.”
“And Justin,” Ivey agreed. “Wait until you meet their mom. She comes on strong, but it’s with love, you know? Not judgment or anything like that.”
Sinking into a chair, Hope stared at the sandwich she’d brought for lunch and knew she didn’t want it. “I don’t think I’ll ever meet her. In a lot of ways, it feels like whatever Lang and I had is over.” The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach made the thought of food impossible.
“Definitely not true,” Ivey said, biting into a leftover piece of chicken. “I think he’s protecting you.”
Because she was damaged goods. Hope sighed. “He doesn’t need to do that.”
“I don’t know. Vesta is a lot to take in. For one thing, you can’t be hands-off with her. She’s going to crush you in one of her massive hugs, believe me. The woman is like a lumberjack and doesn’t know her own strength. And you should be prepared for personal comments galore. She pries without remorse and has zero filter. Remember, within a few minutes of meeting her, she wanted to know if I was in love with Corbin and if I’d marry him.”
That earned a small smile. “She sounds perceptive. You do love Corbin. She just saw through your no-pressure efforts.” For that reason alone, Hope liked the woman. Not many people could put Ivey on the spot, because usually it was Ivey doing that to others.
Hope wanted to meet Vesta—even her name was incredible. But how did she bring that up with Lang? If, as she suspected, he wanted some distance between her and his family, she had no right to press the issue.
Ivey patted her mouth with a napkin. “The thing is, I’m not shy. I was telling Corbin exactly how much I wanted to share, then Vesta came in and boom! She threw it all out there. I have to say, though, it feels good to admit out loud how I feel. To Corbin, I mean.”
“What does he do when you tell him?”
“Usually we have phenomenal sex.” Ivey gave a satisfied smile. “Now I tell him every opportunity I get.”
Hope laughed, but deep inside...she wanted to try that phenomenal sex for herself. Setting her sandwich aside, she glanced at the door to ensure it remained closed, then leaned toward Ivey. “Suppose I want to advance things—” she flagged a hand “—physically, I mean. How would I go about it?”
Freezing with her can of cola almost to her mouth, Ivey blinked at her. She quickly set the can aside. “You want to have sex with Lang?”
Hope felt her cheeks getting hot, but this was Ivey. Her best friend ever. All the family she had now. Someone she trusted without exception. “Pretty sure I do.”
A huge grin broke over Ivey’s face. “Is that because he’s been enticing you for a while now?”
“For sure.” Lang did a remarkable job of teasing her. A kiss here, a kiss there, the slight grazing of his fingertips over a spot that shouldn’t have been sensitive, but with him, most definitely was. Like the side of her neck, her wrist.
Over her lips.
He did take pleasure in touching her, yet he never crossed the invisible boundaries she’d drawn. That had to mean something, right? Maybe she’d been overanalyzing things, worrying for no reason.
“Wonderful!” Ivey exclaimed. “That makes me like him even more.” She, too, sat forward. “So you think you’re ready for the next step?”
“I think so. I hope so.” In the back of Hope’s mind, the fear remained that she might react badly. “What do I do?”
Ivey gave it a quick thought. “You know I’m not big on faking things, right? I’m all about tossing it out there and seeing how it lands.”
“Right.” Hope snorted. “You weren’t that way with Geoff.”
“No, because Geoff wasn’t the right one. I couldn’t be myself with him. Corbin is different, and I’m positive Lang is, too.”
“Agreed. I’m just not sure how to proceed.”
“Next time he’s kissing you, if he starts to pull away, don’t let him.”
“I hardly think I’m strong enough to manhandle him.”
Laughing, Ivey said, “Definitely not. The brothers are both fine specimens, right? But what I meant is that when he starts to end things, keep them going. I promise, he’ll catch on real quick, and I’d be willing to bet he’ll let you set the pace. If you start to get tense, ease up. If, though, you like what’s happening, let him know.”
Wide-eyed with fascination, Hope whispered, “You mean by moaning or something?”
“Ha! That’s not generally something you can control anyway, not if the guy knows what he’s doing. So feel free to tell him, if not with words, then with enthusiasm. Or just tell him not to stop. As long as you’re enjoying things, keep telling him that.”
Hope considered the advice, which to her sounded pretty daring, but then, she knew she was totally out of her depth when it came to sexual matters. “What if...” Her voice sounded scratchy with misgivings. She cleared her throat and tried again. “What if things get too far along and then I want to stop, and he can’t?”