Nash’s mouth turned up slightly at the corners but he didn’t respond.
As she looked out the window at the passing traffic, she couldn’t focus on anything. The lights were nothing but a blur of white. For all she knew, Luka’s older brothers had been behind the break-in but…
She felt as if there was something she was missing. Except she had no idea how to figure out what it was. Her brain was overtaxed, and thoughts of a soft bed—Nash’s bed in particular—were consuming her mind.
Besides, she still had a few days to grab the painting before the auction. She rubbed her hands over her face before letting her head fall back against the seat. She needed a hot shower and sleep.
Well, she also needed some Nash in her bed. And she couldn’t remember one single reason why she’d once thought that would be a bad thing. Which probably meant she really needed sleep.
Chapter 16
Ivy was grateful to be back at Nash’s place, breathing a sigh of relief the moment they stepped inside. His home signified safety for her now—he signified it.
He set all of her bags on the kitchen island and let out a sigh himself. “I’ve got to say, life with you is not boring.”
She snickered slightly. “Honestly, I wish it was a little more boring right now. This job is turning out to be a lot more complex than I thought. At least I’ll earn my fee for this one.” And she refused to believe she wouldn’t finish this job. She was going to save the shelter. It had meant so much to her aunt, was a place she’d spent a big chunk of her childhood. Her aunt had never given her grief about being a rule breaker, had always told her to follow her heart. Right now she wished she could talk to her aunt, ask for advice.
His expression darkened slightly.
“What?”
He simply shook his head and went to the fridge, grabbed some water.
“Seriously, what is it?”
“I just don’t like any of this, that’s all. But you already know how I feel.”
She knew how he felt about her job, yes. But as far as how he felt about her? She thought she might know, but…was too afraid to ask. “I’m going to have a glass of wine.” She set the tablet on the countertop, the quiet audio still going in the background. The amorous couple had already had sex—again—and were now just talking about places they wanted to visit and how they wanted to spend their money.
It was weird to listen to these people’s conversations, sort of like TV playing in the background. At this point she knew that they were still planning to auction the painting because she’d heard the two older brothers complaining about Luka and his girlfriend. And it sounded as if the older brothers were planning to ditch the girlfriend eventually. They didn’t think she was a good influence on Luka. Coming from some lifelong thieves and probably murderers? That was rich.
“You want a glass?”
“I’m good, but thanks.” He glanced at his phone, then sent a text before tucking it away again.
“Is everything okay with work?” Yeah, he’d taken time off, but she still wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurting his career to help her out.
“Oh yeah. My next job doesn’t start for a while. This isn’t exactly a relaxing vacation, but I like spending time with you.”
Her body warmed up at his words. “I like spending time with you too.” Way too much. She took a sip of the wine, mainly to have something to do with her hands. It felt like they were veering into new territory. There was a gleam in his eyes right now that she was pretty sure she could pinpoint this time.
Hunger.
Oh. Ooohhhhh. This answered the question she’d pretty much guessed the answer to, but there was no doubt now. He wanted her. No acting now. This was pure, raw need in his gaze.
Her core tightened as heat spilled through her.
He set his water down and stalked around the island, moving toward her like the lethal, sexy predator he was. Well not predator per se…but she certainly wouldn’t mind being caught by him. Would he be rough and hard? Or gentle? Maybe a bit of both. Oh God.
And at that thought even more heat bloomed inside her, spreading out to all her nerve endings. She was like a live wire around him, turned on, her nerves pulsing with anticipation. She wanted him like she wanted her next breath. There was no conscious thought, she simply did want him. All of him. Nothing else mattered now as he moved into her personal space, watching her with unconcealed lust.
She set down her glass with a soft clink as he silently approached. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
Nash caged her in with his hands, placing them on either side of her body. The dominating move was such a turn-on as he crowded around her.
She had some height, but compared to him she still had to look up. “Nash?” she whispered.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured, his gaze falling to her mouth. “And smart, and funny, and you drive me absolutely crazy.” It didn’t sound like a bad thing when he said it, however. It sounded a whole lot like he loved that about her.
She tentatively placed her hands on his chest, and realized his heart was beating wildly. She was about to jump into the deep end. If they crossed over this line, she knew there would be no coming back from it. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to. She’d had all these reasons why getting involved with him wouldn’t work, but standing here now, with him staring at her with those intense green eyes, she couldn’t think of a single one.
“Earlier I wanted to tell you—” His phone buzzed in his pocket and he closed his eyes, letting out an annoyed growl that sounded a whole lot like “I’m gonna murder someone.” Thankfully he ignored his phone, kept all his attention on her.
She clutched onto the front of his shirt and maybe that was what he’d been waiting for. All she knew was that he swore again and then crushed his mouth to hers. It all happened so fast, their mouths colliding in a blur of motion.
It was nothing like that soft, sweet—but still toe-curling—kiss outside her mom’s house.
No, this was a hard, desperate claiming as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.
She moaned as she wrapped around him, latching onto him like he was a freaking tree, her arms and legs going around him with no real thought. She’d fantasized about kissing him way too many times, but this, the reality, was way different.
Better.
Her nipples beaded tightly against her bra as he cupped the back of her head in a dominating grip that said he wasn’t letting her go anywhere.
She arched into him, clutching his back as he teased his tongue against hers.
Even as he kissed her, even as he rolled his hard erection against her, she couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. They needed to be naked. Screw baby steps, screw everything but this right here and now. If she thought too much about what they were doing, she’d ruin it. She’d get caught up in her head and she didn’t want that. She wanted to do exactly as her aunt had always said and follow her heart. It was leading her straight to Nash.
Suddenly he pulled back, his breathing harsh and uneven as he kept her pinned against the countertop, standing between her spread thighs.
“Ivy.” He whispered her name like a prayer, but his eyes were intense. “You need to stop this job. Just walk away. It’s not worth it.”