Earlier, after having survived another one of Callie's explosions, Ivy had been stressed and fearful of what her future might bring. This turn of events was most definitely a surprise. A wicked, wonderful surprise.
“Two years,” Uriah groaned, rubbing one whiskery cheek, then the other over her throat, deliciously chaffing her soft skin. “Since the first moment I saw you, I've wanted you here. Right here.”
There was no mistaking the raw sincerity in his voice. Ivy tried to think of all the times she'd secretly checked him out whenever he came into the shop, and how she'd always assumed Uriah was gruff and grumbly, sometimes downright short with her, because he was a shifter and she a witch.
Never in her wildest dreams of all the naughty things she'd imagined doing with him, had Ivy entertained the thought Uriah might be fantasizing about her too. How he'd treated her yesterday, stepping in to help her without being a brute about it, bringing her lunch because she was hungry, showing up on her doorstep this morning wanting to make her breakfast, how he so quickly stripped down to shift in response to her uneasiness in the woods, his glorious, naked, muscle strapped body on display...
Another growly bear sound rolled out of Uriah, derailing her train of thought entirely. Her heart melted with the soft, sweet kisses he brushed across her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, resting there for a moment before pressing his brow to hers. The whole time, his hands buried deep in the thickness of her hair.
“There are some things I need to tell you.” The gravity and the ache of longing in his voice made her heart skip a beat or two, confusion ruining the glow of excitement and pleasure.
“I'm listening,” she told him, bracing herself for some horrific truths. What did she really know about him? She knew he was in his thirties, she could pick out his truck in a line-up, and knew he didn't like coffee.
They had general conversations during business hours, but Ivy had no idea if he was one of those guys with twelve girlfriends.
Despite having seen him around town with a few other shifters at different public places in town, she didn't know who his friends were, what he liked to do for fun, or even what his favorite color was.
Her magical abilities were yes, next to nil, but they weren't so dull that she hadn't been able to recognize him as a non-human. It had taken her a few meetings and several discussions with Callie to determine what sort of animal he was, and that was it.
After two years of lusting after his sexy self, that was the sum of what she knew about Uriah Tremark.
He gave her a sweet little nuzzle before pulling back just far enough to look her in the eye. “When I saw you for the first time, you'd just come out of the grocery store. You had on a long green skirt with little sunflowers on it, a gray tank top that showed off your belly, and a silver chain wrapped just above your hips. Your hair was down, the sunglasses you had on were bright yellow, and you had bracelets around your ankles that made noise every time you took a step.”
Warmth permeated his expression as he recalled the memory, and Ivy sat there in awe, listening to him speak with unmistakable reverence.
“You were on the phone, reporting the adequate lack of herbs and produce, but apparently the cheese selection was off the hook, and you were planning on making mushroom risotto and a summer salad for dinner. The sound of your voice...” He shuddered in her embrace, his big hands kneading at her hips. “My bear made so much noise in my head, I honestly thought I was going to lose control and change right there in the middle of the street.
“I followed you like an asshole for two blocks just to breathe in the smell of you. I nearly got hit by a car after I jumped into the street, pretending like I wasn't following you when you turned around to check behind you.
“I didn't allow myself to ever follow you home. Otherwise, I knew I'd have parked myself as close to your place as possible just to watch you like some love-drunk pervert. Which, in hindsight, would have saved us some time, because I would have realized you lived with the coven. I’m so sorry.”
His expression was so full of regret, she had to laugh. “Are you apologizing for not stalking me like a love-drunk pervert?”
Uriah grinned at her, his hands giving her backside a healthy squeeze. “Sort of. Whenever I saw you in town, you were always alone, and when I figured out where you worked, the Mom and Pop Garden Shop got the bulk of all my landscaping business.
“Which turned out well because my clients had never been happier with the plants and shit you recommended. I'd have been in there every day, just to see you if I let my bear have free reign, and I felt like one of those sad-sack emo teenagers trying to reason with my bear that you were human, and that meant we couldn't have you.
“It was the most hellish torment imaginable, but I couldn't stay away. Then, I happened to overhear you talking about vision boards with one of your customers, and I went full-on stalker, following you on Pinterest just so I could see the stuff you saved. I even let myself message you and—”
By now, Ivy was gaping at Uriah in shock, not sure if she was angry or flattered.
“SNBear872. That was you?” Uriah's cheeks mottled with heat, and he winced as though in pain, but he nodded.
Ivy knew more about Uriah than she thought.
Those conversations via the messaging app on Pinterest, she'd spent hours going back and forth with her online pen-pal, discussing pins she'd saved, why she'd saved them, her interests regarding building a home that was entirely self-sustaining, and her faceless friend told her all about actually creating all the things she'd only ever dreamed about.
He even advised her on how to set up her self-watering systems for her garden, breaking down all the plumbing supplies she would need, and how she could utilize the snowmelt and rainwater to feed her garden, so she really never had to water the plants.
Ivy had gone so far as to discuss trying to figure out a way to recycle the gray water generated from the house, but with the manor's ancient plumbing, SNBear872 warned her the pipes might have crud built up inside, which would contaminate her more delicate plants. Ivy loved their conversations, but never in her wildest dreams would she have ever thought SNBear872 was Uriah.
“I needed some way to connect with you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to stay away,” he confessed softly.
Still not sure how she felt about all this, Ivy frowned at him. “Is there more?”
Uriah took a moment to consider his words, curling a lock of her hair around his thick fingers, brushing an errant strand from her forehead with the gentlest of touches. “Yes.”
She laced her fingers behind his neck, holding on as much for herself as to keep him from pulling away. She felt... weird. Not so uncomfortable as to want to be far away from him, but definitely unsettled. Ivy found it rather odd that instead of wanting space, it helped steady her to have him close.
“Tell me.”
His chest expanded with the depth of his breath, and along the insides of her wrists, Ivy could feel the pounding of his pulse increase. “I can finish breakfast and talk—”
“Nope. I've got you right where I want you, mister. Spill it,” she ordered.
A grin immediately split his handsome face, and the kiss he touched to the corner of her mouth was tender and sweet, but all too soon, he was back to frowning.