Chapter Seven
For the next day and a half, Ivy stayed put at the bed and breakfast. She entertained Bella in the room, and took her outside before lunch to get some fresh air. When she’d done that yesterday, she’d seen Cullen’s truck heading toward the building, so she’d grabbed Bella and went to their room. She then ignored him knocking at the door and calling for her.
He finally gave up and went away, but she had a feeling he’d be back today. At least Presley was due any time now, so she’d have her “sister” as a buffer. They’d talked on the phone last night, Ivy bringing her up to speed on the situation, giving her a heads-up, especially about Helen Vanderpool and her relationship to Garland Scott. The plan was to let Presley rest overnight, then they would check out of the B & B in the morning and head to Florida by way of South Carolina.
So that way she could feel better about kinda-sorta misleading Cullen and Ty Abrams about where exactly she was headed. She didn’t like lying to them, especially to Cullen, but she couldn’t risk telling him the truth and having it all blow up in her face.
Because Bella would be the one to suffer.
She looked down at the toddler where she lay on the bed, a folded towel beneath her while Ivy changed her diaper. She affixed the tapes and pulled up the little girl’s britches, then leaned over and blew a raspberry on the round tummy before pulling her top down.
Shrieks of laughter gladdened her heart and solidified her determination to protect this little innocent. She sat back and looked down at the giggling child. “You want some lunch?” she asked.
“Unch!” Bella cried. She struggled to get to her feet on the mattress, and Ivy stood and helped her up. Grabbing her up into her arms, she jostled her, eliciting more giggles. “Come on, let’s go say hi to Lucy and get something to eat.”
“Ucy. Eat.”
“Yep.” She grabbed the old-fashioned room key and shoved it into the front pocket of her jeans, making sure the door was locked behind her when she stepped out into the hallway. As she made her way downstairs, she heard the front door open. Lucy called out a greeting, and a cheery, feminine, familiar voice responded in kind.
Ivy’s heart lifted. She hefted Bella higher in her arms and told her, “It’s Aunt Presley!”
The little girl had never met Presley Fitzhugh, but Ivy had been talking her up for three days now. So, Bella was excited about meeting her. Her cherub face lit up, and she shrieked, “Aunt Pessie!”
“Is that Bella?” Presley shouted. She hopped in place a couple of times, clapping her hands, her dark curls bouncing around her tanned, exotic face. Her brown eyes gleamed with spirit and good humor as she headed toward the staircase. When she met them at the bottom of the stairs, she didn’t hesitate to pull the little girl out of Ivy’s arms and give her a huge kiss on the cheek and a long, loving hug. She pulled back and looked into Bella’s face. “Hey, there, li’l bug. How you doin’?”
Bella’s eyes narrowed and she propped tiny fists on her hips. “I not bug, Aunt Pessie. I bear!”
“You’re a bug-a-bear.” Presley hugged her again then reached out and pulled Ivy into a one-armed embrace. “How’re you holdin’ up, honey?”
“Better now that you’re here.”
God, it was so good to see Presley. They talked on the phone at least once a week, but it had been two years since they’d had a chance to get together in person. It was long overdue and the circumstances couldn’t have been grimmer. But Ivy felt like she could handle anything with her feisty friend at her side.
“I know it hasn’t been easy,” the feistmaster said now. “How about I get checked in, we have some lunch, then Bella and I will get to know each other while you go somewhere and get some alone time?”
Oh, sweet baby Jesus, that sounded like a great idea. She wasn’t used to being around a little kid twenty-four-seven, and it was exhausting. Between worrying that Garland would find them, to keeping one ear open, listening for Bella’s slightest whimper, she hadn’t slept well since they’d been on the run. She’d like nothing better than to go find a shady spot by the lake and take a nap. If she could relax enough to do so.
And they did just that. Lucy volunteered to carry suitcases up to the room while Ivy, Presley and Bella gathered around the dining room table to a lunch of Black Forest ham sandwiches and potato chips. Ivy made sure Bella was comfortable with Presley and was shocked to find they were getting along like a house on fire. It was if the two had known each other all along.
As she hesitated by the front door, Presley made a shooing motion. “Go. Enjoy yourself for a few hours. Get some sun.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Go get some o’ that yummy deputy.”
Ivy folded her arms across her chest. “Presley.”
“Ivy.” Her friend lifted her eyebrows. “You know you want to.” She walked closer and leaned in, balancing Bella on one hip. “Besides, why couldn’t we stay here a few days? Or even a couple of weeks. I’m beat, and I know you are, too.”
“Because you-know-who has a cousin hanging around town,” she whispered. “It’d be tempting fate to stay with her here, too.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” She rested her cheek against the top of Bella’s head. “I just… From what you told me of Cullen, I really wanted that for you. I’ve never heard you talk about a man that way before. You sounded…”
“What? Like a besotted teenager?” Ivy asked with a snort.
“No. Like a woman head over heels in love.” She reached out with her free hand and tucked strands of hair behind Ivy’s ear. “And I want that for you.”
Ivy managed a smile and wondered if it looked as sad as it felt. “I don’t think that’s in the cards for me. And that’s okay. I’ll be happy with what I have.” One more time she checked with Bella. “You gonna be all right to play with Aunt Presley for a bit?”
The little girl grinned and shrieked, “Aunt Pessie!” and threw her arms straight up in the air.
Ivy laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She opened the door and peered out, breathing a sigh when she didn’t see Cullen’s truck. She told herself it was relief, but she knew it really was disappointment. “I won’t be gone long.” She pressed a kiss to Bella’s cheek and said, “You be good for Aunt Presley, okay?”
“Oh-tay.”
Presley rubbed her hand up and down the little girl’s back. “Ivy, take as much time as you need, all right? We’ll be just fine.”
Ivy walked down off the porch, lifting her face to the sun for a few moments before setting off across the lawn. Suddenly, sitting by the lake didn’t seem all that interesting. So, she switched direction and headed into the woods.
Oh, so much better. Birds tweeted and flew among the branches. Foliage rustled by small animals on the forest floor. The air smelled fresh with pine and…raspberries? She jogged over to a bramble of bushes and laughed when she saw the red fruit among the green leaves. She ate her fill, a nice, fresh dessert to follow her simple lunch, then turned to continue on her impromptu hike.
And went absolutely still. Because there was the biggest, meanest looking bear in front of her. How in the hell had it wandered up behind her without making any noise? The thing must have been part cat. “Nice bear,” she whispered.
The animal sat back on its haunches and lifted one freakingly huge front paw like it was saying “Hi.”
She blinked at it, then looked closer. There was something familiar about the cant of the head, the expression in its black eyes… And the scent…like forest and fresh air with a hint of leather and cloves. She straightened. “Cullen!”
The bear set its paw down and let out a low rumble, almost like a purr.
Ivy walked closer, keeping an eye on him, just in case she was mistaken. When he sat calmly, she approached him, stopping by his big head. “May I…” She rubbed sweaty palms down the sides of her jeans. “May I touch you?”
He bobbled a couple of times, gave a low grunt and lowered his broad head.
She reached out and rubbed her palm between his ears, curling her fingers to dig into his fur. It was as thick as she’d expected. Coarser, but somehow still soft. She’d been around bears since eighth grade, from the time she and Bayleigh had met and her new friend had told Ivy what she was. What they were—part human, part bear. Just human enough to not be able to shift, though.
Fourteen years, and this was the first time she’d been given the opportunity to touch someone in their bear form. And it was fabulous!
Then Ivy remembered whose fur it was she was scrubbing her hands through. She stopped and took a couple of steps back.
The bear grumbled his displeasure, a low rumble coming from deep in his throat before he got to his feet and moved closer. She backed up again, and kept backing up as he continued forward, until she was forced up against a tree. She sensed frustration from him, but also confusion. And determination.
Cullen nudged her with his broad head, moving her toward his side.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He moved his head in a jerk toward his back. When she didn’t move, he did it again.
“You…” She glanced at his body then looked at his face again. “You want me to…ride you?”
Once more that big head moved, this time in a clear nod.
She frowned. “Uh, no. I don’t think so.”
He chuffed and curved his neck toward his body again. He plunked his behind on the forest floor and waited.
“Where are we going?”
He just looked at her. She could almost hear him thinking, Woman, I can’t talk to you as a bear. “Oh, right,” she muttered. Walking to his side, she stared a moment. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
He snorted, clearly letting her know he was losing patience. “I don’t know that we have anything more to say to each other,” she went on. “And Presley, Bella and I are leaving tomorrow, as soon as Presley gets rested up. So, there’s really no time for anything to develop between you and I.”
More snorting and a low, rumbling growl came from the bear.
“Oh, all right,” she huffed then clambered on, clutching his fur in her fists to hold on. “Don’t go too fast.”
He got to all four paws and started ambling deeper into the woods. Sunlight and shadow dappled the forest floor, making patterns through the canopy above. He reached a well-worn path and took off in a loping run, making her squeal and bend over him, her front plastered to his back, while she clung to his fur. After a few miles, they broke into a clearing, revealing a sturdy log cabin with a wrap-around porch and various wooden animal statues lining the driveway, in which was parked a familiar black pickup truck.
Cullen stopped at the foot of the porch steps, and Ivy climbed off his back. He shifted, the transition from bear to human so smooth, if she’d blinked she would’ve missed it.
She couldn’t miss him, though, standing there in his naked glory. And his body was magnificent. She wanted to put her hands on him in this form, too. Even though they couldn’t have a relationship, why shouldn’t she touch him? That seemed to be what he wanted, too.
So why not? She’d never see him again after tomorrow, and spending some time with him would give her a lovely memory to pull out and look over in the years ahead.
Yes. Yes, if he still wanted to have sex with her, she’d do it. Her inner bear snuffled happily, pressing forward, trying to hurry things along. Pushy broad.
Mine, her bear growled. Mine.
Ivy let her gaze roam from his broad shoulders down to his chest and abdomen. It got snagged by his hard cock, which was pointing toward the sky. It was thick and long. She shivered with desire.
Mine!
“I want you,” Cullen said in a low growl, his bear obviously close to the surface and giving his voice a guttural, nearly feral quality.
But it didn’t scare her. If anything, it heightened her arousal.
She moved nearer, close enough to put her hands on his waist. His skin was smooth. Hot. She tightened her grip as he bent his head.
His mouth slanted across hers, hungry, demanding. Ravenous, like a bear just coming out of hibernation. She moaned and leaned into him, sliding her hands up his back, digging her fingers into hard muscles.
He swept her up into his arms and she gave a high squeak, not expecting it. He took his mouth off hers long enough to mount the stairs and open the front door. As he walked down a long, darkened hallway, he muttered, “Please be sure about this, Ivy. I’ll stop if you want me to, but it’d just about kill me.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for your death,” she teased softly. She pressed a kiss to his angular jaw. “I won’t change my mind. Make love to me.”