The first annoying bleeps of my alarm startled me awake, and with my eyes still closed, I felt across the bed blindly until I reached my phone on the nightstand.
Slowly and reluctantly, I uncovered my face from beneath the sheets.
I blinked, closed my eyes, and blinked again until I gained the sight needed to turn the goddamn alarm off before it dove into round two of its personal rendition of sounds from hell.
Streaks of sunlight penetrated the window and damn near blinded me as I worked to focus and steady my groggy gaze.
Like a waterfall, a rush of thoughts and memories, all revolving around last night, flooded my mind.
Ivy.
Ivy and me. Together. Entangled. Connected.
I’d kissed, caressed, worshiped every inch of her body.
I’d been so deep inside of her I hadn’t known where I ended and she began.
I’d swallowed her moans, felt her clench around my cock as she came all over me.
I’d memorized every inch of her body. Every sound. Every taste.
You made love to her last night.
I looked to my right, only to find the space her perfect body once filled completely empty.
Dread and disappointment filled my gut.
I couldn’t deny her lack of presence affected me.
I’d fallen asleep last night with Ivy in my arms, looking forward to waking up that very same way, but she was nowhere to be found.
I listened closely for the sounds of the master bathroom, but nothing.
My gaze scanned across the floor of my bedroom, searching for remnants of her presence last night, but not a single item remained. Not her silk pajamas or lace panties. Nothing.
Shoving the sheets and comforter off my body, I dragged my feet out of bed, sat up on the side of the mattress, and rubbed my knuckles over my eyes.
I had no idea where Ivy went, but I could only assume both she and Camilla were getting ready for another day on set.
Because of daylight and landscape preferences for all outdoor scenes, Hugo Roman had the entire cast and crew starting their day at nine this week.
Standing and stretching out the creaks and kinks of my muscles, I slid on my boxer briefs and headed into the master bathroom.
The soft sounds of voices filtered up from downstairs, and a small sense of relief fluttered inside my stomach.
She was still here.
I’d like to say I’d planned on taking a shower and starting my day with my normal routine, but that would’ve been a lie.
I needed to see her. Talk to her. Find out why I’d woken up alone.
A few minutes later, dressed in a pair of gray sweat pants and a white T-shirt, I jogged down the stairs to the main floor.
Ivy stood at the kitchen island while Camilla sat on one of the barstools across from her, staring down at the screen of her phone.
“Morning,” I greeted, and Camilla’s gaze lifted to mine.
“Good morning, Levi,” she responded, eyes friendly.
But, Ivy… She only offered a barely mumbled, “Hey.”
They were both dressed and ready to start their day.
“Hungry?” I asked.
“I stole a granola bar from the pantry,” Camilla answered, her smile half apologetic and half mischievous. “Hope you don’t mind.”
I grinned. “Not at all. Feel free to help yourself to anything.”
My gaze moved to Ivy, who still stood at the kitchen island, her hip resting against the edge. “Did you eat something? I can make you some eggs,” I offered, knowing it was part of her normal routine.
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“What about some coffee?” I asked, and she shook her head again.
“No, thanks.”
Wow. If her warmth toward me had a degree, it’d be fucking frigid.
But before I could say anything else, three heavy knocks to the front door filled the otherwise silent space between the three of us.
“Oh!” Camilla exclaimed and hopped out of her seat. “That’s probably Dane.”
She was out of the kitchen and headed for the foyer between one breath and the next, Ivy following her lead.
What in the fuck is going on?
Reeling over Ivy’s suddenly closed-off demeanor, I stood frozen in my spot by the coffee machine for a few quiet moments, but once Dane’s deep chuckle filled my ears, I knew I needed to head toward the front door and greet him.
The three of them stood inside the open foyer, and the small overnight bags the girls had packed were in Dane’s hands.
“Mornin’, Levi,” he greeted with an overzealous grin, his body clad in his Cold PD uniform.
I nodded. “What brings you here this early?”
“Well,” he started, and I didn’t miss the fact that his gaze averted toward a bright-eyed Camilla. “Cam called me about an hour ago and asked me to bring their rental car here.”
“Oh, okay,” I muttered, and my eyes locked with Ivy’s for the briefest of moments.
But she gave nothing in return. Her lips remained in a firm line, and her emerald eyes were so damn cold they were nearly blue.
“Thank you so much for letting us stay here last night, Levi,” Camilla chimed in.
“Anytime,” I responded, but my gaze stayed fixated on Ivy. “And there’s no rush. You can both stay here until you find another place to rent.”
“I already found us something,” Ivy updated, but her eyes never met mine. “Production pulled some quick strings and found us another rental.”
“That’s…good to hear.”
“Yeah. It is.” Her gaze flitted to mine, but the connection didn’t last for more than a fucking second or two. “Thanks for letting us stay here last night.”
I just nodded in return. I mean, what else could I do? My mind was one hundred versions of fucked-up, trying to figure out the meaning behind her abrupt, cold-as-ice behavior.
“All right!” Camilla exclaimed and started to move for the door. “Well, we better get a move on it. Dane, do you mind dropping me off at our new digs so Ivy can drive the rental straight to production?”
“It’d be my pleasure.” Dane grinned, and Camilla returned his sentiment.
“See ya around, Levi,” he said, and with the girls’ bags in one hand, he placed the other to the small of Camilla’s back and ushered her outside.
Before Ivy could make her way out the door, I reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. She turned on her heel, and her eyes met mine.
“You okay?” I asked, and she shrugged.
“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Her voice was all off. Stiff. Jolted. Too damn disconnected.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I responded. “But you’re definitely acting like you’re pretty pissed about something.”
“Are you saying I’m acting like a bitch?” she spat and snagged her wrist from my grip with a quick yank of her arm.
My brow furrowed of its own accord. “You said it, not me.”
“Yeah, but you’re obviously thinking it.”
Well, fuck, now I was definitely thinking it.
I didn’t respond, though, just stared into her hardened emerald gaze.
And she stared right back.
I searched her eyes. But she gave nothing in return. Not a single inkling of what she was really thinking or feeling.
“Are you mad about what happened last night?” I finally asked when the silence between us stretched too thin to not break it.
“Why would I be mad about that?” she questioned. “We fucked. Big deal.”
We fucked. Big deal.
Ivy’s words had the strength of a thousand men pummeling my chest.
“Wow. Yeah. Okay,” I muttered more to myself than her.
One last look into the eyes of what felt like a stranger and I decided, instead of falling into our old routine of an all-out verbal war, I’d take the high road.
“See ya around, Ivy,” I said and turned around, leaving her standing by herself in the foyer.
I had no idea why, within an eight-hour span of time, Ivy had gone from a woman lying in my bed, kissing me with everything she had, to someone who acted like I’d pissed in her fucking Cheerios.
I didn’t know what was going on with Ivy.
But you could guarantee, I’d sure as fuck figure it out.