Page 67 of Start With A Slap

Turns out she’d rockedhisworld, too.

Thoroughly spent, he slumped down over her body. They huffed out hot breaths and noises into each other’s necks. She smelled like him all over. He could feel her heart as it pounded wildly in her chest, at pace with his. He gave her neck a lick and pulled out slowly, leaving her open for a moment, and he watched as his come poured forth from her.

She was still catching her breath, an arm slung over her eyes. “Holy...”

He landed on his back beside her.

“Wow,” she said, panting. “Oh.Wow.”

Sever nodded in agreement. “Well put.”

“God, you are...” She held her forehead, puffed out a few ragged breaths. “You oughta be ashamed of yourself.”

“Me?”

“Depriving the women of the world ofthatfor eight years? Shame on you. Shame!”

He laughed. “Saved it all up for you, baby.”

“I don’t get it.” Talking aloud to herself, she feebly reached for her robe, rising to her knees. “What’s so special aboutme?”

Did she really not know? He caught her elbow, made her look at him. “Everything, Ivy.Youare gorgeous and sexy andcleverand fiery and...fun! Don’t you see? You’re everything a man could want.”

Eyes wide, her lips quivered and closed. “I’m gonna — go take another shower.”

Fuck. “Ivy?—”

She was already scrambling off.

With a rueful sigh, he dropped his head to the floor.

CHAPTER 20

High Standards

“Have you seen Ivy?”

Sever plucked her tattered gold dress off the floor, held it to his nose. Sex, champagne and cigarettes. “Quite a bit.”

“I mean today. I haven’t heard from her?—”

“Were you expecting hourly updates?” He balled it up and cast it in the trash. “The girl’s in Paris.”

There was a pause. “She’s not answering my texts?—”

“Well, that’s different.” Sever’s stomach growled and he craved cold fruit, as he always did after fantastic sex. Perusing the breakfast spread for the perfect gala apple, he said, “Pity; I had such high hopes for you two.”

Flustered, Jason said, “We’re fine, I’m just worried. When did you last see her?”

The door to the master bath opened and the girl in question came out, freshly scrubbed of sin — until she caught his grave expression; the hush-finger over his lips.

Sever could almost see the synapses bursting behind her gigantic, horrified eyes. Luckily, she had him for an envoy.

“You can call off the search and rescue.” Slicing the apple one-handed, Sever delivered her alibi with brilliant detachment,as if the subject of Ivy bored him. “I threw a mixer here last night. Started raining cats and dogs, I insisted she sleep in the guest quarters.” He bit an apple slice off of the knife. “Not out of kindness, mind you; her frock was on loan from Dior.”

“She’s there?”

“She was. You literally just missed her.” Crunching noisily, Sever opened her handbag to inspect the powered-off phone. “And I wouldn’t take the radio silence personally. She thought she lost her phone, found it last night completely dead, and no one ever remembers the bleeding battery charger, do they?”

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