Page 12 of Shit Happens in Ivydell

I want to protect him from himself.

And her from him, which feels like a betrayal and an obligation at the same time.

I know I hold no power over what’s happening between them, and even if I did, it wouldn’t undo what happened between Patty and me. If she was here right now, she’d tell me to let it be, that I could no sooner stop those two from falling in love than I could rope the wind.

The wind was her go-to reference for things you couldn’t change, and I’m so sure it’s what she’d compare her granddaughter and Jensen to that I can hear her saying it, her voice as clear as if she was standing right next to me.

She’d be right, like she always fucking was, but I’d still lie awake and worry about it.

Maybe they’ll be good for each other. Or maybe it’s just a fling they both need, a right place, right time kind of thing.

But if neither of those things is true, if one or the other of them ends up hurt . . .

Maybe I shouldn’t have let Ivy come here. I felt like she deserved to see Ivydell, and I wanted to meet her, but I expected she’d hate it the way her mom did.

I wasn’t expecting her to be such a carbon copy of her grandmother instead.

It’s hard to think of you as the person she calls Gran. I bet you were a damned good one, Patty. So much change. And so much more on the horizon. I just want to get things right this time. I need the next ending to be happy.

Jensen

Don't be a Lizard

When we’ve had ourfill of caffeine and catching up, everybody goes their own way. Cujo and I tell Shadow we’ll ride back and catch up with him at his place later. He nods, but the way the old man eyes Ivy tells me he’s going to be more interested in hearing about what I’ve been up to with her than talking about why he’s back so soon.

He can come back whenever he wants, the same as the rest of us, but he doesn’t alter his schedule often. When he says he’ll be back on a certain date, it’s rare to see him before then.

I follow Ivy to her door, and she laughs. “Are you planning to come in?”

“Unless you tell me you have to work.”

She bites her bottom lip, and I already know the answer. “You do, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a project on deadline, and I’m afraid if I don’t make some progress today, the internet won’t be steady for the next few days, and then I’ll be in trouble.”

“Okay. But tonight, you’re mine.”

“Am I?”

Backing her against her door, I press my hips into her and pin her arms over her head. “You heard me.”

When our lips meet, hers part with no coaxing from me. The taste of her warm tongue makes me want to coax her into letting me come inside. “I could relax you, get your day off to a good stress-free start.”

“And then I’ll want a nap.” She pushes against my chest. “Stop being a bad influence. I only need to work for about five hours. Then we can go to the laundromat together. Nothing says sexy date night like watching someone wash their underwear.”

“Do you even know where a laundromat is?”

“Yeah, Josephine and I went last week so I could wash my sheets. But now, I’m almost out of clean clothes.”

“You could use my washer and dryer instead. In fact, you could grab your computer and your laundry, and use them while you work. Then you wouldn’t have anything to do later other than me.”

“Hold on. You have a washer and dryer? What the hell, Jensen?”

“I didn’t think about you not having them. Come on. Get your stuff. I’ll go to the shop and leave you alone so you can work.”

“Okay. Do you have snacks at your place?”

“I have popcorn.” The last time I made her fresh popcorn, my mouth stayed busy eating her while she enjoyed both.

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