Page 61 of Clint & Ivy

“You’re not scared.”

“Not of fucking in general, but I don’t want to upset you. My ego demands I be your hero. Making you cry or uncomfortable will cut me deep.”

“I’m not crying.”

“Not on the outside,” Clint said and then glanced at the door opening. “Elle, will you make sure Ivy rests today?”

“I’m not babysitting your girlfriend, Clint,” she said as Hanzee ran around and barked at nothing. “Your dog sniffed Goblin’s ass too deeply in the courtyard. He’s gone insane.”

Clint chuckled and stood up. He adjusted his crotch, making me blush again.

“Don’t ride hard,” Elle said and pointed at her brother. “It causes accidents. We all heard Lucky’s lecture that time when he was drunk on moonshine and shared his ‘my dick was hard so I crashed’ story.”

“Well, I can’t really do anything about that with Ivy sitting right there,” Clint told Elle.

“Just think of unsexy stuff. Rotting meat. Piles of dog shit. Rudy Dandelion’s saggy balls. Is that helping?”

Clint glanced at me and smiled. “No.”

Elle sighed and gestured for me to get up. “We’ve got to go so my brother can empty his balls and drive safely. Men are nasty that way.”

Elle took Hanzee’s carrier and clicked at the dog. When Hanzee considered ignoring her, Clint swept up the dog and deposited him in the carrier.

“You’ll thank me once you’re playing with Hobbs,” he told the dog through the carrier’s front screen.

I slid on my jacket and lingered close to Clint, hoping he would kiss me again. Clint leaned down and whispered something in his sister’s ear.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she muttered in response before smiling at me. “Mom is making mashed potatoes for lunch. Nothing else.”

Clint chuckled and cradled my jaw. “Feel free to ask for better food,” he said before kissing me softly.

As his lips left mine, I stared into his eyes and felt a terrible longing. I didn’t want to leave his side. I wished we could spend the entire day alone. Except Clint had a life overflowing with people. He was making room for me. I could never expect to be his only concern.

Following Elle downstairs to her SUV, I knew I could love Clint Reed. I think I already did, but I wasn’t sure what the feeling in my chest meant. I had loved so few people, and their importance was imprinted on me when I was only a kid. I didn’t know what it felt like to fall for someone when I had a choice.

CLINT

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