Page 76 of Clint & Ivy

“I want to stay with you,” I answered. “But tomorrow, I need to spend most of the day decompressing.”

Clint leaned forward and planted a lingering kiss on my lips. I unlatched my seatbelt and crawled into his lap. Clint might have realized he’d triggered more than he was ready for because he popped his lips free and leaned back.

“You and I can save that for when we show off our scars,” he said and ran his hands through his hair as if to get his head on straight. “Can I hang out with you tomorrow or will that interfere with your decompression?”

Smiling, I asked, “Won’t you be bored sitting around the condo? I sense you move around a lot.”

“I should have kept you to myself more in the beginning, but that wasn’t possible with my family. Now, the foxes want me to bring you to the Sorority House this weekend. I also have a meeting in a few days. This might be the only chance we have to spend the day alone until I get a few things sorted out.”

I was relieved to know Clint was also struggling with this new situation. Taking his hand, I asked, “Why did you get tense when we got home?”

Clint didn’t answer until he came around and got Hanzee’s carrier. He took my hand with his free one and started walking.

“My club brother Farley’s ex-girlfriend isn’t supposed to visit the condos, but I saw her leaving when we got here. He never seems able to tell her no. I need to touch base with him to make sure he isn’t letting her run roughshod over him again.”

My body begged me to go to the condo and stretch out on the couch while Clint handled his friend’s bad taste in women. But this was my life now. Clint’s problems were mine. I needed to understand what it meant to fall for the club president.

At a unit on the third floor, Clint knocked on the door. Soon, a lanky man answered. He had dark blond hair that brushed across his shoulders. His brown eyes darkened at the sight of Clint before lighting up when he noticed me.

“Is this the infamous Ivy?” he asked and reached for me.

Stepping between us so his friend couldn’t hug me, Clint muttered, “Let’s keep our hands to ourselves.”

“Sorry, but she feels like a part of the family,” Farley explained as he backed into his condo so we could enter. “She’s all anyone is talking about.”

“Well, I’m not here to talk about my love life,” Clint replied, and his tone held an edge I hadn’t heard before. “I saw Cordy leaving as I got here tonight.”

Farley exhaled deeply and shrugged his shoulders. We walked deeper into his condo, which felt less furnished and lived-in than Clint’s. The scent of pot lingered in the air. I also detected a strong perfume on the couch when I sat down.

Clint remained standing while facing a chagrined Farley.

“You were supposed to contact me if she came around,” Clint said in a steely voice.

“You had your new girlfriend over, and I didn’t want to pester you.”

Clint clicked his tongue and rested his hands on his hips. Something about these gestures shifted the mood in the room. His disapproval stole Farley’s confidence. I felt a little scolded myself.

“Did she stay over?” Clint asked.

“Just for a few hours.”

“Was that today or two days ago when Rock saw her?”

“Both times,” Farley said and dropped into a chair. “She didn’t sleep over.”

“Did you fuck?” Clint asked in a tone that made the word “fuck” sound like a crime against humanity. “Did you give her money?”

Farley reacted to Clint’s questions like a scolded kid. He leaned back in his recliner and crossed his arms. His dark eyes avoided Clint.

“Cordy was upset over work. She’d fought with her mom, too. She was crying.”

“She’s always fighting with her mom. She gets into shit at work because she’s a bully. And she only cries to get what she wants. You know all that.”

Farley looked around like he couldn’t explain why he let Cordy into his home and gave her whatever she wanted. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the woman on her way out. I assumed she must be rather seductive to make a handsome man bow to her will.

“Why didn’t she stay the night?” Clint asked, really digging into the wound and making sure Farley hurt.

“She had to get up early.”

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