Page 76 of Taming Ivy
Jonathan would not have found success in bringing about justice for his daughter, but Sebastian would not have faulted his new father-in-law for trying. He married Ivy because he wanted to - not because he had to. Nothing anyone could have said or done would have forced him to it, had he not wanted her so badly for his wife.
“I hope I’ve done the right thing, not allowing her to refuse you. Considering the circumstances, there was little choice. She’s been so damnably miserable of late.” Jonathan hesitated before placing a fatherly hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “You will make her happy, won’t you?”
“I will. She doesn’t believe me, understandably so, but I do love her.”
Recognizing the sincerity of Sebastian’s somber declaration, Jonathan chuckled. “Your father and I once discussed the possibility of you two making a match. Your mother and Ivy’s dashed that idea rather quickly. Said their children should make their own choices in love. I like to believe they secretly hoped you would find one another.”
Sebastian smiled. There was satisfaction in learning his father would have approved of Ivy as his countess.
“Patience, Ravenswood.” Jonathan watched his daughter accept a fond embrace from Alan. “She’s a headstrong, determined creature. It is damned difficult to puncture that wall of indifference when she puts it up, as I well know. If you love her enough, and are patient enough, when that wall comes down, it will be worth it.”
Sebastian’s gaze slid over Ivy making her way toward them, a tiny grin lifting his lips. Neither she nor her father had any inkling of the incredible depths of his own determination and strength of will. “Don’t worry, Kinley. I love her enough. More than enough.”
Four hours alone with his bride, in the privacy of the coach stretched before them. A tantalizing situation. Once settled into the vehicle, Sebastian extended his legs to the confines of the space. Ivy’s lips tightened as she accepted his presence. It was obvious she wished he would sit on the opposite seat; however, those days were in the past. He would get as close as possible and he would push past whatever barrier she put up. No doubt, it would create a scandal, and it was unlikely he would be able to keep his hands off her, even in the presence of polite society, but he did not care.
Summer was almost upon them, the days already beginning a slow slide into the perfumed idyllic span of warm hours when those born to leisure turned to outdoor pursuits. The London Season would end and Society would retreat to their rural estates, escaping the oppressive heat of the city for refreshing green woods and sprawling fields. It was imperative their reappearance in London go smoothly. The rampant curiosity regarding their hasty elopement would either thrill or tweak the tongue wagglers, and any gossip would surely follow them to the countryside. Sebastian would not stand for Ivy to suffer any backlash. It was his responsibility to protect her.
Sebastian watched Ivy avoid his scrutiny, staring out the window as emerald green pastures gave way to thick forests. She was bone weary, exhausted mentally and physically, the events of the past few days weighing heavily on her, but determined and unyielding, she sat ramrod straight. Until the coach would hit a rut or hole in the road, dislodging her position on the leather seat. Each time she was thrown alongside him and righted herself, every time she emitted a small cry of dismay, Sebastian hid a smile.
Hitting yet another bump, the coach lurched sideways. Ivy jostled, her hand landing high on the inside of his upper thigh. Cheeks flushing pink with mortification, she tried to jerk away.
He ensnared her wrist. “No need to scurry away, love. I won’t bite.” Amusement colored Sebastian’s voice as he kept her pinned tight. “You are exhausted. Why not rest a while?”
Ivy’s glare dropped to her trapped palm pressed against his thigh. “I’ll not place my headthere.”
His brow quirked. “I meant only for you to lay your head against my shoulder.” Giving her a sly grin, his gaze was warm and liquid when it rested briefly on her mouth. “Although, your idea has merit and would prove far more fascinating.” Ivy scowled until he relented with a sigh. “My shoulder, then. Should you change your mind, my lap is always available. And I shall remain the perfect gentleman. On my honor.”
She briefly resisted then with an abrupt exhale of defeat, slumped against him. All her energy seemed to drain away, sapped by the day’s events, the emotional strain of the wedding, and the previous ordeal with Basford.
Placing his back flush with the silk paneled sidewall of the coach, Sebastian stretched vertically along the length of the seat, moving Ivy until she sat between his legs, her back to his. His arm draped lightly across her shoulder and with rhythmic strokes, he rubbed her upper arm. A moment later, both hands moved to her shoulders; the stroking morphed into massaging caresses.
Ivy melted against him with a tiny moan of contentment, lulled by the magic of his hands. He rested his chin atop her head and angling his cheek against her hair, he breathed deep of its clean scent.
“Mmmm, you always smell so delicious. Like sunshine and spring.”
Ivy stayed perfectly still. Soothed by the warmth of the coach, the cadenced sway of it and her own fatigue, Sebastian realized she was drifting asleep. He moved until she was shifted onto her side, her cheek flush against his heart, his soul in danger of bursting with the tenderness his prickly bride evoked in him.
CHAPTER 24
Struggling to retain the pleasant state of drifting dreaminess with the jostle and sway of the coach soon became too much to ignore. Or maybe something else woke her.
Lifting her head, Ivy recognized the fire in the depths of Sebastian’s gaze.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, his voice wrapping about her, stroking her, it seemed, from the inside out.
She realized, with dawning awareness, the horrific position she was in. Sprawled in lethargic abandonment, ensconced in a circle crafted of his arms, breasts pressed flat against his chest, her hips were flush with his. Ivy braced her hands on his broad torso, frowning.
“I already know the answer.” Sebastian laughed at her silent dismay. “How I enjoy it when you snuggle up to me. Anytime you feel so compelled, my arms are always open.”
Ivy’s backbone fairly cracked from rearing back so quickly, although his loose embrace preventing her from going very far. “I amnotsnuggling.”
Sebastian countered with a grin of devious pleasure. “Oh, one could hardly call it anything else.”
“You are a cad,” Ivy retorted.
“No,” he rebuked calmly. “I’m a man in love.”
The urge to slap him literally caused her fingers to twitch. “Tell me, Sebastian.” She could not help herself, her words dripping with bitterness. “Was this great love discovered before, or after you decided I was not a whore?”
