Chapter 9

• “Put me down,” Ivy demanded, her grip tightening around Josh’s shoulders. One wrong move and her butt would hit a step—hard. Honestly, where had this maniac energy come from? Who just carries someone like this?
• Josh grinned. “Not until you give me a reward.”
• “I fed you!” Ivy protested. “Come on, I’m scared.” Her voice turned into a whimper, and she looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.
• “What are you afraid of?” Josh kept climbing the stairs, one step at a time—his direction unmistakably set. Whether Ivy had realized it or not, her destination had become his bedroom.
• “Falling,” she answered honestly, glancing down at the stairs beneath them. Her concern was real—what if he tripped?
• “I wouldn’t let anything happen to me, Ivy,” Josh said with a low chuckle.
• “But still, what if—”
• “Instead of talking so much,” he interrupted smoothly, “why not just give me that reward?”
• “Reward?” she echoed, lifting her gaze to him, hoping it would distract her from her rising panic. “What kind of reward?”
• Did Josh seriously not realize how uncomfortable this was getting? The longer she stayed in his arms, the more she could feel... it. His length, clearly hardening against her from underneath. Her bottom was practically molded against it.
• And that—that was one of the real reasons she wanted to get down.
• How could she be feeling this way? Her mind flashed back to her time with Rico. Honestly, their bedroom life had always been lukewarm at best, even when she’d made the effort to initiate things.
• But this…
• “Hold me tighter, Ivy,” Josh murmured.
• She obeyed without thinking, arms wrapping even more snugly around his neck—but her thoughts were far from calm. Her every nerve was aware of that intimate contact beneath her. God, how was she supposed to ignore that?
• Maybe it was the temptation, or maybe her mind just finally snapped—but Ivy found herself leaning closer. Her lips brushed against the curve of Josh’s neck, her tongue teasing along the exposed skin between his collar and jaw.
• Josh let out a soft, knowing laugh. “Harder, Ivy. If you’re going to suck, leave a mark. Don’t be shy.”
• “You don’t mind?” she asked, surprised. “Someone might see it. You’re not embarrassed?”
• “Why would I be?” he replied, stopping halfway up the stairs. “Leave as many as you want. I’ll wear them proudly.”
• He tilted his head slightly. “Go ahead.”
• Insane. He was completely insane. But even crazier? Ivy did it. She did it.
• And not just a soft kiss or a teasing bite—no, she left a proper mark. Right in the kind of place you couldn’t hide with a collar. Her lips, her teeth, her tongue—she treated him like some sexy vampire fantasy and went all in.
• Before she knew it, Ivy was flat on her back.
• Josh loomed above her, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Satisfied now?” he asked with a smirk.
• “Ah,” Ivy only then realized her back was already pressed against the warm, plush mattress. She instinctively sat up a little straighter. “Give me ten minutes, please. I want to take a shower, Josh. I just got back from work and went straight to the kitchen to make you dinner.”
• Josh shook his head, smiling wide. “That just sounds like an excuse—to avoid me.”
• “It’s not,” Ivy rolled her eyes. “If I wanted to avoid you, I would've served dinner and gone straight to bed. But I di—”
• “Alright then,” Josh stood up, but instead of stepping back, he reached for Ivy again—lifting her effortlessly into his arms, bridal-style this time.
• “We’ll shower together.”
• “This is not what I meant, Josh!” Ivy squealed in protest.
• And yet, even as she clung to him, Ivy couldn’t quite explain why none of this felt awkward. There was something oddly comforting about the way Josh held her—like she mattered. As if this wasn’t some act of revenge, but something... closer. Warmer.
• Were they allowed to feel like this?
• “Ugh...” Ivy closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself against the sink’s edge. “My legs are tired,” she complained, her voice hoarse.
• Josh hadn’t let her go since they stepped into the bathroom. Even while he filled the tub with warm water and a calming scent of aromatherapy, his arms remained securely around her. It was overwhelming—his presence, his nearness, the way he whispered with that deep voice that stirred her thoughts into chaos.
• “Just a little longer, Ivy,” he murmured, leaning closer until his breath brushed her ear. “Can you feel how warm it is between us?”
• She couldn’t respond. Everything about this was dangerously intoxicating.
• Unlike before—when she was with Rico, when intimacy felt mechanical, disconnected—this, whatever this was, was different. Josh wasn’t always gentle, no. He was intense, selfish in his desire, and utterly consuming. But God... how it made her unravel.
• “I can’t take this anymore, Josh,” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder.
• Their eyes locked. And then, without a word, he pressed a kiss to her swollen lips—slow, lingering, tender.
• “Just once more,” he breathed, voice low.
• Ivy clung to the sound of his voice, to the weight of his gaze, to the fire between them that refused to burn out. She didn’t know how much more she could take, but part of her didn’t want it to end.
• Not yet.
• Her soft whimper only made Josh lose what little restraint he had left. In one swift motion, he lifted Ivy and sat her gently on the edge of the sink.
• “I told you... just one more time,” he murmured, completely mesmerized by the sight before him.
• Ivy looked utterly wrecked—in the most breathtaking way. Her damp hair stuck out in wild directions, her cheeks flushed deep crimson, and her lips slightly swollen from the earlier, desperate kisses—kisses he’d demanded when this whole thing started.
• But it was her eyes that stopped him for a beat—still glazed with heat, vulnerable, yet defiantly alive with unspoken longing.
• “Just one more time, hmm?” Ivy gave him a soft, wry smile, breathless yet resolute. She looped her arms around his neck and shifted slightly to steady herself. “Then hold my legs... make sure they stay wide open. And take me—one last time.”
• Josh’s breath hitched. His hand moved down instinctively, stroking himself once before guiding his length toward her heart. She was already ready for him—open, pulsing, waiting.
• “Like this?” he whispered, adjusting her legs and supporting her with careful strength.
• Ivy could only close her eyes and gasp as he entered her again—this time deeper, firmer. The stretch, the fullness, the overwhelming rush... it made her forget how to breathe. And yet, she never wanted it to end.
• “Do you like it?” Josh’s voice was low, velvet and wicked.
• She nodded weakly. “What about you?”
• He didn’t answer—he thrust deeper instead. Again. And again. The sound of their bodies colliding filled the air between them, rhythmic and raw, until she could barely think.
• “If I told you how much,” Josh said between gritted teeth, “I think you’d pass out on the spot.”
• He kissed her again—feverish, greedy—drawing another soft moan from her lips.
• “Don’t tell me,” Ivy muttered against his mouth, “you still have enough energy for another round?”
• Josh chuckled darkly. “Then let’s make this the last one.”
• But his actions said otherwise. He didn’t stop. His movements were relentless—heated, feverish, and far too addictive to abandon.
• And then it hit—sharply, completely.
• “Oh, Ivy!”
• “JOSH!” she cried out in tandem, her body arching into him as he sank into the hilt, releasing everything in one final, shuddering wave.
• Their bodies trembled, tangled together in sticky warmth, until Josh finally leaned in and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
• “You’re incredible,” he whispered, easing out gently. “I’ll run us a bath. You can fall asleep if you need to.”
• Ivy, barely coherent, tugged on his earlobe with a groan. “You think I don’t know what you're planning? Trying to sneak in another round while I’m half-asleep?”
• Josh blinked, genuinely stunned. “How did you know?”