Surviving Ivy Read online

  “It will be fine,” Ben reassured her. He was going to have to tell Wes and the others that something was getting through the wards they had put up. “I’ll give you a ride home.” He stared at Ivy.

  We take our mate home and keep her. We make sure no one tries to hurt her, growled his bear.

  That’s not what I meant, though it’s not a bad idea. Ben told his bear.

  So we mark her tonight.

  I want her bound to us too, but we can’t do it against her will and you now that. Ben knew there was something different about Ivy, something he couldn’t quite place, but it didn’t matter to him. She was his mate and he wanted her in ways he had never wanted another woman before. He wondered if these ‘over the top’ feelings would simmer down after he bit her. He was going to have to ask his dad and uncles about that, but he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

  “Can you give me a ride to work tomorrow too?” asked Ivy. The way he looked at her made her warm and tingly all over. The feelings were new to her, but she liked them. The urge to crawl into his lap and curl up against him was strong. She wanted to rub her cheek against his and kiss his lips.

  “Yeah, I can.” He stood up and grabbed her hand. Slowly, he pulled her to him and captured her lips with his. The kiss was soft and sweet, but it held the promise of much more. Ben broke the kiss, leaving Ivy craving more of his gentle touch. “We need to get going, before we start something that everyone is going to see.”

  Ivy frowned. “Is people seeing us such a bad thing?”

  Ben leaned down and put his lips next to her ear. “Only if you don’t mind them seeing me make love to you on the hood of your car.” He pulled her tighter against his body.

  “Oh!” Ivy’s cheeks instantly flamed when she felt the bulged in his jeans pressing against her stomach. She wanted him, but she didn’t want people to see what he was talking about. “Maybe we should get going.”

  Ben chuckled. “Let’s get you home.” He grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze before he led her to his truck.

  *****

  The entire drive home, Ivy kept sneaking peeks at Ben. The urge to unbuckle her seatbelt, scoot across the bench seat, and snuggle up against him was overwhelming. Twice she caught herself reaching for the buckle and twice she managed to control her urges before they got her into trouble.

  How does anyone survive this mating pull? She glanced at Ben. I wonder if he’s feeling any of the urges I’m feeling?

  Ivy chewed on her bottom lip. She knew she had to tell him that she was a witch, even though she was a really lousy witch. But she didn’t want to ruin things between them when everything had just started.

  Ben drove up the driveway of the house and maneuvered the truck around to the back of the house. He parked next to the house and turned to Ivy. “Are you okay?”

  Ivy looked at him and nodded. “I was just thinking, or rather wandering, about who cut the battery cables and why. It doesn’t make any sense.” She couldn’t tell him what she was actually thinking. As much as she needed to tell him the truth about herself and the oily scent of black magic coming from the engine of her car. She was scared to do so…scared of what his reaction would be.

  Ben caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I won’t let anyone harm you. I promise.”

  Ivy unbuckled the seatbelt and let it slide off of her body. She grabbed Ben’s hand as she scooted closer to him. Ivy turned her head and kissed Ben’s hand. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him not to make promises he might not be able to keep. “And I will protect you,” she whispered.

  Ben didn’t immediately say anything. He just stared into her blue eyes. After several long seconds, he spoke. “I was planning to order Chinese take-out and watch a movie. Will you join me? If you don’t like Chinese, we can order something else.”

  A smile slowly spread across Ivy’s face. “I love Chinese food. Eggrolls and egg drop soup are my favorite. I would like to join you for a movie and Chinese take-out.”

  “Good.” Ben got out of the truck and walked around to Ivy’s side. He opened the door and held out his hand to her.

  Ivy accepted his help getting out of the truck, and let him lead her into his side of the house.

  Cool air hit her as she stepped into the house. She looked around the kitchen. It was similar to hers, but much larger. The soft blues and grays were inviting. Ivy loved the color scheme.

  Ben led her to the living room which was a mixture of grey and blue colors with black accents. “Make yourself at home.” He released her hand and watched Ivy take in the décor. The furniture was a mixture of different styles. A couple of pieces looked like antiques. The couch, though obviously used, looked extremely comfortable. “It’s so cozy and inviting and—”

  “And nothing like you had envisioned. He pulled out a menu from one of the side table drawers. “What would you like?” He held up the menu for Ivy to see.

  “Chicken broccoli,” said Ivy.

  “And some eggrolls and egg drop soup.” Ben pulled out his cellphone and tapped the screen.

  “Please. It made her feel special that he remembered what she had said early.” Ivy turned and wandered around the living room and waited while Ben placed their food order.

  A few minutes later he ended the call and laid the phone down on the side table. “Our food will be here in about twenty minutes.”

  “How about I pay for half?” Ivy turned to face him.

  Ben shook his head. “Not happening. I asked you over for dinner. I’m paying for our meal. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She nodded her head. It felt nice not being expected to pay for the meal. More often than not, her so-called friends expected her to pay when she went out with them, just because she was a Braxton. It didn’t matter if they asked her to go or not. For the last year, she refused all invitations until they had slowly stopped. A few months before her death, her grandmother commented on the fact that Ivy wasn’t going out with her friends anymore. Ivy made an excuse that sounded lame even to her. she had a feeling her grandmother already knew the truth.

  “How about you pick a movie,” suggested Ben.

  “What kind of movies do you like?” asked Ivy.

  “Action. Sci-Fi. Drama. I like a lot of different genres.” Ben grinned. “Choose something you want to watch.”

  Ivy bit her bottom lip as she thought about the movies she liked. “What about the Dracula movies from the early seventies?” She waited for him to say no. None of her so-called friends like the old movies, and made fun of her for even suggesting they watch them.

  Ben sat down on the couch in front of the coffee table and opened his laptop. “Come here.” He patted the seat next to him.

  Without any hesitation, Ivy plopped down by Ben. “What is it?”

  “Take a look.” Ben turned the laptop so she could easily see the screen. “Which Dracula movie do you want to watch?”

  “You’re joking?” Ivy looked from the computer screen to Ben.

  He shook his head. “I love the old monster movies. I even have the old black and white classics from the fifties in my collection.”

  Ivy scrolled through the movies. “I can’t believe this. Your collection is almost as big as mine.”

  “Almost as big as yours? I’ve got all the movies.” He put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Yeah, you have all the movies, but what about the television series? You don’t have any of them.” Ivy poked his side with her elbow.

  “Hey!” He pulled her closer to him. “Television series don’t count,” he said as he tickled her.

  “Yes, they do!” She laughed and tried wiggling away from him. “You’re just jealous because my video collection is bigger than yours.”

  “No. I’m not.” Ben tickled her again causing her to giggle even harder than before.

  “Stop. Please stop. I give,” begged Ivy. Her stomach hurt from laughing so hard. She looked up into Ben’s eyes and saw her own desires reflected in them.

 
; “You feel it too?” asked Ben.

  She nodded, afraid if she said something, it would break the mood or something stupid would come out of her mouth.

  A low growl erupted from deep within Ben’s chest. His lips descended up hers. The kiss wasn’t soft and gentle. It was hard and demanding. Ivy felt her body burst with need, and she wanted more. She returned his kiss with the same intensity and desire.

  Ben’s hand skimmed down her body, caressing her curves and leaving a trail of pure electricity that heightened Ivy’s desire even more than she thought was possible.

  The doorbell rang.

  The doorbell rang again.

  Ben reluctantly broke the kiss. He rested his forehead against Ivy’s. “I probably should see who’s at the door.” His voice was deeper than normal. It sounded almost like he was growling the words.

  Ivy struggled to get her breathing under control. Her heart beat wildly, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it, and from the low growl in Ben’s voice, she knew he heard it too. She cleared her throat. “You probably should. I bet it’s our food.”

  “Yeah, I should.” Ben stood and went to the front door.

  Ivy bit her bottom lip when she saw the bulge in his jeans. Holy sugar lumps! There’s no question about what he’s feeling! She groaned, wishing she could go take a cold shower. She definitely wanted him, but she needed to tell him about her being a witch. She just needed to find the right time.

  Ben closed the door and turned around. “Our food’s here.” He held up a plastic bag and gave it a little shake. “Pick a movie and start it while I get a couple of plates and set everything out on the coffee table.

  *****

  Two hours later, Ben turned off the second movie as the credits started to roll. He looked over at Ivy who was laying on the couch with her head in his lap. He gently stroked her soft hair.

  Our mate is here. We need to keep her here where she belongs, growled his bear.

  It has to be her choice, said Ben.

  We cannot protect her if she is not with us.

  Ben sighed. I know. We will do the best we can. We can’t force her to stay here.

  Not good enough, growled his bear. Want my mate here.

  I know. I know. But it will have to work for now.

  Ivy yawned and stretched. She blinked several times. “What time is it?” She asked as she sat up.

  “It’s almost ten. You dozed off about thirty minutes ago.”

  “I guess I had better go home.” Ivy looked around at the empty food cartons littering the coffee table. “I’ll clean this mess if you’ll bring me a trash bag.” She started stacking the empty cartons inside of each other.

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it later.” Ben took her hands in his.

  “I helped to make the mess. It will only take a few minutes to clear this before I go home.”

  “You could stay.” Ben brought her hands up to his lips.

  Ivy trembled. She wanted to stay, but he had to know the truth about her…about what she was. “Ben, there’s something you—”

  Ben’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his back pocket. “Great! Erica is the last person I want to speak to.”

  Ivy felt as if someone had just dropped a bucket of ice water on her. “You should take the call.”

  “It will be the only way to get her to quit calling,” said Ben. He pressed the accept button and walked across the room from Ivy.

  Ivy picked up her bag and looked at Ben. She waited for a few seconds, hoping he would turn around, but he didn’t. She bit her bottom lip to keep if from trembling, and blinked her eyes to keep the tears from falling. Well, this is a load of horse pucky! So much for actually wanting me. It was just the mating pull. She turned and walked out of his home and straight into hers.

  Once inside her kitchen, she made sure the door was locked, turned off the light and walked into her bedroom. She put on her nightshirt and climbed into bed. A few minutes later, there was a knock on her back door.

  Ignoring it, Ivy rolled over and pulled the blankets over her head. She cried herself to sleep.

  Chapter 8

  Well, this sure isn’t a picnic on a sunny beach! The longer Ivy carried the box, the heavier it grew. She stopped halfway to the front door of Durant Customs and adjusted her grip on the box. Her bag had slipped off her shoulder and was now wedged between her arm and the box, but she ignored it and the fact the bag banged against her legs each time she took a step. Maybe I should have asked one of the guys to carry this inside for me. She bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. Definitely not Ben though. It hurt to think he wasn’t really interested in her, that it was only the mating heat making her attractive to him.

  Life sucks and then you trip and fall, thought Ivy. She shoved aside the thoughts as best she could and focused her attention on making it into the building without tripping over her own two feet.

  Please don’t trip and fall. Please don’t trip and fall. Please don’t trip and fall. She repeated the phrase as she again started walking toward front door. The last thing she needed was to drop the box and spill the lunch she had cooked for the guys. Yeah, it was sealed in reusable containers, but they could still break open if they hit the ground just right, and lunch would be ruined.

  “Let me take that.”

  Ivy looked up and shook her head. “I’ve got it, but you can open the door.” She really didn’t want any help from Ben, but there was no way she could open the door unless she set the box down on the sidewalk.

  “Let me carry the box before you drop it,” said Ben.

  Ivy blinked her eyes. “I’m not completely helpless, and yeah, I may be a klutz, but I don’t plan to drop the box or to trip and fall. No one plans for those kinds of things. They are what most people call accidents.” If she hadn’t been holding the box, she would have made a set of air quotes when she said accidents. Ivy knew she didn’t sound very nice, but she didn’t feel like being nice to him, especially not after he took a phone call from a girlfriend during their date. It didn’t matter that their date was over. It was the fact they were mates and he was still taking phone calls from someone by the name Erica.

  Ben sighed.

  Our mate is upset with you. She is smart. She does not like Erica either. Take the box and make things right with our mate, growled his bear.

  You’re right. Our mate is stubborn. Ben stared at Ivy. She was beautiful, but extremely stubborn.

  She is finally speaking to us.

  If you can call, ‘putting us in our place’ talking to us, said Ben.

  “Well? Are you going to hold open the door, or should I open it myself?” Ivy tapped her foot as she spoke to him.

  Without saying a word, Ben opened the door.

  “Thank you.” Ivy took two steps and tripped on the WELCOME mat. “Fiddle sticks!” She stumbled a couple of steps. Ben grabbed her shoulders to steady her just as she regained her balance. “You can let go. I’m good.” She wiggled her shoulders.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry the box?” he asked.

  “I told you I’ve got it.” She straightened her back and walked across the room to the desk.

  Ben watched her walk around the desk and into the break room. His shoulders sagged under the weight of his grouchy bear and Ivy’s indifference toward him. He wondered how much longer Ivy was going to punish him for his lapse of good judgment. Yet, he couldn’t fault her. He should not have answered Erica’s phone call. It would have been better for everyone if he had ignored it, because now Erica thought there was a chance they would get back together. But the worse part was the fact that Ivy was hurting because of him and he had no idea what to do to fix it.

  “You really screwed up.” Hank walked over to where Ben was standing. He planted his feet and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “That’s an understatement.” Ben sighed as he shook his head.

  Hank stared at the younger man. “If you honestly care about Ivy, and I me
an truly care for her beyond the mating pull, you need to fix the problem between you two and fast. If you let it go on for much longer, you may find yourself without your mate.”

  “I know I need to fix things between us, but that’s the first time in a week, she has actually spoken to me.” Ben ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know how she’s managed to avoid me as much as she has.”

  The corners of Hank’s mouth turned up for a couple of seconds and then disappeared. “She is very good at it.”

  “But?” Ben looked at Hank.

  “But I’m tired of the sad drama, and I’m tired of smelling the pain Ivy is in, so do something to fix the problem. I think of Ivy as a little sister. My bear is ready to crush the one who is causing Ivy all the pain she is in. So fix the problem before my bear becomes to cranky to deal with.” Without another word, he turned and walked into the garage.

  He is right. You need to make things better. I do not like seeing out mate upset, and I do not like smelling her pain, growled Ben’s bear. It took a swipe at Ben’s insides with its massive paw.

  Would you quit that. I know Hank is right. Ben squeezed the back of his neck. I don’t like that she is hurting any more than you do,” said Ben. He also smelled the pain coming from her. it was hard to deal with because he knew he was the one who caused it.

  Then make Ivy happy again. I want my mate. The beast butted its massive head against Ben’s ribcage causing him to grunt for the force.

  Ben rubbed his chest. Yeah, I want my mate too.

  The business telephone rang, and in seconds, Ivy emerged from the workroom and answered the phone. “Durant Customs, how can I help you?” While she listened to the person on the phone, Ivy glanced at Ben. She blinked several times before she turned around, presenting him with her back.

  Ben bit back a growl. He didn’t want to add to the pain he had seen reflected in her eyes. His priority was Ivy. He just had to convince her that he really cared about her. Reluctantly, he walked to the garage to get his day started.