“Purely platonic, of course,” Ivy added, internally chastising herself. Did he think she wanted him to do something else? That wouldn’t be good. Crap. He probably thought she was desperate and throwing herself at him.
“Of course,” Jack said, chuckling lightly even though the sentiment didn’t make it all the way up to his eyes. “I would love to stay here with you – even if you torture me with platonic threats – but I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll probably be restless. You won’t get any sleep if I stay here.”
“I’m not sure you should be alone.”
Jack rested his forehead against Ivy’s. “We both know I won’t be alone when I finally fall asleep.”
“WHAT took you so long?” Ivy forced a smile as she handed Jack a fruity drink – complete with brightly colored umbrella – and reclined in her lounger.
Jack glanced around the sunny beach locale, confused. “What are we doing here?”
“Well, I knew you were going to pick a dark space to flog yourself in – huh, that could go to a dirty place if I’m not careful – so I decided to pick a nicer spot for you to beat yourself … wow, my head really isn’t in a good spot right now.” Ivy’s smile was rueful.
Jack smirked. He couldn’t help himself. The police officer’s death was eating away at him, and even though he knew this was a dream world Ivy concocted to drag him away from the real world, he couldn’t help but be relieved that she took the destination choice away from him. He took the drink and settled in the open chair next to her. “I’m sorry I left you with dirty thoughts,” he said, sipping the fruity concoction and making a face. “What is that?”
“Sex on the beach.”
Jack pursed his lips. “You want me bad,” he said, resting the drink on the ground next to him. “If it’s any consolation. I regretted not staying the night with you – platonic or not – the second I left your place.”
“I know.”
She had absolutely no ego problems, and Jack found that refreshing. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” Ivy replied. “I just wanted a bright spot with a beach. I’ve never seen the ocean except for movies. It’s probably from a movie.”
“I guess I’m going to have to take you to the ocean one day, huh?” Jack asked, reaching out with his left hand to capture hers and bring it to rest against his chest. Whether he realized it or not, he was putting her hand over the exact spot where his own gunshot scars remained.
“I would love to see the ocean one day,” Ivy said. “I’ve always dreamed of taking a cruise.”
“Well, I’m not big on boats, but if you promise to wear a bikini, I could probably get behind that.”
Ivy made a face. “Do I look like the type of woman who wears a bikini? I don’t even own a bathing suit.”
Jack was puzzled. “You can swim, though, right?”
Ivy nodded.
“If you don’t own a bathing suit, how do you swim?”
Ivy shrugged, a mischievous smile playing at the corner of her lips. She was always bolder in their dreams. “There’s a small lake about a mile away from my house,” she said. “When it gets really hot, I usually wait until dark and then go skinny-dipping by myself.”
Jack’s heart rate increased at the thought. “Well, we’re definitely doing that together.”
Ivy snickered, enjoying their closeness for a moment before sobering. “Did Tim give you a name for the officer who died?”
“Mark Dalton.”
Ivy racked her brain for a moment, coming up empty. “I don’t know him.”
“How do you know Tim? He’s a real douche, by the way. If you’re about to tell me you had a crush on him in high school I’m going to pretend you’re not talking.”
“I definitely didn’t have a crush on him in high school,” Ivy replied, rolling her eyes. “He asked me out a few times … and I told him no.”
“That’s my girl.”
Ivy hated the pleasurable roll of her heart when Jack referred to her as “his girl” and forced herself to focus on something more important. “I’m sorry this happened to you, Jack. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. Seeing him on the pavement like that … it must have reminded you of what you went through.”
Jack swallowed hard. “I froze for a second on the street,” he admitted. “You could’ve been hurt because I forgot my training.”
“Oh, get over yourself,” Ivy muttered. “You didn’t freeze. You threw me against the wall of the pizza shop and covered me with your own body. You were ready to sacrifice yourself to keep me safe.”
“But … .”
Ivy cut him off. “I was there, too,” she said. “You protected me at great risk to yourself. Don’t think I didn’t notice. I didn’t appreciate it either. I can take care of myself.”
Jack frowned. “Excuse me for living!”
Ivy tried to hide her smile, but ultimately lost the battle. “Next time we’re shot at I’m going to throw myself on top of you and shield you with my body. How do you like that?”
Jack shrugged. “I didn’t hear a word of that sentence after you admitted you were dying to throw yourself on top of me.”
“You’re such a pervert.”
“Says the woman who keeps offering me sex on the beach.”
They relaxed into the dream, their banter keeping things from getting too deep. It was the one thing Jack needed, so Ivy gave it to him without reservation. The real world could wait until morning.
Three
“You look a little tired this morning, daughter. Were you out playing with your new boyfriend last night? Do I need to have a talk with him regarding your beauty sleep?”
Michael Morgan didn’t bother trying to hide his smile the next morning as Ivy greeted him at the nursery gate with a scowl.
“Ha, ha,” Ivy said, rolling her eyes. “You leave Jack alone. He had a rough night.”
“Oh, that’s always what
