This was a side of Ivy he was not used to seeing. She was a naturally submissive creature full of humility and forgiveness, but now she was stern, adamant and definitely unmoved. She looked at him with a downcast stare that burned through his heart and his thoughts. She was untouchable sitting on her self-righteous pedestal of blame. Only she could will herself to love him at this point. He had no more power over her. The sheer thought of the situation turned him on so, he had to direct his eyes from her wet body clinging to the sheets.
“What do you want, baby? Do you want me to cry?” As he looked up at her, tears ran down Grey’s cheeks. He would play a different card and grovel for this new creature; find a more conniving way to make her submit. “Do you want me to beg? I will. If it will bring you back to me, I will. You can have to upper hand, because I don’t care about it. All I want is a chance to be with you again.”
Ivy swallowed hard. This wasn’t the same man that had broken her heart. Seeing a more compassionate side of Grey made Ivy forget her indifferent exterior. He really loves me, she thought to herself as she tried to maintain her stoic expression. Reasoning past his previous decision to leave her and break off their engagement, Ivy broke down her wall of doubt and smiled softly.
Taking her hand, he kissed the dampness of her skin. He had to go in for the kill now, or it would possibly be too late. “I know that I messed up, but I’ll do what ever it takes to make you happy.” Even for what she didn’t know, he begged for forgiveness. He was sure that he could never tell her what he had done, but to hear her say that she forgave him made him know that he could bring closure to the last month.
“Forgive me first,” Ivy said recalling her own actions. She felt a small tinge of guilt now that she was eye-to-eye with Grey. She would do anything to let sleeping dogs lay.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He couldn’t read her now for some reason.
“I shouldn’t have just run out. We could have talked about it and saved ourselves a month of misery and confusion.” Ivy caught herself immediately. What he did not know would not hurt either of them.
“Well then of course, I forgive you,” Grey said wiping the tears from Ivy’s eyes. “How could I not forgive you?”
“Grey, I love you. You have to know that by now,” she said tenderly. “But I can’t allow you to hurt me anymore.”
“I know it, baby. I was just being stupid, which I expect is no excuse, but believe me when I say I take all the blame. And I am willing to do what ever it takes to get you back in my life where you belong. And once I have you there, I won’t ever do this again.”
“All you have to do is ask,” she said holding his hand. “And mean it.”
“Take me back,” Grey said touching her face. “Let me back into your life.”
“Promise me that you won’t desert me ever again.”
Grey thought about her words for a moment wanting to be totally sincere in his promises. Yes, he had deserted her. He had left her alone to figure things out that she couldn’t possible understand.
“I promise to you and to God that no matter what we face in the future, I will never desert you again.” Grey meant it more than he meant anything that he had ever said to her.
“Well then, I’m all yours,” she said forgetting her anger. As she reached to put her other hand on his face, her sheet fell down on the floor.
“I want you so bad,” Grey said looking at her body. Even after being with a woman only hours before, he still longed to be with Ivy. It was something about the pleasure of being with her that drove him insane with lust. She was his little playground, unseen and untouched by the outside world.
“I don’t think that we should rush things.” Quickly, Ivy pulled the cover back over her body. She wasn’t sure what to do. Her eyes darted in desperation. Although she wanted Grey as much as he wanted her, she had just been with Nicola three days earlier. She was sure that he would detect it. There were small scratches on her back and her hips, passion marks on her inner thighs and the odorous smell of unfaithfulness on her spirit. Who wouldn’t see it? It was obvious to the world.
“We won’t rush,” Grey said pulling the comforter from her body. He would take her tonight if it was the last thing that he did.
“No,” Ivy whispered wincing away from his touch. “We shouldn’t.”
“Say that you’ll marry me, Ivy.” Grey held her softly by her moist waist. “Say that you’ll forgive me just this once, and let me make this up to you.” His words made Ivy forget Nicola, and she lay back in the bed as he moved closer to her.
“And if I do say it, then what?” Now face-to-face with Grey and breathing heavily, Ivy listened closely to him, inwardly begging for the right reply.
“Then, I’ll try my best to make you the happiest woman in the world.” Grey kissed her soft hands.
Ivy stopped Grey, and gazed at the anxious young man for a brief moment looking past his physical features for the first time in many years to the soul of him hiding behind his big bright brown eyes and lusty thoughts. It was there that she saw his sincerity lingering lonely and waiting for her to discover it. It was also there that she
