Undressed By His Arrogance

"You are my miracle," Winn murmured. "You walked into my chaos and made it make sense."

"I like this side of you," Ivy said with a soft laugh. "It’s... kind of sexy, actually."

"The stupid-in-love side?" Winn grinned, his dimples flashing. "Yeah, me too."

Ivy laughed. "Well, Mr. Kane, you wear ’stupid’ very well. Might even make it fashionable."

He groaned playfully. "And in two days, the whole city will know how stupid I am."

Her laughter faded into a fond smile as she looked up at him. "We can be stupid together," she whispered.

They began walking back toward the main house, hand in hand, their shadows stretching long behind them as the evening deepened. Jasper trotted happily beside Ivy, occasionally nudging her hand with his nose as if claiming his share of affection.

Winn stole glances at her as they walked.

"You know what Gramps did to ensure I get married?" Winn said. Ivy’s hand rested lightly in his, their fingers loosely intertwined.

"What?" she asked, arching a brow.

"He added a clause to the reading of his will," Winn said, shaking his head, grinning despite himself. "It cannot be read until I am married." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Ivy burst out laughing. "So, he made sure everyone else would keep bugging you even after he was gone."

"Yup!" Winn chuckled. "He was devious that way."

"Smart man!" she teased.

Winn stopped walking for a moment and turned to her. His gaze softened, that familiar warmth settling in his eyes — the one that always made her heartbeat skip.

"He would have loved you, spoiled you endlessly. You would’ve been his second princess. Sylvia is the first, of course — she has him wrapped around her finger — but you..." He trailed off, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. "You’d have stolen his heart completely."

Ivy smiled wistfully. "You talk about him like he’s still here."

"In some ways, he is," Winn murmured. "He’s in every bit of this place. Every lesson he ever taught me. Every time I screw up and then hear his voice in my head calling me an idiot."

They reached the steps leading up to the doors of the mansion. Ivy hesitated, her fingers tightening around his. "I can’t stay, Winn. I would love to, but I can’t."

"Why not?"

"The wedding is in two days," she said softly. "I have to be up very early tomorrow morning. Trish is meeting me at home to finalize everything." She groaned, shaking her head.

"Oh, come on," Winn protested, leaning closer. "You can’t leave me here all alone with Jasper. He’s terrible company."

Jasper, following a few feet behind, let out a single offended bark.

Ivy laughed, reaching down to give the golden retriever an affectionate pat. "He’s the best company you’ll ever have. Much better behaved than you."

"Excuse me," Winn said, mock indignation in his tone. "I’m a delight."

She pursed her lips, a little sadly this time. "I can’t see you until the wedding."

He exhaled dramatically. "Fine. I will bask in the comfort that in two days, you are all mine. Completely. Legally. Eternally. Mine."

Ivy’s heart squeezed at the possessive tenderness in his tone. She tilted her head up and kissed him. Her hands slid up his chest, feeling the strength beneath the fine fabric of his shirt.

"I love you, Winn Kane," she whispered against his lips, breathless.

He smiled, resting his forehead against hers. "Say it again."

"I love you."

"Once more," he murmured, brushing his nose against hers, his thumb tracing lazy circles at her waist.

"I love you," she whispered, smiling now, because she knew what he was doing — memorizing it.

"How about a quickie?" Winn leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear.

"Oh my Lord!" Ivy rolled her eyes, pressing a hand to his chest to push him away, but she couldn’t stop the smile creeping across her lips. "You’re incorrigible."

Winn laughed. "Go, before I get you in there and fuck you in all the rooms," he murmured. The gleam in his eye was pure mischief, but the edge of hunger there wasn’t—he meant every word, and she knew it.

"So, you’re staying here?" she asked, tilting her head, trying to steady her breath.

"Joey thinks this will be a good venue for a bachelor’s party," he replied casually, slipping his hands into his pockets as if he hadn’t just suggested ravishing her across every piece of furniture in the house.

Ivy raised a brow, lips quirking. "You’re having a bachelor’s party?"

"Well, yeah," Winn said, shrugging with a sheepish grin. "Thirty-seven years of being single finally comes to an end. I think I deserve one last night of freedom."

"Freedom," she repeated slowly, eyes narrowing as she folded her arms. "What kind of party is this, exactly? Will there be strippers?"

He froze, that guilty flicker crossing his features. "Oh, okay. I...uhm..." He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I don’t know. Joey’s planning it all. But I will inform him—no strippers. How about that?"

Ivy leaned in, feigning seriousness, but her eyes gleamed with playful danger. "It’s fine," she said. "You can have strippers. You’re just not having them for the rest of your life."

Winn clutched his chest dramatically. "Ouch! You wound me!"

She smirked. "It’s called being married. Besides..." She stepped closer, her fingers tugging at his tie. "I can be your stripper."

That did it. His throat worked visibly as his imagination clearly betrayed him. "Okay, you’re pushing it. Stop putting images in my head and go," he growled, giving her ass a light smack that made her yelp and laugh.

Her laughter lingered even as she made her way down the stone steps toward the waiting car. Reese stood by the door, ever composed as Ivy approached.

Behind her, Winn stood watching her every move. He waved as the car started to pull away. He should’ve gone with her.

As the car disappeared down the long gravel drive, the world around him suddenly felt too still.

"Yeah, Gramps," he muttered. "I’m screwed."

Two more days.