Undressed By His Arrogance

Joey’s face barely changed.

"Good night, Mr. Kane," Joey said finally. He turned on his heel before Tom could pry deeper, before the man could dig his claws into their history.

As soon as Joey was out of earshot, Sylvia turned on her father. "You keep him out of this?" Joey’s cologne still lingered faintly in the air from where he had sat beside her, brushing her thighs, driving her crazy without even touching her.

Tom sat back lazily in his chair. "Why?" he asked, with that same cold, unbothered calm that had always made Sylvia feel like she was still ten years old, begging for his attention. "I am merely trying to protect House of Kane—of which he is the COO." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"No. That is not what you are doing." Her hands curled into fists at her sides. She hated how well he could disguise manipulation as duty. "Stay away from him."

Tom arched a brow, amused. "You have to make up your mind, Sylvia. How am I supposed to get him back for you if you ask me to stay away from him?"

Her chest tightened. She forced herself to breathe evenly. "I mean keep him out of your schemes."

"Sylvia, I need you to stop seeing me as evil. I am merely looking out for you—and for myself. Someday, you will understand." He rose, tall and imposing, before walking away.

*****

"What did you do?" Ivy gasped the moment she stepped through her front door. Her hands flew to her mouth as her wide eyes darted across the room. Just three days ago, her house had been a wreck—overturned furniture, shattered memories. Now it gleamed like new.

Curtains fluttered in the breeze, the scent of fresh paint still clung faintly to the walls, and every cushion sat perfectly in place.

She spun on Winn, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Winn... what did you do?"

"I fixed it up," he admitted, standing sheepishly behind her. His broad shoulders hunched ever so slightly, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. The contrast between his size and his nervousness made Ivy’s chest squeeze.

"Fixed it up? Winn, this is more than fixed. This is—" She gestured wildly to the room. "—this is brand new. Did you replace everything?"

He shrugged, cheeks tinting pink in a way that melted her heart. "Maybe a little. I wanted you to feel safe again. I didn’t want you to walk in here and see the ruins of what happened. I wanted you to see home."

"You... oh my God!" This was a transformation. The living room now looked like something pulled straight out of a glossy design magazine. Sleek lines, subtle elegance, textures that begged to be touched.

He had modernized everything, yet still left traces of her everywhere—her parents’ framed photographs restored and hung with care, her childhood picture in the corner carefully cleaned and re-framed. He had built her a future without erasing her past.

Winn cleared his throat from behind her, the gravel in his voice betraying both pride and nerves. "I paid off Flick too." The casualness of the statement didn’t disguise the weight of what he had done. "You don’t have to worry about your father’s debts anymore. He’ll be returning the deed to the house to you shortly."

Ivy spun around, her eyes wide, her hand instinctively pressed against her chest. Shock painted her face, her lips parted as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the right words. "Winn." And then—she stepped forward, almost stumbling in her urgency, and threw her arms around him.

Her cheek pressed against his chest, her body trembling with emotion she could no longer bottle up. "Oh my God, I love you."

The both of them stiffened instantly, as if lightning had cracked between them. The silence stretched—dangerous, electric, terrifying. Ivy’s breath caught, her heart shrieking in her ears. She had said too much. Too soon. She pulled back just enough to look up at him, panic flashing in her eyes. "I mean... I was going for ’thank you’."

She rushed the words out, her cheeks burning crimson.

Winn stood perfectly still. His eyes roved her face, searching, reading, daring her to take it back or own it. Did she even realize what she had just said? Did she understand the storm she’d unleashed? "Uh... I... I have a selfish reason for doing this."

"What?" Ivy said. Her nerves were still jangling from her slip. She was almost kicking herself in the ass—God, Ivy, could you have been more reckless? She rubbed her palms together as if to scrub the memory away, pretending interest in the gleaming new countertop instead of the man who made her pulse trip over itself.

"My dad did this." Winn shifted awkwardly, his broad shoulders tightening. "He was... um... looking for information on you." His pause was heavy, guilty, as though admitting it out loud made him complicit. "And... uh... I’m sorry."

Ivy raised her eyes to meet his, searching his expression for cracks. Her heart skipped, but her voice came out calm. "Do I need to be wary of him?" she asked, though she already suspected the answer.

"Yes. Yes, you should," Winn admitted without hesitation, his jaw clenching. He stepped closer, his hand brushing hers. "He has a weird definition of what a parent should be. But I promise, he... I won’t let him hurt you." His eyes darkened, fierce, protective in a way that made Ivy’s chest tighten.

"I’m a big girl, Winn. I can handle myself." She tilted her chin, trying to mask the shiver that ran down her spine. She wanted to believe it, to be the woman who didn’t need saving.

Not against Tom Kane, you can’t, Winn thought bitterly, though he didn’t dare say it out loud. He could shield her from his father’s worst storms, but Ivy’s pride wouldn’t let her see herself as vulnerable.

"This is..." Ivy turned in a slow circle, taking in the house again, the way the rooms breathed new life, the way her parents’ restored photos sat like blessings on the wall. "This is beautiful, Winn. Thank you."

@Zabean555, @Saumayn: You get to ask any question you want. About this book, other books or the author. Just one question each.