Number Neighbor Page 8

  “You’re all mine, Ivy, but in this life and in the bedroom, you own all of me. I’m at your mercy. You say when and you say how unless you want me to take control.”

  The complete trust and ownership he lays at my feet is enough to annihilate all doubt. “You own me, any way you want, in life and in the bedroom.” I repeat his words back to him and solidify our promise.

  “Good. Now do as I asked, baby.” He rarely calls me pet names like that, so when he does, it turns me into straight mush.

  “Yes, sir.” Climbing on the bed, I do exactly as my doctor told me to.

  Chapter 13

  Ivy

  * * *

  “Owen!” I scream when he slaps my inner thigh for trying to close my legs when he gets close to me. I assume the position, and he moves in on me so very slowly, like a lion stalking its prey.

  “Don’t hide your body, Ivy. That is a feat we’ve already conquered, and I will not allow you to backslide. You're beautiful, a work of art, and nothing—not a single inch of you—should be hidden.”

  “Tell me that then, Owen. I need reassurance. I need words,” I confess.

  “Dirty talk, or just my words?” He circles my clit with a heavy hand, the pressure so raw and good I can’t help but moan loudly.

  My whole body shivers. “Both. Oh! So good!”

  Then he slaps my clit hard, making me squeal in surprise. A wave of hot arousal floods my core, something I wasn't expecting, and I fly up, my hands barely holding me up as I scream his name. “Owen! Oh my—fuck!”

  He moves fast, dropping his mouth to my slit and eating it with an intensity so palpable that I roll into a fast-hitting orgasm. He's doing it. He's numbing my mind to anything other than the pleasure he can bring me.

  “Fuck. There it is,” he growls, making me quiver.

  I look down at him as he laps at me, licking, sucking, and fucking his tongue into me. It’s a sight that has my stomach tightening with a sensation I can’t express. Owen is a part of me now, and I know I can’t ever share what I am with anyone but him. I don't want to. I can’t. I refuse it. We are one now.

  “Wha—what? There’s what?” I have a handful of his hair, but I massage his scalp gently.

  “That natural scent, your creamy, luscious, wet cunt smell you tried to wash away. My favorite fucking scent that I own, Ivy.” He growls again, biting my clit, and I come again. And somehow I know that most of it came from his crude but extremely sexy words.

  He soothes me for a few minutes as my orgasm lasts longer this time, lapping at me softly, his eyes boring into mine, possessing me. My heavy-lidded eyes can’t seem to leave his, and I know this is part of him trying to fix me. Part of him trying to get me to look intimacy right in the eye and own it. To claim my own sexuality and share it with him.

  “I’m going to let you suck my cock, and then you’re going to let me put you to bed.”

  I nod, my eyes still slightly open and my core still clenching and pulsing. I roll to my stomach and lift myself onto my knees—well, attempt to. And the euphoria running through my veins spikes my confidence enough to joke, “You’ve turned me to mush. Dickmatized me.” I chuckle, and he slaps my ass before I turn to face him.

  “You’re funny. Sated and still sassy.” He smiles.

  “I like to believe I’m quite the lady.” I purse my lips, and he bites his bottom one.

  “You turn me on… so badly, so ferociously, Ivy. Now, be a good girl and undo my pants and pull out my cock. I won’t tell you what to do after that. You will learn and do what you want. I want to see you trust your sexuality.”

  “You’re giving me the control now?” I’m both nervous at the responsibility and excited.

  “Yes.” And like he promised he would, he says nothing else. Instead, he takes my hair and puts it behind my shoulders, barely grazing my skin but making my body shiver. Undoing his button first then his zipper, I gulp once and look up at him, hoping he will tell me what he wants, but he just gives me a dark, sexy grin.

  Please, let me do it right again, like I did in the exam room, I pray. My adrenaline was rushing so strongly then I don’t really remember what I’d done that made him come so easily.

  I pull his boxer briefs down and free his large, thick, veiny cock from its confines and choke on a breath. The first time stole my breath, but this second time stops my heart. I can only imagine what will happen any other time I see it.

  “Owen, I want to please you. I want to give you everything. You make me feel this need to share myself with you in a way that only you will ever get to see.” I lay out all my thoughts and feelings… and he says nothing, making that raw feeling so much more palpable and intense. All I can do is continue in order to fill the heavy silence. “I want you to own not just my body, but everything else. I don't want anyone seeing me the way you do. I want you to own my laughs.” I lift his shirt and kiss the deep left groove of his V. “I want you to own my secrets.” I kiss the right. “I want you to own the things that make me happiest.”

  I peer up, and he just watches me, his eyes casted down and his chin lifted in a most stoic and powerful way. It melts me. Destroys me.

  “I don’t want anyone to ever see me, touch me, or feel me the way you do,” I whisper with finality.

  He grips my hair then takes control, no words as he brings my mouth to his cock and pushes in brutally—but so fucking beautifully. “I will own all of those things and so much more. Suck my cock and show me those words actually mean something.”

  And then to my complete embarrassment, I start to cry, but his touch is so intense and filled with ownership I have wanted for so long I just can’t help it. The tears fall, and he knows they aren't sad ones or from the brute force in which he is making me suck his cock, but because I’ve completely surrendered myself to my love.

  “You look beautiful when you cry and suck my cock. Oh, fuck! Slow down, Ivy. I need you to take your time. Your hot little mouth is going to make me come.” He tilts my head and pushes deeper, his crown hitting the back of my mouth. My throat opens as best as it can to accommodate him. “I thought those pouty fuck-me lips couldn't look more beautiful, but one day you’ll see the way they look wrapped around my cock. One day, I’ll get you over your fears and I’ll record you sucking me off, me fucking every beautiful orifice of your body. You're going to learn how to fuck yourself on my cock and not just give me pleasure whenever I want it, but whenever you want it too, beautiful. Fuck. I’m going to come. Swallow it all, Ivy.”

  My desire to please him increases tenfold and I suction around him, giving him long, slow pulls. I flatten my tongue and let it rub rhythmically along the underside of his shaft, and he lets out a primitive growl, a moan that an alpha would make when they’re mating, staking their claim. And in this moment, I just want to have him inside me—taking my virginity and possessing me completely.

  “Ivy, damn it. I love you. You belong to me. Open your throat and take every drop.”

  My hair stands on end. He just said he loves me. Owen loves me. The man I love loves me back. And with a few more unsteady thrusts of his hips, he comes, his salty taste gliding down my throat. I moan, painfully aroused by the knowledge that I’m bringing him this much pleasure.

  When his tremors stop and I’m sure he's done, I slowly pull back, peering up at him. I use one finger and wipe the corner of my now swollen lips. “I—I love you too, Owen.”

  He grips my neck and tilts my head up, and there is something in his eyes I can’t quite explain. There seems to be a glimmer of sadness there, and I want to say something about it, but in this moment, perfect silence is what feels right. I will get it out of him tomorrow. I will dig deeper, but for now, I enjoy the feel of him tightening his grip on my neck as he softly pulls my ass from my calves to meet my lips to his in a demanding kiss. We do this for hours, long hours that pass too quickly until I fall asleep and wake to his absence.

  Chapter 14

  Owen

  * * *

  Today
.

  I have to tell Ivy today that I’m Hunter.

  I can’t wait any longer. I refuse to take her, to sink myself deep inside her virgin heat, until she knows the truth, until there is nothing on my conscience. So I must tell her today I’m her number neighbor.

  Never in my life have I felt guilty, especially when it came to a woman. Of course, I’ve never wanted to spend more than one night with a female before. It was the watching, the chase I always enjoyed. And once I figured her out and got what I wanted, the appeal dissolved. I had no use for her any longer, so it was on to the next.

  But not Ivy. Never Ivy. The more and more I discover about her, the more I want to keep her. Always. I know in my heart my desire for her will never disappear. I’ll never get enough of her. She is the very reason I breathe. Without her, I’d have no reason to exist. We are meant to live this life together, and I refuse to get any further into our relationship without it being free and clear of all deception. From the moment I tell her the truth and then on, there will never be anything but honesty between us.

  Me: Any update on the good doctor?

  I know, I know. I shouldn’t be using Hunter as a way of digging into Ivy’s feelings about me, but I’m addicted to how open she is when she thinks she’s speaking to someone she’ll never meet. I can only hope she’s this way with me once we become more familiar with each other.

  There’s a soft knock on my office door and then it opens just as my text notification goes off, and I see my beauty walk in. The tone is still ringing out as she closes it behind her, her eyes landing on my cell as I quiet it and put it in the top drawer of my desk.

  “I came to see if you’d maybe… like to have lunch together today. I know you bring yours every day, so I made sure to pack mine too, so we could um… eat together,” she gets out, and I smile.

  “I’d love that,” I reply, spinning around in my rolling chair to grab my lunch from the mini fridge behind my desk. I pull the meal prep out of its bag, take the lid off, and place it in the small microwave on top of the fridge. Setting it to heat for one minute, I push start. But nothing happens.

  I glance over my shoulder as Ivy takes a seat on the other side of my desk, feeling her closeness like a physical thing, before trying to start the microwave again. I push the button over and over, but nothing happens.

  Her quiet voice comes. “Maybe it’s like a cell phone. Just turn it off and then back on again.”

  I chuckle, but stand and unplug it from the wall before plugging it back in and trying to start it once more. But it still doesn’t work.

  Ivy stands from her seat, reaching out her hand. “I can go heat it up for you in the break room if you’d like?”

  My first instinct is to tell her no, that I’d just eat it cold so I wouldn’t have to be without her for even a moment. But seeing the sweet look on her face, the one that shows me exactly what her words said in her text about wanting to be helpful and please me, I give in.

  “Thank you. That would really help me out,” I tell her, and the smile that spreads across her face could light up this entire block. She takes the container and leaves my office.

  Knowing I have at least a minute before she comes back, I read the text she sent before coming in. She must’ve sent it right outside my door for the notification to go off as she entered.

  Ivy: I’m going to see if he’ll have lunch with me. Wish me luck!

  Me: You’ve got this!

  I smile to myself, reading back through our past messages, when another one comes in just as I shut it off again, the text tone ringing out.

  Ivy: He said yes! And even let me heat his lunch up for him when his microwave wouldn’t work.

  I go to respond, but hear something from the front of my office. I look up to see Ivy standing in the open doorway, and it’s then I realize she’d left it open on her way out to the break room.

  Her eyes narrow as she tilts her head to the side, my meal in one hand and her cell in the other. I watch, my heart pounding in my chest as her thumb slides across her screen, unlocking her phone. She hits one button… then another, and my eyes close in defeat as my phone rings in my grip.

  But that must not be enough for her. When I open my eyes again, her face is full of disbelief. She moves her thumb along the touchscreen once more then pulls it up to her ear, calling Hunter’s number for the very first time.

  And when my cell starts blaring, all I can do is answer it, holding it up to my ear and murmuring, “Let me explain.”

  Chapter 15

  Owen

  * * *

  She's gone.

  She dropped my food to the floor, the sound echoing much like the hollow sound my heart makes when she leaves me.

  It takes me a minute to sprint into action. Finally, I open my drawer, grab my wallet and keys, and take off after her. That’s all I can do, and I curse myself for not fucking telling her when I had the damn chance.

  “Cancel my afternoon! I’m not feeling well,” I bite out at Jenika, not stopping when she asks me to wait. I have one mission, and that is to get to my Ivy.

  Fuck. I felt nothing but defeat over my utter betrayal toward her when she looked up at me, broken and abused by my manipulation. And I deserve all the wrath she’s bound to release on me. She is peeling out of the parking lot as I slide into my Audi, already running thanks to the push of a button on my fob, and I take off after her. I take note of the dark clouds that have formed in the sky above, and I pray they don’t open up and storm down on us while she’s driving so upset.

  I hit her name on my dash as I weave in and out of cars, keeping my eye on hers just a few vehicles ahead of me. “Pick up, Ivy. Fuck, pick up!” I curse when she takes a sharp turn and the car in front of me slams on his brakes, leaving me even farther behind. I maneuver quickly, swerving out from behind the stopped car and speeding in front of him, cutting him off, and paying no mind to his loud horn.

  I call and call. Over and over again from my phone—well, Hunter’s phone—and get nothing. I do it the whole way until I’m pulling up in front of her place. She is getting out of her car, and I barely throw mine in Park before climbing out, almost reaching her. But she was too far ahead of me and is able to slam the door shut and lock it just as I hurl both fists into it and growl, “Ivy! Fuck, baby. Come on and let me explain. I know you will understand. Don't push me out.”

  In this moment, I realize just how much she owns me. I’m weakening like putty in her hands and then pooling at her feet. Something so out of character for a man of my stature and pride. I don't chase or grow weak for women. It’s the other way around. But for my sweet Ivy, it’s all the complete opposite.

  “Ivy. Let me in.”

  “No! You betrayed me. I… I trusted you,” she sobs from the other side of the wood.

  A sharp pain sears through me and my voice lowers. “I know. I fucked up. I let you down, but you don’t understand the man I am and what you fucking do to me, lovely. I’m fucking crazy about you. Ivy, I would do anything for you. I would fucking kill for you.” The last part comes out in a dangerous growl, an edge to my voice.

  “Owen… please. I can’t.” Her resolve is shattering, and I see the small window I have to explain it all and trap her in my hands. “Go to your bedroom window, baby. I promise to make you forgive me.”

  She doesn't say anything, and I place my ear to the door to listen. A long, pregnant pause goes by before I hear her floorboards creaking under her feet as she moves to the bedroom. I move fast, the rain that threatened to fall now coming down in pouring waves and soaking me within seconds. I round her house and come to the side where her bedroom window is.

  She stands in the center of the room, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, protecting herself. That hurts. I caused her that fear and vulnerability she’s feeling, when I should be the one in there holding her together and bringing her back to solid ground.

  I take a minute to catch my breath, and once it evens out, I take slow steps toward her wi
ndow, and her red, teary eyes watch me like I watch her. “I’m not a sane person when it comes to you, Ivy. You make me fucking crazy. You've turned me into the type of man a woman should fear.”

  I see her throat move, a hard swallow as she visibly trembles. A fresh wave of tears begins to fall, but I know what they are. They aren't tears of heartbreak. They’re tears of understanding and fear. Ivy knows what I mean, because like she told me when she thought I was Hunter, she would do anything to catch and keep me.

  “I’ve stalked you, lovely Ivy. Every fucking night for months, I have sat outside your window and watched you, craved you, desired you.” I’m now at the glass pane, my large hand rising to press my palm against it as the rain drenches me, rivulets falling from my hair down my face. “I knew what my desire for you could do, and I had to make sure you were ready. I had to get into that beautiful fucking head, Ivy. I had to. I love you, and if you try to push me out, you will regret it. I won’t stop. I will follow you anywhere you go and make sure you always remember you are mine. Do you get that? Do you see why I had to do it this way?”

  She tightens her grip and nods. I see her lips move, and it reads a whimpered yes.

  “I bought the house next to you. I watched you and learned who you were. I fell in love with you and you became mine. Unlock this window and let me apologize to you. Let me show you what my love and obsession can be like. Please open the window, baby.”

  She waits, the last thread of resistance hanging there. After what is only a few moments but feels like hours, she takes slow, hesitant steps. Right when she reaches the window, she raises her hand to unlock it… but stops and stands back.

  No. Please! That ounce of hope I had moments ago is fleeting. I can’t lose her.

  “Ivy.”

  “No. You watched me, because you wanted me. Now I want you to feel the pain of what I felt when I found out you lied.” Her voice is just loud enough for me to hear as it elevates.