Chapter 7

"Well he's a pleasant fellow." Commented Michael when they were on dance floor.

Ivy didn't reply to Michael verbally. Instead she opted for a less traditional dance hold and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Michael, knowing that Ivy was hurting, wrapped his arms tightly around her back and lowered his head to whisper soothing words into her ear. Michael loved Ivy, but only as sister and his heart ached for her. "It's okay Sweet. He didn't hurt my feelings and besides you should be happy he made the remarks to me."

Ivy jerked her head back to look at Michael in disbelief. "What do you mean I should be happy? He has no right to be disrespectful to you or to any other man I'm close to."

Michael shook his head and smiled into her lovely, sad face. "He was defending his territory Sweet. I would kill to have a man so wrapped up in me that he became jealous without cause." Michael's voice was just mocking enough to make Ivy laugh.

"Michael you are terrible." Ivy laughed as she pulled his beautiful head back to her neck. "And since we're talking about men. A little birdie told me that Carlos is coming tonight and that his anorexic date has left him."

Michael tried to lift his head, but Ivy twisted her fingers in his curly hair, effectively trapping him. "Ivy you're not planning to keep me here all night are you? After all it would be cruel to leave Carlos alone in his time of need."

Ivy could feel Michael smile against her neck as he spoke. "No, I won't keep you. Just stay with me for a little longer. I don't get to see you very often and I miss our late night ice cream talks." She felt him kiss her neck affectionately and tighten his hold as they simply enjoyed each others company.

Nikolai stood across the room with his back against the wall and watched with hooded eyes as Ivy and Michael pressed their bodies closer together. He has to get himself under control, he mused as he ran a hand through his hair making it stick up a little.

Cole approached Nikolai and crossed his arms across his broad chest as he stood next to him. "Staring at them isn't going to help." Cole offered.

Nikolai grunted in response, but continued his loathing of the young blond man holding tightly onto what was his. His brows knit together as he realized the direction his thoughts were taking. His. Where the hell had that come from? "If I take one step towards them I can't guarantee that you won't need to hire someone to clean up the blood that will spill."

Cole had known Nikolai for nearly twenty years and even though he had thirteen years on the other man he couldn't ask for a better friend. "Well, that would put a damper on things. I suggest you try doing something a little less violent and a lot more polite." Cole said to himself as much as to Nikolai. After all he had been forced to stand back and watch Sine be traded from one man's arms to another.

Nikolai turned to look at Cole with serious eyes. "What do you suggest? That I walk over there, tap on his shoulder and ask if I could cut in?" Nikolai's voice was gruff with anger.

"That my friend is exactly what I suggest." Cole replied as his eyes caught and held Sine's captive. "In fact I'm going to take my own advice right now." Cole pushed away from the wall and walked straight to the woman who made his body throb.

Nikolai watched in disbelief as Cole walked past his wife and straight to Ivy's tall friend. "Well if he can do it I guess it won't hurt me." Nikolai mumbled to himself as he walked towards the entwined couple before him.

"Don't look now, but your caveman is heading this way and he doesn't look too pleased." Michael's voice muffled in Ivy's neck.

Ivy's body tensed as she sensed Nikolai standing just over her shoulder. Her hands reflexively fisted tighter in Michael's hair causing him to quickly move his hands from her back and grab her wrists.

Nikolai growled possessively when he saw Michael grip Ivy's wrists. "Excuse me, I think you have had her long enough. It would be my pleasure to take over from here." The words were spoken through clinched teeth.

Ivy realized she was pulling Michael's hair when he gripped her wrists tightly. She sent him an apologetic smile as she released him from her punishing grip. "Is that your way of asking me to dance?" Ivy said as she turned towards Nikolai.

Nikolai bit back the burning comment on his tongue and tried for some patience. "I'm sorry if that seemed rude. Michael would you mind if I danced with Ivy?" Nikolai forced his voice to be calm.

"Well, I don't know. Ivy and I were just getting reacquainted, weren't we Sweet?" Michael said to a shocked Ivy. "Besides, Ivy's a big girl; she can make her own decisions." Ivy shook her head lightly at Michael as he tempted Nikolai to kill him where he stood.

Ivy took one look at Nikolai's enraged face and new that she had to get him away from Michael. "Of course I'll dance with you Nikolai." She said as she pushed Michael in a safer direction and walked to place her hand on Nikolai's tense arm.

After Michael walked away Nikolai looked down into the small face of the woman who was making him act like an idiot. Holding out his hand, Nikolai waited for her to slip her hand into his before he pulled her body close with a hand placed in the middle of her smooth back.

Ivy loved dancing like this. Her hand in his. Her other hand on his broad shoulder, while she absorbed the heat from the hand splayed wide on her back. Ivy felt herself being drawn into his now dark green eyes and soon everything around her faded into nothing.

"Do you love him?" Nikolai cursed himself the moment her asked and read the answer in her golden eyes.

"Yes." Ivy answered simply.

Nikolai's eyes lit with fiery anger at the thought of her loving anyone but him. "Are you playing some kind of game with me or are you always unfaithful to those you love?"

Ivy watched in amusement as Nikolai developed a tick in his jaw. "I am never unfaithful and I do hope to be playing a game with you very soon." Ivy sent him a seductive smile and allowed her caressing hand to creep into the hair at the back of his head.

Nikolai couldn't seem to get a grip on his emotions around her as he found himself going from anger to arousal from one second to the next. "You're playing with fire here Ivy. I suggest you explain quickly."

Ivy's eyes glittered with humor as she watched Nikolai struggle for control. "Well, you see I do love Michael and I always have. Except now I can tell everyone that I love him as a brother since his mother married my father. Besides that, he would be more interested in you than me anyway. And as for playing with fire. I have had to play with my own fire for the past week because of your teasing and now I'm hungry Niko. So hungry for the feel of you I ache." Ivy pulled Nikolai's head down as she spoke and buried her face in his neck as she slipped her other hand over the hard beat of his heart.

Nikolai felt her seductive words slide over his body and into his soul as he placed his now free hand on the back of her neck. He loved it when she became lost in him and called him Niko. He loved the sound of his name on her tongue period. Nikolai heard Ivy inhale deeply into his neck, even as he felt her hot tongue slip out to taste him causing him to moan. "God I want you." He whispered into her sweet vanilla smelling skin.

Ivy answered by slipping her hand inside his jacket and around his back where she set slowly rubbed. She felt the muscles in his back tighten and then his hand was sliding slowly down her bare back which raised goose-bumps of her sensitive flesh. "Please Niko. No more teasing, I can't take anymore. I need you." Ivy whispered against his hot neck even as she nipped at him with her teeth.

Nikolai sent his hand further down her down her silky back until his fingertips were sliding under the soft fabric of her gown where he set up a slow rub of his own. As Nikolai let his fingertips glide over her he could hear her breathing quicken and her heart pound against his chest. "This is how I do things Ivy. I won't be rushed. It will be so much better for you if you let me draw it out slowly, making you hotter and more desperate than you have ever been. Will you do this? Will you give yourself over to me completely Ivy?" Nikolai's voice becoming a deeper baritone as his own arousal spiked at the thought of her body splayed open for his pleasure.

The sound of Nikolai's deep timber caused Ivy's womb to clinch in anticipation, even as she felt a warm gush of slick fluid as her body prepared for him. She knew that there was something important behind Nikolai's question, but she mind was too fogged by the scent and feel of him. "Yes. Anything. Just do something." Ivy was on the verge of either begging him or climbing up his body and taking him right where they stood.

Nikolai pulled back from Ivy's sweet smelling skin and looked into her desire laden eyes. "Show me the gardens Ivy." Nikolai commanded as he unwrapped her hands from his neck and back.

Ivy couldn't understand why he would want to see the gardens at this moment, but she obeyed him anyway and moved towards the open French doors which led to the moonlit gardens.

Once outside in the fresh night air Ivy's mind began to clear from the lust that had moments ago made her forget that they were not alone while dancing. See looked at him slightly embarrassed by her behavior. "I don't normally act like this." She confided quietly.

"I didn't think you did. It pleases me greatly that I make you forget yourself." Nikolai smiled as he gripped the back of her neck and rubbed his thumb across her lower lip causing her to open her mouth and gently suck on him. His thoughts immediately went to her wrapping her hot little mouth around his throbbing cock as she nibbled on his thumb. "God what you do to me." Nikolai whispered as he removed his finger from her hot mouth.

Ivy suddenly remembered his request to see the gardens, so she took his hand and led him away from the noise of the party.

They walked quietly, still hand in hand around the moonlit gardens when she came to stop by a large willow tree. The tree had been her hiding place as a child with its branches drooping carelessly to the ground, hiding her from the outside world.

Ivy smiled slyly at Nikolai as she released his hand and walked away from him and into the cover of the tree. There she slowly circled the great tree truck with her hand running along its rough bark as Nikolai pushed through the protective layer provided by the tree.

"I would play here as a kid. I even ran away from home and hid here for an entire day before mom found me." Ivy held her hand out to Nikolai and waited for him to take it. "Look at this. I carved this when I first met Michael in the first grade." She said pointing to the M + I Forever as she smiled as the memory.

Nikolai stood behind Ivy and wrapped his arms around her slender waist as he studied the crooked lettering. "So it's your fault he like men. You scared him away from girls." Nikolai teased as began kissing Ivy's neck.

His hot lips brought a moan from Ivy's mouth and she tilted her head to give him better access to her fevered skin. "I want you here Niko. I can't wait anymore." Ivy said as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and ground her soft backside against the proof of his arousal.

Nikolai's breath caught at the feel of her softness against him as his hands splayed against her trembling belly and slowly drew the up over her ribs where he paused with his thumbs softly rubbing the underside of her heaving breasts. "You must give me control Ivy. Once we start there is not going back. Do you understand?" As he spoke he slid his hands further up gently skimming her tightened nipples as he traveled her arms until he was tightly encircling her wrists and placing them on a low hanging tree branch.

"Don't move". Was whispered into her ear as she felt the slow slide of his tongue trace the shell of her ear before his lips left a moist trail down her neck, where he scrapped her flesh with his teeth.

As she stood there gripping tightly onto the branch, Nikolai was wrapping her heavy hair around his wrist as he continued tasting her. As his mouth reached the clasp behind her neck his free hand slid slowly up her hip until he was unclasping the gown.

Ivy pushed back harder against Nikolai as her breasts were bared to his ever wondering hands. Ivy turned her head in order taste Nikolai as he circled her sensitive nipples with his fingertips. Ivy could no longer contain the sounds of distressed pleasure that was tore from her as his firm fingers enclosed on her nipples and pinched as he twisted slightly.

Nikolai felt Ivy's body continual trembling as she rubbed against him and he knew that she was close to coming. He wanted to hear her scream as he tortured her flushed body and so he continued punishing her hard nipples as he whispered in her ear. "Come for me Ivy. I want it from you now."

Ivy bit her lip to keep from screaming as Nikolai pulled and twisted her nipples until they were burning. She felt as if her body was going up in flames and lost the battle of keeping quite when she heard the command from Nikolai's strong voice.

Nikolai held tight as Ivy tensed in his arms and cried out her pleasure into the night air. He felt her body slowly relax and he was encouraged to see that she retained her death grip on the branch above her head. "That's my good girl." Nikolai praised softly in her ear as he unzipped and carelessly stripped the gown away from her body. "I'm going to taste you now baby. I have been dreaming of feasting on your pussy since I first saw you." Nikolai smiled as he felt her answering shudder.