Wrong Flirt, Right Trouble: His Uncle Pulls Me Close

Ivy Sherwood tried to pull her hand back, but Quentin Blackwood held it tight.

”Let go. I’m going to make some coffee.” Ivy Sherwood was desperate to escape, but Quentin Blackwood yanked her back.

Quentin had been sitting in his chair, and since there wasn’t much room, the force of his pull made Ivy land right in his lap.

With the two of them so close, Ivy could smell the cool scent of cedar on him.

”If you drink coffee now, you won’t be able to sleep later. If you’re tired, just go to bed. You can leave the work for tomorrow.”

Ivy said, ”I can’t. This work is too important. This is Iris’s first step in Aethelgard, and this partnership is crucial. The client is difficult to deal with, but if we can work with them, it will open up international channels for us. This is Iris’s first step onto the global stage, so I have to show that I’m serious.”

We’ve revised this proposal so many times, but they’re still not completely satisfied. I’ve even revised it twice myself, but they still feel like something is missing.

Ivy was taking this project very seriously. She’d heard that Thea Sherwood was also competing for it, and that Charlie Rhodes was helping her. If her team didn’t come up with a better proposal, the project would likely go to Thea.

”If the project is that important, you won’t be able to come up with a good plan when you’re this exhausted. You’d be better off getting some rest. Maybe inspiration will strike in the morning.”

”But I can’t sleep, and I can’t rest right now. I should just go make some coffee.”

Ivy tried to stand up, but Quentin kept his arm wrapped around her waist.

”What’s so great about coffee?”

”It just is, and I want some.” ’It’ll help me focus,’ she thought. ’My proposal needs to be finished as soon as possible, which means I have to work overtime. I might even have to pull an all-nighter tonight.’

”I just had some,” Quentin said.

”So?”

”This way, it’ll be like you had some, too.”

Quentin leaned in and kissed her. His lips and tongue still carried a slightly bitter taste. He always drank his coffee black, with no milk or sugar. Ivy didn’t like it that way; only now did she realize just how bitter it was.

”Mmph...”

It seemed Quentin’s kissing had become even more masterful. Under his touch, Ivy quickly melted into a puddle, not even realizing when she’d wrapped her arms around his neck.

And since she was already on his lap, it didn’t take long for her to feel his body’s reaction.

It had been too long since they had been this intimate. For him, tasting Ivy again was like an addict finally getting the one thing he craved most.

Ivy was completely dazed by his kiss, only snapping back to her senses when Quentin stood up, lifting her so she was suspended in his arms.

”Put me down, I still have to work.”

But Quentin simply said, ”It’s time to rest.”

”I don’t—” Ivy kicked her legs, trying to get down.

”Don’t move!”

As her legs swung, they inadvertently brushed against a certain part of his body. To Quentin, that unintentional movement was nothing short of a challenge.

He couldn’t even make it to the bedroom. Quentin stopped in his tracks, swept the files off the desk with one hand, and placed Ivy on top of it.

Ivy was about to get down, but Quentin stopped her with his arms.

Quentin planted his hands on the desk on either side of her, trapping Ivy in his embrace.

”I have to wor—Mmph...”

She hadn’t even finished the word ”work” before Quentin’s lips captured hers.

”Is work more important than me? Hmm? How long have you been ignoring me for your job?” the man asked, his voice turning harsh as his lips brushed against hers.

Ivy was speechless.

’Is he really going to be jealous of my work?’

”Of course you’re more important. I’m just trying to earn money to provide for you.”

”I’m easy to provide for. You don’t need to work yourself to exhaustion.”

”But I want to give you the best of everything in the world, too. I want to buy you lots and lots of things without ever looking at the price, just like you do for me.”

Though Ivy’s voice was quiet, her words sent a pang through Quentin’s heart.

’She wants to give me the best of everything in the world. Besides my mother, Ivy is probably the only person on earth who feels that way.’

When he was little, his mother had always saved the best for him. It wasn’t the best in the world, but it was the best she could get.

And now, Ivy was striving to give him the best, too.

It wasn’t that he lacked anything, but the fact that Ivy had the heart to do so was more than enough.

Ivy continued, ”I know I don’t have the right status or background. A lot of people probably think I’m not good enough for you standing by your side. That’s why I want to work hard to keep up with your pace, to be on the same level. So when people talk about Ivy Sherwood, they don’t just know me because of you.”

When you were with someone you loved, you were driven to better yourself. She could ignore what other people thought, but she herself felt that Quentin was just too exceptional. At least for now, she wasn’t as good as he was.

”I—Mmph...”

Before Ivy could finish, her lips were captured again as Quentin kissed her with fierce impatience.

There was none of the earlier tenderness in his actions; it was as if he wanted to devour her whole.

She had meant to persuade Quentin to let her go, but somehow she had ended up becoming his meal instead.

From the study to the bedroom and then to the bathroom, Quentin was exceptionally ardent tonight. Perhaps men his age were simply at their most vigorous. In a daze of passion, Ivy heard Quentin whisper in her ear, his voice low and magnetic, ”You don’t need to do all that. I already have the best in the world.”

With that, Quentin held Ivy tightly in his arms.

The tips of Ivy’s ears flushed a brilliant red. ’Did Quentin mean that *I’m* the best thing in the world?’

Ivy had originally planned to finish the project proposal overnight, but she ended up being so exhausted that she fell fast asleep.

While she and Quentin were on the desk in the study, her phone seemed to vibrate twice, as if someone had sent her a message, but Ivy hadn’t had a chance to check it.

When Ivy woke up, it was already the next day.

Summer was over, and the sun rose later now.

Ivy checked the time. It was a little after six, and the sky outside was just beginning to brighten. Quentin was lying beside her, apparently still asleep.

Ivy slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, careful not to disturb Quentin.

It was still early, so she had time to finish the proposal and send it to the client.

But after their intense night, her legs felt incredibly sore. When she first came to Aethelgard, Ivy had been taking pills for contraception, but when Quentin found out, he didn’t say anything, simply insisting on using protection from then on.

The only exception had been that first time in the hotel, right after she arrived in Aethelgard. They hadn’t used protection, and she’d been so busy for the next two days that by the time she finally took the morning-after pill, it was nearly three days later.

Ivy didn’t know if the pill had even been effective, but her body wasn’t showing any signs now. ’It was just that one time,’ she thought. ’It shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

She really couldn’t afford to get pregnant right now. She wasn’t ready to be a mother, and while she and Quentin were together, they were both incredibly busy.

Besides, what if Quentin didn’t even like children?