The Business Proposal

Chapter Twenty-One

Ivy woke to the sound of laughter, a common occurrence since her sister had been staying with them. She turned to look at the rumbled bed next to her and sat up, yawning.

She'd been sleeping in the guest bedroom with Faye under the ruse of wanting to be close to her like they used to back at her apartment. Faye had seemed to accept the explanation easily enough and thankfully over the course of the week there hadn't been any awkward moments or tough questions.

Pulling on her dressing gown, she padded downstairs, not surprised to see Ethan standing by the oven and her sister sat on a bar stool. The easy banter between the two warmed her heart.

"Hey Ivy, come on, Ethan's making pancakes." Faye called over to her, watching Ethan flip the pancake hungrily.

It hadn't taken Ethan long to realise that food was the way to Faye's heart. Especially with her love of sweet treats.

Ivy sat next to Faye, noticing the steaming cup of tea already made for her. The first sip chased away the sleep from her body and she let out a contented sigh that made Ethan chuckle.

Her sister dug into the plate of syrup covered chocolate chip pancakes Ethan put in front of her. Her eyes closed in pure bliss as the sugar kicked in.

Whilst Faye was distracted Ivy pulled Ethan down for a hurried kiss. Although she loved her sister dearly she had missed being close to him.

Every time she kissed him she expected the tingles of desire to ebb away, but they were still just as strong as the first time he'd held her.

"Ewww. Please, there are kids present."

At her sister's teasing, Ivy pulled away, but not before noticing the fire dancing in Ethan's eyes. A fire that promised so much more when they were finally alone and she felt her sex clench in anticipation.

She'd been thinking over Paige's words and had concluded that she was right. If Ethan was going to be her husband, then she may as well enjoy everything the experience offered. And if that included wild nights of unbearable passion, then who was she to argue?

"Go back to your breakfast." Ivy cheeked her sister, laughing at the way Faye grumbled under her breath.

She smiled in gratitude when Ethan slid a simple plate of toast and jam in front of her. Not that she didn't enjoy pancakes, but more that she couldn't eat them every day like her sister could.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Ethan looked between them, sipping at his fresh coffee.

"We're going wedding dress shopping" Faye said enthusiastically, though her excitement didn't quite rub off on Ivy.

Ethan's raised eyebrows had her quickly explaining.

"Your mother called two days ago and said she'd made an appointment for a group of us to see what they had to offer." She shrugged, not looking forward to the experience.

Images of her being forced to prance around a dress shop whilst people watched made her feel more like a show pony than a future bride. Coupled with the fact she had trouble picking out a style of dress which she loved was not making her look forward to the experience.

"A group of you? How many are going?" Ethan asked, surprise colouring his tone, causing the two women to look at him strangely.

"Ten of us including Sasha and Mom." Faye explained, counting them off with her hand.

Ethan's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "That's a lot of people just to look for a dress."

Ivy smiled inwardly as Faye's eyes narrowed into slits. She knew Faye was really excited, and no one was going to take that away from her.