Ivy (Corked and Tapped Book 7) Read online

  He eased out of her and rose to his knees, hands planted at her sides, lips kissing her everywhere.

  She giggled as he tortured her with kisses.

  Finally, he met her gaze again, beaming. “Is it too soon to say I hope another man never has the chance to find out if you can orgasm while having sex with him?”

  She grabbed his face. “No. It’s not too soon.”

  “I need to go remove this condom.”

  “’Kay.” She watched as he climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom. He returned a few minutes later, his cock still semi-hard. He even boldly stroked it. “You have a wicked effect on me.”

  “Warned you.”

  “When will you let me do that again?” he asked as he climbed back up next to her.

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh Lord. A monster I tell you. An insatiable monster.”

  He landed on his side, stroking her belly. “Did you say you had an online date lined up for tomorrow night?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I think you should text that poor guy and tell him it’s off.”

  “Obviously. I think it can wait until morning.”

  He shook his head, shoved off the bed, and left the room. Moments later, he returned. He had his own phone in one hand and her purse in the other. He set his cell on the nightstand and handed her the purse. “Text him. I’ll sleep better.”

  “Okay. Seems like a rude hour, but if it makes you feel better.”

  “It does.”

  She thought he was overreacting a bit, but she pulled out her phone, scrolled to the number, and sent a text.

  Cooper had resumed his propped position at her side, staring down at her, his hand on her breast.

  Two seconds after she tucked her phone back in her purse, his phone pinged behind him.

  She frowned.

  He grinned.

  “What the hell?”

  “I was your match for tomorrow.”

  She gasped. “Are you serious?”

  “Yep.”

  “How long have you known this?”

  “Since you told me your name.”

  “But your name isn’t Benjamin.”

  “Sure it is. Benjamin Cooper Pierson.” His smile broadened.

  She shoved at him playfully. “You dog.”

  “Yeah. It was kind of fun, though.”

  “I knew it was a risk trying out that new online site without pictures,” she joked.

  He cupped her breast, leaning in closer, his eyes dancing. “You saying you wouldn’t have gone out with me if you’d seen my picture?”

  She giggled. She’d never been this relaxed with a man. “Would you have gone out with me?”

  “In a heartbeat, gorgeous.” He kissed her gently. “When you told me your name, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Imagine the chances. Seemed like fate.”

  Chapter 9

  Hours later, wrapped in one of Cooper’s button-down shirts, Ivy stood in his art room, smiling at the picture he’d sketched. She’d been standing there a while when he padded into the room and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her neck. “Surprised?”

  “Shocked. How did you do that?” He had sketched her completely nude even though he had never once seen her nude while he was actually working. The second she’d lost the dress, he’d dropped the pencil.

  His talent was amazing, but that’s not what really had her attention right now. She was hot. Like, smoking. The Ivy that had lived in her mind for almost half her life looked nothing like this sketch. The woman Cooper captured had fantastic tits, a narrow waist, perfect hips, and legs that went on forever. She was not fat. She was sexy.

  I am creative. I am strong. I am energetic. I am whole. I am perfectly me.

  Even though Ivy had battled and won the fight against her eating disorder, negative thoughts frequently lingered in the back of her mind. She had to remind herself every day of her worth and appeal. She had far more self-confidence and moxie than she’d had in her early teens, but this… If she woke up every morning and looked at this, she would be able to bolt out of bed thinking she was the sexiest creature on earth.

  He rocked her back and forth, holding her tightly. “I have a good imagination.”

  “It’s incredible. Like, you can’t even show this to anyone. They would recognize me. You even got by boobs pretty accurate.” She swallowed back emotion.

  He kissed her neck again. “We can keep it just between us.”

  “What about the rest of your work? Have other people seen it? Has your dad ever seen it?”

  “Mmm. Not many people have. I’ve kept most of it to myself. I haven’t shown my dad in years. I rarely talk about my art when I’m with him.”

  “Why?” She twisted her neck to see his face. “Are you afraid he won’t approve?”

  “Nah. It’s not that really. He’s wouldn’t judge me or anything. Hell, I dated a man for two years and he never flinched. If he disapproved, he never said a word. But my art…it’s personal. As long as no one judges it, I can pretend it’s all wonderful.”

  “It is wonderful, Cooper. And you really have to quit your stupid day job and find a dealer to take your stuff. It’s piling up.”

  “Mmm.” More nibbling on her neck. “You going to pay my bills while I play starving artist?”

  She twisted in his arms until they were facing. “Maybe. Let’s see how the second date goes before I decide.”

  “When do we technically call the first date over and the second date beginning if I never actually let you leave my apartment?”

  She smiled and lifted onto her tiptoes to kiss his lips. “Good point.” Her heart was pounding. For the first time in her life she wanted a man enough to have hope it would work out.

  She could even picture this hypothetical future where she continued to work at Jacoby and he quit to pursue his dream. It could work. It wasn’t a decision either of them could make this soon, of course. But it could work.

  Life was funny like that. Sometimes it all fell into place when least expected. Apparently, Cooper wasn’t just the man Maddie had matched her up with for the company party. He’d also been her next date. Fate?

  God, she hoped so.

  Enjoy the following excerpt from Maddie, the next book in the Corked and Tapped series.

  “You say you’re in charge of this company party of yours?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m the event planner. I organized the entire thing.”

  He nodded. “How late does it go?”

  She tried not to pump a fist at that question, hoping he might invite her to join him in this main bar when her responsibilities were over. She could at least do that. No harm in having a drink with him. Getting to know him better. “I only paid for the open bar until eleven. After that, everyone is on their own.”

  He ran a finger around the rim of his glass. “Do you have to clean up or anything?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. Corked and Tapped is covering that part.” Yeah, he was definitely hitting on her. It gave her the courage to show her cards. “Will you still be here? I could join you?” She glanced at her watch. “I need about fifteen more minutes.”

  His smile grew. He also set his hand on her hip, slid it around to her lower back, and leaned in to set his lips on her ear. “I’d like that.”

  She shivered. Holy shit. He set her on fire. The dress she was wearing was incredibly low-cut. The bodice was actually a corset, and her breasts suddenly seemed two sizes too big. She hoped they didn’t pop out and embarrass her.

  As he leaned back, she held her breath. He met her gaze, set a finger on her cheek, and trailed it down to her neck. “What are the chances I would show up here tonight dressed as the Phantom only to find a woman in a Christine costume? You kind of have to join me for at least one drink. It’s fated.”

  What were the chances, indeed? She assumed this was not a coincidence. And that fact was the main reason she was going to let herself give him a chance.

  Author’s Note
r />   I hope you’ve enjoyed this seventh novella in the Corked and Tapped series. I’ve had so much fun writing this series. So far, the series has twelve books, all of which will release in the next few months before the end of 2019. Below are the links to the rest of the series:

  Corked and Tapped:

  Aria

  Grace

  Brooklyn

  Jade

  Clara

  Rose

  Ivy

  Maddie

  Blaire

  Devin

  Paris

  Andrea

  Also by Becca Jameson

  Corked and Tapped:

  Aria

  Grace

  Brooklyn

  Jade

  Clara

  Rose

  Ivy

  Maddie

  Blaire

  Devin

  Paris

  Andrea

  Project DEEP:

  Reviving Emily

  Reviving Trish

  Reviving Dade

  Reviving Zeke

  Reviving Graham

  Reviving Bianca

  Reviving Olivia

  Project DEEP Box Set One

  Project DEEP Box Set Two

  SEALs in Paradise:

  Hot SEAL, Red Wine

  Hot SEAL, Australian Nights

  Dark Falls:

  Dark Nightmares

  Club Zodiac:

  Training Sasha

  Obeying Rowen

  Collaring Brooke

  Mastering Rayne

  Trusting Aaron

  Claiming London

  The Art of Kink:

  Pose

  Paint

  Sculpt

  Arcadian Bears:

  Grizzly Mountain

  Grizzly Beginning

  Grizzly Secret

  Grizzly Promise

  Grizzly Survival

  Grizzly Perfection

  Arcadian Bears Box Set

  Sleeper SEALs:

  Saving Zola

  Spring Training:

  Catching Zia

  Catching Lily

  Catching Ava

  Spring Training Box Set

  The Underground series:

  Force

  Clinch

  Guard

  Submit

  Thrust

  Torque

  The Underground Box Set

  Saving Sofia (Kindle World)

  Wolf Masters series:

  Kara’s Wolves

  Lindsey’s Wolves

  Jessica’s Wolves

  Alyssa’s Wolves

  Tessa’s Wolf

  Rebecca’s Wolves

  Melinda’s Wolves

  Laurie’s Wolves

  Amanda’s Wolves

  Sharon’s Wolves

  Wolf Gatherings Box Set One

  Wolf Gatherings Box Set Two

  Claiming Her series:

  The Rules

  The Game

  The Prize

  Emergence series:

  Bound to be Taken

  Bound to be Tamed

  Bound to be Tested

  Bound to be Tempted

  Emergence Box Set

  The Fight Club series:

  Come

  Perv

  Need

  Hers

  Want

  Lust

  The Fight Club Box Set

  Wolf Gatherings series:

  Tarnished

  Dominated

  Completed

  Redeemed

  Abandoned

  Betrayed

  Wolf Gatherings Box Set

  Durham Wolves series:

  Rescue in the Smokies

  Fire in the Smokies

  Freedom in the Smokies

  Stand Alone Books:

  Blind with Love

  Guarding the Truth

  Out of the Smoke

  Abducting His Mate

  Three’s a Cruise

  Wolf Trinity

  Frostbitten

  A Princess for Cale/A Princess for Cain

  About the Author

  Becca Jameson is a USA Today best-selling author of over 90 books. She is most well-known for her Wolf Masters series and her Fight Club series. She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and her Goldendoodle. Two grown kids pop in every once in a while too! She is loving this journey and has dabbled in a variety of genres, including paranormal, sports romance, military, and BDSM.

  A total night owl, Becca writes late at night, sequestering herself in her office with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate, her fingers flying across the keyboard as her characters weave their own stories.

  During the day--which never starts before ten in the morning!--she can be found jogging, running errands, or reading in her favorite hammock chair!

  …where Alphas dominate…

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