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Ivy wasn’t used to waking in a man’s arms, but she could get used to it quickly if it kept feeling like this. And despite its newness, she felt instant awareness about the identity of the man holding her. Perhaps it was because of the massive dog lying by her feet like the world’s best foot warmer, but she didn’t think so. She leaned into Colby’s smell, so unchanged from when they were younger yet completely different.
In their youth, he’d sometimes carry her piggyback, at least until she’d started tickling him whenever he did—she hadn’t been able to resist. He’d reluctantly agreed to be her sparring partner when she needed to practice a judo move, at least until she’d misjudged a grapple and throw, bloodying his nose so badly that it had taken hours to fully stop.
Breathing him in n
