I can still hear Ivy’s voice cry out for us to stop. Thank god the staff managed to separate us seconds before the police came, we definitely would have been arrested then.
Finn grumbles something about needing to take a shower to cool off. I don’t blame him. Ivy sighs as I walk over to the kitchen, and she follows me. I pause by the sink, and she grabs the first aid kit.
She stops for a moment and glances over her shoulder, those fearful green eyes roam my face. I don’t want to know the damage; adrenaline is still pumping through my body, so I’m not feeling the pain yet.
“Why did you do that?” she whispers under her breath.
I fold my arms over my chest and lean into the counter. “I wasn’t going to sit there and let them talk shit about you, Ivy.”
She chews on her lip before dampening a clean cloth and walking towards me. “Let me,” she says gently. “Please.”
I don’t fight her as she raises the cloth and brushes it against my bleeding lip and cut cheek. She takes in a quick breath and shakes her head. “You didn’t need to do that,” she says again. “You got hurt because of me and I?—”
Her eyes remain low, and I dip my finger under her chin and tilt her gaze to mine. “I don’t care about that. All I care about is you. They don’t get to talk about you like that. I don’t care who it is,no onetalks to you like that.”
Ivy’s gentle caress of the cloth against my face has my heart rate slowing and my rage calming. After a moment, she pulls away, and I glance at the blue cloth that is now stained with red splodges.
“They’ve always hated me,” she says after a few moments, her eyes falling again. “A rumour went around, and they all used it against me, anything to make me the punching bag.”
My brows crease. “What rumour?”
Ivy cups her hands over her elbows, stepping away from me. “That I cheated on him.” Her throat bobs. “That’s why they hate me so much.”
“They’re assholes.” I attempt to calm my tone. “And I swear to god, if they ever come near you again, I’ll do more damage than I did today. I mean it. Do not listen to them when they say you deserved it; nothing you could have ever done would have made you deserve it.”
Ivy swallows harshly and looks into my eyes.
“Thank you,” I whisper as I dip my head towards her. “For cleaning up my face.”
“It’s the least I could do for what you did.”
Our mouths are merely inches from touching. She stares back at me with those big green eyes, and I almost lose myself again.Fuck. I can’t help myself.
This time, I press my lips to hers, only a simple peck. It’s sweet and light, and I feeleverything. My shoulders droop with relief and contentment, emotions I didn’t know I needed at this moment in time.
Ivy whimpers ever so quietly, and the sound has me clutching her tighter. The kiss lasts no more than a couple of seconds, and I pull away. Her eyes dilate, and I will never get over the way they expand when she’s around me.
Her lips taste like summery wine, and when I look at them, I tell myself not to kiss her again. Not after last time. I should take things slow, not scare her away. If I want to make her mine, then I have to be patient.
I know she wants me, even if she hasn’t convinced herself of it yet.
CHAPTER 29
IVY THOMPSON
“Stop dreaming about me. I know you’re dreaming about me.”
My thighs clench at the sound of his silk-like voice, but somehow rough around the edges. I gasp and bury my head further into the pillow.
I’m not dreaming, am I?
“Yes, you are.” He chuckles, and I lick my lips, squirming against the sheets. “You always dream about me, but you don’t want to admit it. Don’t you, princess?”
I shouldn’t be affected by that silly nickname.
Why do I have to go weak at the knees every time he says it? It’s like a trap I always fall for. He’s got me in the palm of his hand, but I’m not even annoyed about it.
I want it. I want him. All of him.
