Page 90 of Redeem Me

‘Are you looking forward to meeting our fur baby?’ Ivy teases.

I roll my eyes. ‘Feckin’ dog.’

‘You’re going to love her.’

‘Doubtful.’ Though the damn mutt might come in handy for security purposes.

‘Are you okay?’ Ivy leans forward, whispering into my ear.

‘I will be. You know the other day, on the boat, you said you’d do anything…’ I stare at her intently. At the freckles dusting her nose. At her sun-kissed skin. I’ve caressed every freckle on her beautiful body. I know how she feels from the inside out. I could tap out the rhythm of her heartbeat like a melody.

‘That was in the heat of the moment.’ She eyes me suspiciously. ‘You’re not seriously going to hold me to it?’

‘I am.’ I glance at the kids, checking they’re still engrossed in their screens. ‘And if you want me to make you come just as hard tonight, I need you to do two things for me.’

‘Are you blackmailing me with sex?’ She doesn’t sound annoyed. If anything, she seems to like the idea. Kinky brat.

‘I prefer the term “rewarding you”.’ I nip her left ear lobe, gently blowing on her skin. She visibly shivers.

‘What do you want me to do?’

I pull back so I can look into her eyes. All teasing evaporates from my tone. ‘You need protection now that we’re back in Dublin. I have enemies and I refuse to let them get to you, like…’

I trail off, wincing. I still love Isabella. I always will, but my relationship with Ivy has given me a reason to go on. A reason to think past revenge. That’s not to say I won’t take it when the opportunity arises, but now I have something, someone, to live for afterwards.

Ivy reaches for my hand. ‘It’s okay. I mean, it’s not really.’ She scrunches up her nose. ‘Do I want to be followed aroundtwenty-four-seven? Do I want someone to wait outside the toilet for me every time I want a pee? Do I want someone following me round the lingerie department when I’m shopping? Honestly, not really, but I get it.’

I let out the breath I’d been holding. I thought she’d take it harder. Like I was babying her, the way her family does, but it’s far from that.

She tilts her chin to meet my gaze. ‘You’ve been watching me anyway, between the cameras and having Samuel escort me and the kids everywhere.’

‘I love you.’ I kiss the back of her hand. ‘If anything happened to you, it would kill me.’

‘I love you too.’ her expression softens. ‘Nothing’s going to happen to me.’ Concern floods her eyes, but it’s not for herself, it’s for my feelings. She’s so selfless. So perfect. ‘What else do you want me to do?’

‘It’s time we came clean to Dermot,’ I whisper grimly.

She shakes her head vigorously. ‘No way. Not yet. You know he’s going to explode. I can’t deal with that right now.’

‘It’s one thing flaunting it around Portugal, but here, the press are all over my family. He will find out. It’s better he hears it from us.’

Ivy groans, her face falling to her hands. ‘This is going to cause a war.’

‘It will.’ There’s no point in denying it. ‘But I’m hoping I can make him understand. We’re together. You’re a grown woman. My woman. And I take care of what is mine. Dermot knows that. It’ll take a while to get used to the idea, but you were always going to find someone one day. It just happens that someone is me.’

‘You know that security we just talked about? You might want to double up on it. Yours, not mine. You’re going to need it.’ I’m not joking.

‘He might not take it that badly. We could be brothers one day.’

Ivy’s head whips around. ‘Good luck with that.’

When we finally reach the house, there’s a car in the driveway.

Dermot’s BMW.

Oh fuck.

Did another sneaky pap get a shot of us?

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