Page 8 of Ivy

“Oh, for fucks sake, just go out for a drink. What harm could it do?” Beast growls behind me. I spin around and glare at him.

“Stay out of this, Beast. This doesn’t concern you.” As I turn my back on him to once again talk to Jay, Luke grabs my upper arm. His grip is not so tight as to hurt me or leave a mark, but enough to jolt painful memories. Suddenly, I am back in my old house where Tim would hit me, almost daily. Coldness washes over my body as I bring my other arm up to protect myself. A cry leaves my throat as I wait for the blow. I squeeze my eyes closed, willing the punch to not come.

My heart is beating crazily in my chest and my lungs hurt from holding my breath, but I can’t seem to take in enough oxygen. I hear a scuffle and slowly open my eyes. I see Dex and Jay holding Luke back. His face shows utter shock and concern, as he fights against their restraining arms.

“Let me go. I need to get to her. Peaches.” I look on, confused, not sure what has just happened.

“Let him go,” I whisper. No one moves, so I try again. “Let him go.” This time my voice is heard, and everyone looks at me as if I have grown another head. Cassie, clearly shocked and upset, is the first to move. She slowly approaches and places her slender arm around my shoulders. Dex and Jay are still holding Luke back from me. Why?

“Let him go. Now,” I repeat, my voice stronger this time.

“Ivy, I don’t think—”

“Now, Dex.” I lock gazes with Luke and see the anger in his eyes, but the anger is not aimed at me. “He would never hurt me,” I say to Dex, but keep my eyes on Beast. They slowly release Luke, and he makes a beeline for me. I don’t cower from him. I truly believe that Luke Baker, my ‘Beast’, would never physically hurt me.

“Ivy, honey, don’t you remember how you just reacted when Luke grabbed your arm?” Cassie asks from my side.

“I didn’t fucking grab her,” Luke growls out, taking the last step to me.

“Luke,’” Jay hisses out in warning, as Luke stops in front of me. My eyes stay locked on his, getting lost in the beautiful colours, seeing his pain for making me feel like this. I shake my head and he gives me a nod, confirming my reaction. Shit. The bastard Tim has ruined everything. I need to try and force myself not to react when men touch me. It’s different when my brothers hug me.

“I would never hurt you, Peaches. Please, tell me you believe that. Please. Before your brothers take me out back and try to rip me in two.” He gives a little chuckle.

I smile back at him. “I do believe that you would never hurt me, Beast. My brothers don’t need to take you out back and rip you in two. I’ll protect you from them.” I wink at him and he laughs, surprising me when he follows it up by pulling me into a hug. I force down the urge to tense up. I need to show him and my family that I know he would never hurt me.

I slowly wrap my arms around his narrow waist, the heat from his skin seeping into my body. He smells so fucking good. I bury myself closer into his chest, not caring who’s watching us. I feel Luke bend down a little, rubbing his face in the crook of my neck and inhaling. He’s scenting me. I thought this would creep me out,from what I’ve read in books, but in this instance, it’s kind of sweet. Now that is not a word you would normally associate with Luke. I chuckle to myself against his white t-shirt.

“What are you chuckling to yourself about, there, babe?” Beast asks.

“Nothing,” I say, pulling back from his body. I step up to my brothers, who are looking less concerned about the fact I just freaked the fuck out. “Listen, I think a night out with a few drinks will do me good.”

“You sure?” Jay asks. I smile, go up on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek. A growl sounds behind me and I turn my head to see Luke scowling at Jay.

“Did you just growl?” I ask him. He just shrugs and walks off to his room. I watch him go, stunned by his sudden mood change. I sigh. I will deal with him another time. Tonight, I’m going to have a few drinks with my brother and his girl, and try to get out of this funk. I know Carter will be safe, so I can have some me time.

*****

Sitting in the pub with Jay and Cassie, I find myself smiling more than I have in years. They are perfect together. Cassie can make anyone laugh and that, in my book, is a great thing. She can also pull off any outfit. She’s sitting across from me in knee-high boots and tight black jeans with a white t-shirt tucked into the waistline and the word ‘Thirsty’ in red print across her amazing boobs. I didn’t have a bloody clue what to wear, so thank God she came over and helped me out.

I ended up wearing a thin V-neck jumper and my faux leather, mid-thigh skirt with patterned tights and a pair of small-heeled ankle boots. When we were getting ready, Cassie told me my boobs looked amazing, but I brushed off her comment. She kept telling me my outfit made my ‘mummy curves’ pop. I just laughed at her and finished doing my make-up. I added a little curl to my hair, showing off the layers.

I look around the room and survey the people sitting around enjoying their night out on this chilly and wet September evening. There are some lads playing darts across the bar by the pool tables. I used to love playing pool when I was in college. Tim used to love me tempting the boys, but then he’d get angry if a man tried to talk to me, so I stopped playing. I didn’t want to play his games. But no one here will stop me. Jay is sucking Cassie’s face off, so I tap the table to separate them. They pull apart and look at me.

“What’s up, sis?” Jay asks. A big smile breaks across his face whenever he calls me ‘sis’ or ‘little sister’.

“I’m going to play some pool. Do you guys wanna join me?” I ask while climbing out of the booth.

“YES!” Cassie yells, making me and Jay laugh. Before I can smooth down my skirt, Cassie is running across the room to secure us a table.

“Excited much.” I nod in her direction.

“Yep, she doesn't get out much,” Jay jokes with a wink.

“Oh, God, I don’t want to know.”

“Oh, come on. You know that sex is the a thing these days, right? Everyone is doing it.” God, he’s speaking to me like he’s a teenage boy who just got the hottest girl in the whole school. To be honest, I think he did, and so did Dex. They did good when it came to finding the right girl for them.

“Dickhead. I have no clue what sex is these days,” I joke back as we pass a table of young guys. They hear me and start shouting out crude comments, but I ignore them and keep walking. Their laughter fades as we get closer to Cassie. By the time we reach the table, Cass has it loaded up and ready to play. It’s us girls against Jay. I laugh at herenthusiasm. She is a wicked girl.

---