Page 46 of Poison Ivy
Part of me, the part that doesn’t give a fuck and wants my own power, thinks I should just leave him to it. The other half that has had loyalty beaten into me since I knew how to listen feels that I should perhaps have a look into it.
That dilemma is put to rest when my phone buzzes, and it’s the mother of the year. “What?” I snap, answering it.
“Torin, this has gone on long enough. Your fatheris a waste of space. You need to come back home and take his place.”
I blink into the darkness, wondering if I misheard her.
“Torin?” she yaps down the phone. “Are you there?”
“Yeah, but I’m not doing that,” I say slowly and make a choice that I have no doubt will bite me in the arse. “Dad just rang me. He’s in trouble. He said someone is after him and to find out who. Then he was cut off.”
Silence.
A simmering, yet somehow frozen silence.
“Oh?” she drawls. “Is that what he said?”
“You don’t believe him?”
“I don’t make a habit of it, no.”
“Well, look. That’s between you two. I have a life at Thornfield, and I’m not about to give that up for your whims. I’ll find Dad, bring him home, and you two can sort out whatever this shit is, once and for all.” I hang up before she can reply. I have work to do, and there is only one surefire way of finding out who is after my dad. With a self-satisfied smile, I get in my car and head towards home.
24
TATE
Ivy and I lock gazes,not daring to move until we hear Torin’s car roar away from the curb. I don’t even know how we didn’t hear it before when he arrived, but there again, we weren’t exactly listening out for it.
“Why didn’t you tell him?” she asks.
“I told you, I will protect you with everything I have. If this gets out before he, Bram or anyone else is ready to hear it, shit is going to hit the fan.”
“How did you even know it was me?” she asks, her eyes searching mine.
“I don’t know,” I say truthfully, shaking my head. “I had my suspicions that Poison was a shifter, it made sense, but when I saw you in the library with Vex, something started to click.”
“Do you think Torin and Bram suspect?”
“No. If they did, they would confront you about it. They haven’t connected the dots. Yet. Me being herewith you will have set alarms bells ringing for Torin. He won’t let this rest.”
She nods slowly. “But you won’t tell them?” Her voice cracks a little, and it makes me go to her, cupping her face and running my thumb over her bottom lip. “No, I won’t tell them, Ivy. You have my word.”
She seems to believe me and breathes out in relief.
I stare into her green eyes, seeing a world of emotions swirling in their depths, and I fall hard for the first time in my life. It hits me in the guts and squeezes my lungs until there is no air left in them, but I don’t tear my gaze away. I can’t.
“Show me,” she murmurs.
“Show you what?”
“Show me that you can be different to the beast that treats Poison so roughly.”
“Fuck,” I murmur and crash my lips to hers again, thrusting my tongue deep into her mouth, tasting her, savouring her. Wrapping my arms around her, I blink us up to her bedroom at the front of the house, where I saw her in the window earlier when I was lurking. She gasps, and I steady her, knowing it will have made her feel dizzy. Walking her back to the bed, I rip the shirt off her, exposing her body to me, and I nearly fall to my knees in worship. She is curvier than Poison, her tits a little smaller, but just as fucking perfect. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” I murmur and kiss her again, pressing her back to the bed so I can crawl over her.
I trail kisses down Ivy’s neck as she arches underneath me. My hands roam her curves, savouring the softness of her skin. This is different than with Poison - gentler, more respectful. I don’t want to fuck her and leave her. I want to claim her body and never leave her side. I want to worship every inch of her.
“Tate,” she breathes as I take a nipple into my mouth, swirling my tongue around the hardened peak. Her fingers tangle in my hair, urging me on.
