Page 56 of Poison Ivy
“I do. Do you?” He takes my arm and leads me back into my bedroom.
“Yeah, want to walk over together, or do you want to keep us a secret?”
His eyes widen, and then he frowns. “A secret?”
“Well, you know, Torin and Bram…” I trail off as he looks pissed off and scary as fuck right now.
“I’m not keeping you a secret, Ivy.”
“Don’t you think it’s better though? Until we can figure everything out?”
“Is that what you want?”
“I don’t know. What do you want?”
We stare at each other, silence filling the space between us.
Tate’s jaw clenches as he stares at me. “What I want is for you to be honest with me, Ivy. Are you having second thoughts about us?”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “No, it’s not that. It’s just complicated. Obviously.”
He grips my chin with his strong fingers. “I meant what I said last night. You’re mine now, and I’m not about to hide that from anyone.”
His intensity thrills and terrifies me. “Tate, you have to understand. My life isn’t simple. There are things about me, about what I do, that make this dangerous.”
“You mean being Poison?” he asks bluntly.
I nod, glancing around to make sure no one else is listening. “Among other things. If people find out about us, it could put both of us at risk.”
Tate’s expression softens slightly. He moves his hand to cup my face in his hands. “Ivy, I told you I’d protect you. That includes from Torin and Bram if necessary. I’m one of the most powerful warlocks at this academy. Trust me when I say I can handle whoever wants to try it.”
“Can we give it a few days?” I murmur, wishing I didn’t have to. “Go back to Torin and Bram and see where they’re at. Torin will have questions, and Bram, fuck knows. He was pissed when I left him.”
“Yeah, about that,” he says. “This new ability of yours?—”
“He told you?”
“Yeah. It’s remarkable.”
“It’s bizarre.”
“No, Ivy. It really is amazing. Not many shifters have offensive magick. It’s an asset.”
“If you thought that, why did you give me your magick last night?” I chew my lip as I wait for his answer.
“So I can keep you safe.” He leans down to capture my lips in a kiss that sends lust shooting through me from my head to my toes.
I melt into Tate’s kiss, momentarily forgetting all my worries. His lips are soft but demanding, his tongue teasing mine as he pulls me closer. When we finally break apart, we’re both breathless.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “You can’t just do that every time I have concerns.”
He grins wickedly. “Why not? Seems pretty effective to me.”
I roll my eyes, but smile. “Seriously though, Tate. We need to be careful.”
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. We’ll keep things low-key for now. But I’m not going to pretend there’s nothing between us if Torin or Bram ask directly.”
“Fair enough,” I concede. It’s probably the best compromise I’m going to get.
