Chapter Ten

VOID

My eyes flutter open. My head pounds, my body aches like a motherfucker, and I grimace when I try to move. Not to mention the hangover I’m now sporting, thanks to all the booze and weed I ingested.

Nice going, dickhead.

I glance down. My shirt is off, my ribs a shade of deep purple and red. I take in my forearms covered in dressings, and as I peer further down, my legs are bare. I’m wearing boxer briefs, and my shins are wrapped in bandages.

I groan and move to sit, but my head spins.

“Stop!” a concerned voice yells out, and it shocks the hell out of me, as well as making my head pound harder. I turn as Ivy moves from the desk chair opposite me to the edge of the bed.

I didn’t even realize she was here.

Even now that my head is slightly clearer than it was earlier, she’s still fucking perfect.

Ivy reaches out, gently easing me back onto the bed. “You need to rest. You have some serious road rash, and Nerve is pretty sure you’ve cracked a rib or two.”

Exhaling, I sink back into the soft pillows and gaze up at her. “How long have I been out?”

She touches my stomach, my muscles clenching beneath her electrifying touch, and I bite back a moan of pain. “Hours… I don’t know how many exactly. I fell asleep for a while, but I’ve spent the time making sure you came down okay.”

Goddamn!

“I didn’t mean for it to interact like that. I… I just didn’t care.”

She draws her bottom lip in with her teeth. “Because of me?”

“I can’t put the blame on you, Ivy. I drank too much, then ate two of Trixie’s macarons, and she warned me. It was my choice. This isn’t your fault.”

Ivy huffs, then stands back, confusion written over her face. “What are we doing, Void?”

My brow furrows in response. “I don’t know.”

“I’m gonna be straight with you…” My eyes widen, slightly taken aback. She’s always so assertive. It’s one of the many qualities I adore about her. “When I overheard Nerve taking your call and I thought you were hurt, I’ve never felt such panic in all my life.”

“You were worried about me?”

She scoffs. “I was petrified you were going to die, and things between us would be left in this weird limbo. I hate this, Void. This chasm you built between us. How did we get like this?”

I can’t lie here for this talk, even though my body’s screaming at me not to move. With a grimace, I attempt to sit, and Ivy’s eyes widen as she tries to stop me. Pushing her hand away, I shift up the bed, my muscles pulling and burning every inch of me. I try to hold in a groan, but I’m not entirely successful.

Eventually, I find a more comfortable position, then look her in the eyes. “Ivy, this distance between us is all on me. It’s nothing you’ve done. You’re perfect. Actually, too fucking perfect.”

“I don’t understand. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Friends? That word burns more than I thought it would.

“Yeah… friends.”

She turns up her nose with an exhale. “Then why avoid me? Why not just talk to me, tell me what you’re feeling?”

“I’m not sure what I’m feeling. All I do know is you, as you are, are the most beautiful fucking soul I have ever known. I don’t want to be the one to ruin that.”

Ivy’s eyes begin to glisten, her bottom lip trembling as she moves slowly to climb onto the bed and slide in beside me. Her hand comes up to my face, forcing me to look at her. “Maybe I want to be ruined,” she whispers, before gently pressing her lips to mine.

My eyes widen as my lips tingle. My muscles stiffen, and I try to recover from the shock of her tongue forcing its way into my mouth, but no… instead, I’m fucking done for. The second I taste her, I lose myself. My eyes clench tight as I try to keep myself under control, but I need to touch her. To feel her. My hand sweeps up into her chestnut hair, my fingers sweeping through the silky strands until they lock around the tendrils, pushing her lips to me harder. Warmth infuses my skin, a tingling starting in my chest, then spreading outward all over my body. My chest squeezes tight, and my body reacts.

I feel fucking powerful, yet somehow rendered completely and utterly useless.

I moan softly into her mouth, and she pulls back dramatically, her eyes locking on mine. “Oh God, did I hurt you?”

“Don’t stop,” I murmur. “The pain is worth it.”

I draw her back to me, my lips taking possession of hers. It takes every ounce of strength in me to keep this kiss with Ivy tame. But the way her tongue caresses mine, the way a light whimper escapes her throat as she leans into me—fuck if she’s not the single sexiest woman on the face of this godforsaken earth.

I have no clue how the hell we’re going to calm this down.

Do I even want to calm it down?

The way Ivy’s kissing me isn’t how you think your typical virgin would kiss. Not an innocent shy girl, anyway. Ivy’s full of lust, ravenous for me, and I know I’m completely and utterly fucked.

My free hand slides down to her hip, my fingers digging in, the animal in me begging to be set free.

Suddenly, Ivy moves over the top to straddle me, her pussy sitting right on top of my aching cock as we continue the kiss, which is becoming more aggressive. That little move right there has my balls aching so fucking much right now, overriding the damn pain in my ribs. My cock was already hard, but it lengthens with that move, pressing painfully against my boxer briefs and her pussy.

I slide my hands up her back, holding her to me, and her fingers thread through my hair as she grinds down on my cock.

I thought I was hard before.

Fuck.

I groan into her mouth, the sensation sending a wave of pleasure deep inside me. All I’ve thought about, all I dream about is having Ivy like this, and now, it’s here.

She grinds down on my cock again. Somehow, it hardens even more, feeling like I might come just from her rocking on me this way. It makes me want to throw her on her back and bind her hands together.

My cock pulsates and becomes heavy at the image that flashes into my mind—Ivy on the bed, splayed out before me, naked, bound, and gagged. My eyes snap open, my breathing frantic as I gently pull back from our intense-as-fuck kiss.

She’s practically beaming, her lips plump and red.

I stare into her gorgeous brown eyes, my hand moving to caress the side of her face as I pant for much-needed breaths. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for so fucking long.”

Ivy lights up, smiling as if she can hardly contain herself. “It was worth the wait.”

I lean in, pressing my forehead against hers. “I’m not sure if I’m the man you need, Ivy. The man you deserve.”

She runs her hand along my chest, stopping just above my heart, the move gentle and caring as her beautiful big doe eyes meet mine. “I’m only asking you to try…”

Unsure about how to proceed, I exhale. All I want is Ivy, but I know if I do this, I must proceed with caution. “The thing is, Ivy… your virtue… it’s an issue for me.”

She recoils as if offended. “You’re scared of this, of us? Because I’m a virgin?”

“I don’t know if I can give you the kind of experiences you deserve.”

“Void, I don’t need anything special… I simply want you.”

My body warms at her words, so I pull her off me to sit on the side of the bed. Having her on top of me is too distracting. “I can’t promise I’ll be gentle with you, and you need that. I’m older. More experienced. You should do this with someone your own age.”

She scoffs, scrunching up her face. “Says who? Why do you think I can’t handle who you are, Void? I’ve bricked a man up behind a wall, sealing him to his death. I grow crops of weed for a living right next to my bedroom. I live in an underground bunker with dead and decaying bodies hidden inside the walls. What makes you think for a single second I’m this sweet, innocent little flower?”

Like the degenerate I am, an image flashes through my mind—Ivy tied naked to a Saint Andrew’s cross, submitting to my every dark, depraved desire. I shake my head, ridding Ivy from intruding and mixing with images of my fucking past. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then don’t. Stop pushing me away. Let. Me. In!”

“Spend less time with Dash.” It comes out more like a demand than a question.

“He’s a friend. Plus, we work together. How can I spend less time with him?”

“He likes you,” I reply.

“No, he doesn’t—”

“Yes, he does. How could he not?”

She narrows her eyes on me cheekily. “Are you saying you like me?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“You’re avoiding the question, Void.”

I groan. “I think it’s clear that I like you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be worried about hurting you.”

She leans in, gently kissing my lips. “I like you too.”

I roll my eyes. It’s like we’re in fucking high school, but I can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment that she has said that to me.

Ivy stands, then she moves for the door. “I’m going to get something for you to eat, okay?” I go to rise, intending to follow, but she throws her hands out. “Stop! You stay put and rest. I got this.”

I nod, slumping back on the bed. Then she opens the door and walks out, closing it behind her.

Did that just happen?

Or am I still tripping?

I press my hand against my hard cock. “Yeah, that just happened.”

The problem is, eventually, Ivy’s going to want to go further, so I’m going to need an action plan for that day to try to keep myself in check.

My door swings open with force, and my eyes shift up, expecting Ivy to walk in, but it’s Nycto. Frown lines mar his face as he strolls in. He slumps into the desk chair and rolls it over to the bed, then kicks his feet up onto the edge of the mattress, making himself perfectly at home. Folding his arms over his chest, he lets out a grumble of expletives under his breath as I wait for what I know is coming next.

“Can you even fathom… how damn stupid it was for you to ride with alcohol and drugs in your system? Riding buzzed is one thing, but riding trashed? You fucking idiot! You’re lucky there was no one around to witness that shit.”

Regret swarms through me as I release a long exhale. I have no answer for him. So, instead, I ask, “How’s my ride?”

“Totaled. A mangled wreck. It’s amazing you’ve come out of this so well and aren’t lying on a slab in the morgue. If you weren’t so fucking high and off with the fairies, you probably would have tensed and come out of this a hell of a lot worse. But you’re paying for it, and you fucked your bike in the process. What do you wanna do about a new one?”

“I’ll go shopping when I’m a little more… functional.”

Nycto rubs his hand over the back of his neck, a frustrated tell. “You and Ivy?”

“There’s nothing to report. We kissed, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re taking this shit fucking slow. We need to.”

Nycto bobs his head in understanding. “I get it. Your past makes relationships difficult at the best of times. Ivy’s throwing a wrench into the mix, being the way she is.”

“You got that right.”

“How are you? You sore?”

My hand instinctively moves to my ribs. “Nerve thinks I might have broken a rib or two.”

“Good. Maybe it’ll remind you how much of a fucking idiot you were the next time you go to do something stupid. If you ever, and I mean ever, pull a stunt like this again—”

“I got it, Pres. You don’t need to tell me twice. I got lost in my own head. I wanted to… I dunno, disappear for a while. Not have to deal with shit. Real life, you know?”

“I know… we’ve all been there, but wasting ourselves isn’t the fucking answer. And sure as shit nearly killing yourself isn’t either. Without you, I’d have to promote Whiskey to VP, and fuck knows how that would go.”

I chuckle. “It’d be a party every night.”

“And every damn day.” Nycto takes a deep breath. “In all honesty, I’m happy you’re okay, brother. But you also know I can’t let this go unpunished. You’re on shine duty for the next month.”

I go to argue but quickly realize I deserve it. Cleaning everyone’s rides is a prospect’s job, and with potentially broken ribs… fuck. I’ll be hurting for a while. “Yeah, fair call.”

“You start tomorrow. Take today to rest. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, this is a damn light punishment.”

He’s right. I could’ve been given something much, much worse. Then again, I’m sure my brothers’ scrutiny as I shine their rides while the prospects stand back watching me do their dirty work is going to be fucking torture enough.

Maybe it is the perfect amount of punishment… or should I say fucking torment.

Nycto stands and turns to walk for the door. “By the way, Eva told me to give you a message.”

I raise my brow.

“She said if you hurt Ivy, you’ll have her to deal with. You upset Eva, you’ll have me to deal with. So, mull that shit over in your mind a little before you lose control, VP.”

Starting something with Ivy makes my stomach flip. If I fuck up and hurt her, it’s not just Ivy on the line—it’s my patch.

I can read between the lines.

I hear what my president is putting down.

If I fuck up, and it’s too fucking big, Nycto won’t hesitate to show me the door.

He’ll choose his Old Lady’s wishes over me, and Eva is a package deal with her sister.

Ivy has the power to destroy me.

She is this perfect, precious cargo, who came off a ship all beautifully gift wrapped. She was innocent, sweet, and yet, there’s something so tantalizing about her that pulled me in, right from the start—a glimmer of darkness.

I can’t tell what’s going to happen between Ivy and me, but I do know, if it doesn’t turn out just right, one of us is going to end up fighting for survival.

And I’m not sure anymore which one of us it will be.