My heart squeezes, and I wish I could take her pain away. Seeing her hurt makes my blood run hotter. It makes me itch, makes my body burn up—and not in a way that a pill can take away. I tighten my hold on her, caressing her cheek with my hand.
Sniffling, Ivy wipes her nose on her terrycloth bathrobe and pulls away. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. This is embarrassing. What are you doing here?”
“I was worried.”
“About what?”
“About you.” Stroking her cheek, I force her to look at me. Two different-colored eyes stare back at me, and the air is sucked out of my lungs. A tear streaks down her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb.
I want to give her the world.
Ivy shakes her head and wipes her eyes again. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. It’s just scary, you know? I could have lost her.”
Ivy leans against my chest, and I hold her close. It feels good to have her in my arms. It feels right. I don’t remember the last time I held a woman like this—or the last time I wasn’t itching to reach into my pocket for a joint, or a pill, or something to numb the pain.
Ivy’s fingers curl into my shirt and she lifts her head again.
“You’re wearing a shirt.”
“I can take it off, if you prefer.”
She laughs, showing off dimples on her perfect, soft cheeks. Shaking her head, she sighs. “You’re such a dog.” Her eyes lift back up to mine. “Shouldn’t you be out there with my sister?”
“She’s got plenty of people taking care of her.”
“But you’re supposed to be…you know…”
“What?”
“You’re supposed to be together.”
“Are we?”
“Isn’t that what your people and her people have been planning since the beginning of time?”
“My people don’t control me,” I answer. I stroke Ivy’s cheek, and the feeling of her skin against my hand makes my heart thump.
Ever since the second she yelled at me for eating her cinnamon buns, I’ve wanted to ravage her. I’ve wanted to taste her lips, her skin, her honey. More than just that—I’ve wanted to feel her body grinding against mine and plunge myself deep inside her.
I can’t wait any longer. I need her like I need air.
Cupping Ivy’s cheek, I watch as her breath hitches. Her eyes drop to my lips, and her fingers sink into my chest. My heart thunders, sending pulsing heat to every extremity. With her across my lap in nothing but a bathrobe, it’s becoming hard to contain myself.
“Poison,” I say softly, stroking her lip with my thumb.
She closes her eyes. “Yeah?”
I drag my thumb across her lips, and they part ever so slightly. Caressing her full, red pout with my finger, I watch as her tongue slides out. It swirls around the tip of my thumb and I release a breath.
“You’re driving me crazy,” I growl.
Her eyes open again, and another jolt of electricity courses through me. She wraps her lips around my thumb and kisses it gently. The pulse in her neck goes thump, thump, thump.
When she pulls her lips away from my thumb, I miss them. Her eyebrows twitch together, and she tilts her head, studying me.
“Why are you here?” she asks again.
Instead of answering, I put my free hand on her knee. Her soft, silky skin feels incredible. I inch my fingers up under her bathrobe and watch as Ivy’s eyes widen. Her breath is shallow as she leans into me, curling her fingers into my shirt.
When I touch my lips to Ivy’s, she lets out the softest, sexiest moan I’ve ever heard. Her kiss is hesitant, uncertain—and nothing at all like she usually is. I swipe my tongue across her lower lip, groaning as I taste her once again. I kiss her slowly, meticulously, not wanting to miss a single detail of her perfect mouth. I want to sear her taste into my memory and imprint myself upon hers.
Ivy trembles, parting those soft, red lips for me so I can deepen our kiss. I slide my hand up her thigh as my heart races in my chest. She whimpers, leaning into me as my other hand tangles into her black locks. Pulling her closer, I groan as she finally starts to kiss me back with the intensity that I want.
The intensity that I need.
My fingers sink into her thigh as my cock hardens in my pants. She shifts her weight, grinding against it ever so slightly as she scrapes her teeth across