Her roommates were nowhere to be seen when she led me down the hall to her bedroom. With our arms wrapped around each other, we collapsed onto the bed.
My fingers threaded through her hair. Moaning under her breath, she arched against me, her hand finding me through my jeans. I traced the tip of my tongue upward along the curve of her neck before brushing my mouth back over hers.
With a small moan, her lips parted, giving me entry as her tongue stroked mine. We moved together in a slow, tangled rhythm while she drew my finger into her warm mouth.
My pulse quickened. I slipped my hand lower, finding the heat between her thighs, she opened to me, melting into my touch. A low groan slipped from my lips as she pressed against me, her touch urgent as we moved together.
Her body trembled, her hair falling to her waist as she tossed her head back, clinging to me through every movement.
She quivered, I felt her tighten around me, her body arching as her lips parted. “Karson,” she cried, wrapping her arms around my neck as it hit hard—
Her hand curled around me, every muscle in my body tensed, each movement pulling me further under. She pulled me closer to her chest, and a shiver ran through me. “Ivy—”
The wave crashed over us, we cried out together, clinging to each other as it swept through us.
We lay entwined, holding each other as our hands roamed over warm skin, unwilling to let go.
***
The crushing weight of being apart lifted. Drifting out through the open window into the night sky.
The world was back on its axis.
I wanted to freeze time. Stay there. Hold her.
But shortly before four a.m., when my alarm sounded, I flinched. “No! Not yet,” I groaned, flicking it off and resting my head in Ivy’s lap.
“What? Already?” We gripped each other tighter. “You only just got here.”
If I was going to slip back to my room before Gus noticed, I had to get back to the waiting car—and board my flight.
“Firefly,” I whispered, “promise me no matterwhatyou see about me online, you won’t believe it.” With the back of my thumb, I stroked the smooth skin on her shoulder.
“I promise.” Her green eyes smoldered as the light of the candle danced in her hair. “Now that I know the truth, I won’t believe the lies.”
“That’s all I needed to hear. You mean everything to me.” I nuzzled her neck. “But for now, I have to go,” I said, my voice breaking.
“Hey,” she said, sitting upright, “we can get through this.” She draped the blanket around her shoulders. “It’s hard, but let’s just take it one day at a time. One minute at a time, if we need to.”
Nodding, I willed myself to believe everything would be all right. “We need to be free of my father to be together. And I’m going to make it happen.”
She drove her finger into my chest. “You’d better!” Her eyes blazed, but her mouth turned up in a small smile at one corner. “Please be careful, all right?” A dark expression crossed her face. “He’s dangerous. Promise me you won’t do anything crazy to provoke him.”
She’d stoked something in me—I would do whatever it took to be with her, and whatever it took to keep her safe. “I’ll be careful, I promise. You’ve given me the strength I need to fight back. I love you, Ivy Lawrence.”
“You’re growing on me too, City Boy.” Squeezing me tight, she pressed her lips against mine.
I felt it again, an unstoppable urgency. As I pushed her gently down onto the bed, the blanket fell off her shoulders. I moved downward, devouring the soft curves of her body.
As I ran the tip of my tongue around the peak of her breast, her hands dug into my back. My hands sank lower, over her belly, then down along the inside of her thighs, rising back up to her core.
With a gasp, she arched against me before pushing me away. “Karson,” she whispered, “go… it’s not safe for you to stay longer. If you don’t make the flight, your father will…”
Tearing myself away from her, I shook my head and walked to the window. As I stared out into the night, the cold air cut me like a knife.
Then I froze. “Wait! I almost forgot.” I reached into my backpack, retrieving the stack of hundred-dollar bills along with the phone I’d bought for Ivy.
“Here, keep this.” I held it out. “It’s almost ten thousand dollars. Before you ask, I sold my watch. Don’t worry. I have more stuff I can sell if we need more cash.” I pressed it into her hand. “And I got us both a new phone, so we can talk to each other without Karlos knowing. My number’s already in there,” I explained, placing it on the bed beside her.
