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Her mouth hardens into a thin line and her eyes narrow. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Don’t worry about it, Ivy. I’ll handle it.”
She sits up, and I latch onto her before she can run away.
“You’re not going anywhere, princess.”
She growls and levels me with a hard stare. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I’m not some helpless little girl, Ford. What’s happening involves me, so you’d better include me.”
I’ll admit, her fiery reprimand both surprises and turns me on. I wasn’t expecting her to push back. Most women I’ve been with, including Talia, were more than willing to just let me handle the hard stuff.
“Fine. Wi-Fi is working, so Jasper emailed informing me about some pictures a few sites tried to publish. Considering how fast they popped up, whoever took the pictures had buyers lined up, ready to go. All they needed were photos. Jasper killed the stories, and he’s working with my lawyer to track down the source.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Does it bother you?”
She works her bottom lip between her teeth before her eyes flick up to meet mine. “Of course it does. I’m not used to someone invading my privacy like that.”
“And if I have my way, it’ll never happen again,” I snap.
She reaches up to press her warm hand against my cheek. “But it comes with the territory, doesn’t it?”
“You didn’t choose this life, Ivy. You can walk away if it’s too much.”
“What do you mean, I didn’t choose this life? I became a makeup artist. I accepted the job Mr. Archer offered me. I chose you, Ford, the first time I saw you in that elevator. Maybe you want me to walk away.”
I shake my head and then pull her against me, wrapping her up tightly before my mouth crashes into hers. I try to tell her with my kiss how much I want her. How much I don’t want her to walk away, although I’d let her.
There’s no doubt in my mind Ivy belongs to me. I’ve claimed her body and I want her heart, but I’ll never let what happened to Talia happen to Ivy.
I thought I could protect Talia, and in the end, I couldn’t. If letting Ivy go is the only way to keep her safe from these ruthless scumbags who make a living on trashy rumors, then I’ll do it. Even if it means breaking my heart.
