Page 49 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

“All right, what about you?” he mused. “Do I get to choose a reason for you to text me?”

She peered up at him, awkwardly fitting her fingers around both the paper box and the bottle of conditioner. “If…you want to.” She shrugged, but he saw how curiosity sparkled in her eyes. Any chance he offered to please him, she took it without question.

Such a very good girl.

He smiled. “This will certainly be helpful on my end, although I won’t make it mandatory. Only if you’re comfortable with it.” Giving her a stern look, she nodded, and he continued. “Every time you think about me making you come, text me…and if you can, send a photo with it.”

“I—” The rest of her words failed to form. By the look on her face, he could tell she’d already thought of him that way on multiple occasions. About time he got in on at least some of the fun.

“Okay,” she said at last. “I agree.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” A little too much so. “Are you sure you don’t need a ride?” They’d spent more time together than expected, and he didn’t want her trying to walk back to avoid causing trouble for her friend.

She glanced past him out the window, where darkness had crawled over every part of the town save a strip of deep blue sky. “It’s not a bother? I don’t want to disrupt your studies.”

He shook his head and reached for his jacket. “Another thing we have to work on. If you want me to use you, you have to get used to using me too, okay?”

She laughed. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds reasonable.” She turned to look at him from under her lashes, watching as he zipped up the jacket and grabbed his helmet. “Also…this might lead to me having to text you as soon as I get back.”

???

Having Ivory on his bike again, their proximity paired with an acute awareness of her warmth and the depth of her desires, made a cold shower imperative before he sat down to write that stupid essay.

Not getting the text had made it even worse.

Closing the five-page document he had managed to grind out in two hours, he gave up on finishing the essay and started browsing the web for purple bike helmets. The distraction only lasted so long, and as he checked his phone again, he noticed how late it had gotten.

11:11. A good omen? Maybe, or maybe that was a myth, but he decided it was as good of a time as any to text his little witch.

Sleep well, Iv. Thank you for today.

He didn’t wait for an answer and instead went out on the porch to smoke his last cigarette while gazing up at the stars.

Stepping out of her comfort zone wasn’t going to be easy, and he hadn’t fully expected her to agree to his proposition, but now that she’d gotten cold feet, he couldn’t help but be disappointed. Not in her, but rather in the fact that he wasn’t more available. This would be so much better if they could spend more time together in person.

Tomorrow night, he’d take care of all that. Get to the bottom of his need for closure and rid himself of this curse for good. He knew he’d seen an obnoxiously large silver ring recently, and when he placed it with a face, the owner happened to be the one person who conveniently had ties to Red Dragon. Someone he had no issue beating up.

Jace.

Which meant that for a little while longer, it was crucial he didn’t hang around Ivory where Jace or his friends would see. Anyone trying to get in his way would pick her out as an easy target, which was the last thing he wanted.

TWENTY-FOUR

The next morning, he woke up to several texts from Ivory.

My Sweet Witch

Sorry, I totally passed out :( I tried not to get distracted, like you said, and ended up hyper-focused on homework until I had no energy left.

But I did think of you last night.

It’s probably not what you had in mind, but here’s a picture to hopefully avoid some punishment.

He smiled, wondering if she knew how much she’d revealed. Some punishment, but not all of it? Whether she meant it as a subtle hint or not, he wasn’t about to miss the implication. Being a good girl all the time was difficult—even for his sweet witch, who he had no doubt could be just as naughty as she was nice.

The photo she attached looked like it'd been taken in her dorm, presumably before leaving for class that morning. She’d used the ribbon to tie back a section of side-swept bangs and done her makeup with sparkly eyeshadow. Even with foundation, faint dark circles hung under her eyes. Perhaps it was better that he hadn’t had the chance to keep her up.

However, her smile looked more radiant than ever, and whether that had something to do with the new hair color or their new dynamic, he loved to see it. He saved the photo to his phone and sent a reply.

---