Page 53 of Brightness

There’s a pressure on my legs, or is it my groin? I can’t be sure, but I’m hungover and not awake enough to comprehend what’s going on.

My body—it’s sore all over.

Memories of fighting with Dash fly through my mind, and my lips turn up in the corners as I imagine Nycto kicking him out of the club for going to town on the VP.

I definitely feel like a damn pussy for having Ivy be the one to stop him. Something grinds down on my cock, making it harden instantly, and my eyes shoot open. Ivy’s straddling me, wearing only a bra and her panties.

Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

She has a stethoscope around her neck, and I cock my brow. “You’re not ready to play doctors and nurses with me just yet, Ivy.”

She smirks and leans down to kiss me. My hands slide up the silky-smooth skin of her back as she places something against my temple. I furrow my brow, and it beeps. “Ninety-nine degrees. You’re a touch high, but it could be the alcohol.” She places the stethoscope into her ears and presses the cold circle to my chest. “Now inhale.”

I grin, inhale deeply, and she moves the scope around my chest. “Exhale…” I release a breath. “Inhale one more time.” I chuckle, then breathe in. She moves it to the side where most of the bruising is located, and I wince. She mouths sorry but continues. “And out.” I exhale.

Ivy pulls the earpieces from her ears and wraps it around her neck. “You sound good. I’m pretty sure your lungs are fine. Of course, I didn’t finish my medical training, so we need Nerve to double-check, but if there was a problem with your lung, you’d be in deep shit by now, so I’m pretty sure you’re good.”

My hands move to her thighs sitting either side of mine. I can’t help but admire her and how fucking sexy she is like this. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’ve tried telling you, but—”

“Don’t even joke about that, Ivy. You know I want you. I just…” I pause, trying to find the right words, but they don’t come easily.

Her hands rest on my chest. “It’s fine. Now’s not the time anyway. You’re hurt.”

I glance down at her left knuckles, which are grazed, bruised, and battered. “You hit Dash with a mean left hook… for me?”

Ivy grimaces. “I feel like shit for hitting him, but he gave me no damn choice.” She leans down to press her lips to mine again. I love the wave that crashes through me when I kiss her. It’s like everything calms down, like all the shit that’s going on melts away, and it’s just this world where Ivy and I belong. Our bubble is the only place where I feel whole, and if she’s the one coming in to rescue me every now and then, then I’m totally okay with it. Because if there’s one thing I know about Ivy, it’s that she has the heart of a lion and the tenacity of a bull. If she wants something, she’s going to fight for it, and she’ll fucking get it.

I can only hope, in the end, she wants to fight for me.

***

I’m sore as shit.

My face is swollen like I’ve gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. It makes me feel inferior. I only went half a round with a fucking prospect, and the cunt laid me out. Admittedly, he had an advantage. That bastard went for my weak spot, disabling me right away, but the point remains, he took me out in front of everyone, including Ivy. And that shit doesn’t sit right with me.

I’ve had it in for Dash for a while now.

I can’t see a way through this, so I need to talk to Nycto.

Ivy’s already left for the morning after doing her little nurse routine on me, which I have to say was fucking tempting as hell. But now, I have a score to settle.

As I pull on a shirt, my torso screams at me, and I grimace. Nerve came in and wrapped me up tight with a compression bandage, so now the constriction around my ribs hurts more than I want to let on. I should wear my cut, but I’m not going anywhere other than to see Nycto, and to be honest, I am not sure I can move my arms enough to get it over my shoulders. The pain’s excruciating enough to pull on this much clothing. Nycto is just going to have to deal with me wearing civvies.

As I traipse out of my room, brothers take in the state of me. I’m sure they’re wondering what it means, but they shouldn’t read anything into it. I need to find Nycto, so I head for the kitchen, where Eva and Trixie are inside.

“Eva, where’s your man?” I call out to her.

She spins with a bright smile on her face, then it falls as she takes me in. “You okay, Void?”

“Yeah. Hurts to put clothes on is all.”

Her intense expression softens, and she relaxes. “Phew! Thought you were making a statement. He’s in the Chapel making some business calls. Head on in.”

I nod, turning to leave.

“And Void?” I turn back, raising a brow. “Thanks for looking out for Ivy last night. I’m sorry you got hurt in the process.”

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