Page 15 of Take My Place

“No, Ivy.” Romy briefly takes his eyes off the road to look me straight in the eye.

“He’d want toget rid of you.Permanently.”

“Oh.” I gulp.

“I will protect you, but there’s only so much I’d be able to do against the might of my father’s empire. Honestly, I think we would both end up dead,” Romy explains. “And while I’m not the only potential Navarre heir, my father has invested a lot in grooming me to succeed him. If we were to run away together to escape our families, he’d hunt us down. We’d spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders, and that’s no way to live.”

“You people are so messed up.”I go back to looking out of the window. There is nothing left to say.

“We’re here,” Romy finally announces, pulling up outside Gazpacho’s, a Spanish restaurant. “What do you want me to do? I can take you home if you really want.”

“What–you’d deal with all the backlash if I stood my father up?”

“Of course.” Romy smiles. “I care about you, Ivy. If that’s what you really want to do, I’ll take you back right now. I will fight for you, protect you. Die for you, if that is what is needed. I knew the second you kissed me that you were the first girl I would let myself fall for. I’m here and not leaving.”

Oh my god, how am I meant to walk away from him when he tells me things like this?

“No.” I sigh. “We’re here now. I might as well get it over and done with.”Impulsively, I lean forward and kiss Romy. Taken by surprise, it takes him a moment to react, but his natural instincts take over and he kisses me back, gently nibbling at my lower lip as I feel so much more than I can explain. Kissing Romy is seductive and natural all at the same time. He is addictive, and I forgot how good it was to be in his arms.

“Crap, my lipstick!” I laugh, pulling away to see a red smear across Romy’s mouth. I run my finger over his lips to wipe away the lipstick, and Romy turns his head to take it into his mouth. Teasing my fingertip with his tongue, I gasp at the sudden sensation.

“Maybe you could come to my room for a nightcap after dinner?” he suggests when he finally lets me go.

“Mm-hmm.” I was a little too aroused to be able to speak. It’s funny how such a simple little gesture could have such a powerful effect on me. I can’t deny the sexual chemistry I share with Romy. He sure knows how to make a girl feel good.

“You might want to touch up your makeup,” Romy suggests.

I pull out a mirror from my bag and see he managed to kiss away a lot of my lipstick. Quickly, I repair the damage.

“Gorgeous,” Romy says, as I look to him for approval. “Come on. The sooner you finish your meal, the sooner we can be alone together.”

“I like the sound of that.”

I really did.

Romy takes my hand and we walk into the restaurant together. I see my father straight away, sitting on his own at a table laid for two towards the back of the room where we would have some privacy.

“I’ll leave the two of you to it,” murmurs Romy, letting go of my hand and giving me a gentle nudge of encouragement. “Remember–I’m right here if you need me.”

My father stands up when he sees me approaching, spreading his arms wide to hug me.

“Ivy!” he smiles. “You have no idea how good it is to see you, my child. I’ve been so worried about you. When I heard you were staying with the Navarres, I had to see for myself that you were okay. You are okay, aren’t you? They’re looking after you properly?”

“Yep.”No thanks to you.

My father pulls out a chair for me and waits for me to sit before going back to his seat.

“I’ve already ordered for us so we don’t waste time,” he tells me, clicking his fingers to summon a waiter.

“Of course you have,” I say. Not sure why I expected anything else.

The waiter pours me a generous glass of red wine, before topping up my father’s drink and leaving the rest of the bottle behind for us to help ourselves.

“Your food will be brought out shortly,” he says, bowing to my father before leaving us alone again.

“A toast.” My father raises his glass. “To my beautiful little girl who is becoming an even more beautiful woman.”

I say nothing as I lift my glass to meet his and take a little sip of wine. Much as I want the comfort of alcohol to numb our encounter, I need to keep a clear head tonight.

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