Page 19 of Taming the Bad Boy

I can’t believe what happens next. I wasn’t planning it at all, but the words just fall from my lips.

“I love you, Ivy.”

Her lips part softly, and her eyes widen. She wasn’t expecting that.

Neither was I.

My words hang in the air, and for just a moment, I’m convinced she’s going to grab her stuff and leave. Tell me I’m moving too fast, despite all the mischief we’ve been up to.

But she wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me on top of her like she wants me to crush her. “I love you too,” she whispers.

I press my lips against hers and kiss her slow and deep. Ivy is the triumph of my life, and I’ll spend the rest of my years protecting her. Even if my past comes back to haunt me.

7

IVY

ONE WEEK LATER…

I wantto wake to kisses on my neck. To Slate’s rough hands moving down my hips and grabbing my butt. To the scrape of his five o’clock-shadow on my cheek as he brings his lips to mine.

But despite my wishes, I wake up alone in my bed at home.

We’ve been sneaking around now, stealing touches in the shadows, sharing late-night rides and whispering dirty things into each other’s ears. But now it’s finally time to stop hiding. My dad deserves to know the truth.

And today we’re going to tell him.

It’s best he hears it from us, rather than from someone else, or God forbid, walking in on us somewhere and losing his shit. And besides, Slate deserves to live in the light and not be hidden away in the darkness.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and thumb through our messages from last night. His last text reads:

Pick you up in the morning. We’ll tell him together.

My heart skips a beat, and I bite my lower lip. Yep, it’s really happening today. No doubt, no hesitation in his words. He really means it. He’s ready.

So what is this whisper in the back of my mind? This hesitation? A voice telling me that something is wrong–something I can’t see.

Maybe I’m just nervous because this thing with Slate feels too good to be true.

He’s perfect for me. It’s like he came out of nowhere just to bless my heart with an almost unbearable love.

There’s also a missed call from Dad, but it’s probably just him telling me I’m late to work. So I quickly push myself out of bed and throw on some clothes. The last thing I need is for him to be already pissed when Slate and I lay our news on him.

When I step outside,Slate is already there, sitting on his bike in a thin T-shirt that shows off his broad shoulders and muscled arms. His eyes lock on to mine instantly. Some women might find them dark, but they soften quickly as I walk up to him.

“Good morning, gorgeous.” He smiles.

We kiss. I drape myself against him. “You sure about this?”

He tilts my chin up and gives me a firm, confident look. “We talked about this, Ivy. We can’t hide our relationship. I can’t go around pretending I am not in love with you.”

Every time he tells me that, my heart flutters. I blush, clutching his arm.

“I love you too.”

He pulls me close and kisses me, deeply and hungrily. It would be a perfect moment if it weren’t for the nervous, twisting sensation in my stomach.

It’s a short drive to Dad’s shop. I keep my head leaned up against Slate’s muscled back, basking in the warmth of his body, my eyes closed. I open them when I feel the bike slowing, andwhen I see the door to the garage, I instantly know something isverywrong.

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