Page 54 of Ivy

Knocking on my door breaks me from my thoughts. I open the door without checking through the peephole. My dad would go nuts if he knew I didn’t check first.

“Jem,” comes the voice at the door. I stand there, unblinking, taking in the man before me.

The six-foot-two man of pure muscle, the jet-black hair, and the skin covered with tattoos, just like his dad, Liam. The t-shirt he’s wearing stretches across his vast chest, threatening to rip. His jeans hang very nicely on his hips, along with his usual black boots.

“You seen enough, or do you need more time to ogle me, Jem?” His voice is gravelly, just like it’s always been. His voice has always been something I love about him.

My heart stutters in my chest at the sound of it, and from the nickname he uses for me. I swallow the thick ball of emotion in my throat and answer him.

“What do you want, Knox?”

He smirks at me and steps inside my place. “I was driving home and saw the fucknut and the bimbo sprinting from the house, so I wanted to see what had happened.”

“You don’t need to know shit, Knox, so you can leave,” I say, and grip the frame of the door, ready to close it behind him??after I’ve thrown him out.

“I always need to know what’s happening to you, Jem.” His voice drops an octave, taking on that sexy tone.

“No, you don’t. I—”

He cuts me off by slamming his lips onto mine. He tilts his head, deepening the kiss. His tongue slides between my lips, and I gasp at the feel of his hand squeezing my bum. The kiss lasts for a matter of seconds before Knox pulls back. He looks torn again. I am so fucking sick of this back and forth with him. My heart hurts all over again.

“That’s it, Knox. Leave. No more kisses. No more touches. I am sick of this thing that’s between us. Stop hurting me! I can’t handle the whole ‘I want you but can’t have you’ bullshit.” Tears threaten to spill and Knox looks like I’ve kicked his puppy.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. Motherfucker.” With that, he storms out of my flat. I sink to the floor, emotions racing through my body. I see the letter hanging over the side of the kitchen counter, and my heart skips a beat.

Now is the ideal time to leave and find me. I need to be just Bailie Baker.

THE END

The End

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