Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) (35 page)

Their breathing cut through the silence, and he slid out of her, immediately missing her warm sheath.

After moments of quietness where he swam in his thoughts of how he desired to take Ivy home, he finally pushed off of her.

Kneeling down, William slipped her panties up her legs and arranged her dress as she faced him.

William was at a loss for words. Only with Ivy did that happen. 

Then she gazed at him with glossy eyes, and he wondered if he’d hurt her. 

William saw that she wanted to either speak or cry.

“I need to leave,” she said, and with that, she strutted from the room and slammed the door in her wake.

A perplexed William rushed to fasten his pants to follow Ivy. He hadn’t expected her to run after sex. 

Opening the door, Silk stopped him by the elbow. “Let her leave, William.”

“What? Why?”

“You want her to stop fearing you, don’t you?”

William nodded grudgingly.

“Then don’t hound her every chance you get. The fear and anger needs to be replaced with trust. And if you ever want Ivy to trust you, then you need to give her space. If you continue like this, you’ll only push her away. Show her that you’re not the same man she met a year ago anymore. Be patient. And in the meantime, we’ll have the private eye follow her everywhere so you’ll know she’s safe.”

“I’m not sure I can stay away.”

“It’s the only choice you have left,” Silk answered without judgement.

With much reluctance, William took his friend’s advice. “I want you to arrange for the guard right now. I don’t want her to run from me again. And honestly, I believe something else besides being afraid of me is keeping her from me.”

He detested the thought of leaving her alone, especially after having a taste again. William didn’t know how long he would be able to stay away.

CHAPTER 45

Ivy

Luck was truly against Ivy. For weeks, she’d never stumbled upon William anywhere, and out of the blue, he attended the one soiree where she wanted to rob someone. Apparently, Ben had ratted them out to William yesterday, and Sean had kicked Ben out of their apartment last night, only to find out that Ben had taken all of their cash, so she and Sean were in desperate need of money.

As Ivy returned to the ballroom to search for Sean, she sighed in relief that William hadn’t come after her. It only took one kiss for her to surrender to William, an
d
her body still hummed from being close to him. The power he had over her was so immense that she was afraid she would never say no to him. She didn’t even want to.

While she tried to locate Sean with much trouble because of her lousy eyesight, she relived every second of her encounter with William. How remarkably good he’d fit inside her. For a brief moment in time, she’d enjoyed happiness again. Her heart still screamed his name frequently.

Moving outside into the garden, she still didn’t spot Sean. But to her annoyance, she did see William and Silk returning to the ballroom with ladies in tow. Ivy remembered very well how women swooned over William, and of course, the women here chased him too. He and Silk together did make a dashing pair. William casually swiped a hand through his disheveled hair, and the women ogled his tattoos and bulging biceps. How handsome he looked in his customary white dress shirt and black suspenders.

As if he sensed her eyes on him, he reached up to the back of his neck, and then he looked directly at her. William held her gaze while swiftly tracing the pad of his thumb over his lip – the one that had been inside her core.

Ivy stood in the doorway and expected him to come to her, to force her to talk or drag her off with him. But he astonished Ivy by engaging the other women in conversation.

She studied William’s casual manner, and it irked her enormously. Then, unfortunately, he edged his way across the ballroom, further away from her, so she couldn’t see him clearly anymore. Instead of continuing her search for Sean, she stalked William. It was an entirely stupid decision, but she wanted to smash the woman who accompanied him.

Silk, William, and two females in expensive dresses stopped at the beverage table, and William gallantly provided them with drinks.

Ivy had wondered if William was here with a date.

Did he just ditch his date to quickly fuck her?

While she had thought she had to escape William, maybe he was glad she’d scurried off right after sex? Maybe all he’d wanted was to fuck her?
He
had wanted confirmation from
her
if she’d kissed anyone while
he
was here with a bloody date? Ivy felt foolish to have fallen for his charms. William was a seducer, a man who idolized feminine beauty.

Her heart sank to her feet. And being the tenacious Ivy that she was, she couldn’t simply leave. No, she confronted him in all her jealous indignation.

Ivy closed the distance between her and William, and she swore she saw him tense when she arrived at the table as well to take a glass of champagne.

“Mr. Kade.”

William gripped his glass. “Miss Hunter.”

The ladies waited for an introduction while William and Ivy stared at each other.

Ivy took one sip of her drink. “Care to introduce me to your date, Mr. Kade?”

William’s lips thinned every time she didn’t use his first name. He watched her with suspicion. Ivy knew how William loathed this situation because he wasn’t in control; he had no idea what Ivy’s intention was.

Ivy needed to know if the girl was indeed his date.

“Miss Aubrey Neal, meet Miss Ivy Hunter.”

William didn’t contradict her, so Aubrey
was
his date.

Ivy hoped she didn’t turn green with envy.

Aubrey regarded Ivy with derision, and although Ivy did feel inferior to this upper class, golden haired beauty, she refused to cower.

“Miss Neal,” Ivy greeted.

Aubrey stepped closer to William, and William inched away slightly, toward Ivy, to Aubrey’s aggravation.

Then Aubrey touched William’s arm, looking only at him. “How do you two know each other?”

Ivy glanced at Aubrey’s hand resting on William’s feather tattoo, and she peeked at William, who was unreadable at the moment. He didn’t shake off the other woman’s touch.

“William and I go way back,” Ivy answered, gazing at William.

He returned her stare. “Yes—”

“We used to be friends. Well, more than friends,” Ivy interjected, wanting to make the situation wholly uncomfortable for William.

Silk smirked behind his fist as he fake-coughed lamely.

“Uhm…” Aubrey tried to catch William’s attention, but he was fixated on Ivy.

Ivy finished her drink smugly, sneering at Aubrey. Then she studied William, who didn’t move a muscle. “Do you enjoy reading, Mr. Kade?”

William knew exactly where she was going with the sudden change in subject.

“Okay…we’re going to dance.” Silk tugged his date with him.

“Why do you ask, Ivy?” William retorted.

“I saw you coming from the library,” she replied, thinking about how he’d fucked her against the bookcase.

“I do love to read,” William said with a charismatic grin. “I enjoyed my time in the library tonight. It’s exquisite.”

Ivy wanted William to only think of her. Her mission was to destroy his night with Aubrey. Ivy would rather make a fool of herself than allow Aubrey to return home with William.

“I was looking for you earlier, William,” Aubrey inserted herself into the conversation.

William ignored her. “Do you love to read, Ivy?”

“I do. Especially a thick book. I love hardcovers,” she returned in a husky voice.

Understanding finally dawned on Aubrey that William and Ivy weren’t talking about reading at all, but she didn’t give up on William so easily. “William, I want to dance.”

“Then go dance,” he said while still inspecting Ivy.

Ivy smiled sweetly and wanted to make William jealous, so she set her empty glass on the table as another young man joined them, a gentleman who spied Ivy with interest. Even though, Ivy wasn’t the least bit interested in
him
, she did flirt with him. Perhaps she could swindle some money from him.

“Good evening,” Ivy greeted him kindly and disregarded William.

“Good evening, Miss…”

“Call me Ivy.”

He dipped his chin. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Ivy, I’m Ryan.”

William bristled with anger.

“Would you like to dance?” Ryan asked.

William interrupted, “Ryan, Aubrey just mentioned she wanted to dance.” William practically shoved her to him.

Ryan was confounded by the disruption, and Aubrey vibrated with discontent. Clearly, she sought to stay with William.

“You promised me the next dance,” Aubrey stated to William.

“You dance with your date, William. Have a pleasant evening,” Ivy said, and she placed her arm in the crook of Ryan’s, abandoning the table quickly.

The entire meeting left Ivy bewildered. She didn’t understand why she’d acted rashly and chosen to try to make William jealous. Although, deep down, she discerned exactly why. Because her heart belonged to William, and she wanted to know how he’d react. She still craved to know if he’d ever loved her.

Before reaching the dance floor, Ivy was pulled back by her arm and spun around to face William’s thunderous expression.

“Ryan, dance with Aubrey,” he ordered while glowering at Ivy.

Ryan viewed all three people but did as told, probably scared of William’s imposing presence.

Aubrey went off with Ryan with a skulk, and William heaved Ivy toward the balcony.

“You’re making a scene,” she chided.

“I don’t give a fuck.
You
started this.” He pointed outside, directing her to move.

They treaded from the ballroom, and Ivy turned to face him in the center of the balcony. “What?!”

“What?! Let me explain. First”—he strode to her in one long step—“you run out after we have sex. Second, you taunt me when you see me with Aubrey. And third, you provoke me by leaving me again with another man.”

She felt the blood drain from her face but was still mad about his date. “You’re here with a date. You fucked me while
you
are here with a date!”

He rolled his shoulders as though they’d suddenly grown tense. “She’s not a real date, Ivy.”

“Is she what you meant when you said that you’ve moved on? Did you move on with her?” She jerked her chin toward his date dancing with Ryan.

William didn’t bother to look at Aubrey. “No! She’s nobody.”

Ivy gave him a sad smile. “She’s with you, so she’s someone.”

“Do you want to beat around the bush and talk about unimportant people, or do you want to discuss us?”

“Is there an ‘us’?”

William lifted Ivy on her tiptoes as he gripped her shoulders. “There will always be an ‘us’. Our lives became inextricably intertwined the day I took you. Do you not understand?!”

A long hesitation, while her throat tightened a little. “I-I…”

“
You
left
me
in the library. Not the other way around. I know you understand that you don’t really need to fear me
.
Speak, Ivy. Say what you want to say.”

How desperately Ivy wanted to confess, but she was terrified of his reaction. She didn’t trust William. He lusted for her, but did he love her enough to forgive her everything once he learned the entire truth? “I don’t know if I can.”

His harsh sigh echoed in the night as he dropped his arms. Ivy had never seen William look so forlorn.

“I’ve been searching for you for six months. I’ve been in agony wondering whether or not you were okay. Do you think you were the only one who fell in love? You aren’t. I did as well. I love you. I fucking missed you so much that I couldn’t even sleep in my own bed!” He brought up his hands and cradled her face, his thumbs stroking her cheeks and slipping down to caress the corners of her mouth. “I made a mistake the way I handled the situation the day you left; I get that. But if you walk away from me now,
you
will make an even bigger mistake.” His forehead dropped to hers.

“You don’t get what I’ve been through,” she whispered brokenly. “No one feels the depth of your pain, only your own heart. No one feels the depth of my pain but me.”

“I feel it. Because it’s the exact same pain I experience when being apart from you.” He sounded genuine.

His breath fanned her cheeks and Ivy blinked, two tears tracking down and dripping over his thumbs. Ivy rested her palms on his chest, gliding up to his neck as she memorized his dimple and every line in his handsome face. Mustering all her courage, she told him part of the truth. “I’m going to be blind soon, William.”

His eyes turned enormous at her admission. “What?!”

“Please, let me say what I have to say because if I don’t do it now, I won’t be able to get it all out. I won’t see a thing. I’ll be living in darkness forever. I can never give you what you want. I can never give any man what he wants. No one wants a wife they’ll have to take care of daily. I won’t be able to do anything by myself.”

William carefully considered his answer.

However, before he could comment, Ivy spoke as she forced his hands from her face, holding them tightly in hers. “You’re correct; I don’t really fear you. I was afraid of what you would think of me once you learned about my condition. But you also broke me the day I had to leave you. You and I have a past that’s messed up, William. I know that I’m a young girl, but you’re a boy in so many ways too. I don’t want a life with you where you’ll be with other women once you’ve had enough of my blindness. I can’t take the risk of having my heart broken by you again. I won’t survive that. It’s time we stop playing games and accept that there isn’t a future for us. I told you yesterday that I’m tired of these games. Too much has happened for us to be together, and I don’t know if you’ll love me when I’m blind and dependent on you. It’s too difficult for me to be around you. Let me go.” Ivy pressed a kiss to his mouth and released one of William’s hands.

Since he was still stunned by the impact of her revelation, she took the opportunity and fled. William held on to her hand as she passed him, yet he didn’t turn around. She continued until their entwined fingers drew apart, and she increased the distance between them.