24. Ivy
TWENTY-FOUR
Ivy
“I’ve never actually been to one of these before.” I smile from ear to damn ear as I look up at the massive screen in front of Xaden’s car. “It’s…awesome.”
He grins right back at me, ensuring everything is comfortable for the movie.
“You’ve never been to a drive-in? Oh, man. You’re in for a treat. Speaking of…” He reaches down by my feet and pulls out a bag I hadn’t noticed. “Snacks. We can get some popcorn, too.”
A happy squeal escapes me, and I step out of his car to meet Xaden around back by the trunk. He gets to work putting the seats down, and we are all set up to lie down in the back and watch the movie through the rear window.
We’ll be snuggled up and cozy with all the blankets I’ve brought with us, and there are enough pillows pilled up back here to make sure we’re totally comfortable.
“Have you brought Daisy to these?” I ask as Xaden climbs in next to me.
“Umm, a few. We have to wait until this time of year when it gets dark earlier because I can’t be keeping a preschooler up until eleven at night, you know?”
Laughing, I nod. “Oh, right. That makes sense. Well, when she’s older.”
“For sure. Besides, this particular movie isn’t exactly kid-friendly.” He raises his brows before lying back and opening his arm up for me to join him.
“Which one is it? You still haven’t told me.”
Xaden grins, pointing at the screen, and I roll my eyes.
“You bum.”
But soon enough, the movie starts, and I see that Xaden has brought me to a double-feature event of the most ridiculous-themed horror movies of all time.
If you can even call them that.
“ Thankskilling and Black Friday , huh? Jesus, these look so bad!” I laugh, tossing a gummy worm at him.
“That’s the point!” He chuckles, popping the candy into his mouth and chewing. “And hey, if you like ‘em, there’s Thankskilling Two and a third one, too.”
“Why on earth would anyone make more?” All I can do is laugh, and as the first movie starts rolling, it continues through the crappy graphics and terrible dialogue.
It’s perfect.
From the comfort of the car, we can yell at the screen as the characters continue to make bad decisions, and the tasty treats are passed back and forth, including a massive thing of stadium-style popcorn that Xaden picks up.
I snag the thermos of hot apple cider I brought with us and refill my cup as Thankskilling hits its peak.
“Am I seriously watching a turkey spirit that’s been killing people use a sheriff’s face as a disguise? Who the hell would buy that?”
Xaden laughs, and we both devolve into a fit of unstoppable giggles as the foul-mouthed Turkie causes more mayhem than I can even believe.
“Oh my God,” Xaden heaves in a breath, struggling to speak through the laughter, “he’s so dumb. What the hell? There’s radioactive waste now?!”
It’s all too ridiculous to be taken even remotely seriously, and I find myself having so much more fun than I could have imagined.
Pretending to eat me like the turkey, Xaden nibbles my neck, and I shoo him away, chuckling so hard my ribs hurt.
With that, the first movie is done, and we’re moving on to Black Friday , which is about zombies.
The absurd action continues, but I’ll admit that this one is slightly better. The effects are practical, which makes it look better than that evil turkey, and it’s not hard to imagine a bunch of zombies fitting in at a Black Friday sale.
“I’m glad that Bridget and Mason could watch Daisy. This is not appropriate for a kiddo.”
Just as I say it, blood spatters over the violence-filled shopping center of the movie, and my stomach turns.
Xaden laughs, but as he turns to me, his brows pinch together with concern. “Not a fan of gore? You’re looking a little green around the gills.”
I turn away from the screen, grimacing slightly. “It’s usually not a big deal. I guess I’m just off today or seeing that turkey did some bad things to me. Equally likely.”
Snuggling closer to me, Xaden slides his arm under me and pulls me against his side. “How about a little distraction then?”
He’s warm against me, and it doesn’t take long for his playful kisses on my neck to make me flush all over.
There’s no one around, and it’s dark outside the car windows. We have a blanket over us, and all the doors are safely locked.
It’s a little silly, but this feels like the perfect time to indulge in another sort of entertainment. I feel like a teenager, even if my own real-life experience during those years was wildly different.
“Well, hello,” I croon as Xaden slides his hand down my stomach and finds the waistband of my leggings.
“Hi, gorgeous.” His smile is mega-watt, and I melt like I always do.
As he grips the fabric, I adjust, helping Xaden to guide my pants down past my knees, where they bunch up near my super thick boot socks.
“Turn onto your side.” Xaden’s whisper sends shivers down my spine, and I am all too happy to oblige.
Facing away from him, I hang on edge as I wait to see what Xaden has planned. It’s answered quickly enough when I look over my shoulder to see him scooting down beneath the covers.
His hand bends me forward so that more of me is readily accessible from his position. I had thought he might just use his fingers, but Xaden disappears beneath the blanket, and then I feel his tongue glide over my seam.
Bucking, I let out a small moan and grip the edges of the blanket as my eyes squeeze shut. Xaden uses his hands to open me up for him, his tongue spearing into my folds.
I swear, every time with Xaden introduces something new. This is an angle we haven’t tried before, and there’s something so deliciously naughty about him eating me out from behind.
It doubles down as he holds me open for his exploring tongue, which he drags up and down, toying with my clit before dipping inside.
I’m already on the edge of an orgasm, and I need more. Craning my leg up, I open up the space for Xaden to duck his head between my thighs as I roll onto my back slightly.
“Mmm, so damn tasty.” The words are muffled against my skin, dampened by the blanket, but I feel the vibrations of his hum right on my clit.
“Xaden…oh fuck.”
This angle allows Xaden to slip his fingers into my pussy, pumping back and forth as he continues to devour me. I erupt in moments, rushing over that cliff as the release claims me from head to toe.
As it recedes, Xaden tongues me through the aftershocks until crawling back up to lie behind me. I feel his hands go for his waist, and then the blunt head of his erection is pressing against my slick skin.
I reach back, finding his hips and pulling him closer. The action drives Xaden’s cock deep inside me, and I groan as I clamp down around him.
“Ugh, not feeling very patient, are we?” Xaden circles his hips, and I whimper as his impressive length rubs against the sensitive nerves in my core.
Shaking my head, I smirk, picking up my own rhythm as Xaden continues to just tease me.
“No, I’m not. I need you.”
A single hard thrust rocks me forward, making me yelp. “What’s the magic word, baby?”
“Please. Please , Xaden.”
I can see Xaden’s smile even though he’s behind me, knowing exactly what expression he’s making on instinct.
“That’s my girl.”
His hips move back and forth, making his thick cock slide deliciously in and out of me. It’s perfection, and I follow his pace to create a sinful dance between us.
The blur of intimacy and arousal becomes all I know until I feel Xaden thicken inside me right as I’m coasting off into another orgasm.
He twitches inside me, filling me up. I’m glad that I haven’t stopped taking my prescription because I love the spontaneity of these moments.
As things calm, I smile up at the ceiling of the car with my eyes closed. The world is spinning slightly, but damn, that was incredible.
“Ugh, I haven’t done anything like that since I was a teenager, and back then, it was just handy town.”
I laugh, pushing up onto my elbow to say something, but then the entire world twists upside down, and a wave of nausea washes over me.
It’s too strong, and I’m forced to rush to the back, where the trunk opens up, hitting the release and puking outside onto the ground.
Several moments pass while I empty everything that may have been inside me. When it finally backs off, I realize that Xaden is there, rubbing my back, and he helps me back inside the car.
“You okay?” I look up at him, his brows squeezed so low with worry that I feel bad. “That came out of nowhere.”
“I…” Exhaustion rushes me, making the world spin again. “I don’t know. Can we…can we go home?”
Xaden helps to get everything ready to go, and now we’re on the road. The car is quiet, and my guts are still churning like I’m going to be sick again.
I don’t understand what’s been going on with my stomach lately, and as if the universe has it out for me, I feel my phone buzz in the pocket of my coat. I know it’s late, and I know that means it’s a particular person texting me.
Pulling out my cell, my stomach roils as I see that I’m right, yet again. My father is threatening me again, demanding money.
The nausea swells higher, and I’m forced to take deep breaths through my nose.
I can feel Xaden’s stare on me, and I shove the phone away. I’m too fucking worried about what my father might do, and I can’t hide it right now.
It’s too much to handle that he might be going after Jasmine next, and I can’t help but feel guilty for dragging Xaden and Daisy into all this by being involved with them.
I hate the man more and more, the danger that Xaden and Daisy could be in swirling through the nausea and making it more intense.
“Are you okay? Do you need me to pull over?”
Shaking my head, I close my eyes, gripping the handle on the car door. “No, I’m alright for now. Just get me home, okay?”
“Who—”
“It was just a spam text. It’s so annoying.”
Silence returns, and I crack a lid to see Xaden facing the road with his hands in tight grips on the wheel. The skin on his knuckles is white, and his jaw is clenched.
I know he doesn’t believe me, and he shouldn’t. Guilt blooms like an evil weed in my chest, and I want to sob.
Telling Xaden the truth is a must. I have to get around to it, but every time I think about coming clean, I worry that he’ll hear about my past and see me differently.
It’s not a pretty story, and I can’t stand the idea of Xaden thinking less of me, doubting the faith he’s put in me.
God, that’s so selfish. And come on, if he likes me, then it shouldn’t matter.
But I’m clearly a chicken shit because I’m too fucking scared to say anything. Am I really keeping him and Daisy safe by not saying something, or am I keeping myself safe?
I know the answer, of course. Still, I don’t know how to start a conversation about being a victim of my parents’ actions; thanks to their drug habits and horrible choices, I was nearly…their neglect was par for the course before going to prison.
How am I supposed to tell Xaden that I’ve never been this pure thing he thinks he sees because that was all taken from me when I was a child?
How am I supposed to say that I let myself stay in that situation because I was too afraid to leave my sister behind?
I stayed behind to protect her. I took the brunt of everything my parents did because I couldn’t let it happen to Jasmine, too.
But I also didn’t fight them. I didn’t fight.
And that fact still haunts me every day—just like my father coming back to haunt me now.
The rest of the car ride goes by in a blur of nausea and regret. When we get to Xaden’s, he carries me up the stairs and tucks me into the bed with a glass of water and some medicine.
It seems to go smoothly until I roll over, and the movement doesn’t sit right. I have to sprint to the bathroom, and when I reach the toilet, I heave up bile.
Xaden is there the entire time, rubbing my back and holding my hair out of my face. He presses a cold cloth to my skin and gets me a small cup of water to swish in my mouth and spit out.
He’s incredible.
I’m too tired to lift my head, and I whimper as I try to catch my breath. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“It’s okay, hun. We’ll get you sorted. Maybe one of those snacks didn’t sit right with you.”
I nod half-heartedly. “Maybe.”
“Let’s get you back to bed.”
Xaden wipes down my face and carries me back to the bed. After he sets me down, I can feel him stand up, and I reach out with my hand, my eyes still closed.
“Don’t leave me.”
I hear the shuffle of steps, and then Xaden’s hand takes mine from behind me as he acts as the big spoon.
“I’m not going anywhere, babe. I’ve got you.”
As silly as it is, hearing him say that is precisely what I needed. I feel safe with him. He really does have my back, and I haven’t known what that’s felt like in so long.
Unconsciousness starts to claim me, and Xaden is right there, stroking my arm. As I drift off, I make a silent promise to tell him everything I’ve been holding in.
This is it. I trust him, and I feel cared for by him so damn much. I need to be honest.
In the morning…we’ll talk about it all in the morning.