13. TRUTH
TRUTH
KARSON
We stood there on the beach, looking into each other’s eyes, it took all my strength not to take her into my arms…
I wanted to hold her. Feel her heart beating, her skin against mine. Never let go.
“Ivy.” I ran my tongue over my lips. “Karlos’s goon forced me to call you that day.” I tried to steady my voice. “And my father made it simple. End it with you, or he’d make good on his threats. It wasn’t a choice. I knew I was going to hurt you, but it was the only way I knew to keep you safe.”
Fury spiked through me like venom as my hands curled into fists.
“This is beyond belief.” Her expression crumbled. “I just thought he was a bit of a control freak,” she said, looking shaken.
“I wish that’s all it was. But I am trying to find a way out of this mess. Please don’t hate me. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Karson, I’m sorry he put you—and us—in that position.” She moved a little closer. “And you’re right. He is crazy.”
A wave broke on the shore with a thunderous clap, when I looked at her again, she was standing even closer.
“But I saw the photos of you kissing that woman.” Her lashes lowered. “They were everywhere. How do you explain that?”
“My father manipulated me into going to that stupid gala, using his usual currency—a barrage of threats. He set it up with Bella’s father for her to be my date.”
“Right. Well, I wish you could have told me all this before. It’s been hell on earth. At first, I didn’t think your message could be true. I waited for you to call me, to explain. But you didn’t. And then I saw those photos,” she said softly, biting down on her lip.
“Those photos are total bullshit. I can barely tolerate being around Bella. She’s not a bad person and has her own demons to deal with. But her and me? Yeah, no.”
Her gaze lifted to mine as I shook my head.
“I’ve been trying to figure out how to deal with this whole train wreck.
I wanted to keep you out of it, to keep you safe.
But, like you said, those photos were everywhere and I knew I had to explain.
If I hadn’t gone to the gala, he would’ve fired Gus.
I couldn’t let that happen—he has a daughter to support, he’s been like a father to me. ”
Worry creased her brow.
“Bella is on his fucked up list of girlfriends for me. He wants me to be with her.” Resentment clouded my face. “He thinks he can choose someone for me. What I want doesn’t factor into the Karlos universe.”
“That’s really messed up. But you two really did look pretty cozy together.” Hurt flashed across her face.
“I knew her from Drake, but Ivy, the whole thing was a setup.” I raked my fingers through my hair and took a breath. “The night of the gala, she drank. A lot. She promised that if we went out to look at the view for a while, we’d call it a night.”
She studied her palm as if searching for a hidden truth.
“I agreed because I didn’t want her complaining to her father, or mine, that I’d ruined her night. There would have been repercussions. It seemed like the perfect solution. I just wanted out. But things got out of hand—”
“But you were kissing her. Or did your father make you fake that too?”
“I deserved that. But I can explain. When it was time for me to leave, she ambushed me. Out of nowhere, she blurted out how happy she was that we were ‘together’.” I lifted my fingers in air quotes.
“I’m listening.”
“We were not. Are not. She’d had way too many cocktails and lurched toward me.
The next thing I knew, her lips were on mine, and at the same time, I grabbed her to stop her from falling.
But the cameras had the footage they needed to create their own narrative—that we were ‘making out’ and ‘together’. ”
She studied the horizon. “Well, they painted a pretty convincing picture,” she whispered, shooting me a sidelong glance.
“Ivy, they’ve been hunting me down and making stories out of nothing my whole life,” I replied softly. “But what they didn’t show was me helping her back inside or making it clear to her we weren’t together right before I left.”
She stood there, radiant beneath the pearly glow of the moon.
A tingle of hope flickered in my core. At least she’s not walking away…
I needed to tell her everything while I had the chance.
“When the photos came out, I knew I had to come to you. To explain. I’m sorry for everything, Ivy.
I wish I could change it, but I can’t. But nothing has changed with how I feel about you.
Before I leave in a few hours, I need you to know that.
” A cold sweat broke out on my brow. “I arranged it as carefully as I could. My father can’t find out I’m here, or there’ll be hell to pay. ”
She turned to face me as I searched for a clue about how she was feeling. She took a step back but didn’t look away.
“You were all I could think about,” I pleaded, wondering if it was too late to get through to her. “At the gala, the whole time we’ve been apart. Only you. You’re the one for me, Ivy.” I reached for her hand. “I love you.”
Slowly she reached out, taking my hand. A mixture of joy and relief washed over me as my arms circled her waist, she leaned into me, her warm, soft body pressing against mine.
At last.
“It’s all so fucked up.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I get why you had to end it that way, and that the photos with Bella were… well, you weren’t playing me,” she said huskily. “Karson, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I whispered, trailing the back of my fingers down her cheek.
“And I love you too,” she told me breathlessly.
The flame inside me reignited. My hands tightened around her waist as I lifted her into the air. We spun around, laughing and crying together. Lowering her down, I pulled her close to my chest.
Our lips brushed softly against each other. A hunger rose inside me as my tongue brushed hers, the kiss deepening as her fingers wove through my hair and we lowered ourselves onto the sand.
Lost. In the feel. In the taste of each other.
Pulling away, I held her at arm’s length, gazing at her, taking in every detail of her face. Then she climbed onto my lap, wrapping her legs around my waist and circling her arms around my neck. I pressed my face against her breasts as a groan escaped both of our lips.
I pulled her closer.
She gasped, her hands sliding beneath my shirt, running up the length of my back as we clung together. “Karson.” Her face was aglow. “God, I missed you. So much. Do you want to come back to—”
My arms tightened around her. “Yes!” I cut in.
Laughing, we jumped up and ran hand in hand along the sandy track toward her house.
Her roommates were nowhere to be seen when she led me down the hall to her bedroom. With our arms wrapped around each other, we collapsed onto the bed.
My fingers threaded through her hair. Moaning under her breath, she arched against me, her hand finding me through my jeans. I traced the tip of my tongue upward along the curve of her neck before brushing my mouth back over hers.
With a small moan, her lips parted, giving me entry as her tongue stroked mine. We moved together in a slow, tangled rhythm while she drew my finger into her warm mouth.
My pulse quickened. I slipped my hand lower, finding the heat between her thighs, she opened to me, melting into my touch. A low groan slipped from my lips as she pressed against me, her touch urgent as we moved together.
Her body trembled, her hair falling to her waist as she tossed her head back, clinging to me through every movement.
She quivered, I felt her tighten around me, her body arching as her lips parted. “Karson,” she cried, wrapping her arms around my neck as it hit hard—
Her hand curled around me, every muscle in my body tensed, each movement pulling me further under. She pulled me closer to her chest, and a shiver ran through me. “Ivy—”
The wave crashed over us, we cried out together, clinging to each other as it swept through us.
We lay entwined, holding each other as our hands roamed over warm skin, unwilling to let go.
***
The crushing weight of being apart lifted. Drifting out through the open window into the night sky.
The world was back on its axis.
I wanted to freeze time. Stay there. Hold her.
But shortly before four a.m., when my alarm sounded, I flinched. “No! Not yet,” I groaned, flicking it off and resting my head in Ivy’s lap.
“What? Already?” We gripped each other tighter. “You only just got here.”
If I was going to slip back to my room before Gus noticed, I had to get back to the waiting car—and board my flight.
“Firefly,” I whispered, “promise me no matter what you see about me online, you won’t believe it.” With the back of my thumb, I stroked the smooth skin on her shoulder.
“I promise.” Her green eyes smoldered as the light of the candle danced in her hair. “Now that I know the truth, I won’t believe the lies.”
“That’s all I needed to hear. You mean everything to me.” I nuzzled her neck. “But for now, I have to go,” I said, my voice breaking.
“Hey,” she said, sitting upright, “we can get through this.” She draped the blanket around her shoulders. “It’s hard, but let’s just take it one day at a time. One minute at a time, if we need to.”
Nodding, I willed myself to believe everything would be all right. “We need to be free of my father to be together. And I’m going to make it happen.”
She drove her finger into my chest. “You’d better!” Her eyes blazed, but her mouth turned up in a small smile at one corner. “Please be careful, all right?” A dark expression crossed her face. “He’s dangerous. Promise me you won’t do anything crazy to provoke him.”
She’d stoked something in me—I would do whatever it took to be with her, and whatever it took to keep her safe. “I’ll be careful, I promise. You’ve given me the strength I need to fight back. I love you, Ivy Lawrence.”
“You’re growing on me too, City Boy.” Squeezing me tight, she pressed her lips against mine.
I felt it again, an unstoppable urgency. As I pushed her gently down onto the bed, the blanket fell off her shoulders. I moved downward, devouring the soft curves of her body.
As I ran the tip of my tongue around the peak of her breast, her hands dug into my back. My hands sank lower, over her belly, then down along the inside of her thighs, rising back up to her core.
With a gasp, she arched against me before pushing me away. “Karson,” she whispered, “go… it’s not safe for you to stay longer. If you don’t make the flight, your father will…”
Tearing myself away from her, I shook my head and walked to the window. As I stared out into the night, the cold air cut me like a knife.
Then I froze. “Wait! I almost forgot.” I reached into my backpack, retrieving the stack of hundred-dollar bills along with the phone I’d bought for Ivy.
“Here, keep this.” I held it out. “It’s almost ten thousand dollars.
Before you ask, I sold my watch. Don’t worry.
I have more stuff I can sell if we need more cash.
” I pressed it into her hand. “And I got us both a new phone, so we can talk to each other without Karlos knowing. My number’s already in there,” I explained, placing it on the bed beside her.
“No, Karson, this is too much.” She put the money down, pushing it my way.
I took her hands in mine and squeezed gently. “It’s not too much. I don’t want you to worry about money. I’m selling the boat, but obviously he can’t find out, so it might take a while. I don’t know when I’ll see you again, but at least now we can talk.”
“I’ll keep the money here for both of us, in case we need it later. And Karson, thank you.” She circled her arms around me. “I’m so glad you came. I’m going to miss you. And I can’t believe I’m saying this… leave!”
The golden flicker of the candle lit up the darkness, casting a magical glow over the contours of her waist and her gentle curves.
Her gaze fixed on me as I pulled on my clothes.
“You’re making it impossible to leave, you know that, right?” I smiled, pulling on my runners.
She blew me a kiss as I backed away through the doorway and into the shadows of the night.