Page 22 of Dirty Behavior

Ivy knew what it really meant to be afraid. What she was feeling wasn't that. This was something else, something that transforms into similar feelings, but doesn't hold that deep- seeded nature to make you shake and squirm, to make you whither up and wish that tomorrow would still come.

This was love hidden in the grip of not knowing what was coming next.

“No you're not, you love me, that's what you're feeling. You want to say yes but you don't know what tomorrow will bring.” Lifting the book off her lap, I threw it to the floor. Crawling up her stomach, I tickled her neck with my fingers. “You say you're afraid, but that's only because you don't want to allow yourself to be hurt if I die.”

“How could you know that? You're not in my head, you don't know what I'm thinking or feeling.” Angling her chin, she eyed me curiously.

“Your eyes say everything, Ivy. You don't need to say it for me to know it.”

“What if you're right then? What if I'm just scared you'll die?”

“I'm not going to die.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I thought about what you said, and you're right. I can't just walk into a lion's den, I need to be smart about it.”

“Wow, you actually listened.”

“I can listen sometimes, but I'm still an asshole, that won't change.”

“Noted,” Ivy giggled, snuggling her head into the pillow.

“The vacant lot off seventy-eight.”

“What?”she asked, brows raising high. “What are you talking about?”

“Earlier tonight, that's where I was.”

Her eyes slit tight, lips curving into the cutest frown. “Why?”

“That's where I let that rabbit go years ago. Every so often since I was young, I'd go out into the field over there to see if I could find him. I know it sounds stupid, but letting it go reminded me of my mother. I always thought that if she had been around, my father wouldn't have done that, she wouldn't have allowed it. When I let him go, it made me feel like my mom was with me, like I had given her something to be proud of.”

“That's not stupid, Dante. Your mom was gone and you weren't exactly given the chance to find yourself. You were forced into a life that was laid out for you and there was nothing you could do about it.”

Dipping my brows, I played with the ends of her hair. “My life was a game to him, just like that day with the rabbit. He wanted to feel his power.”

“Did you ever see that rabbit again?”

Shrugging, I ran my fingers through her hair as I looked down at her. “I don't know for sure it was him, but I'd like to think it was. That animal was the only other thing I ever gave back life. . . Besides you.”

Slipping her fingers over my scalp, Ivy clasped her hands around my neck. “Do all your friends know you're a softy?”

Smirking, I pointed at her face. “Let's keep that between us.”

“Oo,” she moaned, her lips rounding and forming a perfect O. “And if I don't?”

“Well, I'll have to punish you.”

“If that's supposed to be a threat, it's not working.”

“So you're telling me I need to be more physical then.” Grabbing her hip, I flipped her to her belly and slapped her ass.

Ivy let out a high-pitched gasp, her hands splayed out in front of her, digging into the sheets. Arching her back, she pressed her chest into the mattress, and lifted her ass higher.

“That's what you needed, a little rough play to show you I'm serious.”

“I'm still not convinced.” Jiggling her ass in my face, she stretched her arms out further, wrapping her fingers around the headboard. “I think I need more.”