“Maybe I should, but I don’t want to,” I answer.
Ivy gulps, and I watch the movement of her throat. Her lips drop open, and all I want to do is taste them again.
“I wanted to see you,” I say.
Ivy scoffs. “Right.”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“What’s your angle, here? One sister isn’t enough, so you want to make headlines by bagging two of them? Newsflash: the media doesn’t care about me, so you’re not going to gain anything by trying to get with me.”
“Are you saying I’m going to bag you?”
“Please. I’m saying that whatever your motivations are, they’re pointless. I’m not a prize to be won, so you can fuck off.”
“That’s quite the one-eighty from this morning,” I grin. I know she’s mad, but a part of me loves hearing foul words coming out of her pretty mouth.
“I saw the way you were looking at my sister. I know I’ll always be second-best.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Your sister is a job, Ivy.”
She just sighs, shaking her head. “I knew it was a bad idea to follow you through the forest today. I don’t…” Ivy releases a breath. “I’m not cut out for this type of romance, or affair, or whatever you want to call it. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Look me in the eye and say it like you mean it.”
Her hands grip her book, and she turns to face me. She bites down on her lower lip, raising her eyes to mine. I can see the pulse in her neck thumping, and I long to run my tongue all the way up her delicate neck.
“Why are you here?” she whispers.
I lean into her, dropping my lips close to her ear. “Because I want to be.”
A faint shiver passes through Ivy’s body. I keep my head close to hers, closing my eyes for just a second. What is it about this girl that drives me wild?
Ivy snaps her head away from mine and clears her throat. “Shouldn’t you be canoodling with my sister, or something? I saw a couple boats full of photographers salivating at the thought of seeing the two of you together.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Are you jealous, Poison?”
“Stop calling me that.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
Ivy’s eyes flash. “Am I jealous of my supermodel-turned-actress sister, around whom the entire universe orbits? Hmm, let me think about that for a second.” She shakes her head and drops her voice. “I wish I could say no, but that would be a lie. I’ve been jealous of her since before I learned the meaning of the word.”
In that simple sentence, that single moment of vulnerability, I feel closer to Ivy than I’ve felt to most other people. I, too, know what it’s like to feel crushing jealousy for a sibling. Wasn’t I the one who stewed in a vat of green envy when I heard that Theo was marrying Cara? Aren’t I the one who crawled back to my family, feeling alienated and oddly ashamed, and jealous of their healthy, able bodies?
The hurt in her face makes my chest sting, because I understand it. To her core, I know how Ivy feels right now. Envy is a dirty, insidious poison that seeps into your veins and eats you from the inside out. It makes you question everything and everyone, and leaves you a husk of the person you once were.
I put my hand on her thigh. “You shouldn’t be jealous, Ivy.”
Ivy glances at me. I watch her swallow, my eyes following every movement she makes. Her lips part, and her tongue slides out to swipe across it. A shiver passes through me.
“Do you enjoy toying with me? Making me feel bad?”
“I enjoy toying with you, but not to make you feel bad. Quite the opposite, actually.” My hand slides up her thigh a fraction of an inch. Ivy’s throat bobs as she swallows.
I’m staring at her lips again. I can’t stop myself. They’re so red, they look stained, as if she’s been sucking on a strawberry lollipop. Against her alabaster skin and her dark hair, it makes them almost too irresistible to kiss.
I’ve had a thousand women like her sister. Gorgeous, tall, thin, blonde, and boring.
But I’ve never had a woman like Ivy. My eyes drop down to her chest, and I wish my face was buried between her tits again. Sweeping my gaze back up to her face, my heart starts to hammer.
I need to kiss her again. I need to taste those lips. I need to feel her body melt into mine, and feel those delicate fingers clawing at my scalp. This morning, she woke something up inside me that won’t go away until I have her.
“How’s your head?” Ivy asks, jarring me away from my thoughts. She points to my bandage.
I shrug. “It’s fine. I’m tough.”
Ivy laughs, and I grin. Her dimples make me want to cup her cheeks in my hands and make her laugh some more. But Ivy’s laughter fades quickly, and she stares out at the lake again.
“What’s Argyle like?”
“Have you ever been to the Bahamas?”
She shakes her head. “I’ve never left Farcliff.”
“Even with your sister being so famous?”
Ivy smiles sadly. “When Mama got sick, I had to stay back to take care of her. Dad was the one who went with her. Even now, as my sister’s personal assistant, I don’t travel. I guess I just got used to staying back. I’m a homebody.”
“Hence the baking.”
“Muffins make better friends than people, anyway.” She giggles again, shaking her head. “But maybe that’s why my body isn’t as perfect at Margot’s.”
“Your body is perfect.”
Ivy’s eyes swing over to mine, and those irresistible lips call out to me again. I want to feel her body arch against mine again, and kiss every inch of her snow-white skin. Even if there are cameras around, and even if the boat is packed with people who might catch us.
Right now, I don’t care.
I just want her.
Need her.
Lust leaves a sweet taste on my tongue as desire starts to pulse through my body. Ivy’s eyelashes flutter as she blinks up at me.
I reach up to tuck a strand of black hair behind Ivy’s ear and angle my head toward hers. Ivy’s breath catches, and her tongue slides out to lick her lips. The air between us tenses.
The waves lap against the boat, and its gentle rocking seems to slow. Ivy’s eyes widen, and her gaze drops to my mouth.
The addiction swirling in my veins screams for her. She’s my poison and my antidote. She’s everything I need, and I already know she’ll have the power to tear me apart.
But before I can kiss her, the yacht lurches as the engines splutter. A loud scream sounds out from below, followed by a splash, and Ivy’s head snaps toward the front of the ship.
“Margie!” she whispers. Her whole body tenses.
Panicked shouts come from down below, and the yacht lurches again. An airhorn sounds.
Ivy pushes my hand away and scrambles to her feet. Before I can blink, she’s taking off down the stairs toward the bow of the boat.
15
Ivy
I take the steps two at a time on my way down to the main deck. I fly around the corner, almost tripping over a step on my way to the sun tanning area. The boat lurches, and I catch myself on the railing. A messy lump is stuck at the base of my throat. I try to swallow, but it makes me want to throw up.
The captain cuts the yacht’s motors, and then starts them again as the ship starts to move back. Screams are coming from the front of the yacht.
I know Margot has fallen into Farcliff Lake. I could hear it in the scream from the upper deck, and I can sense it in my bones.
That would be fine—I took a dip in Farcliff Lake just this morning—except for the fact that Margot can’t swim. She’s always been terrified of water, and no matter how much Mama urged her to learn, she always refused.
And because Margot is Margot, my parents complied.
Prince Beckett is standing at the bow, stripping his shirt off. What is it about these Argyle men and their perfect bodies? Both Princes look like they’ve been carved from marble. Beckett’s eyes
are wide as he stares out into the cold, dark water.
I know exactly how cold it is. I was in it this morning.
I rush to the railing. Prince Beckett hesitates as he looks down at the dark water. Even in summer, the water in Farcliff Lake is freezing.
My sister is thrashing. She’s farther away from the yacht than I’d have expected. We must have drifted away from her. As I watch her for a second, I realize that even with the engine idling, we’re slowly moving farther apart.
Scanning the deck, I spot a ring buoy hanging on the railing. It only takes me a second to grab it and fling it over the side of the boat.
It lands thirty feet away from my sister.
“Swim to the buoy!” I scream.
My sister lets out a gargled scream. Her arms flail, splashing into the water as her head dips under. The panic in her face makes my stomach clench. Beckett is still frozen near the railing, yelling at her to swim to the life buoy. Everyone is crowding around, but no one is doing anything.
Beckett grabs onto the railing, and I can see him willing himself to jump in.
But he doesn’t.
Why isn’t anyone doing anything?
It’s hard to take a full breath. My muscles are spasming, and every second that ticks by makes the panic ratchet higher. Guests are screaming. Staff is scrambling to drag the life buoy back to throw it closer to her.
Everything is taking far, far too long. Margot’s head dips under water, and I feel like I’m going to puke.
I can’t wait any more.
Fully clothed, with my phone, wallet, and keys still in my back pocket, I swing one leg over the railing.
“Ivy, no!” I hear Prince Luca’s voice behind me, but I ignore it.
Unlike my sister, I know how to swim.
I swing my other leg over the railing and grip it so hard the tips of my fingers go numb. With a deep breath, I leap off the side of the boat. My arms windmill, my legs kick the air, and I go flying into the ice-cold water of Farcliff Lake.
Again.
And again, I’m not ready for the cold that shocks my body. As soon as I hit the water, my arms and legs feel like they’re made of lead. Everything is heavy, slow, and difficult.
As soon as I’m in, I kick as hard as I can to break the surface again. With a gasp, I gulp down a breath of air and try to ignore the thickening of my blood in my veins.
The screams of the people on deck sound faint to my ears, and I scan the surface for my sister. Her thrashing is weaker. She looks at me, and I can see the whites of her eyes.
The terror in her face is palpable. It skims on the surface of the water and slams into me like a tidal wave, leaving an acrid, sharp taste on my tongue.
“Hang on!” I yell, kicking my legs and swimming freestyle toward her. It doesn’t take long. Within a few strokes, I’m beside her.
“Ivy,” she pants, before letting out a scream. Her arms wrap around my neck and she pushes me under in her panic, kicking me in the gut.
I swallow a mouthful of lake water, thrashing away from her and breaking the surface again.
“Calm down,” I scream, trying to dodge the arms that claw at me. Her nails leave sharp, red marks on my arms as she reaches for me again. Another scream escapes her lips.
She’s panicking. I can’t reason with her, and if I let her get close to me when she’s like this, she’ll drown me.
Time for some tough love.
I’m able to tread water as I grab her wrists, but the panic is making her too strong. She thrashes against me again, pulling me under. This time, I close my mouth and avoid tasting Farcliff Lake again. With a powerful kick, I break the surface again and clamp my arms around my sister’s torso.
She yelps, fighting against me as I try to save her life.
Finally, I’m able to spin her around and wrap my arm around her chest.
“Will you stop moving?” I yell, louder than I intended.
Margot’s breath is ragged. Her nails dig into my arm as I start kicking my legs to get us closer to the boat. With a loud smack, a ring buoy lands two feet away from me. Turns out the crew are better at throwing these things than I am.
With one more kick, I reach the buoy and hook my arm into it. Margot tries to move.
“Don’t you dare,” I hiss. “Stay limp.”
She whimpers, leaning into me. I tighten my arm around her chest and hold her close as the crew starts pulling us back toward the yacht. I let them drag us, holding onto my sister as hard as I can.
My heart is racing. I close my eyes for a moment, opening them to look up at the clear blue sky. A few wispy white clouds float across my field of vision, oblivious to the trauma that my sister just put me through.
I could have lost her.
I should never have been upstairs with Prince Luca. Margot needs me. I should have been close.
Letting out a breath, I hold my sister to my chest. Her heart hammers against my arm as I hold her, and I sense her pulse slow down a tiny bit as we get closer to the boat.
The yacht’s crew drop a Jacob’s ladder over the side of the vessel. It lands with a slap beside us, and I look at my sister.
“You think you can climb that?”
Her face pinches and her hands tremble as she reaches for the first rung.
“Just hang on, we’ll pull you up!” someone calls out from above.
I lean on the ring buoy and nod to my sister. “Hold on tight.”
“I’m too weak.”
“You can do it, Margot,” I say, helping her grab onto the ladder. Her legs kick out behind her and I get another heel to the gut, grunting in pain.
But my sister succeeds in clinging onto the ladder, and I let out a sigh of relief.
The crew start to heave her up. She’s trembling, closing her eyes as they lift her up to the deck. As she gets to the top, half a dozen arms reach out to grab her and pull her to safety. Blowing the air out of my lungs, I shake my head.
She’s okay.
The ladder comes back down with another smack, and I glance up. Not one head pokes over the railing, and I can hear voices grow more distant as they bring Margot inside. I sigh, gripping the ladder as tightly as I can. I start a slow ascent, trembling as the adrenaline in my body begins to fade. I stumble on a rung about halfway up, and then take a deep breath to steady myself.
Glancing back up, my chest stings. Not a single person stayed back to help me. Everyone was so preoccupied with Margot that they left me here to struggle on my own. I blink back tears, mad at myself for caring.
Of course no one stayed. Why would anyone stay for me? Why would anyone care about Margot’s strange little sister? Why would anyone care that I just jumped in to save my sister’s life?
Pausing on the ladder again, I take a deep breath to steady myself. The muscles in my arms and legs are screaming, small spasms making it hard to climb up. I bite down on my bottom lip until I taste the coppery tang of blood, and then continue my ascent.
I climb up a bit farther, fueled by my anger. Tears blur my eyes and I take a deep breath before I reach the top, knowing that climbing over the railing when I’m wet, slippery, and emotional will be a difficult undertaking.
I don’t have time to compose myself, though, because two thick, strong arms reach down and pull me up the rest of the way.
Prince Luca’s warm, broad chest greets me next, and he carries me over the railing to the safety of the yacht. He wraps a towel around me, holding me close as he strokes my head.
“You okay?” His voice is soft. It doesn’t have the mocking edge that I’ve gotten used to.
I nod into his chest, trying to hide my sniffles. “I’m fine. Thank you for helping me on board.”
Instead of moving away, the Prince just stands there and holds me. His body is so warm. So safe. I close my eyes, leaning into his chest and inhaling the scent of his skin. I’m trembling now, cold from the water and the shock. Wiping my teary eyes, I pull away and glance toward the cabins.
“Where’
s Margot?”
“She’s fine. She’s being taken care of.” The Prince hasn’t let go of me. His hands are on my shoulders, grabbing the towel that he wrapped around me earlier. His brows are drawn together, and he stares into my eyes, shaking his head. “You scared me.”
I’m not quite sure how to respond, so I don’t say anything. I stare at his lips, so full and kissable that it should be illegal. The Prince’s hand drifts to my cheek. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.
His face angles down against mine, and those stupidly kissable lips brush against my mouth. In an instant, I forget about the cold water in the lake. Heat ignites in my veins, and I tremble against the Prince’s strong arms. I tilt my head up, deepening our kiss as my hands wrap around his waist.
Neither of us notice the speedboat that pulls up beside our yacht. We don’t see the half-dozen photographers snapping photos of us until one of the crew members shouts at them to leave. Only then do I pull away from the Prince, my cheeks burning.
I glance over my shoulder at the retreating speedboat, and my stomach drops. They definitely saw that kiss—but the only question is whether or not they know who I am.
I gulp. “I should go find my sister.”
Prince Luca’s eyes linger on me, and I wrap the towel around me more tightly. He motions to the interior deck, and we walk over together in silence. Every single guest is inside, most of them lounging on the sofas and at the bar. There’s commotion down the hallway towards the bedroom cabins, and I know that’s where Margot was brought.
My heart is in my throat. I can feel the Prince beside me, every heartbeat sending a pulsing desire through me.
It’s wrong, wrong, wrong.
He’s promised to my sister. She’s the beautiful one. She’s the model, the actress, the socialite. She’s the one that the paparazzi want to see him with.
Not me.
But the Prince’s hand drifts to the small of my back as we enter the main salon, and a shiver of heat curls in my stomach. I shouldn’t want him this much.
He shouldn’t want me at all.
Royally Unexpected 2: An Accidental Pregnancy Collection (Surprise Baby Stories) Page 9