Ivy (Castle Ink Book 3)

by Amy Davies

  I walk back to Addy’s room and chuckle when I see she is now laying on her leather piercing bed, a low snore coming from her. I shake my head and turn to leave to go to Dex’s room. I knock on the door once.

  “Hey, is it safe to come in?” I hear a scuffle and then Dex flings open the door. I try looking over his shoulder to see what my girl is doing.

  “Yeah. All done. How’s Ads?” he says, but walks past me and heads towards his girl.

  “Dude, she needs to go home. She looks like hell,” I call after him.

  “Yeah, man, I know. I’m going to take her now,” he says, and walks into her room.

  “I’ve cancelled her appointments for today. We have no bookings, so I flipped the ‘closed’ sign. Maybe close up early, it won’t do no harm.” I feel Ivy come up next to me, looping her arms around my bicep, holding me close. I lean down and kiss the top of her head, breathing in her scent. My dick twitches in my jeans.

  Horny bastard.

  “Come on, big guy, let’s go home,” Ivy says, and we walk to the front desk to grab her bag. Dex comes out of Addy’s room carrying her. Ivy slips both her and Addy’s bags over her shoulder and opens the front door for Dex. We all walk out, and I quickly lock up the studio. We both follow her brother to his car and help as he settles Addy into the back seat and puts the seatbelt on her.

  “Call me if you need anything, Dex,” Peaches tells him.

  “Actually, can you take Pheebs tonight?”

  “Of course,” Peaches says, and I groan. They both look at me, and Dex chuckles. The fucker actually chuckles.

  “Piss off, fucker. I wanted some time alone with my girl when Carter goes to bed. But I suppose Phoebe is lucky I think she’s cute.”

  “She’ll be down for the count by seven-thirty, mate. You’ll have plenty of time with my sister. Chill.” We all say goodbye, and Ivy and I walk to my car before driving to Penny’s mum’s house to pick up Phoebe.

  ******

  The kids are sitting at the dining table, well, Phoebe is in a highchair eating some fruit chunks Ivy cut up for her. Carter is munching on some chicken nuggets and chips. So much for me cooking a nice meal for us. But friends need us right now. I see Ivy lightly rub her collarbone and I frown at her. Why is she doing that?

  “Hey, you okay?” I ask her.

  “Yeah, but maybe you can help me in the bathroom for a minute.” She nods her head in the direction she wants us to go.

  “Mate, can you keep an eye on Pheebs for me, please?” I ask Carter. Lucky for us, the bathroom in Peaches’ house is downstairs and right off the kitchen. We leave the door open and Ivy jumps up onto the unit and I step between her legs, leaning in to kiss her. Our tongues duel it out for dominance, but I win every time. She breaks the kiss and smiles a sweet smile at me, a smile that says she’s up to something.

  “Take your shirt off. I’ll clean up the tattoo.” I do as she asks and drop it on the unit beside her. With pure concentration, Peaches pulls off the clingfilm and tissue paper. I take in her face while she does this. Her brown hair is in big curls, stopping just below her shoulders. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows… Is it strange that I notice them? Her eyes take in the design as she carefully cleans around it. I still don’t look down at it because I’m taking in her beauty.

  Her lips—fucking hell, her lips are perfect for kissing, biting, and perfect for sucking my cock deep into her mouth. They’re round and plump and suit her. My cock twitches in my jeans, and I know I need to stop him from taking over my thoughts.

  I lean back slightly and call out, “How are you two doing in there, bud?”

  “We’re good. Pheebs is making bubbles and silly noises.”

  “That’s good. Call if you need us, okay?”

  “Yep,” Carter answers back. I look back to my girl and see her smiling at me. I tilt my head.

  “What?”

  “You’re good with him.”

  “Babe, he’s a pretty awesome kid. What’s not to like? If you let me, I’ll be the best father I can for him. That pathetic excuse of a man he used to have is old fucking news. I’m here now. He will know what it’s like to have a real man to look up to. Plus, he has Dex and Jay.”

  “That means so much to me.” I really wanna tell her how I feel, but I don’t want to scare her away.

  “I’m here, baby, and I’m not going anywhere. Get used to it.” I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose.

  “I’m glad you’re here to stay, because this would be kinda weird otherwise.”

  “What would be weird?”

  I watch as she crosses her arms and lifts the bottom of her shirt over her head, leaving her in a sexy black lace bra. Her tits are the best I have ever seen in my life. I see the cling-film and tissue on her collarbone and go to touch it gently.

  “What did you do?”

  “Help me,” she whispers. I gently pull the tape away and see what’s underneath. My breath catches in my throat, and I lean in and kiss the fucking shit out of her, gripping the back of her head and holding her mouth to mine. I want to take her breath away, I want her taste to seep into my every pore. The love flows through us via the kiss, no words are ever fucking needed.

  I break the kiss this time and do my fatherly duties.

  “You okay, Carter?” I step back so I can see the two kids. Phoebe is squeezing a piece of banana in her hand and Carter is pulling faces at her, making her laugh. They’re good kids, and they’re safe for a few more minutes. I step back between her legs, pick up the cloth, and clean her skin. She didn’t bleed much, but it isn’t that big of a tattoo.

  “Fucking love this, baby. So damn much.” I smile at her and kiss her lips.

  “Look down,” is all she says. I drop my gaze to my chest, where I know there’s a new tattoo waiting for me. My heart is going batshit crazy at the minute. I’m dreading what she’s picked for me, but when I see it, my heart stops.

  Oh, hell!

  “Fucking hell, baby. You’re stuck with me now. For now, and for-fucking-ever.” I look between our tattoos and can't stop the huge-arse smile from covering my face.

  There, on my pectoral muscle and on Ivy’s collarbone, is a tattoo of a paper aeroplane. It’s only the outline, complete with a small swirling trail behind it. It’s fucking perfect for us. It stems from the paper aeroplane love notes I send her.

  “This is us. This is fucking perfect, baby. I...” I almost say those three words. Holy shit. “I think we need to go back out there with the kids, before I take you hard, here and now.”

  A sly smile crosses her face, and I narrow my eyes at her.

  “You can take me hard in here later, when the kids are sleeping. What do you say to that, Beast?” I pull her to the edge of the counter, so she can feel just how hard I am. She gasps when my cock hits her pussy. I can feel the heat seeping through her black leggings. I bury my face in her neck and bite down on her flesh. She yelps, and I can’t help but laugh.

  “Hard and fast, baby. You can bet on that.” I kiss her new tattoo and she does the same with mine. “This means so much to me. It says things that haven’t been said.”

  “Mum!,” Carter screams from the other room. I leave Ivy and bolt from the room. Carter is pale and shaking and pointing at the window. He looks terrified.

  “Carter, what is it?” I crouch down in front of him and try to get him to focus on me. I see tears are running down his little face and my heart breaks for this kid. Ivy comes barrelling out of the bathroom and about slides to the floor in front of our boy.

  “Honey, what is it? What did you see?” I can hear the fear in her voice, and so can Carter.

  “Daddy,” he stammers out. The air gets knocked out of both mine and Ivy’s lungs when he says that one word. Ivy falls back on her arse and tears fill her eyes. Carter is shaking next to me, so I decide to focus on him for now.

  “Where? Where did you see him, bud?” I lower my voice, making it softer so I don’t scare him. I think he’s scared enough.

  “T
here, by the window. I was making faces at Pheebs and his face came right up to the window. I don't want to see him, Luke. I hate him. Please, don't let him hurt Mummy anymore.” Well, fuck me sideways. I pull him off the chair and into my lap. I hold him close to my chest and look over at Peaches, who is staring at her son with tears streaming down her face. My girl looks so lost but scared out of her mind at the same time.

  I hold my hand out for her and she gingerly moves over to us. I wrap my arms around the both of them and give them a promise I hope I’ll never break.

  “I promise I will never let him get anywhere near you. He will never hurt you. You are both mine now. I’ll protect you both with my life. I love you both. He will never touch either of you again.”

  Chapter 17

  Ivy

  It has been seven days since Carter saw Tim outside the window. Luke phoned the boys to come over and be his back up if he needed it. Only Dex couldn’t come which made him so angry because he wasn’t able to help, but Addy was still ill, and I didn’t want her to be left alone. Jay, Liam, and Adrian came over to check around the house. We didn't phone the police because they wouldn't have done anything, since Tim didn't actually say or do a thing to us.

  Beast has been keeping a closer eye on me, like he’s waiting for me to break. I can’t do that anymore. I need to be stronger for Carter. He was so scared that night and I crumbled in front of him. Thank God for Luke being there; he held us together. He made us feel safe. I believe him when he says he will never let Tim touch us. He loves us. I know that, even though the words haven’t been spoken yet.

  I need to rectify that, and soon.

  Tonight, we are having a girl’s night out. Addy, Cassie, Penny, and Lauren, who is Penny’s friend, are all hitting a nightclub in the city center, called ‘Chaos’. Addy and Cassie know the bouncer there, so we’re getting in for free. It took a lot of convincing for Luke to let me go; he was worried Tim would show his face again. Addy told him that Tim would have to get through her and Lauren to get to me. Most men are scared of Lauren, because she can handle herself.

  I add another layer of mascara, then step back to survey my makeup. I went with dark and sultry tonight. Even though I won't be looking at other men, I want to feel sexy and strong. It doesn’t take much for women to feel nice. All they need is that special pair of shoes that makes them feel tall and sexy, or the top that shows that little bit extra skin, or even the way their hair and makeup is done. We don’t need much, even though men say we are high-maintenance.

  I adjust my thigh-high suede boots and walk downstairs with my black clutch bag in my hand. I get to the bottom of the stairs and see the girls standing in the kitchen with their men. My two guys are standing together, well, Carter is sitting on the kitchen worktop. I look at the girls’ outfits and smile at how sexy, beautiful, and strong they are. I wanna be like them. I want to be strong for Carter and Luke—and myself.

  I look down at my black, long-sleeved, sequined dress and then back to the girls. We are looking fierce tonight. Addy is in a black see-through top and a black, mid-thigh leather skirt and ankle boots. I bet Dex is going out of his mind over her outfit. Cassie is in black skinny jeans with rips in the right places, with chunky ankle boots and a grey t-shirt tucked in with a rip across the chest, showing off her boobs.

  Penny and Lauren are looking quite classy. Penny has on a simple blue dress with wrap around her body, and pretty black heels. Lauren is in a black pleated halter dress, which makes her curves look amazing.

  “Fucking kill me now,” Luke says, and turns around to bang his head on the cupboard behind him. Carter laughs and smiles at me.

  “You look beautiful, Mum. Luke is being silly because he knows all the boys will be looking at you all tonight. And Unlce Dex said that he will need to chop someone's balls off tonight if they try to get in Aunt Addy’s knickers,” my son says with an air of innocence about him. The girls burst out laughing, and Jay chokes on his drink. Luke looks shocked but is smiling at my son. Dex leans in and high-fives Carter.

  “What he said.” My brother shrugs. I step over to Carter and kiss his cheek.

  “No one is doing anything tonight, okay?” I say to him.

  “Umm, you may be doing nothing, but I’m drinking my weight in cocktails tonight,” Lauren tells the room.

  “Oh, you know what I mean, you pleb.”

  “Let’s go ladies. I need a drink. I’m kid free, so I need to get drunk and have wild monkey sex with the hubs when I get home.” Lauren picks up her bag and walks out of the kitchen.

  “What she said,” Penny says. She kisses Liam, and he groans when she pulls away.

  “Bambi, do not live up to your name tonight, please. I want you conscious when you come home, yeah?”

  “Yeah, honey.” She blows him a kiss and leaves the room, following Lauren.

  “Dude, I’m out. Take care of my girl and be naked when I get home. Laters,” Addy says, practically bouncing on the spot before she leans in and kisses Dex breathless.

  “Baby,” he warns her.

  “Oh, hush, you. No one is touching this.” She waves towards her stunning body. “Well, maybe you later. Love you.” Then Addy is gone too. Dex shakes his head but smirks at the boys.

  “Don’t say a word. You’re my brothers, so shush.” Dex winks at me and I step up to Luke and watch Cassie step in front of Jay.

  “I’ll be good, and then we can be bad together later, Cap.” She calls him ‘Cap’ because Addy nicknamed him ‘Captain Awesome’. Dex is ‘Captain Twat’ and Luke... he still hasn’t had his ‘Captain Cocky’ mug made’

  “You can be bad with me anytime, Kitten. Just remember who this belongs to,” he says, looking her body up and down.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Love you. Just to give you a heads up, have you seen the film ‘Bad Moms’?” The boys nod. “Yeah, we’ll be like that tonight. They’re all lying bitches when they say we’re going to be good, because, lads, we aren’t.” She giggles and sprints from the room. I stare after her, shocked she just ran in those bloody heels. I would fall and break my neck.

  I turn to the boys and see they are all looking at me. I offer them a sweet smile and step closer to my beast. I wrap my arms around his trim waist and sink into him, soaking up his heat before I step out into the cold night.

  “Your boy won’t protect you from us, little sister. What are the girls up to tonight?” I shake my head at Jay.

  “Nothing, just going out and having a drink—or five—and having a good time. Nothing else has been said to me. I promise.” The boys don’t look like they believe me.

  “Well, on that note, I’m going to join the girls out in the taxi and get this night started.” I kiss Carter on the cheek. “Be good for Luke, okay.”

  “I will, Mum. Have fun.” He gives me a toothy grin. He has amazed me with how he has coped with everything he’s to deal with in his short years. I thought it would take time for him to warm up to the guys, but he took each day in his stride and became a smiling boy again.

  God, I love this kid.

  I look up at Beast and smile at him. He leans in and kisses me, dipping his tongue into my mouth. I can taste the beer he had while waiting for me to get ready.

  “Be a good little peach for me, yeah, baby? And be careful. You see anything or anyone you aren’t comfortable with, you text, okay.”

  “Always, honey. I’ll be fine, but I will text if I need to.” I wink at him and wave to the boys before leaving the kitchen. The girls are all in the taxi waiting for me, screaming my name. I just laugh and climb in, and we are off. I only hope that I’ll be walking by the end of the night, but if Addy has anything to do with it, I will be absolutely smashed drunk.

  *****

  Club Chaos is banging. The music is so loud you have to shout to speak to anyone. I watch as Addy orders the drinks, smiling sweetly to the bartender behind the bar. A line of red shots are placed in front of us, and Addy smirks.

  “Drink up, bitches. This is a Royal F
uck. We are going to get fucked tonight—by the alcohol and by our men.” Penny blushes but the other girls cheer, and we all down our drinks.

  The cold liquid slides down my throat, leaving a slight burn in its wake. It’s nice, I will give it that.

  “What the flipping hell is in that?” Penny shouts between spluttering. We all chuckle at her.

  “Crown Royal—peach Schnapps and cranberry juice. It’s yummy, right?” I nod and signal to the bartender to do us another round. Penny’s eyes go wide when she sees what I’m doing, and I wink at her. The lad behind the bar nods at me and gets to work making our drinks.

  We’re currently sitting on high stools at the bar, but Addy and Lauren are looking around for a table or booth for us. Louisa Johnson featuring 2 Chainz’s ‘Yes’ is playing through the club’s speakers. In a flash, Lauren darts away and heads towards a booth. The booth is red velvet, with a high back. There’s a round table in the middle and two leather stools. I take one of the stools and so does Cassie.

  It doesn’t take long before a waitress is coming over to take our drinks order. We all tell her what we want, and then get back to talking about boys, clothes, and tattoos.

  “So, Miss-Long-Lost-Sister, how the hell is Luke Baker in bed?” Lauren asks. The music is not so loud in the booth area. I choke on my drink and the girls laugh at me. Bitches. I shake my head and finish off my drink. I know I’m going to need a lot more alcohol if I’m going to have this conversation with these girls.

  “I am not talking about how Luke is in bed with you lot,” I tell them. I look around the room, avoiding their stares.