Page 33 of Kiss of Death

“Good,” Ivy’s voice steadied as she spoke. “I want Bruno to pay for killing my sister.”

Sofia smiled, patting Ivy on the cheek. “There might be hope for you yet.” She leaned in, so only Ivy and Otto could hear her. “Just know, if you pull something like this again, Otto won’t be able to save you.”

Otto watched Ivy look over the new addition she made to the ink on her arm. Her half sleeve was now a full sleeve thanks to the hook up one of his friends did for her. It was Otto’s way to give Ivy something to remember her sister with. She was heading back to California to see her mom and tell her the news about Eve. She asked him to come along, and he didn’t even hesitate. He wanted to be there for her in any way he could. This wasn’t something she should do alone.

“Your guy did a good job,” Ivy murmured, never taking her eyes off of the fresh ink. She was in a black dress that tied at the back. The top was a halter, leaving her midriff bare, and the dress had two slits going all the way up to her hips, exposing enough of her legs to make his mouth water. She was sexy as sin, but knowing the years of abuse she endured, he was afraid to touch her now and felt like shit for mauling her in the locker room at Tres.

Otto walked toward Ivy, putting his front to her back. Their eyes connected in the mirror, and just that quickly, everything felt right in his world—though in reality it was far from it. He ran his fingers down her bare back and enjoyed watching her shiver at his touch. Her lips parted. and he heard the change in her breathing.

He leaned down so his lips were at her ear. “Is this okay?” he whispered, still trying to learn what was and wasn’t okay. He wanted to give her new experiences to balance out all the bad she had to deal with at the hands of Bruno.

Ivy’s lips pulled back into a small smile and she turned around, throwing her arms over his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, loving the way she fit against him. He still didn’t understand it and couldn’t explain their deep connection, but he’d be a fool to ignore it. Her hand came down to play with his beard. She had done that a lot while they were sleeping. He figured it was a security blanket of sorts for her, and he was never going to shave if it gave her a sense of safety.

“It’s kind of you to care enough not to hurt me,” she whispered up at him, “but your touch always felt different. There was never pain behind your fingertips, only pleasure.”

He groaned her name and pulled her closer to him. He looked down at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, and his hand came up to cup her face. “We don’t have to go to Wolf’s tonight. We can stay in.” She’d been running around getting things in order to bring her sister home to her mother. She had cried her weight in tears, and Otto didn’t think she had let herself breathe after everything. She spent years being nothing more than property that was abused and used; he didn’t think she needed a night out, more like a night to just take in everything that happened.

“I have to go. At the very least so Sofia doesn’t completely hate me. Plus, this is the first time I’ll be out and I get to be myself, whatever that looks like.”

“You sure?” Otto wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but it came from his need to hide her away from the world while she healed the wounds he couldn’t see.

She nodded before she shot up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his lips. She pulled away quickly, her small hands cupping his face. “I hate that I lost her. I’m not sure what my life is going to look like without my baby sister in it. Even through all of this, she had been my only constant. I have to live for her too, you know? I’m glad this brought me to you, though. It helps knowing I’m not alone.”

Otto found her lips and kissed her—never getting enough of her taste. He had no idea what tomorrow held for them, but he couldn’t wait to experience it with her. This life of his would have left him lonely, and while he hated what she had to endure, he was grateful it led her to his doorstep.

And maybe she’d still be the death of him—hell, she had almost succeeded—but maybe she was here to change him as he would change her.

Maybe his sisters were right, and she was his forever person, separated by lifetimes.

As Otto deepened the kiss, he could feel her burying her way deeper underneath his skin, making sure she was forever marked against the parts of him he couldn’t see but he could only feel.

My poison Ivy, seeping your venom into my soul—venom only you will ever have the cure for.

THE END!