#Selfie (Hashtag Series Book 4) (28 page)

Braeden

Talking.

I had every intention of talking to Ivy tonight.

I had no intention of stopping her from getting raped.

But it happened.

Just like what just went on between us in this bed.

I could have easily killed all four of them, and I probably wouldn’t feel bad. Men like that deserved a lot worse than death. But Ivy deserved more. So I settled for beating the shit out of them and leaving them there to rot.

I hoped they remembered everything when they finally came to.

I sure would. If I ever saw their faces on campus, they wouldn’t get a free pass again.

I was partially responsible for what happened tonight. If I weren’t such a colossal asshole, she wouldn’t have been vulnerable tonight. Even if she had walked off to speak with Trent (what was that about?), I would have been close by. Those guys never would have been able to lay a hand on her, but at least I stopped them before they could do too much damage.

Still, the carnage of the past few weeks was high, but I was gonna make it right. She was here with me now, and that meant I still had a chance. That’s all I needed, a chance. I might have screwed up in the past, but I wouldn’t this time.

This time I was going to make sure she knew exactly how I felt. How I was always gonna feel.

Ivy was it for me. She was my forever girl. For so long, I thought she didn’t exist, but now I saw I wouldn’t exist without her.

She was there even when I didn’t want her to be. A constant. Just like the beat of a heart.

Ivy wouldn’t take my crap, but she also wouldn’t try to change me either.

I wasn’t foolish enough to think our relationship would be perfect. In fact, it would probably be as far from perfect as two people could get.

But it was real.

And it was right.

I caressed the side of her cheek with the backs of my knuckles, and she smiled. Quickly, her smile turned to a grimace, and she grabbed my hand. “You split your hand open again.”

I looked down; some of the bandages were gone, and others were ripped. There was dried blood smeared across my skin, and what bandages were left were saturated, too.

“I had faces to punch.” I shrugged against the mattress.

A sound of distress filled the room, and she climbed over me and tumbled off the bed.

“Where you going?”

A few seconds later, she came back with the first aid kit, the same one she was going to use on me before. Except this time, I wasn’t going to say something stupid to stop her. She sat down beside me and pulled my hand into her lap.

I caressed the inside of her thigh (what? I’m a guy) as she used my stomach as a table for everything she pulled out of the kit.

“Does it hurt?” She picked it up again and cradled it in her palm.

“Didn’t even notice it.”

She worked carefully, peeling away the rest of the bandages. When they were gone, she cleaned my hand with shit that stung like a bitch—but I acted like it didn’t hurt ‘cause I’m a man—and then blew across the scrapes and cuts with gentle pressure. The gesture drew attention to her lips and made me want to kiss her all over again.

“How did you even play tonight with your hand like this?” she murmured, working meticulously applying some kind of cream and clean bandages.

“It’s not that bad.”

Once it was clean, dry, and bandaged, she lifted it to press a soft kiss to the center.

“You know, I really intended to talk to you tonight,” I murmured.

“That’s why I was there, too.”

“What’s this shit about Rome throwing his protection behind you?”

Ivy shrugged and packed up the kit. “Some people said some stuff, and he was standing there. He said something.”

I was glad he was there. I’d do the same—and had—for Rimmel. But I finally got why Romeo always got so testy when he thought I was being too protective over Rimmel. That was his job.

“I’ll protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting.”

“You seriously gonna say that shit to me after what just happened tonight?” I spat.

Her shoulders slumped as she climbed off the bed to put away the kit.

“Hey.” I captured her hand, and she looked over her shoulder. “I don’t mean it in a bad way. I know how strong you are. Shit, you freaking handle me like no one else does.”

“I’m not sure that’s true either.”

She placed the kit down, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her back onto the mattress. “I didn’t handle it well.” I brushed the hair out of her deep-blue eyes and stared into them. “I saw that pic and pretty much exploded. I fucking hate that guy, what he did to Romeo and Rimmel.” I paused and took a deep breath. “The thought of him touching you makes me insane. Just looking at Trent talk to you makes me want to punch someone, so seeing you half naked and in bed with the biggest piece of scum I know makes me—”

She ducked her head. Too late, I realized I shouldn’t have said that.

“You have no idea what it’s like to live with what I did,” she admitted. “From the very second I woke up that morning and realized what I’d done… It haunts me.”

“Nightmares,” I murmured, thinking of the night at Rome’s when she was calling out in her sleep.
Don’t touch me.

“What?” She glanced up.

“Do you dream about it?”

“More than I’d like. It’s like I can’t get away from it. Just when I thought I was going to be able to move on, it shows up on the stupid Buzzfeed.”

And it almost got her raped.

There was no excuse for that. None. There wasn’t one solitary reason that could justify that Buzz about her.

“How’d you know?”

“Know what?” I asked.

“I had nightmares about Zach.”

“Because that guy is a walking nightmare,” I quipped.

“They’re just dreams. To be honest, I really don’t remember that night. I was so drunk. I’ve never blacked out like that before, you know?”

I frowned as she talked. I should have been there that night. I should have been watching out for her.

“It’s the reason I don’t drink so much anymore. It’s scary, not knowing what you’re doing. Clearly, when I drink, I make very bad decisions.” Pausing, she shivered. “I’m glad he’s gone.”

“Me too,” I answered. Even more so now. If they ever let him out of that fancy cage he was in and I saw him again, I had no idea what I’d do.

Her fingertips traced light circles over my chest, and just the brush of her skin over mine made the back of my neck tingle.

“I’m not good at pretty words.” I admitted.

Her fingers paused.

“I’m not good at saying what I feel, and I don’t know a thing about romance.”

“I don’t need romance, Braeden.”

All girls wanted romance.

But even if she didn’t, Ivy deserved it. The fact that she was even lying here in this bed with me right now was a freaking miracle. I’d never treated any girl so horribly in my life.

Wasn’t that a sobering thought?

The one woman I wanted above all others was the one I treated the worst. That needed to change. Immediately.

“I want you, Ivy.” I cupped her jaw.

“You have me, B. I’m right here.”

“Not just for tonight.”

“Missy still doesn’t know about this.” She gestured between us. “With everything that happened with the BuzzBoss, I’ve been hiding out.”

I nodded. “Why don’t we talk to her together?” I was afraid after what I said to Missy the last time we were alone she would still be angry. I didn’t want her taking out that anger on Ivy.

Ivy shook her head. “I think I should do it alone. Friend to friend. I don’t want her to think we’re ganging up on her.”

“If you need me, you’ll call?” I rubbed my thumb over her lower lip. It was happening again. Desire pooled in my stomach and my cock stirred between us.

“Yes.” She promised.

“This talking stuff is hard work.” The corner of my mouth kicked up when she giggled.

I really meant it when I confessed I didn’t know what to say to her.

“You know,” she began, her fingers tiptoeing up my chest. “This is the first time ever we’ve had all night together.”

“All naked. All the time.” I wagged my eyebrows.

She laughed. “Maybe we could talk some more later.” The suggestion in her tone was not to be missed. By my brain or my already stiff cock.

“I might be up for that.”

She wrapped her hand around my shaft. “Yeah, I noticed.” She leaned up to kiss me, but I pulled back.

“One more thing?” I asked.

“You sure you aren’t a girl? Seems like talking is coming pretty easily.”

“You watch your mouth, woman,” I warned.

“Okay, what?”

“What were you and Trent talking about tonight?”

“You saw?” Her delicately shaped brow arched.

“Oh, I saw.”

“You jealous?”

“Nah. I’m secure with how you feel about me.” I scoffed.

“Or maybe you just feel that way right now because I’m stroking your big cock.”

“Ooh, talk dirty to me, baby.”

Her giggle was throaty and sexy as hell. When she tried to kiss me again, I held strong. She made a sound of frustration. “We cancelled our date. He knows I want you.”

“He does, does he?” Pride fluffed up my chest.

Her blond head nodded. “Apparently, he notices the way I look at you.”

“And which way is that?”

Beneath the sheets, her stroking was turning bolder and this conversation was getting much less important.

“Like I want to be naked with you. All night. All the time.”

There was no more talking after that. Well, okay there was a little. Like when I made her cry out my name.

Over and over again.

I might not be good at talking, but I knew how to move between the sheets.

When we were finished, she fell asleep in my arms. The soft sound of her breathing and the feel of her body draped along mine were satisfying in ways I never thought it would be.

When my phone went off somewhere on the floor beside us, I almost ignored it. But then I thought it might be Romeo, just checking in. Maybe someone had found the pile of garbage I left in the woods, and he was worried.

If I didn’t answer, he’d be over here beating on the door at five a.m. because Rimmel was upset. I managed to fish my phone out of my jeans without disturbing Ivy, and the second my back hit the mattress, she automatically gravitated toward me.

Once I had her tucked in close, I lit up the screen and glanced at it.

My blood ran ice cold.

What. The. Fuck. Was. This.

The selfie I took of Ivy and me that night on spring break was now public knowledge on the school Buzzfeed. That photo was gone, lost with my shattered phone. How the hell did the BuzzBoss get ahold of it?

I held myself still even though I wanted to pace the room. Why was the Boss doing this? What did they have to gain? Popularity? Notoriety?

An ass-kicking?

I didn’t care that everyone saw me like this. Everyone knew I liked a good time. But dammit, this was going to crush Ivy. Not only would it continue to feed the ridiculous rumor that she was a slut, but now everyone would know we’d been together.

Including Missy.

And honestly? I was tired of people staring at my girl.

This was the kind of shit that gave drunk, lowlife perverts the inspiration to take what they couldn’t get for free.

This was a dangerous game.

That night at Romeo’s, I promised Ivy I’d keep her safe.

She stirred in her sleep. Dropping the phone on the mattress, I rubbed the curve of her hip until her breathing returned even and deep.

I lay there a long time, thinking.

I came to a conclusion.