LOGINIVY’S POVMy mind was made up. I was checking on him. Maybe if I saw them being intimate, then I’d move on faster. I knew it was weird, but I didn’t care.I got out of bed, locking Ava’s nursery before my feet moved on their own, taking me down the hallway toward Damien’s study.The light was still on under the door, which meant one thing. The woman was still there.I hated myself for caring. I hated the lump in my throat that wouldn’t go away. But I couldn’t stop.I leaned close to the door, pressing my ear against the cool surface to hear what they were saying.The room was quiet, but I could hear the slight sound of footsteps. Were they asleep?My ears were still pressed to the door as I leaned farther in to see if I could hear anything else when the door suddenly swung open.“Jesus!” I squeaked as I lost my balance and tumbled forward, crashing right onto the hardwood floor.Pain erupted in my knee, and I rubbed it to try to reduce the pain.“Ouch,” I muttered as I rubbed it mor
IVY’S POV“Welcome, boss,” Mark greeted, his shoulders going stiff as Damien’s eyes fell on us and his nostrils flared.“What the fuck were you doing together?” he snapped in a tone that made me and the lady jerk in fright. “Is that your post?”“I’m sorry, boss. I came to hang out with Ivy as she’d just moved back to the house.”Damien’s eyes fell on me, and the look he pinned me with made me want to disappear into the ground.“Welcome, Mr. Blackwood,” I said, unsure of what to do, especially with the way the visitor was staring at me.I tried my best not to look at her, keeping my eyes on him and Mark the entire time before I did something foolish, like burst into tears or something worse.“I thought I warned you that I won’t take any form of lackadaisical behavior from anyone from now on. Instead of being alert, you’re in her room doing God-knows-what,” he spat, making Mark bow his head in remorse.“Damien,” the woman started, placing a hand on his shoulder and drawing my attention
IVY’S POVThe door opened, and my eyes narrowed when I saw Mark step inside. He remained close to the doorway, looking uneasy as he scratched the back of his neck.“What do you want?” I asked sharply.“Come on, Ivy,” he pleaded, taking a cautious step inside. “I thought you weren’t pissed at me anymore after I called you while you were in the hospital.”I folded my arms across my chest. “That was because it finally dawned on me that you never actually took my calls,” I reminded him. “And if Damien…Mr. Blackwood had ordered you to shoot me, you probably would have done that too.”“I was just following orders,” Mark said, moving a little closer to me. “You have to understand my position. Damien told everyone that no one was allowed to contact you. If I disobeyed him, I wouldn’t just lose my job but also my life.”My eyes widened slightly. “He would have killed you?”“Not for simply disobeying him,” Mark quickly clarified. “But if he believed I had betrayed him, then yes. He wouldn’t hes
IVY’S POVThe house looked completely different from the way I remembered it.There were fewer maids moving around the halls, but security cameras were now everywhere.I walked straight to the nursery and slowly pushed the door open.Ava was sitting at a small wooden table with a woman who looked like she was teaching her something.Two guards stood a few feet away, their expressions serious as they watched the room.Ava looked uncomfortable by their presence but I knew Damien probably wouldn’t care much about that right now.After everything that had happened, he was now even more paranoid about keeping her safe.The woman turned toward the door when she heard it creak, and her eyes widened in alarm.Before she could say anything, I quickly placed a finger over my lips, silently asking her not to make a sound.She looked from me to the guards, who had already noticed my presence but didn’t move to stop me. That seemed to reassure her, and she gave me a hesitant nod.I stepped farther
IVY’S POVMy eyes fell to his lips, and a sharp wave of desire rushed through me as I remembered how soft they felt against mine.I wanted to kiss him badly and Damien seemed to notice that because before I could draw another breath, his mouth slammed down on mine.The kiss was rough, desperate, and everything I wanted.I groaned against his lips, intending to fight him off, but the moment his tongue slid into my mouth, my knees went weak.The taste of him destroyed every ounce of my self-control.Christ, how had I managed to survive without him for days?He groaned loudly, pressing his body flush against mine as his hands slid down my sides.He gathered the fabric of my short dress and hiked it up past my hips.“Damien… wait—” I whimpered, but he didn't listen.He slid his hand beneath my underwear, finding my wet center in a second.I let out a sharp gasp, tilting my head back against the brick wall as his fingers began to stroke me with practiced, intense pressure.“Damien… oh God,
IVY’S POV“Damien, what the hell are you doing?!” I shrieked, grabbing his forearm and trying with all my strength to pull him off Lucas. “Let him go!”Damien didn't even flinch.Instead, he tightened his grip on Lucas’s throat, pressing him harder against the wall until the guy’s eyes rolled back.“I want you to look at this woman very well. The next time you lay your hands on her,” he growled, his voice so low and dangerous it chilled my blood, “I will break your fucking arms.”He shoved Lucas aside, letting him slump to the floor, gasping and clutching his neck.Before I could check on Lucas, Damien grabbed my wrist in a crushing grip and dragged me straight through the parted crowd toward the exit.“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Let go of me! Damien, stop!” I yelled, stumbling in my heels as he hauled me out of the building.I shot glares at the people around us who were just watching him drag me out without trying to intervene.What if he was a pervert trying to kidnap me?Fu







