Poison Ivy Read online

  Poison Ivy

  Jessica Dawson

  Copyright © March 2013, Jessica Dawson

  Cover art by Mina Carter © March 2013

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

  Sugar and Spice Press

  North Carolina, USA

  www.sugarnspicepress.com

  Chapter One

  Ivy glared at the man driving the classic muscle car that she had been thrown into and was now speeding away from the hotel. She was contently enjoying the quiet night when the cocky bastard busted through the door with his pistol drawn on her. When he pointed it at her, she knew father had found her.

  She kept her green eyes on him as he ramped onto the freeway. She wondered exactly how much her father was paying him while she watched him glance at the clock numbers that were glowing with green lights on the face of the stereo in his classic GTO. It was midnight on a Monday night and from the way the man was watching the time, she knew there was a cutoff date to the payday. She snarled when he smugly grinned as he lit a cigarette.

  “How much is he paying you?” she asked, scooting around in her seat to face him.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he answered hatefully while he watched the road.

  “I can double it,” she said quickly.

  The hunter chuckled as he switched lanes. “I doubt that,” he said before he turned the stereo up, probably to keep her from talking anymore.

  Ivy huffed before she turned around to look out the passenger window. The handcuffs on her wrists were bruising the tender flesh. She frowned at the dark scenery racing past them. It was wishful thinking to hope he would listen to a word that she had to say.

  “I have to pee,” she snapped at him while she crossed her ankles.

  “Too damn bad,” he said with a frown, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “Come on, I’m going to piss all over your leather seat if you don’t let me do what I need to do,” she growled over the upbeat country music.

  The hunter huffed before pulling over onto the shoulder of the road. “Do what you need to do, then,” he snapped at her.

  Ivy shoved her hands toward him with a snarl. He looked down at the metal bracelets and arched an eyebrow at her as if he didn’t understand what she wanted him to do.

  “What?” he asked dumbly.

  “Remove these damn things,” she snapped at him with frustration.

  “No,” he said calmly.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “How am I going to pull my pants down?” She asked.

  “You’ll figure it out,” he answered with a smirk.

  “You’re a real fucker!” she shouted at him while she wrestled with the door handle of the car.

  She heard him chuckle as she stumbled out of the car and onto the blacktop. She fought her way to her feet to glare at him with hate before she kicked the door to the car shut.

  “Take it easy!” he yelled at her.

  “You can kiss my ass!” she shouted before fighting the skintight jeans down her hips and legs.

  She glanced over her shoulder to see him watching the mirrors of the car while she grumbled and bitched about his education and disrespect toward woman. She frowned as no sound came from the car as she wondered why he took her case. He didn’t look like the type of man that would take on this easy of a job. His demeanor alone was that of authority when she had sat next to him in the car. But the bounty on her head could have been bigger than she expected. It scared her to think that he may not be the only one hunting her.

  Ivy tried to shake dry before fighting her pants up over her hips and buttoning them. She looked down the steep hill beside the shoulder of the road to see a gas station at the bottom. It would hurt like hell but she could slide down the embankment. The tough part was trying to figure out how big the drop off was at the bottom of the cliff that was at the end of the gravel hill.

  She looked over her shoulder at the black GTO. She would rather die than return home. She was outrunning her father after she stole a large chuck of his money. If she knew her father, and she did, her punishment would be far worse than death.

  She took a deep breath before she ran for the steep, downward slope. She leaned her weight onto the sides of her feet that were protected from the sharp rocks by leather, cowgirl boots.

  “Fuck!” She heard the man shout before jumping out of the car to run after his payday.

  Dust clouded around her while she kept perfect balance down the impossible slope. She closed her eyes as she tried to stop without stumbling over the drop off. She almost cheered as she came to a smooth stop at the bottom of the slope.

  “Stop right there before I blow your fucking brains out!” he yelled, pointing his pistol at her.

  Ivy looked over the cliff with a grin. Ten feet below her was a boulder that she could use as halfway marker instead jumping down to her death. Slowly, she glanced over her shoulder and up the hill to smirk at him.

  “Fuck you!” she yelled before she jumped off the gravel landing.

  Ivy slid down the massive rock with a growl of pain before falling onto the field to the left of the gas station. The pounding of her heart was pushing a roar of blood into her ears as she ran for the well-lit gas station. She was so close to being free when she saw the GTO racing toward the parking lot.

  “Help!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  Her cry fell on deaf ears. The blacktop parking lot was empty. Franticly, she rushed for the door but the hunter was already parked and running toward her.

  The loud thud of boots of a large man running on the blacktop was the only thing that she could hear as she struggled to grab the handle of the door. The cuffs made it impossible to hold onto the slick metal with her sweaty hands.

  “Help!” she screamed again before she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist.

  Ivy threw her head back to hit the man in the face. He growled before he dropped her, then he stumbled backwards. She laced her fingers together to make a large fist as she spun around to face him. She punched him in the face with everything in her. With a howl, he grabbed his nose while she kicked his sensitive shin. Once again, she ran for the door of the gas station. She felt his arms wrap around her waist while he moved around behind her.

  Ivy stiffened, hearing the click of a gun next to her ear. Fear gripped her. She wondered if he would pull the trigger. His breath brushed her cheek when he pulled her backwards. She guessed it was best not to test her luck. Freely, she let him pull her away from the door. It was only a matter of seconds before she was shoved back into the passenger seat. She glared at the gas station while looking for signs of life.

  He ran to the driver’s side to get in quickly before someone saw them. “I should kill you!” he yelled at her before shoving the car into gear.

  Ivy rolled her eyes before she saw the clerk behind the counter. The young man was wearing earphones while bobbing his head to the music. There was no way he could have heard her pleas. That was her luck. It was bad luck. It was always fucking bad luck. She couldn’t hold back the laugh that escaped her lips as hope drained from her.

  She could feel him glancing at her while she was laughing psychotically beside him. She watched as his eyes darted toward the store before he grinned and shifting the car into gear to leave. Slowly, she stopped laughing only to fight back the tears of defeat when he turned onto the road that ramped onto the highway.

  The night passed by fast while the mile markers subtracted time from their journey. The dawn lit up the car with false hope as Ivy watched the horizon. The flatlands were fading as the hills swallowed the highway in front o
f the car. It was only a matter of time before she would be sitting at her father’s feet. The way the man next to her was driving, they would arrive in record time.

  She glanced at him as he wiped his eyes while the sun made them water. He ran his hand down his face and over the scruffy fur of facial hair on his cheeks and chin. It had been days since he had shaved and she could tell that the hunt for her was tiresome as the beard and goatee was uneven. She wondered if his search for her had consumed all of his free time as he ran his fingers over the whiskers on his chin with a frown.

  Ivy continued to watch the man beside her out of the corner of her eye. Last night she spent all of her time trying to get away from him. Not once did she take the time to really look at him. The brunette was surprisingly handsome. He was a healthy weight and his profile was enough to make her lick her lips. His nose was perfectly straight and accented by his high cheekbones. His hair was medium length and shaggy with a few strands falling into his eyes. The scattered hair that was across his chin and cheeks was passible even though he could he could trim it to look neater. She liked the rugged look on a man instead of the smooth skin of a white collar, pretty boy. In her line of work, men who looked as good as he did, were usually sorry pieces of useless shit, but at least this guy had a job.

  Cautiously, she lowered her eyes to his body. He was wearing a black, button up shirt with a few buttons open at the top to show a teasing amount of soft, black hair. His arms and chest were strong but not bulky. She arched her eyebrows as she studied his body with interest while her eyes fell on his stomach that was flat but thick with muscles. Her eyes floated over his crotch to glance at his feet which were covered by heavy, black boots. His legs were hidden by dark denim but still looked well-defined. She held her breath while she glanced at the spot where his cock was resting. She tilted her head slightly to study the nice bulge.

  She stared at his crotch with curiosity, her head tilted to the side, only to lick her lips wantonly. It was noticeable when he smirked at her before he slid his hand down to cup himself. Ivy looked away as he adjusted his balls. She darted her eyes toward his only to be captured by his silver-gray gaze. Her breath hitched when he smirked at her with a cocky arch of his eyebrows.

  She frowned. He was amused by her wandering eyes. It was frustrating as her thoughts were consumed by him. She wanted to know if she was his first female bounty. She blushed as she wondered if she was the first woman that he ever spent this much time with while having clothes on. After a mental groan, she looked away from him to study her own body.

  Ivy was pretty enough with impossible black curls covering her head and cascading down her back. The blood-red halter top accented her full breasts while the tight denim revealed every soft curve of her hips and perky ass. She caught a glimpse of him licking his lips as he glanced at her breasts that rubbed against the cotton fabric of her top.

  Ivy was shocked as he stared at her with hungry eyes. It wasn’t like her to jump before knowing what she was getting into but the man sitting beside her ignited a fire in her. Without thinking, she leaned in fast and pressed her lips to his before he could look away.

  He hit the brakes, slowing the car, as her lips crushed his on the busy freeway. She sighed as he snaked one of his hands around her neck and wrapped his fingers up into her hair. Gently, he tugged her head back so he could see the road. Quickly, he pulled over to the shoulder of the road before they was ran over by an eighteen wheeler.

  Ivy couldn’t stop as her cuffed hands roamed over the tight muscles of his thigh. Her fingers crept toward the zipper of his jeans while he parked on the side of the road before he turned his body toward her. A growl escaped his lips just before he covered her mouth with his. His hands slid up her sides to squeeze her full breasts. The groan that escaped his lips as she kissed him made her nipples harden to tight pebbles while his thumb flicked the taut flesh.

  She felt his mouth open. Swiftly, she slipped her tongue into the warm cavern. His mouth was sweet from the mint gum he had been chewing. She caressed his tongue to catch traces of nicotine. She tilted her head, his hand cupping the back of her head while he deepened the kiss.

  The effect of the kiss was maddening as his cock stiffened under her hands. She had never reacted like this, not even when she was a teenager, to a man’s touch as the heat engulfed her. She pulled away from him to adjust her body to keep the gear shift from digging into her hip. Suddenly, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

  “Stop,” he growled.

  Ivy sat back to press her back against the steering wheel while she looked at him. “What?” she asked with a frown.

  “I know what you are trying to do and I’m not falling for it, little girl,” he said with a frown.

  Ivy punched his chest then she hopped back over onto her side of the car. “I’m not a little girl. I’m twenty-eight years old. I’ve practically got one foot in the grave,” she growled at him.

  Her frown deepened when she realized that he wasn’t listening to a word she was said. He stared straight forward. It was annoying how he was holding onto the steering wheel and taking several deep breaths. She wiggled to get comfortable in the passenger seat while he ignored her. It was impossible to do that with her panties damp with the passion he had incited in her.

  She no longer cared what happened as he pulled the car into gear and eased back onto the freeway. There was nothing else to say while he drove into the morning traffic.

  She kept her eyes to herself while she listened to the crossroad-country music that was playing in the car. It was embarrassing that she jumped on him like a common whore but to act on it again would be suicide to her ego if he said no. With a huff, she figured that her bad luck was to blame for the rejection he gave her. Not that she should have cared why he pushed her away but she couldn’t deny the superficial attraction that she had toward him.

  Chapter Two

  “I’m hungry,” she said as the sun set in the summer sky.

  He frowned while he looked around at the deserted stretch of road. There were no road signs that indicated any rest stops. She heard him grumble to himself about forgetting to feed her. Then he mumbled about something that sounded like cigarettes and gum but she couldn’t tell while he was looking at the road.

  Ivy shifted in her seat to frown at him. The leather was sticky as the heat of the summer made her skin sweaty in the car that lacked any air conditioning. She ducked her head while lifting her arm to sniff her armpit. The frown on her face deepened as her hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks even though she didn’t smell.

  “I could use a shower, too,” she mumbled under her breath.

  He chuckled while he glanced at her. “I guess I could allow you to wash the stank off your body. You’re getting kind of ripe,” he said with a grin.

  She narrowed her large, green eyes at him. “I am not.” She hissed at him before scrunching up her eyebrows to frown again. “Am I?” she asked while checking again to see if she smelled.

  He shook his head before laughing at her while the only thing she could smell was the spicy body spray that she was wearing as she sniffed everywhere that she could reach.

  She looked at him as his rich, playful laugh filled the inside of the car. She had heard him chuckle but his laugh was warm and she couldn’t help but to bite her bottom lip while she tried to hide a smile. Cautiously, she leaned forward to see if she could see his smile but he kept his eyes on the road. She almost sighed as he glanced at her while she searched for a glimpse of his smile. His hard features softened while his lips curled up into inviting toothy grin.

  The moment he lit a cigarette and winked at her, she felt the air leave her lungs while the moisture between her legs dampened her panties. It was always the bad men, the men her mother told her stay away from, that could make her hot. But the heat she was feeling from this man was more than she had ever experienced.

  She sat silently beside him as he watched for lodging signs. Finally, in the middle of nowhere, was a motel.
He parked in front of the office before he grabbed the cuffs around her wrists and turned her to face him.

  “I’m going to take these off. I can’t trust you not to make a scene out here. So, I’m taking you with me,” he said as he unlocked the cuffs. “But one ballsy move and I will clean up the mess and take you back to your father in a body bag. Understand me?”

  “Yeah, I understand,” she hissed at him.

  He removed the cuffs before he got out and came around to her door. Forcefully, he jerked her from the seat by her arm, pulling her against him. Ivy ignored the warmth that came over her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to hold her tightly against him.

  “Remember what I said,” he warned, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

  “What is your name?” she asked as she realized that she had didn’t know it.

  “What?” he asked while he leaned back to look at her face.

  “I don’t know your name. If the clerk asks me questions, I should know your name. I mean, I can’t keep calling you fucker,” she said with a small smirk as he gazed at her.

  The man couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t know about that, it is starting to grow on me,” he teased.

  Ivy shook her head with a light giggle. “Seriously, what is your name?” she asked again.

  “Hunter,” he said softly before he opened the door to the motel office.

  Behind the counter was a sweet, little blonde. She was barely dressed and pouting while a small, electric fan blew recycled air in her face as she was kicked back in a metal chair.

  Ivy spotted the spark in Hunter’s silver eyes as he pulled away from her slightly. The embrace was more like friendly than that of lovers now that he saw the clerk. It pissed her off that he was distancing himself from her while he grinned at the slut behind the counter. She couldn’t explain it but she wanted all of his attention.

  She hid a snarl when he didn’t even glance at her while directing her toward the hussy that spotted him the minute the door opened.