Page 41 of Hooves & HeartStrings

"Yeah, we need to talk, especially after we fucked last night." I sigh.

Stacy whirls around, slugging me in the thigh hard.

"OW! What was that for?" I whine, rubbing the sore spot.

"You fucked the centaur and didn't tell me? What the hell? How was it? How big was it? How are you alive?" She laughs, and I slap a hand over her mouth.

"Shhhh!” I hush her, quickly looking around to make sure no one is paying attention to us, and lower my voice. “It was amazing, and he didn't even get the whole thing in. Like, he literally fucked with just a little more than the tip."

"Oooo, babe, I'm getting excited just thinking about it," she teases.

I throw my head back and laugh at my best friend's antics. "What about you?" I ask. "Did you explore the tentacles?"

"No," she pouts. "We made out all night and he rubbed me through my pajamas until I came, but that's it. No tentacle play." She crosses her arms in frustration. "I don't know why. I was more than willing."

I shrug. "Maybe he's trying to be a gentleman."

Stacy huffs. "If I wanted a gentleman, I'd be lusting after a human guy. I want a monster, so give me one."

Oh, sweet lord, the girl has it bad.

The rest of the ride is quiet as I ponder what to say to Lucius when we get off the bus. When we arrive back at campus, we all get off and grab our overnight bags from under the bus.

Bag in hand, I start the walk back to Seaside.

I feel him before I see or hear him.

Lucius grabs my hand and pulls me over to the fountain. "We need to talk," he says, his voice serious.

I nod. "You're right, and you need to apologize for what you did." Guess we’re doing this here and now. I can’t keep putting this off.

His brows furrow like he’s not sure what I mean. "I already said sorry, Marley. And I’ve been trying to make it up to you. You haven’t exactly been easy to deal with,” he argues.

"How could you just leave? You didn't even let me explain. You just ignored me and left. I wasn’t even worthy of an explanation?" I demand, my eyes welling with tears as they bore into his.

He lets out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. “Marley. What I heard you say hurt me. But that's not the only reason I went back to my uncle’s and just packed up and left. I was stuck choosing between two very important things in my life and it hurt too much to know that to you I was just a summer fling. You were…are more than that to me. ”

“I called you so many times, Lucius. I left dozens of voicemails, hundreds of texts, to the point I made myself look like a crazy person, and you couldn’t even send a fucking ‘I need time’ text?” I’m yelling now but I don’t care. I need to get this off my chest. We’re not ever going to be able to move on, minus sex, if we don’t work this out and he needs to know that I’m aware I fucked up but he didn’t even try. Like we weren’t worth a chance.

He starts to talk, but I don’t let him.

"I fucked up. My friends were pushing me for information and I didn’t know what to say and I fucked up. I’m aware. I’m so damn sorry you heard those words because they weren't even close to the truth. But you don’t apparently even think what we had was worth a second shot, since you took off and left. Then, without a word, you show up on campus and want to work it out. I was miserable, Lucius. I cried every day and night. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. Do you know how that felt?"

My heart is racing and I know my face is red, because I can feel the heat in my cheeks. It’s taking everything inside of me not to cry, but he doesn’t deserve my tears. I already gave enough of them to my pillow because of him.

He looks at me, his body trembling in anger, his nostrils flaring. "You don’t think I know what being without you feels like Marley. You're my fucking mate, so yeah, I think I have an idea since it was worse for me being without you for weeks!"

My eyes widen in shock, my pulse spiking. He didn’t just say what I think he just said, did he? After a stunned moment of gaping like a damn fish, I scream, "I’m your what?"

nineteen

Ah fuck. I messed up. I messed up badly.

A look of pure shock and maybe a bit of horror flashes on Marley’s face before she starts to yell at me.

“I’m your what?” she demands. “Please, tell me I heard you wrong.”

“Marley.” I take a step forward, glancing around. People are starting to stop and stare. “Can we go somewhere private and talk about this?”

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