Page 81 of My Summer Girl

Unwilling to wait for anyone to make the first move, I flounce toward her. My steps are far more confident than I am, but I don’t resist the pull tugging me.

As soon as my feet hit the stairs nearest to her table, the guard—Alessand—approaches her, his hand on the handle of his sword. It doesn’t deter me, even if the air seems to have left my lungs, leaving me bereft and slightly concerned.

Tapping the table earnestly, I confidently guess, “You're Vera.” Amusement flickers in her expression, her nose twitching as if she’s holding back a smile. “I’m Dulce Amor.”

“That’s me.” She speaks with a gravelly tone, as if struggling to get the words out. It’s as if the only noise in existence is the breaths between us. If not for the way her body seems to shudder, like I affect her as much as she does me, I’d worry she’s displeased with me.

What is this sensation skating across my skin, and why does it bring me a sort of comfort—an awareness that I shouldn’t run away from?

My mind wanders back to every time my skin connected with the grass and fields of Solera, the sensations and comfort that flowed through me as it accepted me.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment, mi reina.”

Her eyes gloss over, her tongue slipping out to lick her lips. It seems almost subconscious, but I track the move, memorizing the way she seems unsettled and content at the same time.

Before she can respond, Raev’s gruff voice fills my ears, zipping through my body like an empty cave’s echo.

“Mi reina,” he stoically says. There’s not a single note of emotion in his tone and I can’t help but turn to him, needing to see his facial expressions. Vex is on my other side, I’m not sure when they came over, but the feeling of them next to me fills me with comfort.

“Raevar,” Vera grinds out. “It seems we have a lot to speak about.” The tightening of her grip on her drink catches my attention, the slight noise drawing my focus.

Without even glancing at me, he nods once. Rather than allowing him to keep pushing me away, I sneak my hand into his, intertwining our fingers.

Try to fight me now, brat.

Next to me, Vex lets out a noise of amusement. Already through our bond, acceptance rings through. They pick my happiness too. Vera’s eyes glance down at our connected hands with one eyebrow raised.

“He’s mine,” I confidently declare, not holding back. Despite her jaw ticking, she remains silent. “He’s mine,” I repeat once more, meeting her hardened stare. “And I think you are too.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Vera

Ojitos Lindos – Bad Bunny & Bomba Estéreo

The shock that fills me as she says those words has me near stumbling. Those six words play on repeat, making my body lose focus.

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