Page 64 of The Consequence of Loving Me

Veronica

We fit together perfectly.

Once he was inside me, it felt like a small part of me found myself.

I found myself in how his mouth worshipped my lips.

In how his fingers tangled in my hair.

A little bit more of me made sense as he chanted my name all night. The soft whispers of it. The loud groans. The way my name came out of his mouth like gravel as we each chased our release—together.

I found myself in the lazy strokes of his fingers on my skin.

In the empty conversation as we lay in his bed, our limbs tangled together.

I found myself.

I found myself and it terrified me.

Because as a part of me started to make sense, another part of me wanted to rebel. That part of me couldn’t forget what I had been through, what I made a vow to myself about.

And I still stand true to my oath. To never love another man; to never let another man love me.

So, now I have to live with this consequence of giving in to him.

Because I gave him a part of me, with no intentions of taking a part of him.

It felt empty, wrong.

But I found myself. I found myself in him and it scared me.

It left me with less of myself, and none of him. I wasn’t willing to take anything from him.

And it felt empty, so wrong.

34

Veronica

The next couple of weeks pass by in a blur. I work, I go to school, and I lose myself in Maverick.

The first time we slept together, I was determined not to let it happen again—but he’s an addiction I don’t want to kick.

Any spare moment we have, we find ourselves tangled up in bed.

Except for now, when we find ourselves actually out of the house for once.

We’ve joined Lily, Aspen, Tristan and some other friends at Lenny’s. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone out loud, but I truly enjoy hanging out with them.

I would rather be at home with Maverick’s face between my thighs, but…

Lily and I sit across from each other in the large booth our party takes up. The boys are playing pool, leaving us alone here. We’ve spent the last twenty minutes discussing our workout routines.

But now, she becomes serious as she faces me. “What’s going on with you and my brother?” Lily takes a long drink out of her beer as I almost spit mine out all over the table. She raises her dark eyebrows at me and reaches across the table to hand me a napkin, the napkin wiggling in the air. “Might want to clean yourself up.”

I glare at her, taking the napkin from her and wiping around my mouth. When I look down, I find that a small amount of my beer has landed on my sheer bodysuit. “What’s going on with you and Aspen?” I counter. It comes out bitchy, but if she wants to get personal, two can play that game.

I’ve noticed the way her eyes have lingered on Aspen tonight, longer than they should. Their normal banter has been kicked up to ten. If I were a betting girl, I’d say there’s been a new development between the two of them. I was going to mind my own business for once, but since she decided to bring up my situation with Maverick, all bets are off.

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