Page 83 of Crowned In Venom

And I know if I do not stop now, I will not stop at all.

I tear myself away.

Not gracefully.

Not cleanly.

It is a violent separation.

A ragged inhale as I press a hand to my forehead, forcing myself back, forcing distance where there should never have been any.

I can still taste her on my tongue.

Anya stares at me, her lips swollen, her breath uneven, her eyes unreadable.

She does not look shaken.

She does not look afraid.

She looks like she won.

"You…" Her voice is hoarse. "You kissed me."

I close my eyes.

Mistake.

"We had sex before," she murmurs. "But this…"

She doesn’t finish the sentence.

She doesn’t have to.

I already know.

This was different.

This was worse.

"Forget it," I say, voice rough. Too rough.

She exhales a shaky breath.

"That wasn’t part of the game, was it?"

No.

No, it wasn’t.

And that is what terrifies me most.

I stare out the window, jaw clenched so tight it aches.

Anya shifts in her seat.

She touches her lips—just slightly.

As if testing if what happened was real.

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