You know, saying something like that really makes a girl swoon, I say.
Thank God. Veah’s eyes are blazing now. Droplets of water cling to her lashes, and I can see the storm that circles her eyes. I was beginning to worry I had lost my charm.
She is so beautiful. God had no right making her with a face like that.
And that body . . . well, I can’t blame God for that. Because the sight of her hips, her taut stomachit’s enough to make me a sinner.
No, don’t worry, I promise. It’s pretty romantic, you know, when the entirety of the Japanese Mafia are chasing after you.
I figured that would win your heart over.
Oh, it did, I say, savouring the way her eyes darken. And I . . .
I can’t breathe.
The intensity of her stare makes everything fade awaythe glow of the pool, the heat of the water, the swirl of the smoke.
All that’s left is her.
I trust her. Andmore than that.
Earlier, I blurt out. When Skullcrusher kissed you, II was jealous. And later, when we were in the rain, and you told me you liked me, I . . . I had a random thought about my sex dream. What I really meant to say was that I like you, too.
A grin sharpens the corner of her mouth.
Fuck, I groan. If I don’t say it now, I never will. And all in a breath, it rushes out. Okay, that was a lie, too. What I really meant to say was that I’m falling for you. Hard.
For a moment, a brief fraction of a second, there is no response.
Maybe she doesn’t feel the same way.
Maybe she doesn’t actually like me.
Maybe everything is a lie and I’m actually in the Matrix and nothing is real and
Veah crushes her mouth to mine, and it is everything I’ve been waiting for.
Her fingers curl into my hair, with one hand cupping my ass. She pulls me towards her suddenly, the water splashing between us.
My words evaporate along with my ability to breathe.
Cherry and rain and desire.
I kiss her until I can’t get enough air, and then I keep kissing her, because who the fuck needs oxygen when you’ve just declared your love for the girl you’re probably going to marry ?
Okay, slow down, my common sense says. Marriage is a little extreme.
Everything in me narrows to the sensation of her hand on my backside. I never knew it until now, but I think my entire life amounts to this moment : a pretty girl squeezing my ass. I can’t get enough of her ; my hands roam her bare skin, tracing the contours of her steam-damp skin, her slick curves. Veah, I moan into her mouth, and she answers with a growl of her own. Something possessive, something that makes my legs tighten around her hand.
And Veah smiles against my lips, raw promise.
One thing, I pant, as her fingers find their way closer to that heat, to the wetness there. You’re sure Okami or any gang members aren’t watching ? Because I have to tilt my head back, my hips bucking, as she discovers the slickness. Because I would really hate it if the Yakuza made us a sex tape.
I’m sure, Veah says, still grazing the heat with a fingertip. Teasing me. But if you wanted to . . . we could give them a show.
Her mouth is at my neck, and she is still circling my clit with her finger. Making me shudder, biting down on her shoulder.
Stop, I gasp. Teasing. Me.
You’re going to have to do more than that, Veah whispers. You’re going to have to ask me to fuck you. I want to know what it sounds like with those dirty words on your tongue. I know you’ve never said them before.
My heartbeat stutters, and my hips twist against her fingersdesperate for the release she is withholding from me. That’s not fair.
Break the rules. Veah’s eyes are dark now, a sky before lightning. Or make new ones.
Okay, I say breathlessly, my back arching. Then let’s make new rules. Rule number one : No kissing other girls.
Done, Veah says. Rule number two : Trust me, always.
Trust. I am panting. Her finger, dragging lightly over the edge of me, is blurring my vision. Got it. Rule number three : No more secrets.
Her eyes search mine. You want to know my plan.
I can barely nod with the blood roaring in my ears, but she seems to understand.
Rule number four, I gasp. Fuck me.
Rule number five. Her eyes are alight with unholy promise. There are no rules.
My heart stutters, too loud in my own ears. My hands are clutching her shoulders, my spine arched, and if anyone were watching, it might look like a dance.
But beneath the water, Veah’s finger deepens between my folds.
Yes, I moan. Yes
She is still teasing, still circling
Something inhuman, something animal, tears from my throat. I want Freedom and Loyalty in me, right now.
Her third and fourth fingerwhat she told me the tattoos represent.