Afternoon sunlight bathesmy room in its warm glow. A beam shines directly on Nova’s head, highlighting the side of her face. Black mascara smudges beneath her eyes, running down her cheeks. Pink hair sticks to her temples from the dried cum I hadn’t cleaned off. I’ve been too distracted to part from her side to fetch a warm rag.
It could also be because it’s my mark. I love that she’s filthy from my cum.
I stroke my thumb on her naked stomach, loving how peaceful she looks. I spent the night keeping her awake, fucking her well into the early morning hours with only a couple of breaks to fetch her water and snacks.
I’d never done this for the other flings. It was up to them to get water to hydrate to keep up with me. By the time I finished,I kicked them out and moved on with my day like they never existed.
Does that make me an asshole? Maybe.
But this is different,Novais different, and I’m unsure how to navigate this new territory. I want to make her mine, but I’m not about to bullshit myself and say I’m not scared.
The other night, I was intent on changing the game by pretending to help her get with Brandon. However, the moment she took my cock inside her, I knew I was screwed.
Having her face away from me while I fuck her won’t save me from heartbreak.
I slide my eyes shut and take a deep breath. When that doesn’t help clear the spiraling thoughts and panic, I suck in another one and shift my focus to the present moment.
It’s not over.
She hasn’t rejected you.
You didn’t fuck up. Yet.
Maybe I already fucked up with Nova by sleeping with her. It’ll make things weird between us, as she said a few days ago.
I knew Nova was intrigued with my deals after she kept bringing up my rules and asking for more information about them. It’s why I asked her several times if she had something to ask me. Why I’d teased her about it.
So why the fuck am I disappointed? This is what I wanted—to be closer to her and pretend for a while that she was mine. I thought if I slept with her, it’d scratch that itch.
I grit my teeth and curl against Nova, my arm banding over her waist as I bury my face in her neck. Clenching my jaw, I inhale her scent deep into my lungs and cling to her to stay here in the present moment. I don’t know how much time passes, but eventually, the insecure feelings dull enough for me to manage. Nova whimpers in her sleep and turns onto her side, facing me and throwing her arm over my back to snuggle into my chest.
I smile down at her.
God, she’s adorable.
I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and drag my fingers over her side, inching the sheet down until it pools beneath the swell of her ass. My gaze flicks to her face, checking to see if this is the thing that will wake her up.
She’s dead to the world.
The corner of my lip tugs in a smirk.
Good. I’m glad I did this for her. I’m happy that I provided a feeling of safety and security, even while she sleeps.
Cocking my head, I inspect the fresh bruises on her waist and brush my fingers over them, being gentle so I don’t hurt her. My jaw clenches. I promised her I’d leave marks on her body to make her appreciate herself, but not to this extent. Bruises are scattered all over her, even on her stomach. Jesus Christ, I was rougher than I first thought. I didn’t mean to lose that much control where I couldn’t gentle my touch a smidge more.
Breath shudders out of me, and I peek at my chest. It feels like thorny vines are curling around me and squeezing achingly slow, testing the limits of how much I can take before I can’t breathe. The thorns dig into my skin, drawing beads of blood to the surface.
I close my eyes and drag in a calming breath through my nose.
Turn off your emotions, jackass.
Nova’s phone chimes with a text message. I raise my head and peek over my shoulder, searching for the culprit. I don’t know where the hell she put it or why I’m even looking for it.
Her phone chimes a second time.
I glance at my sister, curious if the notifications woke her. She turns onto her side with her back facing me and drags in a deep breath, then . . . nothing.
I grin.
