Page 80 of The Summer We Lie

He groans, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "Fine. But let me be clear—the next tears I see running down these cheeks will be because I've pushed you past every limit you thought you had, made you come until you're begging me to stop, and then made you come again anyway."

He leans down to kiss me again and I get lost in him before I push him away and laugh, the tension finally broken. "You're going to get us caught," I say and walk around him to open the door, my heart lighter than it had been. "You go. Now."

After Dom leaves, I sit on the edge of the bathtub, my thoughts swirling.

I feel better knowing he wanted me—actually wanted me—and not just some fantasy virgin prize. But the money... over a million dollars sitting in an account with my name on it. I know that's why all this started, why I agreed to auction my virginity in the first place, but that's not what happened in the end. When I was with Dom, money was the furthest thing from my mind. I just wanted him—his hands, his mouth, his body against mine.

I didn't sleep with him for money. I slept with him because I wanted him so badly I could barely breathe around him.

At least I lost my virginity to someone I genuinely wanted, not to some faceless bidder who saw me as nothing but a conquest. That alone is worth something. Maybe everything.

Shaking my head, I quickly change into comfortable clothes, throwing my hair up in a messy bun. I try to think of a good movie for tonight, something we'll all enjoy that isn't too awkward to watch with Dom and Harper.

When I walk back into the main living area, Harper and Dom are in the kitchen gathering supplies. The pizzas sit on the bar, steam still rising from the boxes, making my stomach growl.

"What can I do?" I ask, walking into the kitchen.

"Grab the pizzas," Harper says, collecting napkins. "We're going to the theater room."

"Oh, okay." I didn't even know this place had a theater room.

Dom looks over at me. "What do you want to drink? I ordered Coke and Dr Pepper with the pizzas."

"Coke is fine," I say, and he nods, grabbing another glass and adding ice to it.

"Let's go," Harper says, leading the way.

I grab the pizza boxes and follow her, feeling Dom's presence close behind me, that awareness of him I can't seem to shake. The theater room is incredible—a massive screen on one wall with a plush sectional couch facing it.

We set everything down on the coffee table, and Dom starts pouring drinks while I open the pizza boxes. Harper passes out plates, the three of us moving around each other with surprising ease, like we've done this a hundred times before.

"So what are we watching?" Dom asks, settling back on one end of the couch with his plate while Harper and I sit on the floor between the couch and table.

"Can we watch The Faculty?" I ask hopefully.

"That's a good one," Dom says with approval in his voice.

Harper shrugs. "I don't think I've seen that one before. I trust you."

"The Faculty it is, then," Dom says, picking up the remote.

We all start eating our pizza as the movie begins. After finishing two slices, I climb up onto the couch with Dom on my right and make myself comfortable, trying not to be too aware of his closeness.

"Can we pause it?" Harper asks a few minutes later.

Dom hits pause. "What are you doing?" I ask her.

"I need to pee," she says, already standing. "I drank too much."

I laugh. "Okay, hurry up. It's about to get good."

Once Harper disappears down the hall, Dom turns to me. "I think I like your taste in movies."

"What's your favorite movie?" I ask, genuinely curious about this small detail of him.

"Oh God, that's hard," he says, thinking about it. "I like Candyman, Fight Club, Natural Born Killers... It's hard to pick. What about you?"

"I loved Candyman," I say, excited we share a favorite. "Mmm, probably Clueless, The Craft, Fear, and Scream."