Us
Veronica
Afraid to say the wrong thing, Veronica chose her words carefully. She'd hated seeing him so hurt, and she was not about to say something that would hurt him again. She started walking to him. "So you're a dad?"
He shook his head. "Nope. When she first told me, it scared the hell out of me. But then the more I thought about it, the more it hit me. I was going to have a child, my own flesh and blood. She said she didn't wanna have it. She was too young. That's when I dropped out of school. I told her I was getting a job and I'd raise the kid myself. She's the one that disappeared, not me. Her parents set out looking for me, sure that it was me she'd run away with, but I had no idea where she was either. The next time I saw her, she'd already had the abortion, and then she and her family moved away."
Veronica didn't think her heart could break for him anymore than it already had. "Were you in love with her?" she asked as she reached him, touching his face.
He shook his head again, bringing his hand over hers then brought it to his mouth and kissed it. "The only person I've ever been in love with is you."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Veronica hugged him hard, furious with herself for ever questioning what or why she felt for him. "I love you too." She pulled away to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you—us."
His eyes were wide and almost wild but not in that horrible way they'd been earlier when he'd been so angry. Now he was smiling. "You love me?"
"Yes!" She hugged him again. "And I'm so sorry about doubting you."
"Don't be. Kratz didn't know what happened. Nobody in school did, and after she aborted, I was so pissed and let down I didn't bother going back to school. I took my GED and kept working. I was done with all the fucking high school drama. But he knew the truth about the drug trafficking bullshit." Noah's eyes were hard again. "He could've explained that to you."
He explained to her about the girl who'd broken his heart and how he spiraled out of control for a while there. How it was the only time he'd done weed in his life and that was only to numb the pain.
"I shared a locker with Abel and Gio because mine was in a suck ass temp building. I let the guy that sold me the weed use the locker I wasn't using. I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to stash his shit in it. Every few months, they did a raid—brought in the dogs and everything and found his stash. Since the locker was in my name, my ass got hauled in, but everyone knew I never used that locker." He shook his head. "I'd been in so much trouble leading up to that, Kratz wasn't buying anything I said anymore. But in the end, they had enough people vouching for who actually used the damn locker, and they never got enough evidence to make the charges stick. So my name was cleared. He knew this."
His expression changed suddenly, and his eyes were now full of concern. "Roni, I don't think I could deal with you being friends with this guy. I hated him so much back then, and now I have even more reason to hate him."
Veronica touched his lips with her finger. "I don't wanna be his friend anymore. You're right. I need loyalty and friends I can count on, but most importantly, I don't want anyone in my life that doesn't believe in us. And obviously he doesn't."
"Us?"
She smiled, nodding. "I'm ready for us. I love you, Noah, and I want the whole world to know it."
The glimmer in his eye at that moment was something she hadn't seen before. He'd been so emotional earlier, but this ... This took her breath away. He kissed her so softly and so tenderly she sighed against his lips. Noah was exactly what she needed in her life. She wasn't afraid to admit it anymore. Who wouldn't need what she was feeling right that moment? And it had nothing to do with being afraid to be alone. She could easily have Derek's company if she wanted to, and Nellie was definitely going to be around more now.
Veronica realized one thing earlier, the terrifying moment it hit her that maybe Noah wouldn't be coming back tonight: She was in love with him, and she wasn't afraid of being alone. She was afraid of being without him.
Noah's kiss grew heavier and deeper, and just when she thought she couldn't feel any more content than how she was feeling at that moment, he nearly growled then whispered in that same strained voice she'd heard that morning, "I wanna taste you."
When he said it that morning, she hadn't been entirely sure what he meant, but she'd had a feeling, and it'd been enough to get her heart pumping. It was something she'd only read about and could only imagine what it must feel like. Now that not only did she know exactly what he meant but what she'd be in for, her legs nearly gave out on her.
"I want to now," he added as he sucked her bottom lip.
"Here?" she gasped, pulling away.
The blaze in his lit eyes was all the answer she needed. "Wait here."
He hurried away to the front door, leaving her standing shakily as he locked doors. She watched him walk to where the stretching mats were stacked up by the wall and take one. He grabbed some towels, his eyes locked on hers, a slim smile on his face.
Her body had already begun to shudder in anticipation. The tingling that had started that morning when he'd kissed her breast began going insane the moment she heard his scandalous request.
Trying hard to calm her breathing as he neared her, she watched him throw the mat into the boxing ring behind her along with the towel. Then he reached for her, and in one swoop, she was in his arms again as he kissed her madly.
In the next second, his hands were on her behind, and he squeezed as he picked her up. Never had she known she could even feel this level of arousal, but she felt as wild as an untamed animal, cradling his face in her hands as she kissed and sucked those beautiful lips of his.
The moment he set her on the edge of the boxing ring, she climbed under the ropes and was in the ring. They toppled over as he jumped in behind her and came over to her, continuing their frantic kissing as he pressed her to the mat. She thought maybe he'd work his way down like he had that morning, but instead his hands went right to her pants and pulled them down the side of her hips. Her panties went down with them, and before she knew it, she was naked from the waist down.
Unlike that morning, Noah wasn't taking his time. His fingers were already in her, making her moan loudly. That only aroused him further, and he groaned in her mouth then pulled away. "I can't wait any longer."
