Page 29 of First Verse

There’s only one person who actually knows my secret and that’s the woman in front of me… who justoh so subtlythreatened to sell me out if I dump her.

I wish I couldhate her, but thanks to a night last year when she poured out all the details of her twisted childhood to me, I have a damned soft spot for her. I understand why she is the way she is, and if she doesn’t quite understand why I am the way I am, then she accepts it. Accepts me.

Would Evangeline accept me as I am? The narrow line I walk? The method I use to manage my demons?Definitely not.And the kicker? If she did, I’d lose respect for her. She’d cease to be the woman I’ve put above all others in my mind and heart.

My muse. My Fairy.

Kendra slips her arms around me. I don’t pull away, but I don’t embrace her, either.

“I’m sorry, Wild. I had a knee-jerk reaction, and that’s not fair to you.” She exhales noisily against my chest. “You know what? If you need to sleep with her once to get her out of your system, then go for it. I trust you. You won’t break what we have.”

My heart stutters, adrenaline shooting through my veins. “You don’t mean that.”

Kendra gazes up at me. Her face is impossible to read, but the look in her eyes is sly. “I do. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think it will be a good thing.”

I frown. “That’s an abrupt shift. Me sleeping with Evangeline will be agoodthing? Why?”

She draws away from me and shrugs. “I’ve heard rumors about her.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “From who?”

She inspects her manicure. “An old friend of mine dated her for a while last year. You don’t know him.”

I swipe a hand over my face, exhausted with this conversation. “Enough with the manipulation tactics. Spit it out.”

She gives me a satisfied smirk. “He said she’s a bad lay. Boring. He wasn’t her first, but he said it was like fucking a virgin.”

For a few seconds I just stare at her, stunned by her audacity and an overwhelming need to rip this random guy’s head off.

Then I replay what happened in the bathroom. The way Evangeline arched against me, rubbing herself against my hand. Her breathy moans and clutching fingers, panting breaths and flushed cheeks. How her body fit against mine like a puzzle piece I’ve been searching for my entire life.

I think about how she came apart on my fingers three years ago even though she fought it. How she initially fought her reaction to me tonight, too. How she gave me the fucking green light, and if it weren’t for Kendra’s interruption, I’d be balls deep inside her right now.

Sex with Evangeline will be explosive. Call it masculine instinct or learned experience, or maybe I’m finally realizing how boredI’vebeen. Kendra knows all the tricks—so do the women she brings into bed with us—but something has been missing for a while. Authenticity. True abandon. I’m sick of performative sex with women who are more concerned with moaning at appropriate times than actually enjoying themselves.

There’s never been anything artificial about Evangeline’s response to me or mine to her. Not mentally, emotionally, or physically. Time apart didn’t dilute our alchemy. I’m starting to wonder if anything ever will.

“Wild? What are you thinking?”

My eyes narrow on Kendra. “Talking shit about another woman’s sexual history is low.”

She flushes, decent enough to be embarrassed. “I only repeated what he said.”

“Uh-huh.” I pause, eyeing her like she’s a scorpion about to strike. “Do you really mean it?”

She doesn’t bother pretending confusion, though her nod lacks confidence. “Sure.Once.And don’t bring her here.”

I can’t completely smother my reaction. Excitement. Anticipation. Relief. Kendra sees it all. She doesn’t say anything. Neither do I. But in our silence is an acknowledgment that on some deep level we know this is a mistake. It’s in the pinched skin around her eyes. The layer of disquiet that sits atop my elation like oil.

But I can’t stop myself.

“Tonight?” Kendra asks softly.

I nod shortly. I can’t wait anymore. I’ve waited so long already.

She looks past me toward the party. Toward the dozens of people, most of them superficial friends and hangers-on, who show up whenever I want. When she turns back to me, she wears a bright, false smile.

“In that case, I think I’ll have some fun, too.”

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