Page 138 of X's and O's

“No.” It was the honest truth. If I’d had a hymen once upon a time, it had been broken a long time ago with a vibrator. And he’d taken his time with me, building me up so gently and not actually entering me until I’d been more than ready.

But something inside me did feel different.

And that something didn’t want him to leave, even though I refused to let the words form on my tongue.

He wasn’t my boyfriend, and I wasn’t paying him to stay and cuddle me, despite my body desperately needing it.

“I’ll get your money,” I mumbled, trying not to cry. I suddenly felt more alone than I’d ever felt in my entire life.

“Are you fully satisfied?” Whip asked. “Because I only take payment once you are, remember.”

I forced a nod. Because I was. I’d come in a way I hadn’t known was possible. It was maybe a bad thing, because now I was sure I’d never be able to satisfy myself again. “Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say, and this was all incredibly awkward.

Whip caught my chin between his fingers. A soft smile played across his lips. “You’re a terrible liar.”

I shook my head quickly. “That was amazing. You did everything right. Too right, probably. I know you must need to leave.”

He pulled up a blanket, covering my naked body with it.

Then he lay down beside me and covered himselfwith it as well. “You don’t know anything about what I need, Violet Garrisen. Now roll over and go to sleep.”

All arguments died on my lips.

So I rolled over.

Whip’s arms came around me, his naked body pressed to my back, this time in a completely nonsexual way.

That somehow felt more like what I needed than when he’d had his dick inside me.

We fell asleep like that. Him wrapped around me.

Me no longer a virgin.

33

VIOLET

Toby dropped another envelope onto the pile on the coffee table, about as dramatically as he then threw himself onto the couch beside me. “We’re going to be buried alive beneath all of lover boy’s scribblings if you don’t burn those soon.”

“Or I could open them?”

Toby glared at me. “Girly-pop, that boy does not deserve a second more of your attention.”

Except all I could think about was the pure pride on Levi’s face when he’d watched me ride that bike for the first time. And the way he’d scrubbed toilets so I didn’t have to.

And then there was the way he looked in jeans and a biker jacket, his long legs straddling a bike, my arms wrapped around his washboard abs…

I was as shallow as a puddle, and I knew it. It wasn’t my fault the man was gorgeous and had that whole bad-boy thing going on that was really damn hard to resist.

I’d been resisting it for days now.

“Your ice cream delivery guy is out front again, by the way.” Toby added, picking up a nail file and going at one of his fingernails vigorously. “Third time this week.”

“Did you talk to him?”

Toby shook his head. “No, he’s on my shit list after what he did to you the other night. I’m totally team Daddy.”

I snorted on a laugh. “You mean Whip?”