and his mouth set in a firm line by the time he withdrew again. I lifted, wanting to kiss the grimness from his lips. At the same time, I felt his fingers digging into my hips. I winced, but he didn’t seem to notice as his grip tightened even more.
Something was definitely wrong.
The torment and need on his face were so vivid it set my heart pounding as he transformed before my eyes. I touched his cheek to no avail and no reaction. It was like he was no longer here with me but somewhere else. Someplace that turned his green irises black.
“Vaughn?”
He didn’t respond.
“Vaughn?” I repeated a little more urgently.
Pulling back, he flexed his hips to enter me again and—A sharp, pained cry rent the air as he shoved himself inside of me. Right around the time I realized the sound had come from me, I also realized that Vaughn had taken my virginity.
Seemingly realizing it, too, his body stiffened, and then his strong arms closed around me. I wanted to push him away, but the pain was too great. Silly me. I wanted his comfort more.
“Pip?” I couldn’t bring myself to speak, so I buried my face in his strong shoulder. “Pip, I’m so fucking sorry,” he pleaded. “I didn’t mean to—fuck!” he barked when the sob I tried to swallow broke free. Mistaking my physical anguish for mental, he tried to pull away. I dug my nails into his back, keeping him in place. Only when the throbbing between my thighs finally relented did I lift my head to meet his tortured gaze.
“Are you okay?” I asked, making his frown deepen. “You weren’t here. Where did you go?”
“Did you seriously just ask me if I was okay after I just—” He stopped and looked away before I could see his shame. “I can’t believe I did that,” he mumbled.
“I’m okay,” I assured him.
“Yeah, no fucking thanks to me.”
I turned his head, and when I lifted my chin, I almost smiled when he swore before giving into me with a kiss that went on until we both ran out of air.
“I’m okay,” I repeated once I caught my breath. In fact, I was relieved. My virginity had been a barrier—no pun intended—that no longer existed.
What if Selena was right? What if the only way to convince Vaughn that we were fated was to show him what he’d be missing if he walked away? Maybe opening his eyes meant submitting to him completely. I’d given him my mind, my heart, and my soul. The only thing I had left to offer was my body.
Vaughn was already deep inside of me, buried to the hilt in more ways than the obvious. How easy would it be to give in now? I felt reckless and giddy, ready to throw caution to the wind when the sound of the glass door sliding open halted us both.
The very last person I expected to see standing there was my goddamn sister.
Vaughn rushed to cover me as best as he could with the blanket while her sleepy gaze bounced between us, a slow smile spreading her lips.
“Little sister,” she cooed as she stepped onto the balcony and closed the door behind her. “I was beginning to think you didn’t have it in you.” Her focus fell between my legs where Vaughn stood, and her eyebrows rose. “Now I see that you do. Literally.”
“How about you give us some fucking privacy?” Vaughn snapped before I could.
Rather than disappear as we both hoped and expected, Selena sauntered over to the table before curling up on the table bench. “I think I’ll watch,” she announced once she’d made herself comfortable. “I’m wide awake now, and the Wi-Fi is pretty shitty out here.” Her gaze raked over us as her excitement grew. “This makes up for that.”
“Selena, leave,” I finally spoke up.
“Why? What’s the point? I’ll just watch from inside.” Tapping her chin, she pretended to think. “Or maybe I’ll shout ‘fire’ on my way upstairs and wake everyone up.” She met my gaze then. “Is that really how you want to remember this night, baby sister?” I watched as her attention shifted to Vaughn. “What about you, stud? You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind. Would you like to spend the night telling my sister all about it, or would you rather fuck her brains out instead?”
My heart twisted in my chest when something passed silently between them. When the seconds ticked by and Vaughn