47. Veronica
CHAPTER 47
Veronica
I had found a secluded spot in the hotel's parking lot, away from the entrance and out of sight from anyone who might have walked out for a breath of fresh air or to smoke a cigarette.
The air is crisp tonight, making chills litter my skin. I didn’t think to bring a jacket. It is starting to be that time of the year: warm during the day but colder as night approaches. Yesterday was the complete opposite, so I thought I would be fine.
The joke’s on me because now I am rubbing my bare arms to keep me warm.
I try to think of warm places. I’ve heard that it helps people when they are freezing. Shutting my eyes, I picture myself sitting on the beach in California.
I imagine the blazing sun kissing my skin. I imagine the sound of the waves and the birds. Thinking of these things makes me miss it so much.
Maybe Leo and I can visit a beach when all this blows over.
A smile stretches across my face at the thought of us traveling together. We could spend long days under the summer sun, getting tan and drenching our skin in saltwater.
“What the hell do you have to smile about?”
Leo’s enraged voice has my eyes flinging open. My head snaps to the right, and I find him walking towards me. It seems like he hasn’t calmed down in the time I’ve been out here.
I’ve noticed that my hands have stopped keeping me warm. They are now resting on my bicep, my fingers digging into my skin.
Maybe if I cause myself pain, I can focus on that and forget how cold I am.
“I was thinking of us at a beach.”
He snorts, shaking his head. “You’re thinking about a vacation?”
“It’s better than thinking about the person in there.” I point toward the hotel.
Leo glances at the building over his shoulder. His hands hide in his pockets, but I don’t think it’s to keep him warm. I’m sure the anger coursing through his body is doing the job.
An irritated sigh leaves him as he looks back at me. I drop my eyes to the asphalt, not wanting to see the displeasure in his gaze.
“She knows it’s you.” The information takes a moment to hit me, but when it does, I go still. “She knew it was you at the shop. When you were with Chloe , might I add, since you chose to leave that part out of your story.”
My eyes remain on the ground as I apologize, “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not even going to ask why you didn’t tell me because asking the same questions repeatedly gets exhausting.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say.” I lift my head, flicking my eyes in his direction. “I wasn’t thinking about Chloe when I saw my sister inside. Your sister wasn’t in my thoughts when my sister showed up in the last place I thought I’d see her!”
“No, because you only ever think about yourself.”
The words hurt more than I care to admit. “That’s not true.”
Whether I’d ever admit all of this or not, I love the friendship I have with Chloe, and I like being with Leo. This is a life I never thought I would have. I’ve never had a real boyfriend, and I definitely never had any real friends that I cared about. I don’t know what I would do if I lost this.
Honestly, I’m scared to lose it.
Leo removes his hands from his pockets and lets them fall to his sides, balling them into fists. He opens his mouth to say something but gets cut off by laughter.
People spill out of the hotel to their cars. We stare at each other for a moment as the laughter quiets down.
“We should go upstairs,” he suggests.
I laugh at him, shaking my head. “I think I should just go home.”
His jaw ticks as aggravation fills his eyes. “Let me rephrase that. We are going upstairs, where we can have this conversation in private.”
“You gonna yell at me some more, Leo?” I dare take a small step towards him. “Are you going to reprimand me like the therapist you used to be?”
It is dark where I chose to hide out and calm myself. With how nice this hotel is, you’d think they’d have better lighting in the parking lot. Some bulbs are burnt out, casting a light glow in our direction, but they don’t fully meet us.
But even with how dark it is, I can see the moment his heated gaze turns cold.
I can sense a monster lurking in the darkness we are in.
And it’s not me.
I inhale, steadying my breathing while I watch Leo fight the rage fuming inside him. I’m poking the bear when I shouldn’t be, but I don’t have it in me to care right now. Not when my sister is in the hotel. Not when she knows who I am and can turn me in.
So I’ll keep poking the bear until he gives up and sends me on my way home, with or without him.
“If we go upstairs, will you make me confess my feelings about my sister being here? Maybe write them down to get them off my chest? I’m sure there is a notepad in our room.” I grit my teeth together from anger and the chill that somehow still seeps into my skin. “I can pretend I’m writing in my journal all over again.”
The people exiting the hotel finally walk our way after talking with others at the front entrance.
“Veronica.” Leo hisses my name through his teeth. “Upstairs. Now.”
I narrow my eyes at him, the defying side of me coming through. “No.”
“Either you go to the room with me willingly, or I will throw you over my shoulder.” He slowly steps towards me, watching to see if I’ll back away.
“You wouldn’t,” I call his bluff.
There was no way Leo would toss me over his shoulder and carry me with so many people still inside: wedding guests and regular hotel guests.
His head tilts to the side, eyes sliding down my body as I stand like a statue in my spot. When his eyes meet mine, he purses his lips and nods.
It only takes him two more steps to reach me. I try to step backward but forget that the area is hidden on the side of the building. My back meets the siding, the cool brick sending shivers down my spine.
I only feel the coldness for a second before Leo grabs my wrists and tugs me toward him. He bends down, his arm meeting the backs of my thighs, and he lifts me over his shoulder.
Blood immediately rushes to my head, and I shriek while hitting his back. “Put me down!”
“You’re gonna cause a scene, Veronica.” He spins us around and heads for the entrance.
“Me? You are the one carrying me!” I hit him again, but he follows it up with a hand to my ass.
I gasp at the pain while we walk past the group of people. Lifting my head, I see them watching us with curious eyes. I don’t say anything because what would I say?
Leo continues his stroll, and I decide to let my head hang. This way, I can save myself the embarrassment. He stops moving, and I hear the faint press of a button there.
It doesn’t take long for the elevator to open. I prop my head up when he steps in to find it empty. Luckily, no one followed us in.
“Put me down,” I demand once the door slides shut after he pushes the button for our floor number.
“I’m good,” he declines nonchalantly.
I groan. “Your shoulder is digging into my stomach.”
He lifts his shoulder, pressing harder into my body. “Not my problem.”
I wince at the pain, and just as I am about to say something else, the elevator dings, and the doors slide open. Leo walks confidently down the hall like a man on a mission. Four doors have passed when he halts, and the click of a door unlocking sounds.
When the door shuts behind us, we are engulfed with darkness. My heart begins pounding in my chest as he walks through the room without issues. How the hell does he know where he is going? I can’t see a thing!
A light flicks on, blinding me momentarily. I squint my eyes from the harsh invasion. Blinking rapidly, the room finally comes into view—a bedroom. I open my mouth to say something, but Leo is quick to whip me off his shoulder and toss me onto the bed. Landing with a soft thud, I scramble back, propping myself on my elbows.
His chest heaves as he stands there, staring at me with those dark eyes. Any hint of light that wanted to creep through has now gone away. The way he is looking at me makes my skin crawl. The monster in the darkness is coming out of the shadows.
The man before me isn’t the same man who was whispering sweet nothings into my ear just last week.
This is a man who was full of hatred and revenge.
Tilting my head to the side, I smirk at him. “Oh, so this will be one of our other sessions? Will we talk about my issues before or after we have sex?”
That cold gaze pierces my body, and I swear I can feel the icy sting. Leo takes a step towards the bed. Then another. I do my best to stay still. I don’t want him to know that I’m even slightly afraid. Fear holds loosely onto my body while the adrenaline of wondering what he is about to do tries to push the fear away.
The mattress dips beneath his weight, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me. Not for a second.
Not when he kneels before me.
Not when his warm hands slide the dress up my legs.
Only when he lifts the dress above my waist do his eyes drop from my face. He glances down at the spot between my legs, a smirk tugging the corner of his lip. I chose not to put on any underwear tonight because I knew that we would be having sex.
I didn’t know the night would have been flipped upside down. When all that shit happened downstairs, I wasn’t expecting this to happen.
“Is the big, bad Leo going to teach me a lesson?”
I’m craving a punishment from him. Whatever he wants to do is better than fighting. Hell, I would be okay with him giving me the cold shoulder if it meant he wouldn’t yell at me.
He shakes his head. “I don’t think you deserve punishments anymore.”
“Why not? I fucked up again.”
“Exactly.” He lowers himself until he is lying between my legs. While his arms wrap around the backs of my thighs, he keeps his eyes trained on my face. “You fucked up again. Meaning, no matter how many times I punish you, you’ll never learn.”
“Then why is your face between my thighs?”
“Because,” His tongue flattens, trailing from my entrance to my clit. “You once begged me to take my anger out on you.” Another lick while he stares at me through hooded lids. “And I’m furious , Vee.”
I squeal and try to move myself back when his mouth attaches to my clit. He isn’t gentle about it either, which is why I’m pushing myself away.
Do I get anywhere? No.
His hold around my thighs is so tight that getting out from under him isn’t an option.
A gasp flies past my lips when I feel him bite down. “Leo!”
He doesn’t bother responding. He just continues his assault on my pussy. With the most sensitive part of me in his mouth, Leo plunges two fingers inside of me without warning. My back arches off the bed while he pumps and sucks roughly.
My hand meets the top of his head, attempting to shove him off of me, but there is no give. Nothing I do will make him stop. I don’t want him to stop. I want him to keep going so that my mind is taken off of the crazy events that happened tonight.
Deciding to stop pushing him away, my fingers dive into his hair. I bend them, catching the strands between my fingers, and give Leo a good tug. He groans against me, the vibration adding to the pleasure that is rolling through my body.
With the speed of his fingers and the suction of his lips, I fall over the edge faster than I would have liked. An animalistic moan is wretched out of me while he continues to work his magic.
And continues.
As the orgasm takes over my body, Leo doesn’t slow down his movement. Instead, he picks up the pace. This climax shakes the ground, throwing me off the side of the cliff as it pulses throughout me. My eyes roll back, my toes curl, and my fingers grip his hair tighter.
Finally, once satisfied, he detaches his mouth and removes his fingers. My breathing is heavy, and I try hard to compose myself, but I can’t focus on how my lungs are screaming at me.
It’s hard to focus on that when Leo is undressing before me. He rips open his shirt, sending buttons flying all across the room. He undoes his belt with one hand, and that sight alone almost makes me come again.
He quickly steps off the bed and removes the last pieces of clothing. Before I have the chance to do anything, he pounces. Leo straddles my thighs with his hand wrapped around my neck.
The pressure he is applying is doing nothing for the air that wants to find its home in my lungs. He cuts off my airway, causing my lips to part in search of anything that will help.
“How am I going to fuck you, little angel?” He tilts his head, eyes as dark as coal. I wrap one hand around his wrist. The other meets it, but I tap against the back of his hand. “Oh, I’m sorry. You can’t breathe?” He strengthens his grip. “What a pity.”
I gasp for air and am only met with a burning sensation in my chest. My voice barely works and sounds hoarse when I plead, “Leo.”
Black starts to line my vision. His image grows smaller by the second. I’m going to pass out. I know I am, but what if he doesn’t let up when I do pass out? What if he is so blinded by rage that he takes it too far, and I don’t wake up?
“Leo.” I slap his wrist again, now fully panicking.
“What’s wrong, Vee? I thought you liked it rough.” His voice is dripping with venom.
With how tight his grip is on my neck and the fact that I’m losing my vision, it takes me a second to realize that he is now inside of me. His cock is stretching me, and I try to focus on that feeling instead of losing consciousness.
I feel him pull out and watch in a haze as he stares at the space between us. His eyes lift to mine, a slow, wicked smirk playing on his lips. What is he smiling at? Is it because I’m about to black out?
Just as I’m about to fade into the darkness, he frees my neck, and air rushes into my lungs. I gulp down the air as if it were a glass of water. Leo slams into me so violently that when my lungs are halfway filled, it takes my breath away again.
He continues his punishing pace, not allowing me a second of reprieve. His fingers dig into my hips so powerfully that it feels like his fingertips can sear my skin and touch my bones.
“Oh my God!” I scream as he thrusts in and out.
“That’s it, little angel. Call my name.” He growls deep in his chest and then stills inside of me. He chants a curse, “ Fuck, fuck, fuck, ” as he spills every last drop he has inside me.
I already came more than once while he was ruthlessly fucking me. Now that he has stopped, I can finally calm myself down and breathe again. I close my eyes to reel myself back down to Earth when Leo slips out of me. I hiss at the sensitivity, screwing my eyes shut tighter.
I open them when there is more movement to see Leo backing away and getting off the bed. He steps back into his clothes, not even bothering to clean himself up. His dress shirt hangs loosely on his body, showing off the sweat dripping down his abs. Turning, he heads toward the door.
“Where are you going?” I ask, my speech slow from exhaustion.
“Home,” he answers, grabbing a duffle bag and his car keys before heading out of the door and leaving me all alone in our hotel room.