Page 138 of Vega

“And hear me clearly,” I said. “You come at Sonnet again, you don’t get another warning. I don’t care what we used to do. I don’t care how long you’ve been around this club. You speak on her, touch me, or try to disrespect what’s mine again, and I’m gonna make sure you regret breathing, bitch.”

Elana stood there for a few seconds, breathing hard, pride fighting common sense.

Common sense finally won. She snatched the door open and walked out.

There wasn’t a woman in that club, in that city, or in my past who could pull me away from Sonnet.

I was hers, and I didn’t want to be anything else.

SONNET ELLISON

When Vega finally came home, he climbed into bed with me in his room, where I had been waiting for him since after dinner.

I no longer felt like a prisoner. Maybe it was naive, but I felt more like a kept woman now. All day, I cleaned, read, cooked, and waited for Vega to come back from whatever he did in the streets. The routine had started feeling familiar in a way my old life never had. Before Vega, my life had only been about surviving. I got through each day alone, learned any and everything I could to ensure I always had a way to take care of myself. I had Dior, and I loved him for his friendship, but having Vega around made me feel closer to having a family than I ever had.

Once Vega got into bed with me, I couldn’t hear one full sentence of that damn TV show. My mind kept running back through everything that had happened between us. My body was still obsessed with everything he had done to it. My skin still remembered his hands in places he wasn’t even touching anymore.

Every now and then, he pulled me closer, even though his body was already pressed against mine. Each time he did it, my thoughts got worse. His arm around me made me feel safe. His warmth made me feel wanted.

I rested against him with my leg thrown across his, his arm wrapped around my waist, and the television flashing colors across the dark room. Neither of us paid attention to it. He kept tracing his fingers along my hip and stomach.

I loved the way he touched me without urgency.

“I thought you might lose interest in me once we had sex,” I admitted quietly.

He shifted enough to see my face. “Why would you think that?”

“I know how men talk. Most times the chase is the exciting part. Most times once a man gets what he wants, the feelings change.”

Vega kissed my forehead. “Glasses, don’t put me in the same box with men who didn’t know what they had.”

“I’m not trying to.”

“But you are.”

I swallowed hard, but he brushed his thumb along my jaw, reassuring me.

“You think I waited all this time, fought myself, stopped myself, protected you, wanted you, and finally got inside you just to lose interest?” he asked.

My face warmed. “When you say it that way, it sounds stupid.”

“It is stupid, and you’re too nerdy to be that stupid.”

I giggled, and he leaned in to kiss me. It was brief, but it still made my stomach do flips.

“You’re the first woman I’ve ever wanted more after having her than I did before,”

My breath caught.

“Before, I wanted you because I couldn’t help it,” he continued. “Now I want you because I know what it feels like to have you trust me with your life, to feel safe with me. I know what you sound like when you stop fighting what your body wants. I know I feel whole when you reach for me. And I’m not letting any of that go. You didn’t make me less interested, baby. You made me way more gone in the head for you.”

I blushed into his chiseled face, unable to control it.

“That’s what you need to understand about choosing me,” he said. “I’m not pretending to be casual about you. I don’t know how to want you halfway.”

“Are you saying that to warn me?”

“No, I want to know are you okay with that. Let me know now.”