Consumed Read Free

face. It’s perfection–flawless. Her dark curls are in this messy ball on top of her head, but as she sits below me, I can see how shiny they are.
    I want to pull the holder out, so when the waves fall, my itching fingers can go to work, combing through the soft strands. That’s not the only part of her my fingers would like to explore.
    I believe every fucking part of her might be perfect, and she already thinks I’m the biggest dick in the universe.

Sadie
     
    Why won’t he stop staring at me?
    He has me all kinds of nervous, and I don’t like it one bit. I swear I think I hear him groan, so I glance up.
    Yep, he’s still staring at me, and I’m wondering if he’s not the brightest. Few words have left his mouth since I set eyes on him, and they were dumb words.
    But damn, he gets extra IQ points for how attractive he is. His jet hair is long in a bad boy way, but not so much that he looks like a rocker.
    I realize I’m checking him out and glance back to my computer screen. “Uh, I try to only drink water, but thank you. I should get back to studying.”
    “Look, I came to apologize for saying that about your sister being sick. The way it sounded isn’t how I meant it, and I think you have a great body, so you don’t need anything labeled diet.”
    He pinches the space above his nose. “Christ, Jersey, just shut the fuck up,” he mumbles before treading away.
    Who is Jersey? And why am I disappointed he left?

Adrian
     
    My phone vibrates, so I pull it from my pocket.
    Victoria.
    “Juice Box.”
    “Hi, are you still at the hospital?”
    “Yes, right down the hallway.”
    “Come see me. I miss you.”
    “Damn, I miss you, too. I’ll be right there.”
    I hurry to her room, and once the cop on guard checks with her, he lets me in. Like this morning, I’m rushing to her side. My hands cradle her face, and I kiss her forehead.
    When I pull back, she’s smiling, but her eyes are full of tears. “What’s wrong, baby. Talk to me.”
    “Your face is beat up, and you know about my job, yet you’re still here.” Her last words are chocked out as she fights back her emotions.
    “Yeah, I know you’re a cop.”
    “How?”
    “When I hadn’t heard from you this morning and couldn’t reach you, I had one of my connections do some checking. I found out a woman was brought here that fit your description, so I had to come see if it was you.”
    “Connections?”
    “I have a lot of them, Victoria. I own a hotel and casino in this city. I deal with a lot of people on a daily basis, and a lot of them end up indebted to me.”
    “Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Taking hold of both of my hands, she places them in her lap. “I have a confession to make, and I pray you will forgive me for it.”
    The confession she should be making is that she’s figured out I’m a fucking asshole. I’m an asshole who loves her and refuses to give her up. I’ll continue to lie and deceive her, and swallow the guilt for it, so she doesn’t leave me.
    I realized today that I would be miserable if she did. She’s the one. Victoria Hart is why my heart was crushed so many years ago. It happened because I was supposed to end up with her.

Victoria
     
    I stare at Adrian’s face, trying to find the words that might make my confession seem less awful than it is. He looks rough.
    His hair is disheveled, and his nose is swollen. There is dried blood on his face and all over his blue shirt and khaki pants. He looks exhausted and worried, too, all because of me. I have to get this over with.
    “My name is Victoria Hart, not Stuart. I’m a detective, Adrian, who’s been working undercover at Submission.”
    His expression doesn’t change as he gazes at me in silence for far too long. “Why?” he finally asks.
    “I busted a woman for prostitution. It wasn’t her first offense, so she was going to be sent away. She told me she had information on something much bigger than what she was being arrested for, so I