Veronica

I should be reading my Legal Research and Writing text while I wait for Duncan to show up. Instead, I'm caught in a daydream loop involving Logan kissing the nape of my neck at night, one of his hands sliding slowly up my shirt while the other pulls down my sleep shorts and damn it, I'm not ready to leave this little fantasy world. The reality of the last month has been a lot tamer, but as of a few days ago, this little kernel of thought seeded itself in my brain in the form of a very erotic dream, and it has grown and flourished, taking over my waking thoughts.

There's been a lot of kissing and making out going on, but Logan hasn't made any move to take things further. I know the reason why—it's me. He's waiting for me to say something to give him the go-ahead to take things to the next level, but no matter how much I get swept up in the moment when we're making out, I can't bring myself to ask him to go further. It just doesn't seem right. Not yet. We've only been together just over a month and things have been going so well that I don't want to do anything to disturb that peace. Sex would just complicate things right now. Actually, who am I kidding—if we were to have sex we may never leave our room again and fail all of our classes. As it is, we were late for our classes on Tuesday when Logan decided to lift me up to sit on the kitchen counter so I could wrap my legs around him when our morning goodbye kiss got out of hand.

A ripple of giddiness makes me shiver as I focus on the memory of Logan pressed against me at the counter. Damn, that man knows how to kiss. And if he's as big as he feels when he's hard against me, I just may…

"Hey, Veronica!"

The heat of embarrassment flashes across my skin and I can't look him in the eye as he sits across from me. "Hey, Duncan."

He drops his backpack on the table and proceeds to unload his books, completely oblivious to my discomfort. Damn. Now all I want to do is work on this project and get home to make out with Logan all night. Spending a Friday night with Duncan is not really my idea of a good time right now.

"Professor Dent was pretty harsh today. I can't believe we have until next week for this project. We could be researching this forever!"

"Ah, but you're forgetting our secret weapon—Lilly!" I pull the assignment paper out from my notebook and skim the prompts again. "Researching past immigration laws is going to be easy. I'll just give Lil a call tomorrow and see what research she's done on the topic. Maybe she even has a few contacts I can call to get some quotes from actual scholars in this field. And if you take on researching our current immigration laws, then we'll be able to start writing this thing by Monday."

"You're pretty optimistic."

"It's my cheerful personality." I pull the cap off my highlighter with my teeth and drop it in my hand before highlighting our research topic on the page. "That and I want to focus on my sociology paper next week so I'm really hoping to get a lot of work done on this project this weekend."

"Oh! That's good. Maybe we can get together on Sunday and work on it then."

My nose wrinkles at the thought of spending too much time with Duncan. I know that Lilly wanted us to keep an eye on him but I had classes with him every day of the week. For a month. And he may be one of my best friends, but that was still a lot of Duncan. The weekend was my official non-babysitting hours. If I'm this sick of him as a classmate, I'm pretty sure if we were partnered, I would be half-way to the Canadian border right now, to save myself from the monotony and self absorption.

"I was thinking maybe we could get together on Monday at lunch and show each other what we've done. That gives us the weekend to research."

"Oh. Right." Duncan opens his text, his eyes cast down like a puppy who's been reprimanded for peeing in a shoe. "Well, it's probably for the best—Piz and I are finally going to check out the campus pub on Saturday night. He got a gig DJ'ing one night and if they like him, it may be a regular thing."

"You should ask Logan to go and hang out with you. I think he's kind of missing his best friend. He's mentioned to me a few times that I see you more than he does, now."

"Yeah. I know. I really should and I feel bad that we haven't really been hanging out since we got here." Duncan purses his lips together and nods slowly. "It's really not like high school anymore, is it?"

A sharp laugh escapes me and I look around to see people in the library glaring in my direction. "That's the understatement of the year."

I'm glad when Duncan chuckles too, his expression relaxing as he leans over his textbook closer to me. "I don't know about you, but I'm so sick of the cafeteria food."

"Ugh. Yes! Why do we have to have the same options every few days? At first, it was fine but a month in I'm starting to get sick of it."

"You know what I miss? I really miss my Pop sitting at the kitchen table, helping me with my homework. It's stupid, but there's been a few times where I'm reading something in my textbook and really want to call him and discuss it with him."

"Yeah. I miss my Dad, and my Mom too. Even if my mom was driving me crazy, I do miss her making me waffles for breakfast. The frozen ones Logan buys and makes in the toaster just don't cut it."

Silence falls between us at the mention of Logan again. Duncan starts tapping the tip of his pen on his textbook, focusing on it as it bounces.

"So you guys are doing well then?"

"We are," I answer, quietly. "We're figuring it out. I mean, it's not perfect but at least we're trying."

"Hmmm."

The unintelligible response is followed by awkward silence again. I think this is the first time we've talked about anything that wasn't school work since we started classes and it was strange but familiar.

"How are you and Piz getting along? Having a roommate that isn't Lilly must be a change."

He chuckles again and I'm glad that I was able to defuse whatever lingering resentment hung in the air, at least for now.

"Piz is fine. He's been at the campus radio station a lot so I end up having a lot of time to myself to work, but when he's around, he's been an interesting guy to get to know."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

Duncan shrugs, averting his eyes and it makes me wonder what he's hiding from me.

"He just has a lot of access to information that we don't. Through connections and different channels. I mean, he wants to be a journalist, but not some stooge for the government, just spitting out canned messaging, you know?"

I nod as if I do, curious to see what Piz has been telling him. "Sure. I mean, there was a whole network of underground communications back during the war, it's not out of the realm of possibility that it still exists."

"Yes!" Duncan's eyes light up like I just guessed the secret to his very existence. "Yes! Exactly. And just like Lilly, he has information about things that are going on outside of our country."

"Like what?"

Duncan's gaze darts to the left, then the right before he stands and scurries around the table, dropping into the seat next to me. Still keeping his eyes on those around us, he leans in towards me.

"Like the fact that Orwell can be hacked and the government doesn't want us to know that people are manipulating the DNA of our offspring." His brows come together as he lowers his voice in earnest. "That the New Democracy is using people as guinea pigs for scientific experiments in underground laboratories. That all of us born after the war have been microchipped and they can track everything we do and where we go."

I take a sharp breath, holding it for a second before releasing it slowly, trying to calm the sudden spike in my heart rate. Lilly was right; Piz was a bad influence on Duncan. The things he is talking about are the rantings of a lunatic. With all the bureaucratic checks and balances that are now in place, and the transparency of the laws and actions of the elected officials scrutinized by multiple levels of government, what he was saying just couldn't be happening.

"Even this college, Veronica." His voice drops to barely a whisper as his head moves closer to my ear. "They're feeding us lies on behalf of the government."

"O-kay."

"No…I know what you're going to say but think about it. They chose you and Logan to be together because both of your families are cogs in the great government machine and you were selected for roles that will showcase that but also your…" he waves his hand in front of me in some ridiculous conjuring fashion. "…your offspring will be perfectly positioned in every way."

I take another deep breath, trying to steady myself. "So then, what you're saying is that Logan and I were selected to be together not by our personality tests and sexual preferences but by some large scale government plot involving eugenics and returning to a pre-war hierarchical class system?"

"Yes!" he hisses. "You get it."

"I do get it, but Duncan, I don't believe it."

His jaw drops and he shuts it quickly, tossing me a stern look.

"Of course you don't. Logan has you under some sort of sexual spell."

I can't help my snort of laughter and I shake my head. "Logan doesn't have a sexual spell on me."

"He does. That's why we were all taught about sex and pleasure—the kind of things they didn't teach before the war. They want us to feel good so we'll keep doing it. It's part of their plan."

"So now you're telling me that orgasms are part of a government conspiracy too?" I smirk. "I'm kinda certain that orgasms were around before the New Democracy so Piz's theory may be a bit flawed."

What I don't mention is that any and all orgasms I've had in the last month may have had Logan in mind, but he most definitely was not with me when they happened. Pleasure was certainly not just for those in relationships.

"You're laughing at me. You're laughing at me, aren't you?"

The register of his voice drops to a thick baritone and a chill runs down my spine. Anger radiates from him in a way I've never seen before. It's time to diffuse this thing before it becomes a scene.

"No, Duncan. I'm not laughing at you. Not at all. But you need to take what Piz is saying with a grain of salt. I mean, I'm not so naive as to think some things aren't the greatest with the government, but I've told you that before. What you're telling me is pure conspiracy theory with no basis in fact."

"No basis, huh? No basis? Then how is it you got partnered with Logan when you are both so obviously incompatible."

"We're not incompatible!"

Okay. That came out much harsher than I expected it to. And louder. So much for not causing a scene.

"Yes, you are, Veronica. You're smart and kind and perfect and Logan is...not."

"Do you hear yourself? This is your best friend you're talking about. You're saying that your best friend doesn't deserve to have someone partnered with him who may have all the qualities you think I do."

Duncan hangs his head, avoiding my anger. I grab my backpack off the ground, open it on the table, and begin shoving books into it.

"You need to get over this ridiculous notion that you and I were somehow destined to be together, Duncan. And you also have to stop talking to Piz about these crazy conspiracy ideas he has in his head."

"They aren't crazy," he mutters.

"Yes. They are. And you need to smarten up and realize it." Zipping my backpack, I stand and toss it over my shoulder. "Call Logan. Talk to him. Salvage your relationship before it's too late to go back. Being mad about a girl is a stupid, outdated chauvinism and you need to get over it."

He huffs in annoyance and pauses for a second. "Fine."

"Fine?"

"Yes. Fine. I'll call Logan."

Huh. That was easy. I mean, relatively speaking.

"Okay then." I soften my tone when I speak this time. "I'm glad, Duncan because I want us all to still be friends."

"You do?"

"Yes. I do. We've all been friends forever. I don't want to lose that."

"Neither do I."

There. Resolved. That wasn't so bad.

"Okay. Cool. So I'll call Lilly tomorrow and start my research. See you on Monday?"

"Yeah. See you then." Duncan forces a smile and I figure it's better than a frown so all good.

I turn on my heels and walk away. Best to get out while we are still working on being friends then stay and jeopardize it further.

Logan

I'm so engrossed in my book that I jump a bit when Veronica walks into the room. She drops her backpack on the ground and toes off her shoes before tossing her jacket on the chair.

"Hey." She smiles weakly at me and pushes her hair back from in front of her eyes.

I place my bookmark on my page and set it down on the side table. Stretching my arms, I yawn and drop my hands behind my head as I lean against the headboard. As soon as I got home from class, and read her note that she was meeting Duncan at the library tonight, I immediately jumped into sweats and a t-shirt and climbed into bed to read and enjoy the solitude. Apparently I lost track of time.

"Hey. You look tired."

"I am."

Veronica heads towards me and to my delight, she crawls into the bed on her side and wraps her arms around my waist, her head now on my chest. She's still in her jeans and a tight pink t-shirt and part of me wants to suggest she change as well and we can spend the evening cuddling under the covers.

Instead, I plant a little kiss on the top of her head as I wrap my arms around her and she exhales, loud and long.

"Did you eat dinner yet?"

"Yeah. I just grabbed something on the way home from the library."

"How did it go? Did you get a lot done?"

"No. Not really. We divided up the work but didn't get any actual research done before I bailed."

As I run my fingers along her bare arm she shivers against me, the hairs on her arm standing on end.

"I figured you'd be later than you were. What happened?"

She shifts so her leg is flung over mine and she snuggles so close she's practically on top of me.

"Duncan started talking about all his conspiracy theories."

"Oh. And what new and interesting things is Piz putting in his head?"

Veronica takes a sharp breath, holds it for a second, and then relaxes against me again.

"He thinks there's a plot to manipulate Orwell. He said that it's rigged so our offspring are selected to be genetically perfect based on matches and has nothing to do with our personal compatibility algorithms."

I can't help but snicker and Veronica slaps my chest playfully with her palm.

"Hey! You don't think our children will be perfect?"

"Of course they will, that's not what I'm laughing at. I'm laughing at Duncan and his crazy ideas." It takes me a second for my brain to catch on to what she's saying. But she can't really be saying it, can she?

"Wait...you don't believe him, do you, Veronica?"

"I...no…?"

"Veronica, are you kidding me?"

Raising her head, she rolls so her chin rests on her palm on my chest and she looks at me in earnest.

"No. I don't. But I mean, life is turning out to be so much different from what I thought things would be that I...I'm a little confused."

"Confused by what?"

"Everything. I mean, he said some pretty wacky things, but what if there's a kernel of truth to it?"

"Then, I guess we'll find out when we start our careers and work to change things."

"How pragmatic of you."

"Well? What do you suggest? We start another revolution when the last one did so much to change things for the better for the majority of people? So what if we lost privileges. So what if we gave up things. What we gained is so much better than what we gave up."

"So you don't think we gave up our freedom?"

"Maybe we gave up some freedoms, but if it was for the betterment of our society, then I think it was worth it." I take a breath and decide it's time to share a bit more about my family, but not too much. "My mother came from a small town in the midwest. Grew up with little to nothing. She said she became involved in the rebellion because she felt that losing the privileges she gained in Hollywood was not a bad thing. She never feared it because she started out in life with very little but was still happy back then, you know? She said that if change meant that everyone had the same opportunities in life, then it was worth it for the greater good of humanity."

"Wow," she whispers. "Your mom sounds pretty cool. No wonder she was a badass spy."

I chuckle. "She is pretty badass when she wants to be. What about your dad though? Does he talk a lot about the war?"

"No. Not much. He just insists that things are better than they were but he never really talks about his involvement. I think he's just so humble that he's never really wanted to talk about his heroics."

Her brow furrows and she bites the corner of her lip in thought. Is it wrong that I always find her the cutest when she's thinking hard about something? There's something about her plotting like she's about to take on the world that I love.

Wait. Love?

It's suddenly uncomfortable to stare directly at her so I close my eyes, and tip my head back slightly. Play possum. That's it. Good choice.

"So basically what you're saying…" she begins slowly as if she's putting all the pieces of what we were talking about together. "... is instead of some of us being oppressed by the system that we are all oppressed by the system and therefore it feels like freedom?"

"No. I'm saying that the equalizing of us all and the absence of want and need for material gains has freed all of us to work towards being our better selves and a better country. We've eliminated competition and greed, which, as we once found as a society, is in fact the root of all things evil."

She pauses, tapping her finger on my chest and I hear her chuckle.

"That's some big brain thinking."

I open my eyes and she's grinning at me and I can't help but laugh.

"Thanks. I try to use my big brain whenever possible."

"Speaking of big brain…little brain..." she tosses a glance towards my crotch and laughs again before returning back to my eyes. "Duncan also believes that we were all taught about pleasure in human sexuality as a plot to keep everyone happy and distracted with orgasms."

This catches me off guard and my face contorts, incredulously. "What the fuck?"

Veronica giggles, her hand falling to my belly and my muscles involuntarily tighten at her touch.

"I think our plan to make him think we're having crazy wild sex has backfired and he believes I've fallen under some sort of sexual spell."

Her eyes darken as her cheeks flush and she quickly looks away and, damn, she was turned on by what she just said.

"Little does he know, it's you that has put a spell on me."

Veronica glances back up, the corner of her lip twitching into a wry smile. Sliding herself along the side of my body, she pauses when her nose reaches mine.

"I think it's an equal partnership in the spell casting, don't you?."

Tossing her leg over my waist, she shifts, straddling me, but her face keeps hovering in front of mine, toying with me, her eyes daring me to kiss her.

"I do enjoy how you just trapped me on the bed while telling me we're equal. Because right now, I feel like you have the upper hand."

"Hmmmm. Excellent point."

Her lips brush mine before retreating again just out of reach, teasing me with that wicked twinkle in her eye.

"You know, though, Duncan does make an excellent point as well," I add, pausing as I mentally prepare myself to tackle the big, pink elephant in the room.

"About what?"

"Orgasms."

"Orgasms?"

"Yes." Hesitantly, I trail my fingers up her calves, pulled tight to my body, to her thighs slung over mine, and her lashes flutter but she doesn't move. My fingers move along her hips following the edge of her jeans and press ever so gently against the seam, continuing along her zipper until I hit the junction where our bodies meet and she gasps when I stop. "I feel like I should mention, that just because we don't want to have sex...yet...there are other ways we can find that are...mutually satisfying?" I press my fingers ever so slightly into the fabric, the sensation causing her to buck against me, another gasp escaping her.

For a second, she closes her eyes and I begin to stroke her through the thick fabric, watching her face respond to the tiny pleasure I'm providing. Her lips drop open and her breathing speeds as her hips begin to rock against me. When her eyes half-open, she smiles a delicious grin that makes me think she's about to devour me.

She moves away from my face for a moment, reaching for the edge of her t-shirt and with one swift move, pulls it over her head and tosses it on the floor.

"Maybe some clothes on. But not many?"

Holy shit. I can't breathe. I've been trying to imagine what she looks like in various stages of undress but no fantasy has prepared me for this moment of seeing her in her jeans and soft pink cotton bra, her nipples hardening before my eyes in the chill of the room. Thoughts of all the wonderful ways I can make her cum just dressed like this, paralyze me and it isn't until she clears her throat that I snap out of it.

"You know, you have my permission to touch, right?" She licks her lips, a smug look of satisfaction across her face and she just knows what power she has with this one move.

And it gets to me. Lilly went into our relationship like a tornado and I just jumped in. But what's happened with Veronica over the past month has been so much sexier as she's become more confident, more daring, more passionate than I ever fantasized she could be. She always displayed that confidence in classes but bringing that side of her out, behind closed doors, is the sexiest thing I've ever seen. And it's just made my attraction to her that much more intense, thinking about what is still to come.

Gathering up my nerve, I cradle one breast with my palm, sweeping my thumb over her nipple and she gasps. When I continue to move, ever so slightly back and forth over the fabric, she moans, her hips sinking down against mine. Increasing the pressure of my fingers against her jeans, she moans again, deep and low, her head dropping back as her eyes close.

"God, that feels so good."

"So you want me to continue?"

Her head straightens and she focuses on me again as she leans forward to plant a deep kiss on my lips before retreating. "If you don't continue, I'll be very disappointed."

Pressing up into her with my fingers again, I feel her folds spread beneath the fabric and she gasps.

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you."

This time when her head dips toward mine, it's an attack, her kiss urgent and hungry and I'm more than happy to respond with tongue and teeth. As it continues, thoughts of pulling every piece of fabric from both our bodies and burying my tongue deep inside her jump into my head. I want to hear her scream and moan my name so badly that I'm overwhelmed by it. I can't even think of a time when I've wanted to be with someone so much that I physically ache. When her cold hands slip up my shirt, I rock us upright, parting from our locked lips, allowing her to pull my shirt over my head and…

Fuck. Shit.

Panic rips through me and I freeze. What the fuck did I allow her to just do? If she sees my back she'll see my scars.

"Um...Logan?" Veronica snaps her fingers in front of my face and I blink out of my shock. "Where'd you go?"

"I…I think my brain just glitched." My mind is moving at lightning speed. Lie. Distract. Fall back on what I've been taught to hide. "I think I was just overwhelmed with ideas about what to do with you."

"Do with me." She laughs, her hands cradling my cheeks as she presses her chest to mine, trapping my hand against her breast. "There are sooooooo many things I would like for you to do with me, Logan."

"Really." My lip curls at the thought of her asking for what she wants. "Tell me more. What would you like, Veronica?"

Dragging her teeth over her bottom lip, her eyes light up. Slowly, she rises from me and steps off the bed, her eyes still fixed on mine as she begins to unbutton the top of her jeans. The sound of her unzipping her pants fills the silence in the room and my eyes drop to see a hint of her pink panties. She takes a sharp breath before bending at the waist, pushing her pants off of her, leaving her only in her pink cotton bikini panties and bra. I can see the soft mound of hair between her thighs through the fabric and all I can think of is how much I want my mouth on her, now.

"Veronica….fuck…."

She kneels on the edge of the bed and tosses her leg over my lap to straddle me again. "Well, I'm kind of hoping for that, in some way tonight. Maybe we can go almost all the way? If you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." I grin. "I know exactly what you mean."

When her lips reach mine this time it's demanding, her tongue pushing past my lips immediately as her hips grind against me. Her hands are pressed to my pecs and she digs her nails into me when I reach between us again, two fingers slipping over the top of her panties and through her soft hair. She's already wet and when I catch her hard clit with the pads of my fingers she releases our kiss with a gasp, her forehead pressing to mine.

"Oh! Yes, Logan. There."

As she arches away from me, I lean forward, my hand spreading across her back, pulling her breast to my mouth. My tongue sweeps the fabric of her bra, catching her nipple and she cries out again with pleasure, her hips rocking against my hand.

"Take off your bra, Veronica." I murmur into her skin. "Let me see you. Please."

Her hands shake as they bump mine, reaching around to release the clasps. I shift to press my lips against hers and she hums in appreciation. When her bra falls between us, I pull back, to take in her revelation of her pale pink skin, round and smooth and perfect topped with the darkening hard skin of her nipples, standing erect.

"Jesus, Veronica. You're even more perfect than I imagined."

My lips fall to her breast, taking her nipple in my mouth and sucking it slightly and a small gasp and moan resonate in her. Her fingers slip through my hair and she arches to me again, pressing her breast further into my mouth. When I start to flick her nipple quickly with the tip of my tongue, she moans and cries out, digging her fingers into my hair.

"Oh God. Logan. Yes...like that."

I feel a rush of wetness against my fingers and I slide through it, lubricating her folds as I move quickly, back and forth over her clit. She's writhing against me now, high mewls of need mixing with intelligible words as I continue to work her nipple and clit, faster and faster.

Her voice changes pitch and I realize she's close to coming. But I'm not done with her. Not yet.

When I release her before she can climax, a shriek of annoyance fills the room and I laugh, wriggling lower under her body until she's straddling my chest, my head on the pillow. Looking up at her, I slide my hands to her ass, pulling her towards me.

"Straddle me and hang on to the headboard."

For a second, there's a look of shock that crosses her face, before she nods, complying with my instructions.

With her mound positioned just above me, I push aside the fabric of her underwear, exposing a shock of blond wiry hair. For a second, I'm intoxicated by just staring at her, the image of what she looked like merging with reality. I slip my fingers through her wet folds, spreading her wide and inviting. Her glistening, engorged skin makes me salivate, hungry for her. The first pass of my tongue across her clit makes her cry out, the second makes her moan, and when I suck the hard nub between my lips she swears like a sailor.

"Jesus Christ, Logan! Fuck!"

I take this as a good sign and press my fingers to her entrance. When she moves her hips, looking for more, I slowly slide two inside of her, feeling the warmth of her cum spread across my skin.

"Logan. Please, Logan, please…"

Closing my eyes, I begin to work my fingers inside her and her clit with my tongue as she writhes against me, calling out my name, over and over again.

Then suddenly, she's contracting around me, her muscles pulsing and pulling at my fingers and against my lips as she comes, hard and loud. But I don't stop. I continue to move as she cums, prolonging the pleasure until I think she's spent.

And I swear that goddamn that the pride that swells in my chest like I just surfed to shore on a fucking tsunami wave. Having sex with Lilly was fun, but that's nothing compared to serving up a whopping dose of pleasure to the woman I love.

Shit. There's that word again.

Veronica drops beside me, still panting, and I chuckle as I gather her into my arms. Her head drops onto my chest, sweat from her body causing her to stick to mine. I pass my hand over my mouth, wiping the savoury taste of her from my lips before kissing the top of her head.

"Wow," she mutters and kisses my skin.

"Wow. That's all I get? A 'wow'?" I tease.

"Sorry. I'm a little...wow."

"Veronica?"

I place my finger under her chin and she raises her gaze to me. Tears are welling in her eyes and she blinks them away, trying to hide her emotions.

"I just...when I imagined us together...I didn't even...I mean….this felt so much better than I ever could have dreamed. And I'm just a bit overwhelmed by it. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry for how you feel around me."

I want to say it. I want to say what's been in my head so badly. I love you. I. Love. You. But the words for some reason don't come out of my mouth. Not yet.

She begins to trace down my sternum with her index finger, her eyes following her path as she moves. When she gets to my belly she pauses and begins to make small circles, over and over again until she reaches my navel and changes the pattern. Slowly, she traces a heart, once, then twice around before pausing. A heart. A goddamn fucking heart. My own heart stops for a second as I contemplate why she would do this. Maybe it's a sign.

I don't have much time to contemplate further because her palm is now flat against my skin on the edge of my sweats and as her hand slips under my waistband, I gasp. I'm commando and if she was paying any attention to the hard-on I got as she straddled me while I was sucking her tits, she would know it. Her fingers graze the head of my cock and I can't help the moan that falls from my lips. Every nerve in my body is vibrating at such a high frequency that when she wraps her fist around my shaft, I think I'm going to pass out.

"Veronica…" My voice is high and strained. "You don't have to…"

"But...what if I want to?"

She sits up at my side, still gripping me, and smiles and holy hell, the sight of her mostly-naked while holding on to me is almost enough to make me cum right now.

"Logan, you got to see me in the most intimate way. Now, I want to see you. Please."

I take a sharp breath. If I stay on my back, she won't see my scars. Just stay on my back.

"All right, Veronica. I'm all yours."

At my approval, she uses her other hand to pull down my sweats all the way to my ankles and I push them completely off at the edge of the bed. Her eyes widen as she finally sees me spread out naked in front of her and she gasps.

"Oh. My."

I can't help but chuckle as she flushes red across her entire body, her eyes not moving from my cock in her fist.

"Thank you."

Veronica giggles, glancing up at me. "I always thought you were cocky. Now I know why."

"Are you making jokes while my penis is in your hand?"

With a shrug, she looks from me to her hand, to me again. "I feel like you're more inclined to laugh."

I open my mouth to retort, but at the same moment she strokes down on me and I moan instead. Closing my eyes, I focus all my attention on her hand as it strokes me and all the muscles in my legs tighten in response to the tingling that is now running through me. Her strokes continue, slowly up and down and her fist tightens with just the right pressure that it feels like I'm going to cum harder and faster than I ever have in my life. When I dare to open my eyes again, her face is hovering near her hand, transfixed by what she's doing to me.

"Veronica…" I choke. "I'm not going to last long."

"Oh, so I should do this while I have the chance?"

Her lips wrap around my head and the sight of her taking me deep into her mouth sends a pulse of pleasure through me as I've never felt before. Goddamn it, weeks of making out with her and imagining this is making everything feel so good that I never want it to end.

As her lips slide up and down me, as her hand strokes in rhythm I once again thank the universe and Orwell for putting me in this exact place and time. When my belly and my balls clench, I reach down for her, grabbing her shoulder for dear life.

"Veronica, I'm going to…"

Her lips come off me just in time and she angles my cock towards my belly as I cum, her hand pumping me as I do. A rush of endorphins and oxytocin hit my brain, dazing me in a flash of light behind my eyelids. My body pulses as she continues to stroke me, drawing out my orgasm as I did hers and I'm pretty damn sure my soul is trying to pull itself out of my body. It's not until every last drop of cum is out of me that she releases me, sliding up the bed to lay on her pillow, facing me, a wide grin across her face. I realize I'm panting, a thin layer of sweat covering my body, and she presses a kiss to my temple.

"I...that was...I don't even…"

"Why, Logan Echolls, I seem to have turned you to mush," she says with a giggle.

I hold up my index finger at her as I catch my breath. "For the record, I want you to know that when we do...you know...other stuff…I will last much longer. But kissing you these past few weeks seems to have pent up some things."

Glancing at my belly, she scrunches up her nose. "I'd say that's a lot of pent-up something."

Pressing my palm over my eyes, I start laughing and she laughs along. Fuck, it was good to just let go with her. I would have never thought that Veronica would be fun in bed, but somewhere along the way to this, something in her has changed. She's more relaxed and happier than I've ever seen her and deep down, I hope it's because of me.

She rolls away for a second and grabs some tissues from a box on her side table, then rolls back and hands them to me. "Here you are."

"Thanks."

I take them and wipe everything off my belly, tossing the ball onto the ground on my side of the bed. Within seconds she's on top of me, straddling me again, her chest pressed to mine. Rising ever so slightly, my lips brush hers before she settles her head to rest on my chest.

"Can we stay like this for a while?"

Her voice is soft and tender and I try to muster the strength to tell her how I'm feeling. But I can't. I don't want her to think I'm saying it because of what happened. I don't want her to assume I'm saying it because I want more.

"Are you seriously asking if you can continue to lay on top of me while naked? Because for the record, the answer will always be hell yes."

She vibrates against me as she giggles before sighing contentedly. I begin to stroke her hair and she closes her eyes. For a time, we lay in silence, and I close my eyes as well, running through what just happened over and over in my mind.

"Logan?"

"Yeah."

"I…" She pauses and I open my eyes to find her staring up at me, like a deer caught in headlights.

"What is it, Veronica?"

Shaking her head, she rolls off of me. "I'm going to take a quick shower and change for bed."

Before I can say anything, she scampers across the room and shuts the bathroom door, leaving me naked, sprawled across the bed.

"What the hell was that?"

Sitting up, I lean over the side of the bed and retrieve my t-shirt, covering my back before rising and pulling on my sweats from the foot of the bed.

I lay back down and stare at the ceiling. Fuck. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe she wasn't as happy and relaxed about this as she made it seem. Maybe we just made a big mistake.