Avery:
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, curled in the blanket, my body still flushed and sore from where Cruz had punished me—claiming me thay much more. The echo of the belt cracking against my skin kept playing in the back of my mind like a record skipping just enough to drive you mad. I could feel every mark, every place his palm had touched, that his lips kissed. My skin hummed. My legs trembled. But it was my heart that felt most raw. Because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing anymore.
I should be angry, right? Furious, even. But I wasn’t.
I was—ashamed. Wanting it. Wanting him.
The tears I hadn’t let fall while draped over his lap started to blur my vision now. I pulled the blanket tighter, curled into myself, like maybe I could squeeze the thoughts out of my head if I ju
