Biker's Virgin

"It's nothing," she said. She stood up suddenly, walking around the room. I stood and followed her.

"I know you, Ron, something's wrong. I want you to talk to me."

"Really, it's just... It's nothing to do with you. I'll get over it."

"If there's something wrong, I want us to talk about it together. I made this mistake last time, Ron. I won't do it again," I said, coming up to her.

"This is your big thing. I don't want to make it about me," she said, looking down. I cupped her face and tilted it gently up so she looked at me.

"It is about you, babe. If we're together, I'm thinking about both of us. Okay?" She sighed.

"Okay."

"Will you have dinner with me Wednesday? We can talk about it then." She nodded her head weakly. I kissed her, hoping she could feel how serious I was. She deserved more than that from me, and I wasn't chasing her away again.

"All I'm going to ask you for is a chance to prove myself, Ron. That's all I want." Her hands wrapped around me as she buried her face in my chest. I rubbed circles on her back, hoping she wasn't crying. I needed to make sure she wasn't crying because of me, that I didn't do that to her again.

"I'm trying, Rome, but I can't forget," she said. Her voice was muffled and small. I held her face so she would look at me again. She wasn't crying but her face...that look. Fear, uncertainty, hurt, I had done that to her. She was right to be cautious, what normal person wouldn't be?

"It was my fault. Let me make it right. I want to earn your trust back."

"I don't want to regret this," she said.

"You won't," I said firmly, then slowed down. "Please. Let me in."

"Okay," she said finally. I sighed, relieved. I pressed my lips to hers one more time.

"I'll never make you regret trusting me again, Ron. I swear."

"Okay," she repeated, weaker this time. I wished she sounded more confident, but really it was my job to make sure she could, and that was just what I was going to do.

Chapter Twenty

Veronica

I pulled into Tiffany's driveway, parking behind her car. I sucked down what remained of my iced tea, making the ice rattle against the sides of the wet cup. I had passed on grabbing something to eat on the way here because Tiff and I were getting lunch a little later. The iced tea sloshing in my stomach would hold me over till then. Wasn't that how digestion worked?

I got out and knocked at the door. She answered quickly since she had been expecting me.

"Ready to leave?" I asked immediately.

"What? No, you just got here. Sit," she invited me in. She walked to the living room while I took a detour to the kitchen. I tossed my to-go cup and reflexively opened the fridge.

"I'm starving, what's the holdup?" I shouted. She walked into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe.

"You think you can have a date with my brother and then not tell me everything?" she asked, smirking.

"What's there to tell? I already said it was good," I said lightly. "Can I have this applesauce?"

"Go ahead," she said. I gratefully ripped the lid off the container and started looking for a spoon to eat it with.

"So?" she said. I shoveled cold applesauce into my mouth innocently.

"So what?" I played dumb. "The date was good. The kind of good I don't think you want to hear about as his sister. I told you already."

"You guys don't talk outside of dates? You haven't called him? He hasn't called you?" she asked. I shrugged.

"We're just starting up again. Besides, we used to go out; this isn't a new relationship where we can't stand to be apart for longer than a night."