Chapter 40 Kiss Cam
Veronica's POV:
I shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware of how we must look... me in Max's arms, both of us sitting close on the mat. Max stiffened beside me, his body going tense.
Another guy in the group grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "So... were you two on the verge of a breakup or something? You both look pretty intense."
Someone else laughed, loud and obnoxious. "Maybe we should do a kiss cam! That always fixes things, right?"
My body froze, every muscle locking up.
"Kiss... kiss... kiss..." they chanted, their voices rising in volume, more of them joining in until it became a chorus.
My nerves felt as if it was on rapid fire, hearing their taunts.
"That's enough," Max snapped sharply, standing up in one fluid motion and pulling me up with him.
He turned to the girl who'd spoken first. "Macy."
The way she looked at him... familiar, intimate, teasing... told me everything I needed to know. They knew each other. Well. Maybe more than well. Of course, Max had a history. That shouldn't have surprised me, but something in my chest twisted anyway.
"You know I can't risk another media scandal," he said firmly, taking on that commanding tone he'd used to dismiss the crowd earlier. "So can you all just leave us alone?"
Macy rolled her eyes dramatically. "Fine," she said. "We won't record anything. Promise."
She smirked, her gaze flicking between us.
"But at least kiss her."
My breath caught in my throat. I stood there frozen, feeling guilty because of Theo, because of what we'd shared just hours ago.
Confusion because I didn't know what I felt anymore, what any of this meant.
I knew that one kiss could change everything. Ruin everything. Cross a line I couldn't uncross.
But the group was waiting, their chanting growing louder, more insistent.
They weren't going to let this go. And maybe... maybe Theo would understand this situation, wouldn't he? This wasn't real. This was just for show, just to get them to leave us alone. It didn't have to mean anything.
I looked up at Max, his jaw clenched, and his blue eyes finding mine in the darkness. "Fine... fine..." he muttered, just loud enough for the crowd to hear.
Then he leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "Let's just go with it," he whispered, so quietly only I could hear.
Before I could respond, before I could process what was happening, his hands cupped my face and he kissed me.
Not gently. Not tentatively. Wild. Consuming. Reassuring and devastating all at once. His lips moved against mine with a confidence that stole my breath, one hand sliding into my hair while the other pressed against the small of my back, pulling me closer. The world tilted, narrowed down to just this—
The crowd erupted in cheers, whistles echoing across the beach.
But I barely heard them. I was drowning again, but this time in sensation, in feeling, in something I couldn't name and didn't want to examine too closely.
'This was supposed to mean nothing,' I said to myself. It was supposed to be for a show, a performance to satisfy drunk strangers and get them to leave us alone.
But I was feeling everything.
Every nerve ending came alive. Every carefully constructed wall I'd built around my emotions crumbled. The restlessness that flooded through me was almost unbearable—want and guilt and confusion tangling together until I couldn't tell them apart.
When Max finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine for just a second, his breathing as unsteady as my own.
"That was wild," Macy said. She was grinning, clearly entertained, but there was something calculating in her eyes as she looked between us.
The rest of the group was already moving away, laughing and cheering, their attention already shifting to whatever came next. But Macy lingered, watching us with that knowing smirk.
"Come on, Macy," one of the guys called back to her. "Let's go!"
"Yeah, yeah," she called back, waving them off. "I'm coming."
But she didn't move immediately. She stayed there, arms crossed, that smirk still playing at her lips.
Max straightened, running a hand through his hair. Then his expression shifted, morphed into something playful and predatory. He took a step toward Macy, teasing her.
"So now that your little gang is gone," he said, "stay still and surrender to me... I'm your alpha."
I blinked, completely thrown by the sudden shift in tone.
Macy laughed. "Oh please, Maxwell. You wish." She raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't handle being my alpha even if I handed you the position on a silver platter."
"Oh really?" Max's grin turned wicked. "How about this—if I touch you, you're my slave for the next five days. Deal?"
"If only you can catch me," Macy shot back, her eyes glinting with challenge.
And then she ran.
She took off down the beach, laughing, sand kicking up beneath her feet. Max didn't hesitate. Max sprinted after her, his longer stride eating up the distance between them, both of them moving like this was a game they'd played a hundred times before.
I stood there, watching them, feeling the tension from moments ago slowly dissolving.
A smile tugged at my lips despite everything—despite the confusion still churning in my chest, despite the way my lips still tingled from the kiss... not knowing what any of this meant.
They were friends. Clearly. This was their dynamic, their way of being with each other.
It shouldn't have made me feel relieved. But somehow, it did.
I watched as Max finally caught up to Macy, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her off the ground. She shrieked with laughter, swatting at him playfully as he spun her around before setting her back down.
They were both breathless, grinning, caught up in whatever private joke existed between them.
And at that, I did feel a sting of jealousy which was ridiculous even for me. Because I already had Theo...
'They were just friends,' I reminded myself once again.
Maybe I was just being too greedy!