"Love…" I said first, my voice tight, jittery, a shield and a challenge at once.
"I think we need to contact other players," I continued, teeth gritted against the chaos of V-LINK feedback, against the heat still crawling up from the bath, from the friction of damp denim, from the slick of synthetic skin that still clung to me.
Velvet's gaze sharpened, calm, predatory.
"What do you mean by that? And how? What kind?"
"The 'how' doesn't matter here. Or what kind too. We need more information,"
I said, pacing my words carefully, trying not to betray the pulse hammering in my temples, in my chest, in the V-LINK that synced every tiny micro-stutter with hers.
Velvet leaned back slightly, casual, yet every movement measured.
Fingers brushing against the edge of the springbed. Every micro-adjustment sent tiny pulses jittering through the V-LINK, syncing with my own heartbeat like some predatory dance I couldn't stop participating in.
