He was okay with that.
Victor didn’t want to hide this thing they were exploring any longer. Even if it appeared that he was the asshole in the saga that was him and Corrie. He didn’t care.
He introduced Shannon to a dozen acquaintances and a couple of business associates he’d dealt with over the years.
Only once did his “almost bride” get brought up.
“I heard you got married, introduce me to your beautiful wife.”
He hesitated, but Shannon jumped right in. “Victor left the wife at home and brought me instead,” she told Sebastian Crane, a once a year acquaintance Victor never spoke with outside of this event.
Justin chimed in once Sebastian regained his equilibrium. Explained that the marriage had never happened.
Victor took the opportunity to steer Shannon away.
Not that he’d expected any different, but the welcome Shannon received from his parents, and Shannon’s genuine interest in getting to know Deirdre, was icing on the cake.
No one pulled him aside to tell him she was too young, too naive, or too anything. All he caught in reaction to Shannon was the occasional man releasing a breath after she walked by.
Her dress was killing him. He couldn’t help but wish something would pop out so he could touch it and pop it back in.
Thankfully, the night would end with dancing, which he intended to use to his full advantage by holding her close.
“You do realize you’re staring,” she told him through the second course of their dinner.
He leaned over, whispered, “You wore that so I would.”
She didn’t deny him. Instead she placed a hand on his lap and continued to make conversation with his family at the table.
The dinner took forever, followed by the longest speech in existence . . . green energy, save the world, we can make a difference . . . blah, blah, blah.
The music started and Victor almost applauded.
Instead he scooted his chair back and reached for Shannon’s hand. “I’ve been waiting all night for this.”
He was pretty sure his father laughed. He knew for sure his brother made a snarky comment.
It was a charity event, not a frat party, so the music was slow and the dancing was cheek to cheek.
Victor wrapped an arm around her and held her close, his lips right by her ear. “Thank you,” he said.
She kept to his lead, smooth on her feet. Nothing like when they tried their hands at salsa. “What for?”
“For being here with me. For wearing that dress.”
“You’re welcome.”
He turned her around, glanced over at their table. His brother had pulled his girl onto the dance floor, and the two of them were talking and glancing their way on occasion. “I think my family likes you.”
“I like them, too. They’re very down-to-earth.”
“Is that a surprise?”
“You haven’t met mine. They’ve gotten better, but . . .”
Victor squeezed her hand. “I’m pretty good with parents.”
Shannon laughed. “I know. You would have thought Beverly was the one getting married.”
Just the mention of his ex almost mother-in-law left a bad taste in his mouth. “That woman was a little crazy.”
Shannon was quick to agree. “Understatement. My mother is entitled, not nuts.”
“I’ll make a note of it.”
They danced for a while before Shannon asked, “Why wasn’t Deirdre at the wedding?”
He made that long story as short as he could. “She and Corrie didn’t get along. Instead of making it hard on Justin, Deirdre bowed out.”
“Smart. I like her even more now.”
Shannon rested her head on his shoulder, and Victor pulled her even closer. His fingers ran along the back of her dress and touched her exposed skin.
His body responded, and instead of letting his thoughts go wherever erotic place they wanted to, Victor tamped down his libido to save him from being the one that popped out for everyone to see.
Shannon sucked in a deep breath and hummed. “How much longer do we have to stay?” she asked.
“Are you tired?”
“No. I want to get you alone so I can take advantage of you.”
Victor growled.
The chill in the air as they waited for their car to be brought around didn’t dampen her hormones.
Victor was as quiet as she was, their hands clasped together.
Once in the back of the limo, Victor lifted the shield between the driver and the back seat before reaching for her and lifting her onto his lap.
His lips were molten hot, his fingers spreading heat wherever they touched. “You taste as good as you look,” he told her between wet, open kisses.
Shannon took the liberty of spreading her hand over his chest and down his side. “I feel like a teenager on prom night.” She traced his erection through his slacks.
He stopped her hand. “If you keep doing that, we’re going to act like those teenagers in the back of this car.”
“That sounds sinful and exciting.”
He squeezed the hand he held. “I don’t want our first time back here. I want to lay you down—”
“Pin me down,” she requested with a nibble to his ear.
Her words had him pressing her palm into his groin. “Good God, yes. Pin you down.”
She kissed his chin, ran her teeth along his neck. It felt so right taking liberties with him. Perfect in every way.
“I want you alone, where I can peel you out of that dress like I’ve been fantasizing about ever since you took off that damn coat.” He reached into her coat, caught one nipple with his thumb, and continued to flick its tight bud. “I’m going to make these raw. And every time you see me, you’re going to get hard, just like this, with the memories of how I kissed them.”
She squirmed. “I brought a condom.”
He kissed her hard before setting her aside. “I brought three.”
The next thirty minutes were the longest in Shannon’s life.
Thankfully, the traffic home wasn’t nearly as bad as it was on the way out.
Victor handed the driver several bills and walked her up the path to her front door.
They made it through the door . . . barely.
Victor stopped her two feet inside and took the coat from her shoulders. “This dress is lethal.”
“Remind me to wear it often.”
His hands slid down her bare arms before his fingers traced her curves on the way back up. He kissed her shoulder and ran one finger on the inside of her dress. He caught the tape and gave it a little tug.
It stung, but her body heated with anticipation.
“Stupid tape.”
He kissed away the sting, his tongue dancing on the edge of her breast. “Lovely,” he said, sliding his teeth toward her nipple before taking it into his mouth.
The pathway between her breasts to the apex of her legs made her weak. “Don’t stop tonight,” she pleaded. “I want you inside of me. All of you.” Because the question of pregnancy had been brought up before, she assured him the best she could that it wouldn’t happen. “The timing is off for a baby. We’ll use the condom.”
He directed his kiss to her lips and silenced her. “I trust you, Shannon.”
She nodded and pulled at where his shirt tucked into his pants. She reached for him, found his skin warm.
Victor pulled his tie from his neck, unbuttoned the first few snaps, and then impatiently pulled the dress shirt over his head.
She’d seen this, covered in salt water in the ocean of the Yucatán. Now it was her turn to taste. So she did, while standing in the foyer of her home. Victor toed off his shoes, holding on to the wall while she dropped one kiss after the other on his chest.
Her hands slid lower.
Victor pushed his pelvis into her palm.
His hands moved around to the back of her dress and pulled down the zipper. With his teeth, he slid one arm out of
the dress, and the other just fell away.
With a mountain of fabric pooled at her ankles, Shannon stood before him in lace panties and high heels. Instead of feeling naked, she felt liberated. It helped that Victor’s eyes swam with passion.
She took his hand, stepped out of the dress on the floor, and walked him to her bedroom.
He stopped her before she could turn around once they stood by her bed. His hands reached around her from behind, his palms cupped both breasts. “You’re perfect,” he whispered.
Am I? She felt that way with him talking the way he was, with his touch.
One of his hands moved lower, touching her through the only fabric covering her. “So ready,” he told her.
“I am.”
The room was dark, only the moon outside cast light into the space.
She felt Victor undoing his belt, his hand pinning her in place with slow, rhythmic motions that made it hard to stand.
“You like that?” he asked, one finger tracing inside her panties and coming away wet.
“Yes,” she murmured.
“Do you trust me?” he asked. A flick of his finger over her clit kept her from talking.
She nodded.
He dropped his pants to the floor.
He nudged her onto the bed, facedown. “Lean over here for me.”
Slowly she bent at her waist, her feet still in her fancy shoes, her bottom in the air.
She felt exposed, excited.
Victor stood behind her, she could feel him pushing against her underwear. His erection so close, but not there.
She pushed against him and he dropped a kiss between her shoulder blades. “You’re so damn beautiful, Shannon.”
Her hands clenched the bedding on both sides of her body. He might not be pinning her, but she didn’t have a lot of room to move and touch. No, Victor was doing that for the two of them.
He slid his cock past her opening and over the tiny bundle of nerves that made her crazy, and then repeated the motion, all through the cotton of her panties.
“Please,” she said when he’d worked her up but hadn’t filled what she needed.
He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, so Shannon reached between her legs and caught him with her hand. Victor dropped his head to her back before moving away briefly. She heard the wrapper of the condom, and when he came back, he moved her panties to the side but didn’t take them off. She lifted up for him, and he took her.
At first, her body didn’t know what to think. So full, so thick . . . so damn good.
“I’m a dead man,” he said from behind before he started to move.
She loved it, this feeling of being possessed by him, of having him guide her hips to meet his and the feel of his energy.
Victor took one hand and reached around, found her sex, and worked it with every stroke.
She was close, right on the edge, and Victor slipped out.
Shannon wanted to weep.
He turned her around, pulled the panties off her legs, and climbed back up. “I want to watch you come.”
He kissed her then, entered her a second time, and kept the motion until there was nowhere else to go. When she reached her peak, Victor caught her cries with his lips and followed with one of his own.
They lay there for several seconds, catching their breaths.
“So good,” she said over and over.
“So very good,” he said with a kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Shannon sat at her computer with a four-way video chat connecting her, Avery, Lori, and Trina.
“Someone is looking awfully relaxed,” Avery said once they were all connected. “Anything you want to share, Shannon?”
“Am I that obvious?”
All three of her friends nodded.
“Give it up,” Trina said.
Shannon couldn’t help but smile. “It all still works,” she happily reported. “I forgot how great sex feels.”
Avery shook a fist in the air. “Go, Victor.”
“It helps that he’s adventurous and spontaneous . . . and able.”
Lori rested her chin on her hand. “This I wanna hear.”
And they did . . . in vivid color. For the first time since they’d started this club, Shannon had something to share. All the joy of sharing skidded to a halt when she told them she’d confessed about wanting a baby.
“What?” Avery yelled. “And he didn’t run away?”
“Crazy, right?” Shannon asked.
“Unreal,” Lori added.
“Not normal,” Trina said.
“I don’t get it either. We’ve used condoms . . . lots of them, I’m happy to report.”
“Condoms break.” Avery patted her barely there baby bump. “I’m here to tell you.”
“I know. Which is why I’ve scheduled an appointment with my doctor in two weeks. I’m going back on the pill.” She’d made the decision after the first night with Victor.
“Whoa . . . hold up a minute. Are you giving up the baby making plans?” Lori asked.
“I’m dating someone I really like. I don’t think baby making is right at this point. Practicing making babies is a better goal for now, don’t you think?”
All three of them sat in silence.
Avery was the first to talk. “Great idea.”
Shannon wasn’t shocked. “You never liked the idea.”
Avery agreed with a shake of her head. “Not for a minute.”
“Victor is making me think there might be other options,” Shannon told them.
Trina sighed. “And if he isn’t Mr. Right? How are you going to deal with that?”
The question had silently surfaced many times. “I will deal with it. Victor has made me realize how much I was missing in life.” Not that she wanted to think about life without him, but she had considered the possibility that he might not stick.
“He better not be screwing with you,” Avery declared.
“I honestly don’t think he knows what he’s doing with me any more than I know what I’m doing with him.”
“I’ll kick his ass if he is,” Avery declared.
A pregnant Avery kicking ass . . . this, Shannon wanted to see.
“I’ll let him know.”
She told them about the loft, which would be closing escrow in two weeks. The fastest real estate transaction ever in light of the fact it was empty and she was able to secure a loan quickly.
“Oh my God. I almost forgot to tell you guys!” Trina exclaimed.
“What?” Lori asked.
“My mother-in-law is moving out.”
That was big news. Vicki lived on the compound that was Wade and Trina’s ranch in Texas. She lived in a guesthouse but had been a continual pain in Trina’s butt since they met.
“That’s huge. Is it the baby? Did Wade tell her to leave?”
“It’s the boyfriend,” Trina told them. “She started dating a guy she met on Cowboys Only.”
“Is that like Tinder?” Avery asked.
“Yeah,” Trina laughed. “She didn’t admit that, of course, but when he insisted on meeting her son and daughter-in-law, Judah let that information slip.”
“His name is Judah?”
Trina nodded. “Very religious. I think he’s given Vicki a ‘come to Jesus’ moment. He’s a widower, has two grown kids and a granddaughter. Anyway, between him being in her life and Wade buying her a place that isn’t right under our noses, Vicki is moving out.” She shook her fists in the air in celebration.
“That’s the best news ever.”
“Tell me about it. It’s amazing what happens once someone is finally getting laid,” Trina said.
Shannon raised her hand. “I can attest to that.”
The four of them laughed and planned their next First Wives meeting, which was to take place in Texas. They had originally planned for something down in New Orleans, but with two of the four of them pregnant, they decided to keep it in the comfort of one of their homes. And it was Shannon’s, Lor
i’s, and Avery’s turn to travel.
“So, Shannon, how is Victor handling the media coverage?”
“I think he kinda likes it.” Pictures of the two of them at the charity event were snagged from the GTF website and splashed on the cover of one of the most popular gossip magazines. Then two others picked up the information and ran with it on consecutive days. “The only reason I think it’s become a thing is because Paul announced his run for Congress.”
“That was my thought,” Lori said. “It will all blow over soon. It always does.”
“That dress was spectacular,” Trina told her. “Daring for you.”
Shannon sat back and grinned. “Hey, I sunbathe in the nude these days. I’m evolving.”
That brought a chorus of cheers and a new direction of conversation.
An hour after they finished their video chat, a call came through from an unknown caller. Shannon nearly let it go to voice mail before answering.
“Hello?”
“You raging bitch!”
Shocked silent, Shannon waited for some clue as to who was on the phone.
She didn’t need to wait long.
“You were screwing him all the time, weren’t you?” A woman, could have been Corrie, but didn’t sound like the soft, careful girl she’d met all those months ago.
“Who is this?” Shannon asked, her guard up.
“You told me to leave him, that he didn’t deserve me. All so you could snag your claws into him.”
Yup, it was Corrie. “That is not what happened,” Shannon said, trying to calm her down.
“Right under my nose. I feel so stupid. Which is exactly what you wanted, isn’t it? Now Victor won’t take my calls. You’re on the cover of those magazines with my fiancé when it should be me.”
“Corrie, calm down.”
“Don’t you fucking tell me to calm down. You’ve ruined my life. I’m the ‘blonde bimbo that was cast aside to make way for royalty.’” Corrie was quoting the article. The only way Shannon knew that was because Samantha Harrison had texted the quote and said, “Welcome to the monarchy.” They’d laughed about it.
Faking Forever (First Wives Book 4) Page 23
