by A C Warneke
James cleared his throat and tried to remember how to put words together in a coherent sentence to let everyone know that he only wanted Victoria. He felt a body pressed against his arm and warm breath against his ear but it wasn’t Victoria. Dumbly, still trying to get his brain to work, he nodded, “Right, okay.”
When Victoria didn’t protest, he realized he had a lot more groveling to do before he could hope for her forgiveness. He abruptly stood up, tossing some money down on the table, and eager to begin his campaign to win Victoria’s forgiveness. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Thank you,” Victoria murmured as her eyes avoided his altogether. She wasn’t even able to look at him and he knew that he had his work cut out for him. In a hurry to get started he rushed out the door, barely aware of the beautiful creature chasing after him.
“You really do love her, don’t you?” Taylor asked gently, as soon as they left the café.
“Yes, damn it,” he admitted without hesitation. "Of course I do."
“You must know she loves you,” Taylor said with quiet intensity. “You simply must.”
“Why?” he asked, not sure what he was questioning.
Taylor laughed, “I don’t know why she loves you but she believes in all that true love crap and I want to see her get her happy ending.”
He smiled slightly before he turned to her, almost surprised to see her still standing there. “Do you mind if I cancel the rest of our date?”
“I’d mind if you didn’t,” she smiled as she stood up on her tiptoes and placed a friendly kiss on his cheek. She looked at him with a glorious smile, “Good luck, James Templeton. Oh, one more thing?”
“What is it?” he asked, in a rush to return to Victoria, to hold her, kiss her; to beg her to forgive him and then beg her to marry him. He needed to pick up some flowers and chocolates or something. Where could he find flowers this late at night? There had to be one of those twenty-four hour stores around here, they usually had flowers.
She smiled serenely, “If you hurt her, I will kill you; I will do it nice and slow and savor every moment.”
“You and her father,” James grumbled, a brilliant smile curving his lips. Bending his head, he brushed his lips against the smooth curve of her cheek, “Thank you, Taylor.”
Chapter 16
Victoria locked the door behind her as she entered her apartment. Dropping her keys, not caring that they fell to the floor, she drifted through the tiny space to the bedroom. One question replayed itself over and over in her head, how could he choose Taylor?
The thought of him jabbed the gaping wound in her soul and she bled all over. How could she have been so wrong about him? Even while insisting he take Taylor out, Victoria firmly believed he was going to come to his senses and choose her, not Taylor. Victoria’s heart physically ached with such hurt and disappointment. How could he turn his back on the magic they had?
She kicked off her stupid heels; she wasn’t going to wear the torture devices any longer. Pulling the clip from her hair, she let the honey blond tresses cascade over her shoulders, her thoughts in an uproar. She should have found a way to get rid of the fear that kept her silent and said something. She should have grabbed him by the lapels of his expensive suit and kissed him, given him a tactile reminder of what they shared.
God, she was pathetic. It was just that the moment she walked in and saw him with Taylor all of the fears and doubts that she thought she had buried came rushing to the surface and short wired her brain. Knowing that Taylor was also her sister made it even worse and she wasn’t even sure why.
Peeling off the dress, she tossed it into the laundry hamper and pulled on a pair of silky boxer shorts and a cotton tank top. Irrational images began to play in her head, of James touching Taylor; of James kissing Taylor; of James screwing Taylor. She heard a gulping sob and realized she was weeping. Again. Her eyes were already red and puffy and her nose was sore from too many tissues. She was going to stock up on tissues with lotion.
That was a good idea for her store and the new broken-hearted section.
Walking into the bathroom, she washed off the carefully applied make up that hid the dark circles from her troubled sleep over the past couple of nights. Looking at her reflection she almost didn’t recognize herself. Large, bruised violet eyes stared back at her. Her nose was red, her lips were pale, her skin was pasty; she looked vaguely like death not quite thawed out. No wonder why James chose Taylor over her….
The knock at the door interrupted her mental ramblings. Maybe Taylor threw James out on his ass and she was coming over to commiserate. Sliding her feet into her fluffy slippers, she shuffled to the door, wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands to catch any rogue tears. Forcing a smile to her bloodless lips, she cracked the door open.
And forgot how to breathe.
“James,” she whispered though no sound came out. She had to be dreaming; he couldn’t be standing here looking so delectable and… smiling. Why was he smiling? Why wasn’t he looking as miserable as she felt and no doubt looked? Why was he outside of her apartment with a grin on his face and flowers in his hand?
“You look like hell,” he commented, his green eyes searching her face.
Okay, whatever she expected him to say, that definitely was not it. “Um, thanks?”
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said as a follow-up, making Victoria’s heart skip a beat. He reached out and touched her temple and then ran his fingers along her jaw, his eyes moving over her face and consuming her whole.
“You’re here,” she said, her brain finally catching up. “Why are you here? You left.”
“Vi, you never asked me to stay,” he said softly,
The sound of his voice was a balm to her bleeding heart; the look in his eyes was ambrosia for her soul. Her lashes lowered over her beautiful eyes as a blush stole across her cheeks, giving her pale skin some color. Forcing her eyes to meet his, she murmured, “I thought….”
He smiled that devastating smile and his green eyes lit up as he simply looked at her. “God, you are exquisite, even with red, runny eyes and a red nose, and….” He frowned slightly, “You’re really short.”
Victoria looked down at her body then back up at him and realized that he was towering over her without her heels on. Had she never taken them off in his presence? Her mind raced through their relatively short time together and the only time she remembered being without heels was in bed. “I am.”
“I like it,” he grinned suddenly, setting the flowers down on the small table by the door. Taking her hands in his, he held her arms out to the side, the admiration burning in his green eyes. He lifted his head and met her wary eyes and his smile dimmed, “What is it?”
Her brows pulled together and she pursed her lips in an effort to organize her thoughts. “I thought you wanted Taylor.”
“No, just you,” he murmured, watching her closely. “After all, you said you loved me.”
“I do,” she answered before thinking, carelessly giving him her heart. Again. “But… you kissed Taylor.”
"And it was nothing like kissing you. When I kiss you my soul sings and I want to kiss you until the end of time and then forever after that." When she simply stared at him in adorable bewilderment, he bent his knees so that their eyes were level. His green eyes were bright with emotion as he softly asked, “Why were you so eager to get rid of me?”
“Well, if you love someone you’re supposed to set them free,” she said, a slight flush creeping across her cheeks, deepening her color.
“Yeah,” he agreed, weighing his words. “But you shouldn’t shove them out the door.”
“I’m not,” she protested. “I didn’t….”
He smiled as she mangled her words, “Vi, don’t you remember the rest of that saying? If they return it was always meant to be?”
She nodded, her brain finally starting to realize that James was there, that he came back.
“I love you, Vi,”
he growled, pulling her into the heat of his body. Resting his cheek against the top of her head, he added, “We fit together perfectly; I even like the slippers.”
“Forgive me,” she choked out.
“Only if you forgive me,” he requested. “I don’t know what came over me when I called you. Unfortunately, I had a little bit too much to drink and I wasn’t quite at the top of my game.”
She bit back a smile at the hang-dog expression on James’s face, his confession. Pressing her nose against his chest, letting herself relax for the first time in over a week, she sternly teased. “You really shouldn’t drink.”
“No,” he agreed
“Mmmm,” she smiled dreamily. “I love you.”
He smiled, bending and lifting her up in his arms. Entering the small apartment, he kicked the door shut behind him and started walking towards her bedroom. Carefully, he placed her in the middle of the bed and stood up.
Victoria grabbed his arm, her eyes widened. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
“Not in a million years; I’m just getting undressed,” he said softly. sitting back down on the edge of the bed and brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I want to see your face when I make love to you.”
Fumbling with the hem of her tank top, she pulled it over her head exposing her full breasts to his hungry gaze. Feeling emboldened by the blatant appreciation in the green depths of his eyes, she wiggled out of the boxer shorts as well and laid herself out before him like some sort of pagan offering.
“My God you’re exquisite,” he breathed, climbing onto the bed next to her. Reverently, he ran his hand along the beautiful curve of her breast, the indent of her slender waist, the pale scar on her lower belly, the slight flare of her hip. Raising his eyes, he met her violet gaze, “I love you.”
“Then be quick and join me in bed,” she said, giving him a sultry smile. “I’m freezing.”
He quickly unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt before yanking it off in his eagerness to get into bed with her. Hopping around, he struggled to get his shoes and pants off at the same time. He ended up sitting on the edge of her bed and jerking the rest of his clothes off, ripping material and sending shoes flying.
As soon as he was naked, he flung himself onto the bed, pressing the entire side of his body against hers, making her laugh with his enthusiasm and impatience. He smiled down at her and waggled his eyebrows, making her laugh even harder. It felt so good to laugh once more; it felt even better to laugh with James.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into his body, feeling her from chest to ankle. He slid his hand along her leg until he reached her thigh. Then he curled his fingers into her flesh and hoisted her leg over his hip, nudging her entrance with his erection.
Her body was crying out for his possession. “Please, James. Now.”
Holding her eyes, he slowly pressed his cock into her, savoring the sensation of being with her, of being able to see her as they made love. As he slowly rocked in and out, he rumbled, “I have a question for you.”
“Hmmm?” she asked, basking in the heat of James’s hand on her body, the press of his skin against hers, the feel of his penis stretching her, filling her. She was enveloped in warmth and she never wanted to move.
“Boys’ underwear?”
She could hear the laughter in his voice and she smiled. “I loved comic book heroes and they didn’t put them on girls’ underwear so I had to make do with what was available. How was I supposed to know that it would start a trend?”
He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. Closing his eyes, breathing in her familiar scent, he knew this was right, that this was where he belonged. “I love you, Vi. I’ve always loved you.”
Smiling, she curled even more into his body. His heart pounded beneath her ear and it was so, so wonderful. “I love you, too.”
Kissing the top of her head again, his voice soft, he purred, “Marry me.”
She tilted her head back and looked at him; a smile lighting her face, “Yes.”
*****
Victoria slowly floated towards consciousness feeling safe, loved and indescribably happy. As memories from the previous evening surfaced, she smiled, rubbing her nose against James’s chest and running her hand along the ridged contours of his abdomen. His sharp inhalation letting her know he was awake had her tilting her head up. He was devouring her with his eyes and she had the feeling that he had been awake for a while, simply holding her, and her heart danced. “Hey.”
“Hey, you,” James murmured, running a finger along her cheek. Letting his eyes roam over her face, his voice husky, he asked, “Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are first thing in the morning?”
She blushed, lowering her lashes against his blatant flattery. He didn’t have to exaggerate – she knew exactly how she looked in the morning, rats-nest hair, creased cheeks, sleep-snot in her eyes. Besides, he already knew that she was his.
His fingers slid beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him. His expression was grave, his voice solemn, “I’m serious, Vi; you’re beautiful.”
“Th… thank you,” she managed, seeing the deep sincerity in his eyes. Wow, she could stare into his eyes for years and years….
“Stop looking at me like that,” he grinned, brushing his thumb along her lower lip. “Otherwise we’ll end up spending the entire day in bed.”
“And that would be bad how?” she asked, staring at him with large, languid eyes. She skimmed her hand over his chest, down his stomach, against his groin. Wrapping her hand around his erection, she lightly stroked him, promising all sorts of pleasure.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he groaned, “I’m trying to be responsible here.”
Her eyes widened and she abruptly sat up, frantically looking for a clock, “What time is it?”
“Relax, Vi,” he chuckled, despite the unrelieved ache between his legs. Propping his head up and resting on one elbow, he trailed his hand along the soft, delicate skin of her back, the contours of her spine. “It’s not even eight; in fact, I was just about to wake you up.”
She looked over her shoulder at him, his sensual smile burning a hole in her gut. “I have to take a shower.”
He raised his eyes and she was surprised by the unmistakable heat she saw in the green depths. Sitting up, he kissed the curve of her throat and encircled her in his arms. He loved the little breathy sounds she made when she was aroused, the soft panting; he loved how her nipples puckered and her skin flushed. “Is there enough room for me?”
“If we squeeze in really, really tight,” she answered, already under his sensual spell. Putting her hands over his, she pressed her cheek to his, “It’s not big enough for anything interesting to happen, though.”
“You’d be surprised,” he said huskily, sliding his hands over her breasts and thumbing her nipples. “But we probably shouldn’t risk it.”
Disappointed, she started to climb off the bed when he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him, his chest burning the flesh of her back, “Whoa, where do you think you’re going?”
“I thought….” She started to say as he leaned her forward and surrounded her with his body. He flipped her onto her back and moved over her body.
Entering her, he murmured in her ear, “You make me burn.”
“Yes,” she agreed, closing her eyes as he slowly moved in her.
“Look at me,” he growled, realizing that he was making love with Victoria. Watching her he could appreciate the fact that the visual reality far surpassed his imagination. Her eyes were so expressive, baring her heart and soul without making any attempts to hide her feelings from him. The naked honesty of her face slammed into him, knocking the breath from his lungs. He inhaled sharply, the fresh, sweet scent of Victoria filling his nostrils. He loved her.
James opened his mouth against the smooth skin along her shoulder as her musky scent flowed over him and her skin glistened as he held her against him. Her back arched sending him to the deepest
recesses of her body and she exploded, bringing him along.
Crying out as wave after wave washed over her, through her, she collapsed onto the bed, “That’s it; I’m calling in sick.”
James chuckled against her skin, lifting his head and seeing the mark he left behind; the bruise standing out against the pale flesh. Kissing it, he collapsed down onto the bed, taking her with him and holding her next to him. “How about this… I’ll go home and make some arrangements so we can fly to Vegas; we’ll get married and spend the week in bed?”
“Yes,” she sighed with a lazy grin, lightly running her fingers over the smooth muscles of his chest. Then she frowned, “I just opened my store, James; I can’t go running off, no matter how much I want to.”
After a moment, he tilted his head to the side, “Can you spare two days?” Seeing her hesitation, he added, “I’ll have Cate help Marnie look after the place for you.”
“I might be able to swing that,” she smiled slowly. Her smile stopped before it fully formed and she frowned once more, “My parents will want to be there.”
“We’ll plan another wedding when we get back, with all of the trimmings; the church, the reception hall, the band, flower girls, all of it,” he said, picturing it all in his head. She was going to make a beautiful bride, standing beneath a white arch, the sun gleaming in her gorgeous dark blond hair. Thinking about it, he would prefer her in flats, or shoes with heels no more than an inch; he liked having her tucked in next to him.
“I think I might want my… father there, too,” she added softly, her fingers stilling.
He stilled for a moment before stating, “You know who he is.”
“Taylor told me,” she said softly, splaying her hand over his heart. “She’s my half-sister; Sebastian Moore is my father, too.”
He was silent for a few seconds, digesting this news, before he grinned, “See? We are practically the same – you have a half-sibling, too. We’re meant to be together, Victoria.”
She laughed, remembering their conversation from a few weeks past. “You’re so weird; I love you.”
