Blake
Light slowly infiltrated the dark and I blinked several times, disoriented for a moment until I remembered where I was. Something in my peripheral vision caught my attention, and a smile pulled at the corner of my mouth as I turned my head slightly to the side. Victoria’s head lay on my pillow, just inches from my face, so close I could kiss her.
At some point during the night, she’d whimpered and begun to struggle against the confines of the sheets. I’d slid in next to her, pulling her close and holding her tight until she’d calmed and fallen back to sleep. The heat from her body surrounded me, and the sensation made me want to pull the covers over our heads and not surface for days.
Levering to a sitting position, I reluctantly slipped out from under the covers and stretched, my vertebrae popping as they shifted back into place. The faint rustling of sheets drew my attention and I turned to find Victoria propped up on an elbow, her sleepy gray eyes trained on me.
“Morning, beautiful.”
She smiled. “Hey. You stayed.”
I braced one hand on the bed as I leaned toward her. “I told you I would.”
She shrugged. “I thought it might have been a dream.”
I shook my head. “Nope. I’m still here.”
Her eyes drifted over my torso, clouded with confusion. “Are you in your underwear?”
I chuckled. “I stripped down in the middle of the night. Sleeping with you is like being in bed next to a furnace.”
A delicate red flush swept up her cheeks, and I brushed a stray lock of hair off her forehead. I didn’t want to ruin the good mood by bringing up her tossing and turning, so I kept my tone light. “Trust me, sweetheart, I wasn’t complaining.”
Her blush spread lower and I grinned at her obvious discomfort. She seemed more embarrassed by her own reaction than the fact that I’d climbed under the sheets without an invitation. I decided to press my luck. “We’ll just have to turn down the air conditioning next time. You know, after a real date.”
She blinked. “You… want to go out with me?”
This woman… She truly had no idea how beautiful she was. “If you want to, hell yeah.”
Quick as a flash, her entire demeanor changed and her teeth sank into her lower lip. “There’s something…”
I immediately thought of the man who’d shown up Wednesday evening and dragged Victoria away before I’d even had a chance to speak with her. “Are you seeing someone else?”
Her head tipped slightly to the side. “What?”
“The guy who stormed into the healthplex the other night—are you two dating?”
It took a moment for her brain to connect the dots and understanding lit her eyes as she shook her head. “No, that’s not... We’ve never dated. Dr. Martin is a colleague and a friend.”
I wondered if the man knew that. He seemed awfully territorial for just a friend, but Victoria didn’t seem too interested in the guy, or I figured she would have called him last night. Still, the memory of her climbing out of a strange car yesterday morning, a man at the wheel, was burned on my brain.
I shut it down before I could overthink it and changed the subject. “I have to head home so I can shower and change. Will you be okay getting to work?”
She nodded. “I’d prefer we show up separately anyway.”
I understood, but the comment stung a little nonetheless. “Okay.”
She slid from under the covers and stood next to me, arms wrapped around her waist. “Do you want some coffee before you go?”
I examined her for a moment, my eyes sliding over her body of their own volition. Her curves were outlined by the thin camisole and shorts she wore, and I felt my resolve begin to waver. I wanted to run my hands all over her and make her forget all about the other man. I couldn’t figure her out. Was she telling the truth about him or not?
Her eyes seemed sincere, large and gray in her face, and she just stared back, waiting on my response. Trying to get a read on her was like trying to nail Jell-O to a tree. Finally, I nodded. “That’d be great, thanks.”
Pulling a robe from a chair in the corner, she slipped her arms inside and tied the sash tightly around her waist. We descended the stairs in silence, and the atmosphere remained tense and uncomfortable as Victoria began to make the coffee. I was just about ready to forego my daily shot of caffeine when she finally spoke up.
“I… I just wanted to say thank you. Again.”
I fought the urge to smile, remembering how her previous thank you had ended. “It was no big deal.”
“So…” She fiddled with a cup on the counter, her expression one of intense discomfort. “Were you serious about wanting to go out with me? Or were you just being nice?”
I regarded her warily. “What do you mean?”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “Never mind.”
I reached across the counter and hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet my stare. I could feel her throat move as she swallowed hard. I was afraid to let myself hope as well, but the stupid emotion burst into my heart as her cheeks pinkened with embarrassment. “Tell me what’s going through that head of yours, beautiful.”
“I just… I’m not good at this kind of thing—dating, talking with guys. I get all awkward, and… weird.” She blew out a little breath. “I was kind of hoping you weren’t just saying you wanted to go out. I mean, people say that all the time, but then…” She shrugged and dropped her gaze back to the slab of granite that separated us.
I released her and circled the bar. Sliding my hands up her arms, I cupped her elbows and pulled her close. “I always mean what I say.”
She lifted her face and stared up at me for several seconds, seeming to weigh my words. “Okay,” she whispered.
I dropped a soft kiss on her upturned mouth, and her eyes fluttered closed. I kissed her once more, breathing in her sweet scent before reluctantly releasing her. “All right, beautiful. I’ll let you get ready for work. See you in a few?”
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
I laced my fingers through hers and tugged her toward the front of the house. Pausing by the door, I turned to her. “Be careful and make sure to lock up behind me.”
“I will. And, Blake? Thank you.”
“Any time.” I locked my hands together at the base of her spine, pulling her close and kissing her again. She fit me perfectly, felt so good within the circle of my arms, that I didn’t want to let her go just yet.
She rolled her lips together before meeting my gaze. “Would you like to come over for dinner again?”
The question was tentative, like she thought I’d turn her down. But I wasn’t giving her up now, not when I was just starting to figure her out. “Of course. I’ll see you back here at seven.”
Her sweet smile made my heart ache. I dropped one more kiss on her lips before shooting a wink her way and stepping out into the bright morning light. I glanced over my shoulder to where she stood outlined in the doorway. A soft smile on her face, she made for a beautiful sight—one I hoped I’d see a whole lot more of.
* * *
The sun had just begun its descent, disappearing over the back of the house as I pulled into the driveway and parked next to Victoria’s car. I unfolded from the driver seat, then rounded the hood of her car. “Why don’t you park in the garage?”
She rolled her eyes. “Johnathan asked me the same thing. I don’t mind parking outside.”
At least we agreed on that score. “I think it might be better if you parked inside. That will at least keep someone from knowing if you’re home or not.”
Her head tilted up to meet my gaze, so close that her breasts barely grazed my midsection. “You’ll keep me safe, won’t you?”
My hands automatically went to her hips and pulled her flush against me. “Always, beautiful. You can count on it.”
A slow grin spread over her face and I bent my head, capturing her lips with mine. It went on for several long moments until her hands slid up to my chest and gently pushed. Pink tinged her cheeks and she dropped her gaze to the ground before looking up at me again. “We’d better get inside; we’re giving my neighbors a show.”
I glanced to the left where an elderly man stood across the street watering his flowers. I lifted one hand in greeting and the older man returned the wave with a smirk. “Come on, let’s head in.”
Placing a hand on her lower back, I guided Victoria up the stairs to the front door. Following her inside, I closed and locked the door before heading toward the kitchen. We tossed together a quick meal and afterward, Victoria cuddled up next to me on the couch as we watched TV. Her body felt tense and she bit her lip, a faraway look in her eyes. Finally, I muted the television and turned her in my arms.
“Okay, Doc. What’s on your mind?”
Her head swiveled toward me, a guilty look on her face. “Oh, I… It’s nothing, never mind.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing.” I studied her for a moment. “You can talk to me if something’s bothering you.”
“I was just wondering…” Her gaze dropped to her hands where she picked at an imaginary piece of lint on her pants. “Where do you think things are headed?”
The question caught me off guard. “With us?”
Her head jerked up. “I mean, I know it’s too early to label anything, but I thought… I don’t know what I thought.” She let out a sigh and scrubbed her palms over her face. “I’m making a mess of this already.”
“No, you’re not.” She looked so damn vulnerable that I wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her the only way I knew how. But she needed the reassurance of words. I reached out and turned her chin toward me, waiting for her eyes to meet mine. “If you’re asking whether I’m interested in you—in a serious relationship with you—the answer is yes.”
Instead of looking relieved, Victoria seemed to pale even more. “I just… there’s something you should know.”
I stiffened as our previous conversation came to mind. Though she’d insisted she didn’t have a boyfriend, her demeanor screamed that it was something I wasn’t going to like.
Her hands drifted down to her lap again where she wrung them together nervously. “I don’t even know how to start. Oh, God, this is so awkward.”
She sucked in a harsh breath before letting it out, and she stared at her hands as she spoke. “Remember how I told you I had a bad experience in high school?” I didn’t bother to answer the rhetorical question, and she continued. “Well, it was really hard for me to open up to people after that—especially guys. I went on dates, but I never really trusted anyone enough to be… intimate.”
She’d never…? Emotion slammed into me—pride that she’d made such an important decision, elation that I might be her first, but also fear. Mostly fear. What if she trusted me to be her first and she hated it? Would she despise me because of it? Shit, I was getting ahead of myself.
Words escaped me for a moment and, misinterpreting my silence, she turned to me with a pained expression. “If you don’t want to see me anymore, I’ll understand.”
“No!” Her eyes widened, and I forced myself to relax. “I’m sorry. No—that was the absolute last thing on my mind.”
She bit her lip, watching me warily, and I took a moment to gather my thoughts before speaking. “I didn’t mean to overreact. You just… caught me by surprise.”
A deep scarlet raced over her skin, and I picked up her hand, gently squeezing her fingers in silent apology. “It’s an important decision, and I’m glad you told me. I promise I won’t ever push you to do something you don’t want.”
Relief crossed her features, quickly followed by something I couldn’t quite discern. Before I could ask, she turned to me. “Will you stay again?”
My gut twisted, but I forced myself to nod. Regardless of what happened between us, I’d still make sure she was safe. “Of course.”
She examined her toes before turning back to me. “I was thinking you might stay… with me.”
With her, in her bed. Hope flared again—that silly, stupid, yet oh-so-welcome emotion—and I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’d love to.”