Blind Attraction (28 page)

“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, h
e 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 impa
tience. 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.

“Boy
s’ 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 pounde
d 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.

Squee
zing 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.”

Staring up at the ceiling with Victoria in his arms, James couldn’t help but smile. Softly, he offered, “If you want, I could pay off the store loan for you.”

Twisting around and propping herself up on her arm to stare down at him, she shook her head, “I don’t want that; I don’t want you for your money.” With a sultry look in her eyes, she ran her hand down his chest, curling her fingers around his erection, “I want you for your body.”

He laughed out loud then gasped as she stroked him. Damn, even though they had just made love, he was quickly preparing to have another go at it. But then she stopped and looked down at him with a grave expression. Reaching up, he tugged on a strand of her hair, “What is it?”

“Actually,” she caught her full, lower lip between her teeth and he wanted to
bite her. “I was wondering if you might give me a reduced rate for designing my website.”

His smile was slow and a little predatory, “I’ll do it for a kiss.”

“You’re so easy,” she purred, lowering her head and kissing him with all of the love in her heart.