I shouldn’t like it, but I do. “No. I left Lucky with my neighbour today, and I need to get back and pick him up.”
“Oh.” He immediately relaxes, smile returning. “Still on for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, of course.” Maybe I should tell him I can’t make it. If he’s changed his mind about staying in the friend zone, then it would be the sensible thing to do. Nip it in the bud before it gets awkward.
But I want to see him.
I stand and shrug into my coat; Vic stands with me.
“I’ll walk out with you.” He says goodbye to Hailey and Joe, and we leave the pub together.
“Fuck me.” Vic shivers violently as the bitter cold hits us the minute we step outside. He pulls a hat out of his pocket, shoving it onto his head and hiding all those wild curls. Gloves go on next as we walk across the car park, our breath misting in the air.
We reach my car first. Vic comes to a halt when I do.
It’s dark outside and I’m parked a good distance from the lamppost, so the light from it barely reaches us. Half of Vic’s face is in shadow as he turns towards me, but I can still make out the way his gaze drops to my mouth.
His lips part, the tip of his tongue visible as he runs it back and forth. “Sean,” he murmurs, and it’s a cross between a plea and a question.
My pulse picks up, anticipation sending my blood coursing through my veins at an alarming rate. I should reach behind me, open that car door, and get inside. Drive away before I do something I swore I wouldn’t.
But I stand my ground, caught in the intensity of Vic’s stare.
He takes a small step closer, his coat brushing against mine, and he reaches up to slide a hand along my jaw. The wool of his glove catches on my three-day-old stubble and he grins.
“That move went a lot smoother in my head.” He sets it on the back of my neck instead, grip loose, letting me know that I can easily slip away if I want to.
I should.
But I don’t.
His gaze dips again, warm breath mingling with mine as leans in a little more, giving me time to stop him. When he glances up again, eyebrow raised with a silent question, my body takes over.
I slide my hands around his back and tug him the rest of the way in until there’s no space between us. He presses me against the cold metal of my Land Rover, but all I can feel is the warmth of his lips as his mouth covers mine.
I’m kissing Victor Marlow.
That’s a sentence I never thought I’d say again.
But it’s happening right now, and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry because it’s so fucking good. His tongue teases mine, coaxing me to open up and let him in, and I do. I’m overwhelmed with the warmth of his mouth, the taste of him as he slowly takes me apart, and the subtle scent of whatever aftershave he’s wearing. I grip the back of his coat, hanging on for dear life as he tilts his head and deepens what is already the best kiss I’ve had in years.
Nineteen to be exact.
That can’t be true, I’ve kissed my fair share of people over the years, but somehow I know it is. No one since has ever made my body sing the way Vic does. We fit together perfectly, every movement in sync and easy, like we’ve been doing it for years.
I want to do it for years to come.
That thought brings me sharply to my senses and I pull back, breaths a little shaky as I rest my head against his shoulder.
I can’t do this.
I want to, so fucking much, but I just... Ican’t.Not when I know how it will inevitably end. “I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I can’t.”
I feel Vic’s sigh, but he doesn’t try to change my mind. Instead, he kisses my temple and steps back. My resolve falters, and I’m so close to reeling him back in, but the fact I really do need to get home is the push I need to reach for the driver’s door and slide inside.
Vic rests one hand on the open door and repeats his question from earlier. “Are we still on for tomorrow?” His voice is softer now like anything louder will scare me off.
I don’t know how awkward it will be after this, but I know I still want to see him. I just need some space to sleep on it and sort out my head. “Yeah.” His relief is so obvious, I set my gloved hand on his and squeeze. “I’ll pick you up at nine.”
