‘You looking for a reassignment?’ Her tone’s teasing, but there’s an undercurrent of concern.
‘The only assignment I’m looking for is between your legs. My palms roam over the swell of her hips and across the Lycra leggings.
At least these days we don’t have to run fourteen miles to strike up a conversation.
‘You didn’t want to come here.’ It’s not a question.
‘You know that. And you know why. It’s not because I didn’t want you, it’s because I did.’
She nods, like she still doesn’t fully trust it. Trust what we have. Like she’s looking for validation. Those three little words swirl on the tip of my tongue, itching to fly off and out into the world where they can never be taken back.
Is it too soon?
A sigh slips out in their place.
Taking her wrists, I place her hands on my shoulders and tilt her chin upwards, forcing her to look at me. A vulnerability lurks in those gold-flecked eyes.
‘Victoria, I told you I didn’t sleep with another woman for two years before I got here. If that doesn’t tell you enough, I don’t know what will.’
‘It’s just you’re so sophisticated. You’re savvy enough to read a room the second you walk into it. You even cook better than Gordon fucking Ramsay himself, and you manage to ooze masculinity in the process. I can barely make it through a day in A&E without flopping on the couch…Whatever this thing between us is, I just hope I’m…’ She swats the air between us.
This thing between us is everything. That’s what it is. To me, at least.
‘What do you want this thing to be?’ She has to call it, not me. She’s ten years younger than me. She has her whole life ahead of her. The reality is, she probably won’t want to be tied to me. Not long term. I might be a chapter in her romance novel. She’s my entire book.
I search her face for whatever it is she’s trying to tell me. For a man who can read the room, I’m not doing very well reading what’s right in front of my eyes because I’d nearly swear this goddess before me is exhibiting signs of insecurity, but that can’t be right. ‘Talk to me, Vic.’
Her voice is barely more than a whisper. ‘Sometimes I worry I’m not enough for you.’
‘Not enough? You’re kidding, right? You’re everything I ever wanted. All I’ve ever wanted.’
I lift her up and she wraps her thighs around my waist. Now is not the time to hold back, clearly. ‘I’m falling head over heels in love with you.’
Her hot lips crash against mine and she kisses me like she’s drowning. Our mouths tear frenziedly against one another. Her tongue strokes mine, devouring, consuming, cementing our connection.
She pulls back all too soon. ‘You’re not the only one falling, Archie. Don’t ever dream of getting reassigned anywhere, okay?’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ I mutter into her mouth.
Her hands palm the back of my neck. ‘So, summer at the castle?’
‘Well, where else were you planning on spending the holidays? I presume you have to wait for registration after graduation or something?’
‘Yeah, then I have another two years' residency to do as a junior.’
‘Here?’ An image of my cabin at Huxley Castle flashes through my mind.
‘Not necessarily. Maybe Ireland. I’ll have to put in my applications immediately after graduation and see what I get offered. It’ll be a long summer waiting at Huxley Castle.’ Pearly white teeth capture her lower lip, nibbling on whatever she’s about to say next. I gather it’s not about work. ‘I hate lying to my sisters, Arch. Like, if this thing between us is serious, as I hope it is, perhaps we should just tell Sasha Ryan we’re together?’
Hazel pools swirl with longing before me and my instinctive reaction is to give this woman whatever she wants. Everything she wants, whenever she wants. But I’m not sure this is her best idea.
‘Then the reassignment might be taken out of my hands.’ The thought of another man living here with Victoria is too much to bear. ‘You only have a few more months before graduation. Let’s do it after the graduation ceremony. That extra time will give us a lot more credibility when we do come out. Plus, they can’t be mad at us on your grad, right?’
They probably can, but at least they’ll have to hold their tongues until the next day, which might leave a few hours to recover from the shock.
Her gaze zeroes in on my mouth. ‘When? Not if?’
‘When.’ My tone is staunch, but even as I say the word, I feel the weight of it. I refuse to fully contemplate the repercussions telling Ryan might bring. He’s become like a brother to me these past few years.
