All he was left with was one thought…one word.
One that he muttered into the quiet of the night.
“Fuck.”
CHAPTER SIX
Belle walked outsidewith a glass of wine in hand, drawing in a slow, deep, steadying breath, as she tried to convince herself she was doing the right thing.
Her head had been spinning since Victor’s unexpected—and oh-so-fucking hot—kiss two nights earlier. He’d claimed it was a mistake, and she could tell from his expression he’d genuinely believed it.
Though she couldn’t understand how.
How the hell could he be a part ofthatkiss and not think it was the most amazing, perfect, right thing on the planet?
Belle had been kissed before by at least a half dozen different guys, and some of those kisses had been really good.
However, none of them—not a single one—came close to the way Victor kissed.
Holy shit.
It had honestly felt like she was going to spontaneously combust.
When he pulled away, it had physically hurt. Her body had beenthatturned on and ready.
Just. From. One. Kiss.
That had never happened to her before.
But then he’d pushed her away, apologized, and left her so confused and horny, she had no choice but to walk away. The kiss had blindsided her so much, she’d known the smart thing to do was to take some time to try to figure out not only what had driven it but the abrupt ending.
However, before she could consider his actions with any semblance of logical, coolheaded thinking, she’d been forced to pull out her vibrator and take care of business.
Mercifully, Victor had remained in the living room, because her orgasm had struck hard and fast and a little louder than she’d intended. She’d never come so quickly, and while the climax had taken the edge off, the effects were short-lived.
For the past two days, she’d walked around like a live wire, her body—even her skin—feeling electrified, sparking and sizzling. She and Pip had spent a lot of time yesterday and today in the pool, simply because Belle needed the water to stay cool.
Also, her assurance that she’d accepted Victor’s apology for his impetuous kiss didn’t seem to take. He’d made an art form out of avoiding her ever since.
Yesterday, he’d opted to do his workout at the training facility, even though it was typically a day when he would have used his home gym. Then he’d texted to say he was having lunch and drinks with his coach. He’d arrived home in time for dinner, but rather than spend time in the kitchen cooking with her and Pip, as had been their routine, he’d shown up with pizzas.
Pip had been delighted when he announced they were going to eat dinner in front of the TV, watching her favorite movie,Moana.
The movie was a clever way to avoid conversation and eye contact—and Belle had hated every minute of it.
Tonight, he’d continued to evade her by inviting several of his teammates over for a cookout. With a dozen Stingraysplayers and their significant others around, Victor had managed to give her a very wide berth, the two of them exchanging fewer than a dozen words.
Everyone had left half an hour ago. Victor had suggested he clean up while she handle Pip’s bedtime routine. She’d expected Victor to escape to his bedroom afterward, just as he had last night after the movie, so she was surprised to hear the back door to the patio open.
Glancing outside, Belle spotted him in his usual Adirondack, sitting by the pool, a bottle of beer on the table beside him.
She hovered by the window for a full five minutes, trying to decide what the smart move was. It was obvious he was trying to avoid her because he regretted the kiss. While that hurt—a lot—she hated the distance between them even more.
So, she quietly walked downstairs and poured herself a glass of wine before stepping outside to join him.
Victor glanced up when she walked past him.
“You started without me,” she said softly, infusing her words with as much playfulness as she could muster.
