The words landed between them, raw and unguarded.
Panic kept him talking, not giving Belle a chance to respond. “I want you.” He waved his hand between them. “But not like this. Not in this bubble we’ve been pretending is enough.”
Belle didn’t speak. Didn’t move. And that scared the hell out of him.
He pushed through anyway.
“I’m not afraid of loving you, Sunshine,” he continued, forcing the words out. “Iamscared shitless of losing you. Of screwing this up and taking everyone down with us.” His jawtightened. “But I’d rather risk the fall than keep pretending this isn’t everything to me.”
Silence stretched between them, and Victor felt every second of it like a countdown to the end of the game.
Then he saw the tears on her lashes…followed by that soft, sweet smile of hers.
“You love me?” she asked in disbelief.
Victor nodded.
She bit her lower lip, as if trying to hold back what was shaping up to be the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her face…and that was saying something, because she was rarely without a smile. “I love you too.”
Victor cupped her face, his thumbs brushing away the tears sliding down her cheeks as he looked into the eyes of the woman of his dreams.
For once, he wasn’t bracing for impact or waiting for the fall.
For the first time, Victor was stepping forward—no hesitation, no retreat.
All in.
CHAPTER TEN
The evening skywas clear and full of stars. It felt like Mother Nature was going the extra mile to take this incredible night and make it even better. The breeze was refreshing and clean, as the full moon cast dancing shadows across the grass where it blew through the trees.
Belle stepped back into Victor’s warm embrace, his hands moving around her like they belonged there—because they did. He traced the line of her spine, tugging her even closer, until every part of him pressed against her. Belle let herself melt into the hug, her body recognizing home.
She was at home in his arms.
They remained there for a long time. Personally, she needed that time to let the beauty of his words sink in deep enough that she could convince herself this was real. She was literally living in the moment when all her dreams came true, and she wanted to savor it.
Victor was the first to step away. He gestured for her to return to the chair he’d just pulled her out of, and he took his.
“We’ve spent too much time not talking,” he said, once they were settled. He shifted slightly, giving her a crooked smile. “Ithink it’s time we get all the worries out in the open. Time to come up with some solutions or, at the very least, a plan for moving forward.”
“I agree.” At the beginning of their affair, Belle had been fine with taking things one day at a time, convincing herself it was the smart play. She knew now, it had been nothing short of cowardice.
Well, cowardice and lust-soaked brain cells.
In her defense, it was damn hard to think logically now that she knew just how good a lover Victor was. Whenever he was in the room, her hormones kicked her brain to the curb, and she was on the verge of becoming a bona fide sex addict.
Actually, she probably already was.
“I don’t want you moving back in with Viv when she gets home,” Victor snapped, his tone—while his standard—not matching his wonderful words. Instead, he spat them out like she was a naughty child he’d caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“But where will I live?” she asked, feigning earnestness, even though she was teasing him. She figured her question would either calm him down or fire him up more, and she didn’t really care which result she produced. Both were fun.
“Here,” he growled, his voice low and possessive. “I’m not going back to living in this house alone, so you’re staying right here, dammit.” He hesitated, no doubt hearing the outright demand in his tone. He ran a hand over his hair. “I mean…”
Belle laughed softly. “I want to live here with you, though that’s something we’re going to have to talk to my boss about,” she added, only partly joking.
Victor blinked, confusion flickering in his eyes. “I’ll talk to Viv. I think she’ll understand. It’s Pip…”
