Page 15 of A Simple Love
I pull her into me this time, her head resting on my shoulder, closing my eyes to breathe her in and memorize the feel of her body on mine. I trace my fingers up and down her spine as I hold her as close as humanly possible.
Do I tell her why it took five years? Do I destroy her image of her father and confess his loathing for me? If I do that now, it will ruin the entire evening, a night that has turned out better than I ever could have imagined. There’s a time and place for such declarations, and tonight is not that time.
“Anything worth having requires patience, Vic. I’d say we’ve beenextremelypatient, wouldn’t you?”
She chuckles in my arms, the vibrations of her laugh bouncing off my chest. “Definitely.”
We spend a few more songs wrapped up in each other, a handful of moments perfect for a kiss, but I still hesitate. I want to kiss her so damn bad, the thought of her lips on mine is one I’ve fantasized about ten times a day since I was ten. Now I’m twenty-four. You do the math. But just like Vic said in the truck on the way here, what if the expectation doesn’t live up to the reality? After holding her in my arms tonight and touching her finally, I’m afraid that the opposite may, in fact, be true. The reality of kissing Victoria Baker could far surpass the fantasy I’ve anticipated all these years.
Victoria stifles a yawn as we glide across the hardwood at the end of a song.
“You ready to go?” I ask her, pulling her by the hand off the dance floor.
“Yeah, sorry. I’ve just been so tired lately, even though I have little to do besides go to work. I think my body is trying to catch up on the sleep I’ve neglected for the past seven years.”
Her joke makes me laugh as I lead her to the parking lot, my hand never leaving hers.
“I completely understand. Let’s get you home.” I secure Vic in my truck, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before hopping in myself to begin the drive back to Hopetown. When we reach her house, I kill the headlights and shut off the engine as soon as I arrive in her driveway, not wanting to wake her family. It’s just before midnight, so everyone must be sleeping.
I make my way around my truck, opening the door for Vic before leading her to the front door. The creak of the porch stairs beneath our feet makes us both giggle like teenagers sneaking home past curfew.
Vic turns to me, her eyes alight with fire, the anticipation of my next move thick between us. “Thank you for a great evening, Mike. I had so much fun and who knew you had moves on the dance floor?”
I flash her my charming grin, the one my mom used to say would be a detriment to women when I got older. “My mom insisted Dean and I knew how to dance with a lady. She used to make us take turns with her in the living room after dinner.”
Her hand comes up to caress my cheek. “Well, she taught you well.” Her eyes bounce back and forth between mine as silence fills the space between us, the only noise audible is crickets chirping in the background.
This is it, the moment I’ve been waiting for, the time to kiss Victoria Baker. I’ve been preparing myself mentally, the idea of finally touching my lips to hers on my mind for months. Taking two steps towards her, her hand drops from my face as she retreats until her back hits the side of her house, her body still as a board except for the rise and fall of her chest from her shallow breathing. My hand comes up to find her neck, grasping the long slender column of silky skin beneath my callused palm. I lean down until our lips are an inch apart, the feel of her breath across my face sends goosebumps along my neck and arms. Her hands find my hips, pulling me towards her just enough so our lips finally meet each other’s, the sensation overwhelming enough to cause both of us to gasp before we give in to our wants.
I press my pelvis into her as she stands up taller, her hands leaving my hips to encircle my neck, her fingers running through my hair on the back of my head. I let out a groan as her lips part and welcome my tongue inside, the slow caress of my taste buds on hers more delicious than any meal I’ve ever eaten because I’m not just taking a sample of Victoria. I’m devouring her.
Her moan urges me on, but I try my damnedest to maintain control before I ruin the buildup between us all night and scare her off with the real things I want to do to her. Instead, I focus on the feel of her curves beneath my fingers as I trace my hands up over her hips and along her rib cage before landing on her shoulders and up into her hair. Fisting the hair at the back of her head with one hand, I move the other to her chest, gliding my fingers along her cleavage as a tingling sensation travels up my arms and down my spine and goosebumps appear on her skin. The magnetism coming alive from touching Victoria is reactive, a pull so strong I don’t care to fight it. But I know if I don’t end this soon, we’re both going to end up moving faster than we should.
I take one more sip from her mouth, a nip at her bottom lip, and a stroke of her tongue before pulling away, my eyes still closed for fear of opening them and being slapped with the reality that the moment is over.
Lifting my eyelids slowly, I’m granted with the vision of Victoria leaning against her house, her limbs merely hanging at her sides as her breathing is erratic enough to match mine. Her eyes flutter open and we lock our gaze, both of us simply inhaling and exhaling, not sure of what to say.
“Good night, Vic. I’ll call you soon.” I manage to choke out through the uneasiness in my voice from the rattling my body just underwent.
The slow smile that forms on her face indicates the same feelings from her that I feel in my chest right now. Pure desire, unwavering gratitude, ultimate contentment. “Good night, Mike,” she whispers before turning to unlock the door and quietly shut it behind her.
I saunter down the stairs again, fold myself into my truck and drive home, high on life, high on love, and high on Victoria Baker. Not until I reach my house, do I remember the two people standing in my way to make Victoria mine forever. Ben Paxton and Frank Baker. But now I know, without a doubt, she is worth all the fear and the fight. I’m jumping in with both feet.
Chapter 11
Victoria
“It’s the Bachelorette, Victoria Baker!” Hayley teases as I walk into Pauline and Dean’s kitchen. Pauline and Dean invited everyone over to their house for a Fourth of July barbeque this year, complete with plenty of booze, food, and a volleyball game for later.
“Oh shut up,” I reply on an eye roll just as Hayley comes up behind me. Her tiny red bikini top leaves little to the imagination, but she wears it well. The bottoms are concealed by denim shorts and her long blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail under a baseball cap.
“Vic, fill us in! How were your first dates with Ben and Mike?” Pauline waddles over the island from the sink where she was washing some delectable looking strawberries.
Both girls prop their chins in their hands as they lean over the island in the kitchen, anxiously awaiting every sordid detail of my dates with both men. I swear, they really do think this is just like a dating show. But for me, it’s proven to be rather conflicting. I haven’t seen both of them since our girl’s night a few weeks ago, the time between comprised both of my dates and few days of work, some relaxing at Mrs. Hanson’s pond, and a few shopping trips for classroom supplies. Pauline and Dean also got engaged last week, and I’ve yet to see her ring.
“Well, where should we start?” I flip my hair over my shoulder dramatically as I take a seat at a stool and grab a bottle of water.
“Hey ladies.” I’m interrupted by Dean behind me, entering the kitchen through the back door from the deck and immediately finding Pauline. Wearing nothing but a pair of black swim trunks, he bends down to kiss her lips softly and rub her belly on display in her black two-piece before turning his attention on me. “Vic, how’s it going?”