Page 59 of Selfish Desires

“And he will,” Blair offered, her fingers gently brushing my shoulder. “Just... give him this night.” Blair gave me a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before she rose from the bed and joined Zachary in the doorway. “Where’s Sadie?”

“She’s asleep in the stroller.” Zachary’s eyes raked across Blair’s face, full of unwavering adoration. It made me wonder: did Vincent ever look at me that way?

Too many doubts flooded my mind. And one thing I knew for sure: tonight needed to end.

I straightened on the bed, clearing my throat. “You guys…” I began, but they already knew.

“We’re going to head back to the hotel,” said Blair, throwing me a grin as if telling me not to worry.

“You guys aren’t mad, right?” My voice didn't sound like my own. It lacked its usual warmth and ease. But that was only noticed by me.

“Oh my God. Stop,” said Blair, walking over to me, leaning over, and kissing my head. She enveloped me in a hug, one I didn’t realize how much I needed until I wasn’t letting go of my friend.

“No, we're not mad,” said Blair, her lips pressed to my head while Zachary remained in the room’s shadow. “Just worried. He'll be back. I promise.”

They left the room, their footsteps echoing down the wooden hallway until the front door clicked shut behind them. I felt lonely for the first time in a long while. For what seemed like hours but was likely only minutes, I stared at the door Vincent had left earlier. With each tick-tock of the clock on my nightstand, I became more aware of his absence and the emptiness in my heart. Laying there like a mummy, I watched the minutes turn until an hour turned into two, and he still hadn’t returned.

I held my ring to the dim gold light, staring at its opulence but no longer admiring its beauty or what it symbolized. Thinking about the promise this piece of jewelry carried only made everything hurt more, despite nothing happening yet. A lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to swallow. I squeezed my eyes shut, avoiding the tears threatening to spill over. I felt a sob tearing at my throat, but I choked it down. Grabbing my finger, I yanked off the ring—the first time since he proposed.

“What are you doing?” Vincent’s deep velvet voice pierced the room’s silence.

I let out a gasp, shooting straight up, my heart pounding against my chest, my mind swirling with a mixture of relief, confusion, and anger. He was leaning against the doorway, his body cloaked in shadows.

“Why did you leave?” My voice was trembling, but there was also a desperate edge. He stepped into the room, and the hushed light fell over his face. His expression was somber, his cobalt orbs shielded with sadness.

“I needed to think,” he admitted quietly, stepping closer until his face was fully in view. Just having Vincent sharing the room’s oxygen made me see just how much I missed him and needed him back. I also hated myself for creating this dependence that a part of me loathed. His eyes shifted to my naked ring finger, and he swallowed. “Why did you take that off?”

“It suddenly felt like a lie,” I confessed, averting my gaze to the ring now clenched tightly in my palm, its cold metal biting into my skin. “What did you think about when you were alone?”

“How to keep you safe.”

“And? Did you figure it out?”

His gaze dropped to the floor, tracing the old, intricate wooden patterns before they lifted again to meet mine. “No,” he murmured, shaking his head slightly.

His admission was like a dagger through my heart—it hurt and healed in the same instant. I swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump in my throat.

“But I can't lose you, Wendy,” he added quickly, flexing his hands at his sides. “I won't let you go again. You believe me, right?”

“The fact you even need to ask me means you have doubts.” My jaw clenched, squeezing my eyes shut.

And suddenly I felt his hands on me. All over me. But his fingers stopped on the outline of my jaw, grabbing it so I had no choice but to face Vincent. “Look at me,” he growled.

“Why should I?” My heart pounded as my body began to betray me. Vincent’s touch always ignited a spreading heat straight to my core.

“I never deserved you,” he uttered. Vincent’s fingers traced the outline of my face gently before resting on my neck, raising goosebumps on my skin.

“Maybe not,” I replied softly, covering his hand with mine, feeling his warm skin against the cold metal ring in my palm. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t earn me now.”

Vincent’s lips crashed onto mine, his tongue thrusting through my parted lips, dancing with my tongue. His kiss was desperate, raw. I found myself surrendering to it, pulling him closer until his body was flush against mine. His hand moved from my neck to the base of my spine, pulling me closer. He backed up on his knees, hooking his arms under my legs, pulling me down to only toss me onto my back, pinning my hands above my head.

My chest heaved, welcoming the attack as a warm rush of arousal pooled in my underwear. I looked up at him, trapped beneath his weight, my heart pounding. His eyes were dark clouds of desire as he hovered above me, his breath mingling with mine. His thickening cock pressed against my aching sex, wishing he was buried deep within my walls, igniting a flame that spread through every inch of my body.

Vincent pried the fingers open that held the ring, and he took the jewelry, holding it above my eyes to view. Neither of us breathed as he returned the ring to the bare finger where it belonged. As he slid it back on slowly, his eyes never left mine.

“Please, Wendy. I need you.”

It was all I needed to hear to pull Vincent’s mouth back onto mine, solidifying our unity for tonight but with no real promise of tomorrow. I was finished doubting what would happen tonight, tomorrow, or even a year from now. I just needed him, like he needed me.

---