Page 164 of The Penalty

We ran this drill for the rest of our session. I never knew which direction the ball would come from when he shouted strike. Once we finished, I hit the showers and went home.

Prowling around my flat did nothing to calm me. Dinner wasn’t for another two hours but Cade should be here any minute.

Not sure how much longer I could take all the waiting.

Just when I thought I’d crawl out of my fucking skin, a knock sounded at the door. My pulse ratcheted up several notches.

I flung it open and nearly had a heart attack.

Victoria.

She was right there in living color. Right in front of me.

Red hair fell in loose waves across her shoulders. Bright emerald eyes widened when she smiled. My smile. The one that brings me to my knees.

“Hi.” Her greeting was breathy and sexy as hell. “I hope you don’t mind me showing up unannounced. I had some extra time and thought maybe we could hang out for a little while and go to the event together.”

My stomach clenched.

“I don’t mind at all. Come inside.”

Her musky, vanilla scent swirled around me when she walked by. The room vibrated with anticipation and unspoken words. Caressing her with my eyes, I dragged my gaze over her lush curves. The blue dress she wore fluttered around her thighs with every graceful step.

All the distance I’d felt the last few weeks evaporated. Victoria’s presence consumed me, filling my soul and saturating the very air I breathe.

“I saw Cade outside just now.” Victoria tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I noticed a small tremble in her hand. “He looked totally surprised to see me and said he’d meet you at the restaurant instead. I didn’t interfere with your plans, did I?”

“No, love.” I reached for her. “Come to me.”

A dusting of pink stained her cheeks at my low command. For a second, I feared she didn’t want me to touch her.

How pretentious of me to assume we’d just fall back into our same pattern. So much has come to light since Paris. Who am I to think she’d even feel the same way?

But then she rushed toward me. The moment she melted into my embrace, any lingering doubts faded.

Neither of us spoke for the longest stretch of time. We simply stood wrapped in each other’s arms. Burying my face in her neck, I whispered, “I’m never letting you go.”

“Same,” she murmured, her grasp tightening.

Skimming my palm down her back, I wanted nothing more than to pin her to the wall, and fuck her senseless. Feeling her body pressed to mine after weeks of separation fueled the pent-up fire burning through me. Reigning in my urges proved difficult.

Be a gentleman.

A noticeable chill settled between us when she pulled away.

“I have an ulterior motive for coming over.” Victoria’s melodic voice stilled my heart. “There’s something I have to tell you. Several things, in fact.”

Wariness edged out any overt lust at her serious tone. “Okay.” My hand lingered on her back. “I have a few things to tell you, too.”

She looked up at me through her lashes, a shrewd smile slanting her mouth. “You first.”

“Me?” Incredulity strangled the laugh bubbling in my throat. “Don’t you think I’ve said enough?”

“No.” The tenderness in her eyes sank into my soul, filling cracks I didn’t know existed. “I never want you to stop telling me things. The hard stuff, the easy stuff, all of it.” She traced her thumb along my jaw, pausing when she reached my neck. Silence filled the room for a beat while she stared at the skin beneath my left ear. “You have a new tattoo?”

I nodded. “I got it two weeks ago.”

“A rose on fire,” she whispered, hovering her fingers over the ink. “Is that my name where the stem should be?”

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