Page 64 of The Penalty

“Yes.” She stood back and crossed her arms. “Sit.”

I obliged out of curiosity more than anything. Victoria climbed on the lounger and knelt behind me.

“I’m giving you a massage so you can relax.” She smoothed her palms over my neck and shoulders. Her touch immediately shot bolts of electricity through me, tightening my muscles further. “The other kind of relax, Xavier.”

A quiet laugh rumbled in my chest. “Of course, city princess.”

I purged all thoughts of Jordan and my lingering unease to focus on the firm, sure hands applying pressure to my shoulder blades. Her movements were controlled and methodical, shifting closer to my spine, moving out, down, and repeating.

By the time she reached my lower back, all the tension I didn’t know I’d been holding melted away.

The air around us hummed with awareness when she scratched her nails up my neck and into my hair. Our breathing synced in soft, even breaths. I felt her breasts press into my back when she leaned into me and gently massaged my scalp.

This felt fucking good.

“Is it helping?” Victoria’s warm breath tickled the back of my neck.

“Yes, love. Thank you.”

“Anything for you.”

Why did she sound melancholy?

When I felt her body pull away, I turned and saw her looking up at the sky. I tilted my head back. Can’t say I’ve ever seen this many stars. Makes sense though. We’re miles away from any big cities, so there’s no light pollution. It’s just us and the universe.

“Think they’re fireflies or giant balls of burning gas?” I joked, catching her gaze.

A tiny smile touched her mouth before she looked up again.

At first I thought her eyes glistened from taking in all this beauty. But then I saw a single tear slide down her cheek. It nearly broke me.

“Thinking about your sister?”

Victoria nodded. Another tear left a damp trail. Her lip trembled slightly.

“I’m sorry. This weekend is supposed to be for us. Not me getting all emotional.”

I cupped her face in my hand. “Don’t ever apologize for this, Tori.” More tears slipped down her cheek.

“It’s been twenty years.” Her voice cracked. “Twenty years since she was alive and we celebrated our birthday together. Do you know what that means?”

I did know but I stayed quiet, rubbing her tears away with my thumb.

“I’ve lived more years of my life without her, than when she was with me.”

There were very few things in this world I couldn’t withstand. Seeing Victoria cry was one of them. All I wanted to do was make this better for her.

I pulled her into a tight hug, holding her as close as I could. Somehow, I knew this was the first time she’d ever broken down this way in front of someone other than her best friend. The weight of this moment didn’t escape me.

“It’s not fair, Xavier,” she choked back a sob. “Charlotte should be here. She should be thriving and happy and— I should have done more. I shouldn’t have taken her that night. I shouldn’t have left her alone. It’s my fault.”

I gripped her with such force I thought I might break her. “That’s your mother talking, love. You were just a young girl yourself. What happened was completely out of your control.”

Something caught fire in my chest. Something fiercely protective.

I’m going to fucking kill him.

There is no way in hell Jordan will get away with hurting her. I don’t care about the consequences. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy. Whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.

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