Page 87 of Full House

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

A noise woke Victoria. She looked over. Nate’s side of the bed was empty. She got up on her elbows and spied him coming out of the closet. He emerged dressy-casual in a pair of beige linen slacks and a white button-up dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top three buttons undone, showing a glimpse of his chest. Very nice.

He strode to her side of the bed still in the process of rolling his last sleeve. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart, it’s still early.”

She glanced at the window. Weak sunlight filtered through the blinds. “What time is it?”

“Six.”

She nodded groggily, knowing she didn’t need to get up for a couple more hours.

He pushed on her shoulders, forcing her head back down to her pillow. He followed, stopping with his face a mere inch from hers when he said, “I set your alarm for eight. Now, go back to sleep.”

His lips landed on hers, and she tangled her fingers in the back of his still damp hair as he deepened the kiss. He pulled away reluctantly, pausing to give her nibbling kisses on her lips, chin, and jaw before fully sitting up. “If I don’t leave now, I never will.”

Smiling, she snuggled her head into the pillow as he grabbed his phone, slipping it into his front pocket and striding from the room. She yawned and closed her eyes, making a mental note to tell him how great his ass looked in those pants.

Victoria was sitting on the living-room couch when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the phone clutched in her hand. Eight fifty-nine. “Punctual as always,” she murmured, setting her phone on the coffee table.

She answered the door, throwing it wide.

Byron stood on the step in his typical attire, no matter the weather—a three-piece suit. Dots of perspiration covered his brow and upper lip. “I brought you a coffee to say thank you.” He held out a cup with a local coffee shop logo she recognized stamped on the side.

“A thank you for what?” She took the cup he offered and waved him inside.

“For agreeing to see me on such short notice when I know you’ve got things to do to get ready to leave.”

He really had a bee in his butt about her going out of town.

His head swiveled around the room. “Nate home?”

“No, he had an early morning meeting.”

She walked them into the living room then sat on the couch, placing her coffee on the table next to her phone before sitting back and getting comfortable. “Okay, so what’s so important, you had to tell it to me in person?”

Byron sat in one of the two overstuffed chairs across from the couch. Leaning back, his suit jacket fell open, revealing his vest, the buttons pulled taut from the expanse of his belly, his white dress shirt showing through the gaps. Victoria waited impatiently while he took a sip of his coffee.

He set his cup down on the little side table before speaking. “Gideon Warren said he would be happy to reschedule your meeting and hopes all is well after the accident. He seems very interested in you for the part.”

She frowned. “And you couldn’t tell me that over the phone?”

His eyes hardened, and for the first time, she realized he was a bit angry. “You have a nasty habit of hanging up on me lately. I wanted the chance to say everything I wanted and not the few scraps here and there you’ve allowed me.”

She had been borderline rude, she admitted to herself, but only because he wouldn’t stop pestering her about new projects, and she’d lost patience. But she also had to admit, as much as it annoyed her, he was just doing his job. She sighed, knowing she should apologize. “Listen, I’m sorry for being short, but I’ve told you, repeatedly, I’m not making any decisions about my career until after the baby’s born.”

He sat forward in the chair, hands clutching the armrests, looking ready to pounce. She flinched a little, and he saw the reaction. Sighing, he sat back in his seat, holding up a hand. “I’d really like to argue with you, but I know it will get us nowhere. Will you at least hear me out?”

She composed herself. “I’m right here and comfortable and willing to listen, but I guarantee, you won’t change my mind.”

“We’ll see.” He waved a hand as if indicating her thoughts on the subject were immaterial. “I’ve had several phone calls the past few weeks and not only from Gideon Warren. Starring alongside Nathan Reed was a big deal, and now that your movie is wrapped, you’re a hot commodity. People want you.”

He was getting worked up, she could tell by the small vein that protruded from the side of his forehead and the red flush covering his cheeks. She was worried he’d have a heart attack.

He kept on, not even pausing for breath. “The roles will get snatched quickly. Who knows what will be available a few months from now or in a year. Hell, who knows if they’ll even still want you by then. By not striking now, you’ll be committing career suicide. I’ve worked too hard and invested too much time in you to see that happen. You owe me.”

Her back stiffened. That sounded like a threat.

She made a move to stand to throw his ass out, and he quickly raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry. Sorry. That didn’t come out how I wanted. I’m just very passionate about your career and only want the best for you.”

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