Page 55 of (Un)Spoken

“And you’ll be…”

“Somewhere that is none of your business.”

THIRTY-TWO

Sitting on the back porch of my cabin, I watched as the sun set over the hills. The entire day, I’d been on edge, wondering what had happened between Victoria and Cole. When she first sent me a text saying he was taking her fishing, I was elated; it later turned to anxiety as the time kept on ticking.

What if they argued? Would Victoria want to leave? As much as I told myself I was worth sticking around for, it still nagged in the back of my mind.

Because there was no question in my mind—I was falling for Victoria. Every moment I spent with her only added to my desire to be close to her. She’d roped me in with her sweet smile, but there was so much more to her than that. She understood me in a way other people hadn’t before. Being around her, and being around Emilia, made me want to be the man they saw, the one they looked at with light in their eyes.

After half-living in the shadows, being around Victoria and Emilia was like a light in the darkness, twin beacons leading me back to where I belonged.

That became even clearer after my phone call with Dr. Kedir earlier in the day. Even though my next appointment wasn’t scheduled until the middle of the week, she always insisted I call her if I was struggling. And while I’d never taken her up on it before, I needed her quiet confidence to talk me through all the major changes in my life.

As we talked about my decision to step back into acting, Dr. Kedir started asking about my plans for the future. As I pondered returning to New York, every inch of my body tensed, unwilling to even entertain the thought.

Due to the nomadic nature of my job, I’d never given too much thought to the idea of settling down. For the past few years, I’d bounced around to different sets, and during the promotional period, I’d spend weeks on the road for premieres and press circuits. But now that I’d started to plant some roots, the idea of a true home was incredibly appealing. I wanted somewhere I could grow into, a place to call my own, away from the rest of the world.

I’d always assumed it would be a city or town that called to me, begging me to make it my home. However, now, home didn’t make me think of a place I could point to on a map. No, it made me think of Victoria and Emilia. There was nothing that compared to the way I felt when I was around them.

Everything else was just window dressing.

Now, I just had to make sure Victoria was on the same page.

Even though she’d opened up to me, there was still something she was holding back. As I spoke with my therapist about our relationship, I realized how much of it was me leading the charge. I didn’t mind, not when she had so much more on her plate, but it also made room for doubts to grow. So as much as it killed me, I was determined to waitfor her to make the next move. Even though I’d cursed his appearance at the time, maybe it was a good thing that Cole interrupted us last night. After spending the day at her side, I was unable to hold back, needing to be as close to her as possible. Now that I had time to clear my head, I was willing to let her take charge and set our pace.

I wasn’t going anywhere.

I grabbed my now-cold coffee, bringing it to the sink in the kitchen. As I rinsed it out, a knock sounded at my door. I frowned, trying to figure out who was waiting on the other side. God, hopefully, it wasn’t Cole coming to yell about the disaster of his day.

But as I pulled the door open, my breath caught in my chest. Victoria stood on my porch, her dark eyes devouring me as soon as our gazes met. She smiled brightly at me. “Are you going to invite me in?”

“Depends,” I chuckled. “What do you need, Tori?”

“You,” she said breathlessly. “I need you. Now.”

I pulled Victoria inside, not giving a single fuck if someone saw us together. Normally, we’d never be this bold, never risk flaunting our connection where Cole could catch us. But when the woman of your dreams shows up at your house and says she needs you?

Yeah, you don’t bother worrying about the consequences.

Taking her hand in mine, I led her into my room then turned to face her as we crossed the threshold. My fingers ghosted her cheeks, pushing back into her hair so I could take her expression in fully. “You sure about this, Tori?”

She nodded. “More than anything in my life, Adam. I need you.”

I inhaled slowly, as if I could taste her words written in the space between us. They went straight to my cock,already starting to harden in my jeans. But as much as I wanted to dive straight into her, I couldn’t, not until she knew what this meant for me.

“If we do this, that means you’re mine. I don’t care what Cole or anyone else has to say about it.” I reached down, thumbing her plush lower lips. “This mouth, this body, your mind, and your heart—they all belong to me.” I leaned forward so she could see I meant every word. “You okay with that?”

Her wide, brown eyes searched mine, looking for any sign of hesitation. She wouldn’t find any. Slowly, she nodded, placing her hand on my chest. “I’m yours as long as you’re mine.”

“Oh, trouble,” I chuckled, bringing her closer to me. Before our lips could touch, I whispered, “You already have all of me. I was just waiting for you to realize it.”

Victoria let out a let gasp as my lips collided with hers, consuming her just as I promised. Our kisses had been amazing before, full of fire and desire, but this one was different. It wasn’t a stolen moment, wasn’t a taste of what we couldn’t have. No, this kiss was a sacred oath. It was us giving in to each other, knowing it would change everything. It was coming home.

My hands traced Victoria’s curves until I leaned down, cupping her thighs. Without breaking our kiss, I lifted her, bringing her into the bathroom with me. As I placed her on the counter, she pulled back and looked at me with an adorable pout. “What are we doing in here?”

“No offense, baby, but you’ve been in the lake all day,” I chuckled, shifting to raise her sweater over her head. “So I thought the shower might be the best place to start.” I pressed a kiss to her sternum as I toyed with the top of her leggings. “How much time do we have?”

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