Page 4 of Her Jealous Valentine

In some bold gesture my hands make that my brain has no say in, I add <3 next to my name. If I wasn’t laying it on thick before, I squeezed every last drop out of the bottle with this one.

But Victor isn’t deterred by my silliness. His smile grows, and his eyes widen with great joy.

“Charming, witty. I could go on, you know?” I add.

Before he gets a chance to say I should, if that’s what he was going to say, the door to my left opens once again.

“As always, Mrs. Valentine, you are the picture of health,” Dr. Sinclair says as the ladies emerge. “Keep up whatever you’re doing, and I’ll see you in three months.”

Dr. Sinclair doesn’t spend more than a few seconds in the lobby after saying goodbye before she goes back inside.

“What’s this, then?” Veronica’s tone is laced with high-spirited knowing, while her eyes dance mischievously between Victor and me.

“A genie fulfilling your wish,” Victor says. Intrigued as I am to know what it means, I’m not jumping in the middle of this. “Better be careful, Mother. You’ve only got two left.”

“And I know exactly how I’m going to use them.” Veronica makes her way to Victor’s side, and it’s her turn to extend a hand to him. Victor looks at it hesitantly before she says, “What? Too good to hold your mother’s hand because you’re making gaga eyes at Olivia?”

I giggle frantically at Veronica scolding the giant, and it worsens when Victor slumps his shoulders and ends up taking her hand anyway.

“Too good? Never. I was afraid you were getting jealous that you’re not the only woman who has my interest.” He tries his best to play it off as cool, calm, and collected.

“There’s a good boy,” she says with a satisfied smile before leaning over to look at me past his enormous barrel chest. “You have a lovely day, dear. It’s always a pleasure to see you.”

“I’ll see you tonight, Olivia?” Victor asks, to my great surprise. He seems so self-conscious about how we were just flirting, and yet he’s willing to say that?

Frozen in place, partly due to the fact that he’s serious, I can barely move my neck enough to nod in response.

Then they’re off without another word.

I’m left stunned, bewildered, and excited that Victor Valentine wants to take me of all people to dinner. That doesn’t mean I won’t grab the opportunity with both hands.

3

VICTOR

Olivia’s tiny. Most people are next to me, but she seems especially delicate and dainty in her cream-white dress that glitters beneath the low-hanging lights above us.

She won’t be this small for long.

Not when her belly swells with my children inside it.

Fuck, I better cut those thoughts out of my head immediately. My cock’s already as hard as steel, watching Olivia’s cleavage spilling out the V of her dress. Adding any more pressure won’t do the seams of my trousers any favors to stay intact.

“So, you studied abroad, met some guy, and hooked him so tight he followed you back here?” I grab my Old Fashioned off the table and ease back in my chair, playing along with the conversation as best I can.

It’s a first date. This is what people do. Talk about their pasts. Open up. Get to know one another. But that’s a skillset I’m sorely lacking, with my past being a quick climb up a short corporate ladder.

Jealousy isn’t a good look on me, but I can’t stop the green-eyed monster from rearing its ugly head. Talking about some dickhead following her around the world pisses me off, and yet Olivia talks about it as if it’s just another casual joke.

And it is to her.

I need to rein in my budding aggression toward the strawman Olivia’s poking fun at. He isn’t here, and I’ll look like a loon if I get upset over her ex.

“Crazy, right? We weren’t even really a thing, either. He kinda glued himself to my hip when I arrived in England and never let go. He’s been here for two years, hoping he actually stands a chance.” She’s giggling. That has to be a good sign. Olivia wouldn’t be nonchalant with her feelings if she thought there was a spark with this guy.

“Can’t blame him myself. Look at what you’ve done to me, and all we did was spend the morning and two courses of dinner together.” I exhale, relieved that I’m not in competition for Olivia’s affection. That wouldn’t do me or the Brit any good.

My feelings would be hurt, and he’d have to pick his teeth up from the floor.

---