Page 69 of Viktor

Sara was quiet on the drive to Magnolia’s. She had this pressing weight centered right in her chest. Not heart attack inducing pain, but if she were honest, she was on the verge of having a mental heart attack. No, this weight was all emotion. Pressing against her chest so hard, she needed to scream.

Emotions she’d never felt before. Emotions she’d never written about before because she’d never experienced them.

Lust.

Pain.

Indecision.

Hope.

Those were things she knew, understood on a personal level. She incorporated all that into her writing.

But this emotion pressing on her chest was alien to her. It only occurred around Viktor, and she knew it was important. It was real. She wanted to break down in tears, it was so real. She’d been in lust, she’d been in love before, but never had she felt an emotion so intense, it physically ached.

And that was how she felt whenever Viktor touched her. That ache swam up and sat right there in the middle of her chest and dared her to ignore it.

The feeling had gotten worse since the night of the attack when he’d taken care of her. He looked after her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. When he saw how hard it was for her to eat, he’d stopped eating because she couldn’t. No one had ever done that for her, not even her parents. He’d run her a bath and then sat on the couch with her all night, talking and watching movies. She’d fallen asleep feeling safe and cherished for the first time in…well, ever.

There was no denying her heart was beginning to cave to him and his crazy intentions.

And here was where the problem came in. She didn’t trust herself. She’d spent so long in an abusive marriage, she was afraid to trust what she was feeling. Sara wanted to reach out and grab the carrot he was dangling in front of her, but she was so afraid of making another mistake. It wasn’t only her who would get hurt. She had to think about Delia. Her daughter would always come first.

And then that pressure in her chest tightened at the thought. It laughed at her, dared her to deny this feeling wasn’t real.

“We’re here.”

Viktor’s soft voice interrupted her silent debate. She looked up and found him studying her with the same intensity she’d been studying herself. Concern flared in his eyes.

“Are you hurting? We can go back to the hotel if you’re in pain. I’ll order in for you.”

And there it was. He was putting her first again. Her needs mattered to him. That pressure in her chest became almost unbearable.

“Promise me something.”

“What,moye sokrovishche?”

“That you’re not going to hurt me. I don’t think I can survive it.”

Oh, my God, that just spewed out of her mouth, didn’t it? She ducked her head, her face flaming with embarrassment. What was she thinking?

He made a sound, part guttural growl, part sigh. His fingers pulled her face up so she was forced to look at him.

And boy, did she want to duck her head again.

Right there in the deepest part of his onyx gaze, a light flared, burning brighter than a supernova exploding. It flared out until it consumed his iris, and her breath left her. The depth of the tenderness and sincerity slayed her.

“I’ve been searching for you since I was old enough to understand what I wanted. When I met you, it was clear as to me as a cloudless summer sky. I was born to love you, Sara Jane Riley. There’s not a force on this planet that could ever make me hurt you.” He cupped her cheek. “Even knowing that, I fought this. It scared me.”

“It scares you?” She searched his face, looking for and finding the truth. He was as terrified as she was.

He gave her that lazy grin. “Sure does, baby, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to fight tooth and nail for you.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “We need to sit down and talk, but now is not the time to do it.”

She nodded and felt bereft when his hand left her cheek.

He glanced at the restaurant. “We need to haul ass before Dimitri eats the place out of house and home.”

She laughed and waited for him to come around to let her out, another small thing he always did. He opened doors for her and pulled out chairs. Sure, a lot of women didn’t like that, but she did. She more than liked it. He was always taking care of her, something she’d really noticed since that night on the couch.

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