Page 65 of A Chance at Forever
Rusty emitted a short laugh. His emerald eyes twinkled. “Yours or mine?”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “You know what I meant.”
“You’re gorgeous when you blush. That’s why I love teasing you.” He took her arm and steered her toward a room off to the right. “You can have the master bedroom.”
She shook her head. “No. I’ll take your sister’s old room.”
“All right. Follow me.”
Rebecca’s former bedroom pleased Victoria, and she voiced her pleasure aloud to Rusty as he placed her suitcase on the full-sized bed.
“I’m glad you like it. You know where the master bedroom is, if you should need anything.” He gazed into her eyes and sighed her name. “Tori.”
She sensed his need without voicing it. “Sit down, Rusty.”
He perched on the edge of the bed, and she stood in front of him. She took his arms and placed them around her waist. Then she guided his head to her soft chest and held him. She couldn’t explain the fierce protectiveness that burst within her, or why she wanted to give him her strength.
Lovingly, she stroked his thick, layered hair and rested her cheek on top of his head. “I’ve never known anyone like you. You mean everything to me. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Ever.”
Her words struck a responsive chord in him. Rusty pulled her onto the bed, covered her body with his, and kissed her with such passionate intensity that Victoria could hardly catch her breath.
Afterward, he tenderly brushed the hair from her eyes. “Tori. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. And if I don’t get up from this bed right now, I’ll break my promise to you.”
Alone, Victoria touched her swollen lips and fought against the burning desire his hard kisses aroused.
*
Rusty didn’t havethe strength to take a shower. He trembled as he stripped down to his boxers and fell backward onto the king-sized bed. Chilled to the bone, he drew a top sheet and a heavy comforter over his body. Remembering one of the reasons why he insisted on traveling to Colorado in the first place, he turned on his side and yanked open the nightstand drawer. There he found Alex’s latest cocktail for him to take. Two episodes within a few months of each other meant his condition was worsening. He had a limited number of options to prevent the inevitable. Groaning because his weak body wouldn’t move at his command, Rusty swallowed a pill large enough for a horse without water. He lay back and closed his eyes and thought about the woman he loved sleeping alone in a room on the other side of the cabin.
The woman he loved. Victoria.
Keeping the truth from her killed him.
No one knew the truth except Alex and Rebecca. But now he’d let Victoria slip under his guard. He’d opened his heart to her kindness and generosity and unaffected beauty. He wondered if she’d fallen for him, too, and hoped this trip would cement their feelings for each other.
And if it did, what then?
The concoction took effect, creating a strange sensation inside him. His heart rate and his pulse dropped, and he slipped into sleep.
When his eyes finally fluttered open, Rusty had no idea of the time. The darkness in his room terrified him. Nightmares had plagued him intermittently as he slept, due to the new medication or due to relentless worry and fear. His vision cleared, and he realized the darkness faded into mere gloominess. He raised himself to a sitting position against the headboard. His limbs no longer felt like lead weights and moved when he commanded them.
Rusty reached for his cell phone and sent Alex a text message.
Rusty:Took meds last night. Nightmares one possible side effect. Feeling alert and less lethargic. No chills or fever this morning. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Would love to see you and Misty, but Tori is with me.
Alex:Keep track of your symptoms and side effects. The dailies you’re sending me are helping. Hang in there. I know this latest setback is frustrating. Glad you’re spending today with Tori.
He saw the time and groaned. It was almost noon. Some host he was, leaving his guest alone to fend for herself. But he knew Victoria was too considerate to wake him up given the rough past few days. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, he caught a whiff of tantalizing aromas. Victoria must have already started cooking their Thanksgiving dinner. A burst of energy, a desire to see her, to hold her and kiss her, propelled Rusty off the bed. He took a shower, shaved, and dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a light blue long-sleeved pullover. Glancing at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he saw he looked better than he had last night. The dark circles under his eyes and the pallor of his skin were gone.
Eager to see Victoria, Rusty left his bedroom and wandered into the empty kitchen. He opened the oven door and checked the ten-pound turkey roasting in a pan. Its skin was already golden brown. On the stove he saw a pot full of diced potatoes ready to boil. Steam rolled off a pan of sausage and cranberry stuffing sitting on the counter. When he opened the refrigerator, he found something that looked like Jell-O filled with cream cheese balls containing walnuts and maraschino cherries. His stomach growled.
“Wow. We’re having a feast. Now, where’s my beautiful woman?”
Foregoing a cup of much-needed coffee, Rusty decided to look for Victoria outside since she didn’t answer when he called her name. He re-stoked the fire in the great room to ward off the growing chilliness before he shoved his arms into a heavy jacket and opened the kitchen door.
A light snow fell which caused the overall gloominess he’d noticed earlier. Trudging through the snowdrifts, Rusty headed down to the lake where he spotted Victoria in her red coat and scarf. She tilted her head up and stuck out her tongue to catch a snowflake. He chuckled to himself.
Rusty went up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Victoria leaned back against him, and he inhaled the flowery scent of her shampoo. The memory of that wild kiss they shared on her bed flooded his mind, and he longed to have her there again.
