Page 13 of His Perfect Woman

For the hundredth time that night, I stopped in front of the mirror in my living room, smoothed back loose strands of hair, and perked up my breasts in their tight-fitting push-up bra.

Shaking my head, I laughed at myself. Victoria...what the hell are you doing? It’s Lucas. Why do you care what your boobs look like to him!? He’s willing to sleep with you to make a baby...probably in the same way a man will sleep with just about any woman who isn’t a total fright to look at.

But my stomach was still turning flips, no matter how much I tried to talk myself down. It was that stupid kiss. I had only agreed to consider his proposal out of politeness and confusion and to get him out of my apartment so I could think. Then...that kiss.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Which led to me asking him to come over and discuss the terms of this arrangement immediately. I needed to lay things out in black and white, so I could prove to myself we could actually make this work. Or maybe...I just secretly wanted more of him. But I wasn’t prepared to admit that...or what it might mean.

The doorbell rang and all those butterflies in my stomach suddenly leapt into my throat. I paused with my hand on the doorknob and sucked in a deep breath before turning and opening it.

Lucas towered over me in the doorframe, somehow seeming taller than ever, with his big, broad shoulders nestled into his tailored designer suit. His gray eyes sparked at me from behind one loose strand of his dark hair. He smoothed it back with his palm, holding a bottle of wine in his other hand.

I cleared my throat and nodded, trying to act normal. “Hey. Come in.”

He flashed that charming smile of his and walked in, leaving me to steady my breathing and talk myself down all over again behind his back. I took my time locking the door and turned to face him. Get a grip, Victoria. It’s just Lucas. Your old friend.

But nothing felt the same, even as I followed him into the kitchen to pull down two wine glasses. There was a different energy crackling in the air between us. Maybe one that had always been there that I was just too blind to notice. Now I knew the potential that was there—hidden behind those perfect pink lips, just waiting to come out again.

“Thanks for having me over,” he said casually. “I’m really glad you agreed to everything.”

“I bet you are,” I huffed under my breath.

“What?” He wrinkled his face.

“Oh, nothing. I’m sorry. I just...well, while I may be getting something out of this, too...it really does save your ass not to have to tell everyone you lied.”

He moved in closer, leaning against the kitchen counter and half caging me in, making it even harder to breathe than it already was. “You know that’s not the only reason I wanted to do this, right?”

Our eyes locked intently. “It’s not?”

He wrapped his hand around mine. “We’re not getting any younger, Victoria. We both know what we want, but other people don’t seem to be a part of that equation. If anybody could pull this off...it’s us.”

“Right,” I answered slowly, pulling my hand out from under his. I uncorked the bottle he brought and filled both glasses to the brim.

I hated that everything felt different all of a sudden. The comfort and ease of my best friend had vanished into a whole new well of confusing, overwhelming emotions.

“I just don’t want anything between us to change,” I murmured softly, but really it felt like it was already too late.

“Everything changes, Vic. But that doesn’t mean it’s not for the better. Isn’t this better than us finding other people and slowly vanishing from each other’s lives completely? You know what happens with married people. That’s not us. And this ensures it never will be.”

I handed him his glass and started gulping down mine. “But you already were vanishing from my life,” I reminded him, still resentful of how he had pulled away in recent years. “What changed all of a sudden?”

He moved in too close again and looked deep into my eyes. His lips parted as if he might speak, but instead his hand smoothed along my cheek to the back of my neck. He tilted my mouth up towards his and gently kissed me, sliding his tongue between my lips.

Everything inside of me swelled—a gushing release of so many pent up things I never even knew were there before. It was the warm wave I had been waiting to feel again—ever since the last time he pulled me in like this.

I sank into it, kissing him back...slowly at first, then with a deep and urgent longing. He groaned into my mouth, his deep hum rattling through my entire body. It’s Lucas! I’m kissing him...I’m drawing those sweet sounds from his lips...How is this happening!?

More of my doubts and nerves faded as we melted into each other, his body pinning me to the counter behind me. I clenched my hand into his hair, pulling and squeezing—expressing the frustration of all the feelings I couldn’t speak out loud. He matched my roughness and bit into my bottom lip just as he lifted my body up onto the counter. I slid on top of it and instinctively spread my legs, giving him space to settle in between them and kiss me harder.

His hands ran up and down my thighs, snaking their way under my shirt. It should have felt so weird to have him touching me that way—this guy who I always swore was more like a brother. But nothing felt wrong or weird about it at all as it was actually happening. It felt so very right. Too right.

I slid off his jacket and blindly fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, stopping only to lift my arms so he could slide my own shirt off. Before long, we were half naked and he was effortlessly carrying me off into my bedroom. He crashed down on top of me, and the whole room felt like it was spinning so fast it was almost nauseating. Except not quite...something better. Like the adrenaline of a rollercoaster ride when your insides are all out of sorts and you’re scared, but it’s too thrilling to stop.

Except I hated roller coasters and I was determined to stop. To prove I had control.

“Wait,” I said breathlessly, ripping my lips away from his. “What are we doing? I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just thought we’d...we’d talk about things. Like how this is going to work…”

“We can. We will. But what is there to talk about...really?” He dropped his mouth down to my neck, biting and kissing in between words while everything between my legs clenched up in need. “We know each other. You want a baby, and I want to give you one. I need a wife, and you’re the only one who could pull it off.”

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