Page 84 of Captured Solace

“Oh, believe me, he’s not,” I said wryly.

“So you two are back together?’ Savannah pressed.

Viktor bit into one of the beignets and I could see the gears turning in his head. “After the morning and night we had, I should think so. And I’m not about to let her go again.”

“Viktor,” I gasped, blushing to the roots of my hair.

“Last night was a full moon, we were all getting up to it,” Savannah laughed.

“Yeah, we were,” said Viraj under his breath.

“So have you been missing home, Savannah?” said Viktor. “Beignets for breakfast?”

She paused, her eyes going distant. Viraj’s brows drew together and he put his hand on her hip, caressing her lower back.

“Our conversation brought up a lot of memories,” she said slowly. “Sorry, Sienna, I don’t mean to be confusing. I’m from New Orleans and I haven’t been back for a while. Anyway, Viraj and I have been talking about going back.”

“Really?” Viktor looked up in surprise.

“Yeah,” she said softly. We sat in silence, all feeling a bit awkward. Then she shook her head, brushing back her hair. “Anyway, why don’t you come with us? That is, if you’re following through with actually quitting whatever it is that you do. Which you should, because your wife deserves it.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I do actually.”

“I’m quitting,” Viktor said, staring down into his coffee. “I had enough of that fucking shit.”

I slipped my arm around his waist, leaning my head on his shoulder. “I think I owe you a debt, Savannah. It sounds like you were responsible for talking some sense into him.”

“She has a way of doing that,” said Viraj.

Viktor released a sigh, leaning on the counter and swiveling his stool to face me. He reached out, stroking my cheek, his fingers cupping my chin. His pale eyes bored into me and in them I caught a glimpse of what the future with him could hold. And it was perfect.

“So where do you want to go, baby?”

I considered it for a moment, pure joy bubbling in my chest. “How about New Orleans? I’ve always thought I’d like to visit, let’s just go.”

Savannah made an excited sound, clenching her fists and Viraj laughed, pulling her onto his lap and kissing her neck. Viktor took advantage of their distraction and took me by the jaw and kissed my mouth. He tasted perfect, his mouth tinged with coffee as it consumed me, his tongue urging my lips apart. I clung to him, wanting nothing more or less than this beautiful, complicated man I loved so desperately.

Chapter Twenty

Viktor

Six years later

The day promised to be blisteringly hot, but in the early morning, it was cool. I walked barefoot, dressed only in my shorts, to the enormous balcony outside our bedroom that looked out over the ocean. It was high summer and the sun had just crested the horizon in a pale glow. I rarely smoked anymore, I didn’t have the need for it, but this morning I decided to give myself a break and have a cigarette.

After six years, the compound on the beach was finally finished. We’d purchased it a few months after moving to New Orleans and it was in need of a thorough renovation. Sienna threw herself into the task and she thrived. I’d done nothing but sit back and watch her walk among the construction crew, pointing out any flaws or changes she wanted made.

She had blossomed here, far away from New York. It made my chest swell with pride to watch her now, moving with such confidence and freedom. She was a gorgeous thing, and it amazed me every day that after everything I’d done in my life, she still wanted me. That she woke up beside me every morning, that she supported me while Savannah and I opened the restaurant in the city.

That she had given birth to my son.

I finished my cigarette and stabbed it out in an empty flowerpot. From somewhere behind me, I heard the slapping of little feet on the bare floor and I turned. My son stood in the doorway of our bedroom wearing one of my old t-shirts, a juice box clutched his hand.

“Can I go over to Aunt Savannah’s to play?” he asked.

“Sure, but I’ll have to stop by the restaurant first,” I said, scooping him into my arms. He giggled and clambered up onto my shoulders, wrapping his arm around my forehead.

It had taken us two years to conceive Porter and Sienna had spent most of the pregnancy on bed rest. The birth was difficult and she was exhausted and battered by the time Porter came into the world. As soon as she recovered enough to stand up and walk, I got a vasectomy. We both agreed that we were lucky to have Porter and neither of us had a strong interest in having another baby.

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