I touch the stone with one hand, his chest with the other, my love declaration on the tip of my tongue. I'm being silly. There's no reason to be nervous. This is Christopher—my Christopher.
"I love you." With those three words, I feel as if I've put my heart in his hands. Loving someone means giving them a part of you. When they walk out of your life, they take that part with them. Love is scary, but tonight I’m brave.
Christopher exhales sharply, feathering his thumb over my bare shoulder. "I love you too, Victoria."
"Yeah?"
"I thought the diamond might have tipped you off."
"Words are better." I mold my body against him, needing the connection.
"It's funny, you know. I wasn't looking for anything when you came in my life. Crashed into my life, actually."
I pinch his chest playfully, but what can I say, the man is one hundred percent right.
"You fit in so perfectly, I have no idea how I lived without you in it before," he continues.
Oh, heavens. I melt on the spot.
"You're quite the romantic," I whisper.
"I warned you. It's a trait I rarely unleash, but—"
"Don't worry, I'm a sponge. I can soak it all up."
His hands glide down my back, resting on my ass for a brief second before he hoists me up in his arms. My legs hitch around his waist, already knowing where to settle for maximum stability. Christopher carries me to my bed, placing me on it swiftly.
He removes my camisole and panties with lightning speed, but I'm right there with him in my race to get him naked. Finally, I move to the center of the bed, beckoning him by opening my legs. Christopher smiles ruefully, cuffing my ankles with his hands, kissing along my legs up to my knees. When his mouth ascends to my inner thighs, all hot and sinful, I almost break out of my skin. I need to touch him too, and just when I think I'm about to, Christopher props himself up on his knees.
"Turn around."
Anticipation and regret war inside me. Anticipation because I know he'll do wicked hot things to me, regret because I won't be able to touch him. But I’m putty in his hands, driven by the promise of pleasure. So I turn around, flattening my belly against the bed, holding a pillow nearby in case I have to muffle moans or cries. All my senses are on high alert. Biting my lip, I try to anticipate where Christopher will start with the delicious torture. He chooses the back of my neck, trailing his mouth down, sending tendrils of anticipation straight to my center.
He drags his thumbs across my ass cheeks, down in a straight line, then back up in tiny circles that have me convulsing. When he traces the same pattern with his tongue, first one cheek and then the other, then swiping his tongue once along the crack between, I nearly black out. My entire body has transformed into a sweet spot under his expert hands and mouth.
Fisting the sheets, I seek to regain my composure, but what little I manage melts right away when he nudges my legs open with his knee. One rumbling sound later, a condom package is being ripped open. The next seconds seem excruciatingly long… until Christopher pushes inside me, stretching me. I bite into the pillow to muffle a moan. His thrusts are measured and deep, filling me completely.
“So good,” I murmur, almost out of breath.
“Perfect.” His hot mouth feathers over my shoulders, and I lose myself in the pleasure. Making love to him has always been beautiful, but tonight it’s surreal. I feel closer to him than ever. When I’m so near the edge that my entire body quivers, one of Christopher's hands feathers up to the side of my breast and then back down. Slipping between my body and the bed, he presses on the tight bundle of nerves. His hot breath on the back of my neck is a sinful whisper. His thrusts grow more passionate with a desperation that mirrors my own. He loves me with unrestrained passion until we both find relief in a shattering wave of pleasure.
Chapter Thirty
Victoria
Chloe asking Christopher to read to her was apparently just the beginning. On Monday afternoon, they go on their first shopping trip to a nearby toy store, just the two of them. I warned him that Chloe could be a little extortionist when it comes to toys, but he insisted he’d manage.
I'm helping Sienna with a science project when my phone rings, Christopher's name appearing on the screen. The corners of my mouth lift in a smile as I put the phone to my ear, imagining he needs my expertise in negotiating with Chloe.
"Victoria!" Urgency drips from Christopher's voice. My stomach coils at the sound.
"What happened?"
"A car crashed into us on the way to the store."
"Oh my God."
"We only have a few scratches, but Chloe and I are in the ambulance right now, and the ER insists we go to the hospital to check for any internal damage from the impact. We need you there because you're Chloe's guardian."