I hug him closer. “I’m not asking for anything, or demanding it back. I just really wanted to tell you. Even if—”
His lips crush against mine. The languorous kisses are gone, replaced by a hunger that sets my heart racing. He tugs at my ponytail and my curls spill over my back, tickling my bare skin.
Then his fingers are between my legs, stroking and circling. “Victor, I—”
“I have to be inside you.”
His words set off my own need and I tug at his swim trunks. He lifts his hips and then he’s free, hot and hard in my hand. I duck my head to suck him into my mouth and he lets out a deep groan. I can’t resist, not when he’s like this, a trip wire hovering at the edge.
Victor doesn’t let me enjoy him for long. He flips me over on the lounge chair and we both sigh at the sweet, blessed relief of his entrance. It feels like I’m welcoming him home.
He braces himself on his elbows, kissing me as he starts to move. They’re deep, earth-shattering kisses, mirroring the slow, steady roll of his hips. Every hard thrust of his pelvis against mine sets my pleasure off.
“Cecilia,” he murmurs. “God, I…”
“I know,” I say, wrapping my legs around him. “I know.”
I orgasm before him, the bastard, as he angles his entry just the way I need. Brushing against my clit with every hard slam.
When he gets close, I hold him tight and whisper the words in his ear again. “I love you.”
He finishes with a force that takes my breath away, his groan in my ear. We lie there for a long time, still connected, our breathing coming fast.
He finally rises up on an elbow and sated, blue eyes meet mine. “Say it again.”
“Say what?”
“You know what.”
“I love you.”
His eyes shutter for a moment, like he’s taking a hit. But they’re clear as the sky above when he opens them again. “I love you too, Cecilia.”
“You do?”
He kisses me in reply and I hold him tight, taking all he’s offering and tucking it safely inside my heart, knowing he’s doing the same in return.
Victor turns on his side and pulls me close. “So much,” he says. “More than I know what to do with. You know that, right? I have no idea how to handle it. I’m completely powerless with you.” His hand finds my thigh, notching it over his hip. “I hate you for that sometimes.”
I stroke his lip with my finger. “I know. It’s scary. Trusting another person this fully.”
“It’s terrifying.”
“But it’s worth it. You know, I can’t imagine my life without you now.”
“I can,” he says. “And I want to avoid it at every cost.”
I smile, wandering my fingers up his cheekbone to his forehead. His eyes close. His eyelashes are dark at the roots and blond at the tips. “Was that why your grandfather wanted you to marry, do you think? So you’d have someone in your life when he passed?”
Victor’s breathing catches. It’s brief, but it’s there. “I’ve never thought of it like that.”
“Why did you think he required it?”
“Because it was my job to carry on the St. Clair name. He said that often enough while he lived. That if I didn’t put the hours in, the family would die with me.” Victor clears his throat, eyes drifting to my temple. His fingers trail one of my curls. “I think he wanted me to carry on my father’s legacy. Grandpa never really got over the loss of his son, I think.”
“I can’t even imagine that.”
“But maybe he didn’t want me to be alone, either,” he says. “I like the idea of that.”