Chapter 7 - Victoria

Victoria

R eality was an illusion.

Reality didn’t exist.

Reality was meant for anyone else but me.

I lived in a perpetual state of disenchantment. Sure, I functioned like a normal adult. I went to work. Went out with friends. Went on dates. To the outside world, I was normal. Or at least whatever definition of that word fit the situation.

Yet here I stood, on the front lawn of my family’s neglected home in England, feeling anything but normal and living in the complete opposite realm of what others considered reality.

The man I’d had a mind-blowing one night stand with was locked in a heated discussion over buying Briarcliff Cottage. Not only were worlds colliding, various versions of my existence and sensibilities were also on a collision course.

This wasn’t going to happen.

I couldn’t let this happen .

“Enough,” I croaked, my voice unwilling to cooperate. I swallowed, took a deep breath and tried again. “Enough. All of you. Enough.”

Three sets of eyes settled on me. Only the clear blue ones mattered. They examined me with guarded curiosity, seeing more of me than I deemed comfortable. Those eyes pierced me to my core, stripping away all the barricades I’d crafted with care. Those eyes would unravel me. That man would be my undoing.

“Ms. Chase, this is becoming tiresome,” Ben expressed, glancing at his watch. “I’ve come here on a Sunday for what? Utter nonsense?”

“Do not speak to her like that,” Xavier threatened in his low, sultry timbre. Anger and elegance all rolled into one.

“I’m sorry you both had to come out here for nothing,” I said as calmly as possible. “I realize this isn’t typical and seeing as my family dropped this in my lap without much thought, it’s also become a huge waste of everyone’s time and effort. I’m not accepting the offer. I’m not signing any agreement. There’s nothing more to say.”

Ben departed in a huff, muttering to himself. Natalie turned to me, placing a sympathetic hand on my arm.

“If you change your mind or if anything comes up, please call.”

As if on cue, light rain started to fall as she walked back to her car. I made no effort to move. This whole trip has been one colossal clusterfuck. Getting caught in the rain felt like the perfect ending.

Xavier took my hand without saying a word and led me to the house. The front door was unlocked. Next thing I knew, we were inside. He shut the door with a hollow click and stood in front of me.

“Fuck,” I murmured, leaning my head back. “I don’t want to be in here.”

“We’ll just wait until the rain passes.”

He sounded so unaffected, so unbothered. Like any normal person would be. This was the most natural thing in the world. We needed to get out of the rain. He didn’t know what this place was or why it rips me to shreds from the inside out .

Sheets of rain pummeled the windows in waves, its rhythm reminiscent of the tide teasing the shoreline. The wind joined with gleeful gusts. It slammed the rain against the house harder, almost saying you can’t leave yet, I have plans for you .

I looked at Xavier. Big mistake. He gazed at me with the whole world in his eyes. The sight of him filled me, soothing every broken part I kept hidden.

“Why are you here?” I asked, sitting on the staircase.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Pretty sure you can figure that one out on your own.”

He nodded. “I live just up the road.”

I wet my lips, dropped the envelope and rubbed my temples. “Of course you do.”

He remained expressionless as he lowered himself next to me. His close proximity set off a chain reaction I should have expected.

Scent carried the most memory triggers, and in this moment, with him so close, with his scent invading this space, all I could think about was last night and how he felt and sounded. I’d been around him for what, a total of twelve hours combined? Maybe more? My math could be off.

Didn’t matter. He smelled so good. I welcomed every image, every recollection of how he touched me, how he kissed me, how he made me feel.

“I’m just going to say it.”

“Say what?”

“There’s way too much gold in here.” He gestured around the foyer, before getting up to walk toward a loveseat against the opposite wall. “Like this. Why?”

His tone bordered on, no wait, it was aristocratic. He sat down, looking like royalty in faded jeans, blue t-shirt, and bomber jacket. Arms spread out over the back of the loveseat, ankle propped up over the knee .

“You should really think about hiring a new interior designer.”

“Well, that can be arranged since my grandmother was the one who picked all this out.”

“Ah, the granny defense. Likely story.”

“I had no idea I was sharing space with Joanna Gaines,” I grinned, making my way to the loveseat to join him.

How he managed to soften my mood delighted me. He was like a drug. Losing myself in him last night cemented my addiction. The way my entire body lit up for him even now, sitting here in this house, was a craving I’d never be able to manage.

“Yes, well, that’s what happens when your father is an architect and your step-mum an interior designer.” He waved a dismissive hand around. “This becomes part of your DNA even though you fought against it tooth and nail.”

“It’s not a bad trait to have.” I smiled. “Even if it makes you sound insufferably snobbish.”

“I’m not wrong though. About all the gold.”

“You’re not. If my grandmother was still around she’d correct you and say it’s amber, my dear. Not gold .”

He laughed. “Your family sounds lovely.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that without spilling all the reasons why we weren’t a lovely family anymore. I did, however, want to touch him. Not in that way. I just needed to feel him.

I reached over and stroked his hair, the softness transporting me back to the intense pleasure of being pinned against him. He took my hand and held it in his lap. A roguish smile touched his lips, making my heart race.

Some men were handsome in a safe way. Not Xavier. He was handsome in a way that was too profound, too mesmerizing.

“So, this is the annoying reason why you’re here.”

“Yep.”

“And you thought telling me this was a bad idea, why? ”

“I didn’t say it was a bad idea to tell you. I didn’t say anything about it at all.”

“I’m aware.” He sounded droll, dry. “But it obviously upset you enough to pace around the side of a road.”

He glanced around with his astute eyes soaking in every detail. It fascinated me how he’d study even the most mundane element as though it mattered just as much as something extraordinary. I liked watching him. Really liked it.

Knock it off, V. One time is enough.

I shifted on the cushion, painfully aware of the fact I hadn’t set foot in this house since I was sixteen. Nothing had changed. The whole place was a huge time capsule, holding memories and artifacts from another life.

Xavier nudged me with his elbow. “Hello? Earth to Victoria. Did you not hear me?”

“Sorry, no,” I responded sheepishly. “What did you say?”

“Lost interest in me already. I get it.” He feigned a hurt expression, removing his jacket. I got an eyeful of the toned, tattooed arm sticking out of his t-shirt. This one in particular displayed a phrase on his forearm that wasn’t familiar to me.

Oderint dum metuant .

“What does this mean?” I asked, caressing my hand over the words.

“ Let them hate so long as they fear ,” he answered with an amused grin. “I figured an Ivy League educated woman would know some Latin.”

“ Potes meos suaviari clunes .” I elbowed him. “Snob.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I see. You can tell me to kiss your ass in Latin but can’t translate a tattoo. I knew I liked you for a reason.”

“I’m full of surprises.” I grinned. “I can also swear in French and Italian.”

“You’re also deaf. You really didn’t hear what I said, did you? ”

“Nope.”

“I was wondering,” he angled toward me, “if you’d like to have dinner with me. Tonight.”

“Seriously?” I looked him up and down. “Like a date?”

“You’re too feisty for your own good.” He smiled and I swear to God this man could induce an orgasm without even touching me. “Actually, I was wondering if you’re more motivated to sell this place now that you know I’m your neighbor.”

“And I’m the feisty one?”

He leaned in, as though he meant to kiss me, then stopped. The rhythmic pounding of my pulse filled my ears.

“Well, Mr. Maddox,” I said, regaining some composure. “The real question is can you handle having me as your neighbor?”

His eyes darkened, his lips parted. He stared at me. Through me.

And there went my feeble attempts at staying in control.

Our playful flirting morphed into something more carnal, more insistent. And it did so with no effort. Ever since I left his place this morning, I’d felt something calling for me, tempting me, pulling me. I’d dismissed it as being overtired or maybe even feeling anxious but a deeper part of me knew what it meant.

Overcome by his scent and closeness, and with a desperate need domineering me, I leaned in, just to get a small dose to satisfy my urge.

“Careful,” he warned, but even his attempt at maintaining control had been weakened, like mine. He felt it too. I knew he did.

His molten stare cut right through me and filled the atmosphere with a thick, powerful haze of need and want. The pad of his thumb whispered over my mouth. A shiver skipped up and down my spine when he pulled my hair free of the haphazard job I did throwing it up in a bun. And just like last night, he sifted his fingers through it, massaging the scalp.

So calming. So amazing.

My eyes closed from the pleasure. Until it stopped without warning. My lids popped open and there he was, staring at me. Sapphire eyes filled with promise and need and…something I couldn’t quite figure out.

“Come here.” He pulled me onto his lap so I straddled him.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting you to sit in my lap.” His lips curled in a crooked grin. “Any objections?”

“Well, no but—“

“Good.” His fingers resumed their sifting and stroking in my hair. “Is this where you’d vacation with your family?”

A violent tremor streaked through me. I tensed, sucking in a breath. “How did you know that?” I almost choked on the words.

“Dawn mentioned it. I was at Black Rose just before.” His shrewd eyes studied me before he continued. “She only said you vacationed here with your family. Nothing more.”

“Right.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Why were you talking about me with Dawn?”

“I wasn’t.”

“So she just walked up and volunteered information?”

“No.”

“For such an eloquent speaker you’re not giving me very many words right now,” I muttered in frustration.

His soft laugh charmed me. Again? Still? Did it matter at this point? I was sitting in his lap.

“I was there with Cade and Bennet. Cade was being, well, Cade , and kept referring to hot American redheads.” He looked at me. “Dawn figured out he was talking about you and just mentioned she knows you and your family.” He shrugged. “That’s all.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding. Dawn and Ray knew what happened and why we never came back as a family. My dad returned once. But only to give the Halstons our extra set of keys to keep an eye on the place.

“Does Cade have a little crush on me?” I teased .

A flash of jealousy passed through his eyes. “No. You’re too old for him. No offense.”

I laughed. I could see him going for the younger ladies. His brand of flirting probably landed better with someone under thirty.

“None taken.”

Xavier glanced around the grand foyer again. I followed his gaze, taking in what I already knew was there. Aside from the curved staircase and this hideous loveseat, there was a set of French doors leading to the sitting room. Beyond that, a hallway stretched to each wing of the house. The kitchen, dining room, and library were to the left, the main bedroom suite to the right. My bedroom, along with Charlotte’s, was upstairs as well as two spare bedrooms and a huge bonus room.

His fingers held my chin, gently turning me to face him. “Will you show me around?”

That’s quite literally the last thing I wanted to do. “Really?”

“Mmhmm. I want to see more.”

“It’s just a house.”

A hooded, sinful stare greeted me. “Nothing about you is just anything. Show me. Please.”

How could I say no? I stood up in a flurry of butterflies and tingling skin. He was a one night stand.

One. Night.

His hypnotic blue eyes remained on me as he stood up and started walking toward the French doors. I followed him because it’s him and I didn’t want to be rude.

It’s just a house .

Sheets covered most of the furniture in the sitting room. There wasn’t really much else to see in there. Although Xavier seemed to find interesting things to observe.

“When was this built?” he asked, running a hand over the wood panel molding.

“I have no idea. Maybe early 1900s? ”

“And it belongs to your parents?”

“It does now. It was my grandparents’. On my dad’s side. They’re from England so this was their summer home.”

“Your dad is English, too?”

“Yep. He was born near Leeds and then they all moved closer to London when he was nine or ten. He came to New York to attend Columbia University and never left.”

“Another Ivy Leaguer, huh?” he grinned, studying the intricate wainscoting. “And you came here on summer holiday?”

“Every year.”

“Hmm.” He nodded, sliding his hands in his pockets.

“Cade actually grew up around here,” he said. “Me too. My family lives a couple towns over. We played together in youth football. There’s a pitch not too far from here.”

He moved to one of the couches and lifted the sheet. This one wasn’t gold or amber or any hue of that color, thank goodness. It was navy blue. A smile flirted with his lips as he removed the rest of the sheet and sat.

“Join me,” he requested, patting the cushion.

“A break already? At this rate, we’ll never finish the tour.”

“Why the rush?” A lazy smile curled his mouth. “Sit with me.”

He rested his head on the back of the couch and rubbed his hand on the cushion. Why was everything he did so damn seductive?

“Five minutes and then we either continue this tour or we leave.” My weak attempt at putting boundaries up fell flat. We both knew I wanted to sit with him.

“Sir, yes, sir.” He mock saluted me. “Now come here so I can talk to you.”

I gave in because of course I’d give in. Plus, I liked his huffy little order. I sat on the far end of the sofa to guarantee some space between us. Sitting in his lap had been a challenge. This breathing room was necessary .

He looked amused. “You’re so far away. Afraid I’ll bite or something?”

It was the way he said or something that hit several of my hot buttons.

“I don’t need to be on you for us to talk.”

“How about,” he licked his lips, “if I promise to be a gentleman. A real one this time. No funny business. Will you sit closer then?”

I noticed his cherry-picked phrasing. A real one this time .

This time.

Like there would be other times in the future. He rolled his head to face me and folded his hands in his lap as if to say See? Real gentleman right here .

I answered by sliding closer. Close enough for whatever it was he wanted to talk about but far enough so our legs and arms didn’t touch. Satisfied, he rolled his head back and grinned.

Of course being this close fractured my already fragile control. And then there was his scent and the way his jeans hugged his muscular thighs. I blinked, turning my attention elsewhere. Too bad there wasn’t anything else worth looking at in here.

“So, um,” I stammered, “you’ve known Cade for a long time?”

“Since we were twelve. Like I said, we played youth football together for ages. Then we both signed with Royal City when we were eighteen. Pretty much grew up together.”

“Wow. And you’d play around here?”

His head rolled toward me again. “Quite a bit.” He smiled. “Maybe we met way back then without even realizing it.”

“I think I’d remember you.”

His smile grew wider. “I know I’d remember you. Pity. Would have been fun meeting little Victoria.”

“Was little Xavier just as cocky and insufferably snobbish as grown Xavier?”

His throaty laugh filled the room, bringing some semblance of life back into it. “Yeah, he was. I learned everything I know from him.”

My turn to laugh. “Oh my God. You sound so proud.”

“You seem to like him.” His heated stare made my cheeks flush, which then caused his breathing to stagger. So much cause and effect in our little game. I sure hope he didn’t think I missed it when he splayed his hands out on his thighs. Or angled his shoulder ever so slightly toward me.

“Maybe,” I conceded.

“I don’t like maybes.”

I glanced down at his hands. “Where are your rings?”

His eyebrows shot up in amusement. “You noticed. How cute.”

“Knock it off,” I smiled, shoving him playfully.

“I knew you liked them. I have more.”

“That should be tattooed on you somewhere. I have more .”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you.” He shifted closer so our thighs touched. “The rings are at home. I don’t wear them at practice.”

“Oh right. The soccer thing. What position do you play?”

“First, it’s called football. Second, I’ve shown you at least one position I can play. Third,” he lifted his hands, “I’m the goalkeeper.”

“Are you good?”

A devilish smile appeared. “These hands don’t miss.”

The level of his flirting was lethal. I made a concerted effort to stay as calm and collected as possible, which was, to put it mildly, a fucking challenge.

I cleared my throat. It made his grin widen. Cause and effect.

“Did you meet Bennet when you were young as well?”

He nodded, folding his hands on his stomach. I couldn’t help but look. And because I’m obvious about it, and because we’re so close on the couch, he lowered his hands so they rested at the edge of his waistband. Right where someone could easily undo his jeans.

Clever.

“The three of you must have been huge troublemakers back then. ”

“That’s one way to put it.” He rolled his head so he stared straight up, answering in a tone like he was discussing the latest news headlines. “We had our share of adventures.”

A dispassionate, far-away look crossed his features for a brief moment. I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or pleased. “What kind of adventures?”

He shrugged. “Usual, teenage boy shit.”

“Is that how you got the scar over your eye? Usual teenage boy shit?”

His hand flew to it as though on autopilot, tracing it with his fingers. A scowl marred his elegant mouth. None of that lasted longer than a few seconds but I learned enough to know this wasn’t a preferred topic of conversation.

Didn’t stop me from pressing him for answers.

“What happened?”

He scowled again, looking at me. “I used to get into fights all the time when I was young. I got jumped and beat up pretty good one night. This,” he touched the scar, “is from the knife they used.”

“Why would someone be so violent?” I shouted. Anger simmered inside me. “Do you know who it was?”

“Hey,” he whispered, holding my chin to turn my head so I faced him. “It was a long time ago.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed off about it.”

“You are fiery.” He smirked. “Want to know something else?”

“Sure.”

“You’re hot when you’re angry.” He pulled me onto his lap so I straddled him again. “Makes it hard for me to be a gentleman.”

I reached up and touched the scar. His body shook.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you.” On an impulse, I leaned forward and kissed it, letting my lips linger for a few seconds.

He gasped, fisting his hand in my hair. Then he pulled it hard so I leaned back. We stared at one another. Both of our breaths came hungry and fast.

“Thank you for telling me.”

No matter how hard I fought it, I wanted more of him. Last night should have been enough. I should end this right now. Stand up and walk outside. Get in my rental car and drive off.

I would have if he hadn’t run his tongue along his lip. Or inhaled a shaky breath. Or stared at me with such raw intensity. He didn’t even have to utter a word because I could read his body language.

It said the same thing as mine.

“If we do this,” he growled on a harsh exhale, “I’ll never want to stop. I’ll never be able to stop.”

“I won’t either.”

Just one more time …

I slid my hands under his shirt and pulled it over his head. All I could think about was him inside me. I splayed my hand on his chest, pushing him back. He didn’t seem to mind and found my hooded gaze with his own.

Leaning close, I licked the seam of his lips. “I want you like this. Please don’t deny me.”

“Denying you anything is impossible.”