Victoria bit into her luscious lower lip, and he could see she was fighting back tears. “Not someone like you. Not someone who can take everything from me. I can’t be someone who just disappears.”’
“Victoria, I think you’re forgetting that you might do that to me. You don’t realize that? You’re a force of nature, you’re able to make things happen, and you don’t think we can do this together? Be right for each other? You know that we could. You would have shut me out entirely if you didn't.”
That was how he thought of it, at least. She kept him at a manageable distance, but it wasn't enough for him anymore.
“What was your rule?” Victoria asked.
“Not a woman who thinks I'm shit.”
She looked down and wrung her hands. “I did think that. But I was wrong, and I now know how wrong I've been. I still feel like I haven't properly apologized for how badly I treated you. Just because you didn't know about it doesn't mean I don't owe you that. I didn't want to see you because it didn't feel right, to get what I wanted. After thinking that way about you as long as I did.”
Nathan cleared his throat. “Do you still want me?”
She looked him in the eye and nodded.
“Can we walk four blocks, go up to my room, shut the door, and talk about this later?”
“Hell yes.”
It was bright, early, and crowded in that café but he kissed her anyway, hungrily, full on the mouth. She wrapped those hands around his neck and pulled him closer, pushing him into the column. Nathan loved tasting her, tasting how she wanted him.
***
How did it happen? Victoria woke up this morning feeling like shit, dragging herself early to a café because she had planned that trip to Café Du Monde and autopilot kicked in. The next thing she knew she was in another hotel room in the French Quarter, pulling Nathan’s shirt off furiously, like its existence was offensive to her.
His surprised laughter pleased her, dared her to go further.
“Thank you,” she said, fumbling with his belt. “Thank you for doing this.”
“You’re doing all the work, babe.”
This wasn’t work at all. This was a treat, dessert in the early morning, whipped cream on top of more whipped cream. She tugged at his zipper and his pants fell, hitting her own feet, and she was strangely comforted by all of it. “You’re here.”
But he always was, in one way or another. He’d always given her that out, always told her where he could be found. Victoria could waste an entire day doing this, finding him. Finding the strength in his bare shoulder, the vein that ran down his throat. She was touching him, licking him there, removing her own clothing, moaning at the push of his fingers against her clit, gasping in anticipation as he tore through a condom’s foil packaging. He was everywhere, too, and everything.
“You’re not saying anything,” she teased, arching her back off the freshly made bed, opening her knees at his prodding. “How am I supposed to get all hot and ready for you?”
The face she was looking at hadn’t changed much in almost a year. Had she, herself? Was the face he was seeing the same one he remembered? Nathan crawled in, shaking his head, and Victoria felt a finger slide into her, no resistance but for the clenching of her muscles and her thighs.
“Nathan.”
“You don’t need a dirty word from me to get you ready, do you? You don’t need it at all. Always fucking ready.”
Her moan collapsed into a giggle, but it didn’t take her away from this. It made her wake up. This was not Victoria on autopilot. This was Victoria in the moment, experiencing Nathan pushing into her, feeling his hands on her bare skin, his tongue on her lips. This was better than how she thought her morning would turn out. Better. She thrust up toward him, demanding more, faster, harder.
Hours later, she remembered that she never got breakfast but couldn’t be bothered to even lift her arm.
Nathan was kissing her underneath her ear. Had he been further away, she probably wouldn’t have heard him, she was so blissed out. “When did you realize you were wrong about me?”
She shrugged, with difficulty. “Cozumel. I don't know. Early on. I did let myself believe what others said, before I actually got to know you.”
“I don't know, Victoria. I made the rule, and I don't see how it was broken. Hearsay doesn't count.” He took her hand, laced his fingers into hers. “I declare it. How about your rule?”
God, the rules. How silly they seemed now, when people made decisions and lived with them all the time.
“Why do you want this?” Victoria whispered. “We're both doing too much and barely have time for ourselves.”
“Do you think anyone else understands? We already do, and we want each other. How does that break your rule?”
Victoria smiled. “It doesn’t.”
“So that's settled then. No rules broken. What does your day in New Orleans look like, Victoria? What'll it be?”
“You mean there’s more to do than this? This is awesome. Five stars.”
“I intend to show you more than this hotel room, Victoria.”
“Whatever you want then. Everything you have planned,” she said. “But what about Houston?”
“What about that?”
“Maybe you can show me how you have fun over there.”
“I’ll show you how I have fun everywhere.”
Victoria knew Nathan would. They’d make it a rule. They were good at rules.
The End
Author’s Note
The character of Nathan had another life in another manuscript, one that I never finished. I obviously was never able to let him go—when I got the chance to write the story of a woman who would have absolutely hated him, it tickled me so much that I “set them up.” I’m glad he found his place somewhere else, and with someone else!
Thank you to Liliana Rhodes, Marian Tee, and everyone who helped with this book at Flirt Publishing.
Mina V. Esguerra
About the Author
Mina V. Esguerra writes contemporary romance, young adult, and new adult novellas. Visit her website minavesguerra.com for more about her books, talks, and events.
When not writing romance, she is president of communications firm Bronze Age Media, development communication consultant, indie publisher, professional editor, wife, and mother. She created the workshop series “Author at Once” for writers and publishers, and #romanceclass for aspiring romance writers. Her young adult/fantasy trilogy Interim Goddess of Love is a college love story featuring gods from Philippine mythology. Her contemporary romance novellas won the Filipino Readers’ Choice awards for Chick Lit in 2012 (Fairy Tale Fail) and 2013 (That Kind of Guy).
Table of Contents
Tempting Victoria
About Tempting Victoria
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Author’s Note
About the Author
Tempting Victoria Page 8