Page 86 of Ice Cold Christmas

She gazed into his intense eyes. So much darkness. “I promise.”

He let go. Pistoning, thrusting frantically. One of his hands slid between their bodies. Caught her clit between his fingers. Stroked. Squeezed. Sent her careening into a release as she shouted out his name.

He lifted her off the table. Her legs wrapped around him. Her arms twined around his neck. His hips pounded and pounded, and he came inside of her. She tightened around him because she loved the way he felt within her. She loved being connected to him. Held so close to him. Loved everything— “I love you,” she whispered. And it was true. She felt it in her heart. Some things, you did not have to remember. You could feel the truth. She loved this man. He was hers.

He didn’t take her back upstairs. Instead, Victor carried Melody to his room. He wanted her in his bed. Needed her close.

Tenderly, carefully, he cleaned between her legs, using a warm cloth on her delicate core. Then he ditched the cloth, turned off the lights, and climbed into the bed beside her. Automatically, his arm reached out and curled around her stomach as he pulled her against him.

She was warm. Soft. Safe.

His.

I love you.

The three most precious words in the world. Had he even understood how precious until he lost her?

“Did we do this a lot?” Sleep teased at her words.

He smiled at the faint slurring. “Have sex on the kitchen table?”

“No.” Husky laughter. “Though I may not ever eat on that table again, just so you know.”

His smile stretched. He’d rather enjoyed eating at that table.

“I mean…” Her hand curled over his. “Sleep together. In here. Just curl up and drift away.”

“Sometimes.” She was the first woman who’d ever spent the night in his home. He’d never been the long-term type, until her.

Actually, in the beginning, his plans for Melody had been quite different. Guilt stirred and tried to steal some of the happiness he’d been feeling. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

He didn’t think she’d even heard those words. He knew sleep had pulled at her but…

Melody turned in his arms. She faced him, their heads close on pillows that were separated by inches. “For what?”

For too many things. “I wasn’t always…good enough for you.” Who the hell was he kidding? He still wasn’t good enough.

Her hand rose and pressed to his cheek. His stubble had to scrape her skin.

Did I scrape her thighs?

“I think you’re plenty good enough,” Melody assured him. “Actually, I think you’re pretty incredible.”

I think you are the most important person in my world. Victor sucked in a breath. “I love you.”

Again, soft laughter. Her hand lingered against his cheek. “I know. You don’t keep hot chocolate ingredients for people you don’t love.” She snuggled closer. Yawned. Then she stiffened. “Oh, no! Victor!”

“What is it?” Had she remembered something else?

“Your arm! The graze!” Her fingers fluttered over the bandage he wore. A damn unnecessary one, in his opinion. “Did I hurt you?”

Yes. When you left, you destroyed me. “No. Not at all.” He exhaled slowly. The darkness surrounded them. The quiet. The bed had felt so empty without her. He’d missed her more than she would ever realize.

She hadn’t known about him for the last year.

He’d thought about her every single day. And night. The nights had been the hardest.

He’d lived with grief. He’d lived with rage. And he’d lived with guilt. Because there were words he hadn’t said to her before, words that he damn well should have said. He would never hesitate with her again. “I should have told you a thousand times that I loved you.”