Page 21

M y muscles are still Jell-O by the time the town car drops me off in front of my house. In fact, I don’t think my body has ever been this stress free in my life. Certainly not in the past four years.

Somehow, the esthetician even managed to make the zit on my chin vanish.

Annie, Pen, and I spent all day getting pampered at Urban Oasis. Massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures—you name it, we did it.

“You deserve to be happy, Mags,” I remind myself of Pen’s earlier words. “It’s time to start living .” My heart flutters when I grip the handle of the front door, the cherry red paint vibrant in the fading daylight.

I’m greeted by a shrill giggle, then a growl, as I push into the house. The commotion filters down the hallway from the family room.

“Lava monster is gonna get you!” Viktor’s voice is deeper than normal, like a ferocious rumble.

Following Lily’s laughter, I head down the hall toward the back of the house.

Peeking around the corner, I take a minute to observe their play.

Pillows are strewn around the family room floor, along with the kitchen chairs, in a sort of obstacle course or mish-mashed pathway.

Lily shrieks, hopping from a pillow onto the couch.

“You can’t get me up here, lava monster! ”

On his knees in the middle of the chaos, Viktor holds out his hands, fingers curled like claws, and growls again. Quicker than I can blink, he jumps to his feet and grabs Lily by the sides, tossing her onto the soft cushions of the couch. “But the tickle monster can!”

At the first giggle to spill from my daughter’s mouth, my heart melts.

With her laughter fading, she snuggles against him and lays her head on his broad shoulder. She’s so small next to him. So fragile.

Viktor is good for her. He indulges in her playful and curious nature, feeds her need for knowledge, all while remaining a constant state of comfort.

In his short time here, he’s become a comfort to both of us. I see that now.

“Looks like you two had fun,” I say, finally making my presence known. Bracing my shoulder on the wall, I smile as Lily’s eyes close .

Crimson eyes meet mine when Viktor’s head snaps up, a soft smile playing on his lips. “We were just burning off the last bit of energy. I think she’s ready for bed now. How was your day?”

Stepping closer, I take a seat in the oversized chair next to the couch.

“I didn’t realize how much I needed today.

Thank you for arranging it. I already thanked Vanessa a ton, but you’ll have to tell her again how much I appreciated her kindness.

She’s created a really amazing environment at Urban Oasis. ”

“She loves what she does.”

“I think Annie might be a regular customer. She mentioned needing a massage package for when Cyrus pisses her off.” I chuckle softly and reach out a hand to stroke Lily’s back.

She stirs, but presses herself deeper into Viktor’s side.

My ovaries might explode from the cuteness of my daughter snuggled up next to this sweet vampire.

“I should get her to bed.” I tip my head toward Lily.

Before I can protest, Viktor stands from the couch with Lily clutched in his arms, like she weighs nothing.

She’s definitely getting too big for me to carry, so I’m a little envious of his strength.

He zooms to the stairs, stopping at the bottom to flash a smirk over his shoulder. “You coming, sweetheart?”

All I can do is nod and bite my tongue to hold back a needy mewl as I follow him up the stairs to Lily’s room.

With a gentleness I’ve come to expect from him, Viktor lays Lily on her bed and tucks the blankets around her.

I hadn’t even noticed before that she’s already in her favorite unicorn pajamas.

“I figured she wouldn’t want to go to bed until you got home, so I had her get ready before we started playing lava monster,” Viktor whispers .

Before leaving her side, he brushes a kiss against her forehead and murmurs, “Goodnight, little one. I had fun with you today.”

Sleepy green eyes blink open, and an equally sleepy smile spreads across her face. “Goodnight, Viktor. I love you.”

And there they go… My ovaries officially burst at her sweet, sleepy words and the love shimmering in her eyes.

Viktor has woven himself deep into our lives, and as much as I want to let him in fully, I’m still scared shitless. I’m halfway in love with him, and admitting that out loud would give him the power to crush my already fragile heart.

Like Annie said, giving in to the sexual desire between us would be easy. No-strings-attached sex is one thing, but giving him my heart is totally different.

I don’t know if I’m ready for that.

Stopping in the doorway next to me, he bends until his words warm my ear. “I’ll clean up downstairs before I leave. Night, country girl.”

My thighs clench, knees nearly buckling, and I clutch the doorframe behind me, but Viktor’s already gone, blurring as he jets down the stairs.

I blow out a breath and kneel at the side of the bed.

Brushing the stray hairs off Lily’s face, I kiss her on the cheek and whisper, “I love you, Lily bug. More than anything in the world.” Her responding snore lets me know she’s already out cold, probably exhausted from a jam-packed day with Viktor.

With my nose against her hair, I inhale. She smells like sunshine and fresh air… and everything good in the world .

After one last kiss to her forehead, I switch on her unicorn night light before leaving the room and shutting the door behind me.

Standing in the middle of the hallway, the earlier conversation at the spa fills my mind. Roman would be pissed if he knew how stressed and lonely I am. I deserve happiness… and maybe being with Viktor can be the start of that happiness.

T he full-length mirror leans against my bedroom wall, with my nightgown and a discarded towel draped over one corner. A pile of clothes lay on the floor near my bed. Clean or dirty? I’m not sure. “I really need to clean in here.”

Even though I told him it’s not part of his job, Viktor has been tidying and cleaning the rest of the house. I’ve made it a point to keep the door to my bedroom shut at all times, so he doesn’t get any ideas about invading my private space.

I don’t need the sexy-as-sin vampire finding the vibrators hidden in my nightstand.

Releasing a sigh, I wiggle a clean pair of panties up my thighs. The soft cotton settles against my hips.

As I raise my hand to the mirror, my fingers snag on the worn gray fabric of my nightgown, but my eyes are distracted by the sight of my naked body.

Annie and Pen said to go for it. To think with my vagina for once and give in to whatever chemistry is building between Viktor and me .

But would he even want me?

My fingers skim between my breasts. They aren’t perky anymore. Not after nursing a baby for over a year. Like two deflated balloons, they sag closer to my belly button than they used to.

Dropping my hand, I let my gaze roam lower.

My stomach isn’t flat and it’s laden with silver stretch marks below my belly button and along my hips.

Not to mention, the horizontal C-section scar running between my hip bones, a constant reminder of the childbirth process and the fact I can’t have any more babies.

I don’t exactly hate my body, but I don’t exactly love it either.

I’m grateful for the years it gave me with Roman and for gifting me a beautiful daughter.

But I didn’t really “bounce back” after having Lily. And by the time life slowed down enough to focus on getting back in shape, tragedy struck, and I lost my husband—my partner, my whole damn world.

Tears sting my eyes, and I swipe them away. I can’t go down that spiral right now. I won’t.

Why would someone like Viktor want me ? His beauty is god-like and otherworldly. Built like a marble statue, he’s carved into the perfect specimen of the male body. All hard muscles and sharp angles.

His chiseled cheekbones and full lips have been the stars in all my dreams lately. Not to mention the heat flickering behind those ruby irises.

Even his hair is beautiful, for crying out loud. I finger a loose wave of my dirty-blonde locks. Sure, they look good tonight, after a professional blowout. But most days, I’m too tired or busy to style my curls properly, so they end up in a messy bun.

I’m a single mom with a rambunctious little girl and more emotional baggage than I can carry. How can I compete with his perfection?

Turning around, I peer over my shoulder to the one part of my body I’ve always loved. Roman always said I had the best ass. He could hardly keep his hands off it when we were younger.

I smile at the perky cheeks where they peek out from the bottom of my white underwear.

Not the sexiest, but they’re comfortable.

And all my effort in the gym is paying off lately. Roman converted a portion of our large garage space into a home gym when we moved in. He was an avid weightlifter, a habit I picked up during our relationship.

Sure, I still have a layer of fluff over my muscles, but I’m strong. And I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, especially on my glutes.

I nod, straightening my spine and pulling the nightgown over my head. The fabric cascades over my body like a cool rain until my puckered nipples are on display through the thin fabric. “Viktor would be the lucky one.”

If I did cross that line—because he’s been throwing all kinds of signals my way—what would he do to me?

The memory of his lingering crimson gaze sets a shiver rushing through me, and I grab my thick knit cardigan from where it’s draped on the end of my bed. Slipping it on, I pull the sides tight around my body, hugging myself .

Nostrils flared wide, I’m hit by a sudden wave of his unique scent. Rich sandalwood with a hint of sweetness, like caramelized sugar. My thighs clench when the heady notes invade my lungs.

He must have accidentally washed my sweater with his things.