Page 40

M y eyes must be playing tricks on me. I shuffle through the papers again, mentally tallying the totals. “It can’t be.”

“There you are.” Viktor leans against the doorframe of my office, arms crossed over his chest. “Lily was out cold as soon as her head hit the pillow.”

I’m not surprised. She spent all day dragging Ness, Cy, and Annie around the festival. Pretty great sixth birthday, if you ask me.

My eyes linger on his long legs as they eat up the space between us.

Once he’s in front of me, he cups the sides of my neck and places a chaste kiss on my lips.

“I thought for sure you would be soaking in a nice hot bath after such a long day.” His thumbs knead the aching muscles at the base of my neck, and I moan, eyes fluttering closed.

“I wanted to check the numbers first.” My voice is breathy as he continues to work out the knots in my sore shoulders and his lips caress mine languidly.

Eyelids drooping, I give in to the relief for just a moment. My hand drops to my side, the papers rustling against my skin. No, wait!

My eyes spring wide, and my heart threatens to beat out of my chest when I bring the papers between us. “We did it, Viktor! We made double what I needed!”

Squeezing me tight, he steps away from my desk and spins us in a circle. “That’s amazing! I’m so proud of you, country girl!”

When he settles me back on my feet, his eyes shine with so much love that it sends me floating above the clouds. “And this is only the electronic payment numbers. Jean-Luc and I will have to count the cash after the weekend is over. Did you see how many people came today?”

“All because of you, sweetheart.”

I shake my head. “No—”

“Yes, Maggie. I saw it with my own eyes. People flocked to you today. Telling you how much they loved the orchard. How much they loved the apples. I even heard a few people say they’d be back next year with their friends. This is only the beginning.”

My belly swoops. Only the beginning… in more ways than one. Ideas for the future of the orchard flooded my brain all day as I interacted with customers. Some wished the festival was more than just this weekend. Others asked if we did weddings or had other seasonal events .

Now that Viktor’s out of the guest house, it could be used as a bed & breakfast.

And with Kas as an investor…

Slow down, Mags. There’s plenty of time for all of it.

“Your gears are turning, aren’t they?” Smiling, Viktor’s fingers tap my temple.

Rivulets of unfettered energy rush through my veins. I doubt I’ll get any sleep tonight. “I’m excited for what the future holds—for the first time in a long time, things don’t seem so bleak.”

“And you deserve every single amazing thing that’s coming your way.”

I blink rapidly, trying to stave off the happy tears as they fill my eyes.

“How about one more surprise?”

I pull his hand to my racing heart as he boosts me onto the desk. “I don’t know if my heart can take any more excitement today.”

A flirty wink, then he says, “You’ll like this surprise. I promise.” One hand tucks into the pocket of his slacks before drawing out in a closed fist.

Using the bulk of his body, he parts my thighs and crowds into my space. “Remember when I asked you to be my mate?”

I nod, locking onto his crimson eyes.

“And I asked you to trust me to find a solution to our little immortality dilemma?”

“Yes.” My eyes dip to his fist when he uncurls his fingers, revealing his pocket watch .

Except now, the chain is longer, like a necklace. And the watch is smaller, the size of a locket. “What? I don’t understand.”

“The morning after the gala, when I went to get my car, I stopped to see a friend. She’s a pixie with powerful magic.

She enchanted my watch.” He holds it up between us, and the aged gold glints in the low light of my office.

“If it’s filled with your blood and I wear it, then you will become immortal.

” He pops the lid open to reveal the watch face, the hands still ticking, but the space behind is translucent and empty.

“Combined with a mating bite, this would bind our souls more permanently.”

In the silence, the only sound is my harsh swallow and the ticking of the watch. “W-What about Lily?” My eyes meet his.

“She would continue to age as normal.”

“I don’t think I could watch her grow old and die.” The thought alone has bile crawling up my throat.

“There’s a second option.” His free hand slides to my hip, bringing our bodies flush. “If the pendant is filled with my blood and you wear it, my clock would begin ticking, and I would age with you.”

I suck in a breath. “You’d give up your immortality… for me?”

“Maggie, I’d give up everything for you.

You and Lily are my whole world. I’d cease to exist without you in my life.

” He brings the pendant to his chest, thumping it before saying, “This heart beats for you. These lungs breathe for you. One mortal lifetime with you is worth more than all the immortal lifetimes I’ve spent wandering the earth without you. I love you, Maggie. ”

Finally breaking free, tears spill down my cheeks at his confession. He’d rather live one lowly human lifetime with me than live forever?

My fingers find purchase on the back of his neck, crashing our mouths together. I sob into the kiss, because I never thought I’d find another love like the one I shared with Roman. I never thought I’d be able to open my heart to anyone after him.

But Viktor changed everything. “I love you, Viktor. My beautiful, kind vampire.”

He smiles against my lips. “So option two?”

I nod, too busy devouring his lips to come up for air. He indulges me for a few minutes, feasting on my mouth. Nipping and sucking. Rocking his hips against my core, which grows wetter and wetter by the second. “Are we doing this now?”

He chuckles, lips against my throat. “No time like the present.”

Pushing his shoulders, he leans back, giving me some space to think. “Okay, how do we do this?”

“I don’t know, country girl. It’s my first time.

” Laughter dances in his ruby irises, and I smack his chest. “Sorry, you walked right into that one. Normally, when vampires mate, their fangs release a special toxin that will cause the mating bite to become permanent. So I guess we do that, then fill the pendant with my blood.” He shrugs, like it’s the most logical thing in the world.

I raise an eyebrow. “You guess? I’m not a vampire. What if it doesn’t work?” Nerves flutter in the pit of my stomach.

His warm chuckle melts over me, easing the worry a bit when he loops the necklace over my head and settles the watch between my breasts, like it was meant to be there all along. It feels right .

“Then we try something else. We try whatever it takes until our mate bond is solidified.” As if proving his point, nimble fingers work the buttons free on the front of my dress, peeling the blue fabric off my shoulders until I’m left in nothing but a basic nude bra.

Viktor’s eyes follow his finger as it traces the curve of my heaving breast. “Mmmm… Right here looks like the perfect place to mark you as mine . What do you think, little whore?”

Like a switch flips inside him, the monster comes barreling to the surface.

I moan when his other hand snakes behind my back and unhooks my bra, peeling it from my body. Under his ravenous gaze, my skin burns and my nipples ache, peaking into tight buds that scream for his attention.

As if he can read my mind, he bends to take one nipple into his mouth, sucking until my back arches and my head falls back on a moan. “Yeah, that’s the spot,” he mumbles against my flesh.

“Yes,” I agree, rocking my hips against the front of his jeans. Somehow, in the chaos of our kisses and conversation, my dress is bunched around my waist, leaving my top and bottom halves exposed.

He grinds down, the rough denim rubbing against my clit through my thin underwear. Sparks ignite behind my closed lids, and I grip the back of his neck. “Viktor, please. I want to be yours.” I already am in every way except one. “Fuck me,” I beg.

“That’s a good whore,” he coos, followed by the snick of his zipper lowering.

Long fingers hook into the sides of my panties, tugging until— rrrip —the fabric gives way.

Then the pierced tip of his cock is nudging against my entrance.

I spread my legs wider, accommodating his body as he leans over me, his eyes locked on where his length slides into my pussy.

“Fuuuuck, Maggie. You always feel so damn good.”

I groan as each rung on the underside of his shaft massages me, stretching me so perfectly.

With a grunt, he bottoms out. Dropping his forehead to mine, his expression softens. “You’re sure about this? You’re sure you want me?”

I hate the doubt that flashes across his gorgeous eyes.

Cupping his face, I hold his gaze. “Yes, Viktor. I want you . Not for your money. Not for your name. Not as my nanny, but as my partner.” My lips turn up in a smile.

“I mean, I won’t say no if you keep doing the laundry and the cooking and the dishes—”

I squeak when pain radiates through the side of my ass as his hand connects with it.

“Brat,” he growls.

Sobering, I press a kiss to his forehead, each eyelid, his nose, and finally his lush lips. “I love you, Viktor. And that’s never going to change, so mark me as yours.”

My words must break the last thread of whatever’s holding him back because he unleashes, hips pistoning to drive his cock in and out of me at a furious pace.

Breasts bouncing, I moan as he pummels my pussy in only the way he can. His piercings drag with each retreat, adding a delicious friction that has the first signs of an orgasm blooming in my core. “Yes, Viktor. Don’t stop.”