As if on cue, he tried to pull himself away from her, to create some physical distance that might help him think more clearly, but Victoria immediately tightened her thighs around his waist like a velvet vise, locking him in place. He made several attempts to disengage, but she refused to unwrap her legs, holding him captive with surprising strength.
"Tori, could you let go for a moment," he said, though it wasn't exactly a question. It was more of a statement, tinged with desperation for space to process what was happening.
Victoria shook her head firmly, her grip tightening around him. "Nah uh. Not until you give me what I want," she issued the ultimatum with the same authority she used in boardroom negotiations.
James, slowly getting his senses back, gave her a look that conveyed both exasperation and growing understanding. He knew she was trying to get him all flustered, and while her words might have been at face value, she had succeeded in throwing him off balance once again.
"Stop playing. This should not be used as a joke," he said, his voice carrying a note of warning about the seriousness of the topic.
Victoria countered immediately, giving him an equally pointed look. "Who said anything about games?"
The intensity in her eyes told him she wasn't entirely joking, which only served to increase his confusion and concern. James took a deep breath, trying to center himself. "Get off me."
Victoria's expression twisted into a dramatic frown at his command, hurt flickering across her features. "Are you saying you don't want kids? You don't want to see a mini me or mini you running around?"
"This isn't about that," James answered immediately, his voice softening as he recognized her vulnerability beneath the playful exterior. "I do want kids, okay? But this is not the time or place."
For a second, Victoria looked genuinely stunned at his reaction, as if she hadn't expected him to be quite so practical about her spontaneous declaration. Then, slowly, a wicked smirk appeared on her lips, and James felt his stomach drop as he recognized that particular expression.
"Not the time or place?" she repeated, her hands beginning to run deliberately from his lower abdomen up to his chest. The way she was keeping him in suspense, as if she knew something he wasn't aware of, kept him completely on edge.
"Well, for all I know, there might already be a little one growing inside me," she said casually, watching with satisfaction as James's eyes went impossibly wide at her words.
"What?"
"You make me laugh, James, truly," Victoria cooed, voice dripping with amused affection clearly enjoying his shocked expression. "Because for someone as smart as you are, you are quite naïve about certain things. Don't get me wrong, I love that about you because it means I get to paint you in the color I choose..."
He flinched.
"But hasn't it ever crossed your mind that we have been having sex..." She lauded, drawing the words out. "Unprotected?"
His jaw dropped slightly. Silence fell like a hammer.
He looked down at her, still connected, still locked inside her and the realization hit him like a freight train. His eyes glazed over. Flashbacks danced in his mind…the resort, the office, her yacht, even just now.
Every time. Every position. Every room. No barrier. No thought.
His internal monologue finally came back, but it wasn't flattering.
I am so fucking stupid.
She's right.
Even now we went at it raw. Like total lunatics.
James exhaled slowly, bracing himself on his hands. He looked down at the devil in his arms and shook his head with a helpless half-laugh. His heart began beating erratically, not from panic but from a surge of overwhelming emotion. He knew Victoria wasn't stupid enough to allow it if she did not want it. The woman was a case, a vixen and she had him wrapped around her fingers.
His love for her was pure and genuine, and having her by his side was his life's greatest wish come true. The thought of bearing children with her? His life would be complete.
"Ah Tori, I love you, and I will love our child unconditionally. I'm sorry…I will be more careful from now on," he apologized, his voice thick with emotion as his hopeful eyes drifted to her flat stomach.
Victoria laughed at his earnest expression, charmed by the way he was already looking at her stomach as if he could see their potential future growing there. If only he knew she was on the pill. She debated telling him… but maybe not. Not now. He'd probably sulk for a week or be mad at her antics, but thinking about it, a child born between her and James did have a nice ring to it.
She giggled and finally opened her legs to set him free. "I just said there might be," she clarified smugly. "Didn't say there is. Although..." She raised an eyebrow. "Trying doesn't sound too bad." Then suggested with deliberate casualness.
James sat back on his side and started rearranging his clothing. Her legs still spread wide, and his gaze involuntarily flickered down and immediately latched onto the sight between her thighs where trickles of his essence flowed out her pink folds. Her walls clenched instantly, trapping the fluid, and James quickly reverted his gaze back to her face, flustered at being caught staring.
"Patience is a virtue," James muttered, his voice slightly hoarse. "Timing...especially at the right moment...is best. Stop trying to skip steps like this is some speed run."
Victoria snorted and sat up as well, pulling her dress back into place. She rolled down the windows to let fresh air in and the lingering scent of their passion out. "You know me, James. When I want something, I get it no matter how difficult it is. I'm stubborn, persistent and just that impatient, and I'm sorry that I lack the virtue of patience."
She kissed him thoroughly, pouring all her love and determination into the contact. They shared intense eye contact afterward, and James could see the promises and love laid bare in her gaze. He was sure his reflected the same depth of feeling. He also knew she was a skilled and determined player when it came to acquiring what she wanted.
"I've already committed myself to you. I see no reason to keep walking when we can fly. Together," Victoria finished her voice carrying absolute conviction.
James cradled her soft cheek and caressed it, his palm seeming quite large against her delicate face. His smile was that of a lovesick fool, and he thought she really had no filter when it came to expressing exactly what was on her mind.
"I love you. I want you to remember that, it's you and only you my heart beats for. It's impossible for me to live without you now. I love you so much," James said, admiring her beautiful face as he tucked her hair back tenderly.
Victoria smiled, her expression soft with contentment. "Mmm, so hurry back and come put a child in my belly."
James sighed in exasperation, though his expression remained tolerant and fond. "You have the craziest, most impulsive ideas. I know I say this, but you're pretty crazy."
Victoria chirped thoughtfully at his observation, batting her lashes. "I know I'm pretty. Thanks for the compliment," she said, deliberately filtering out his words to hear only what she chose to register.
"You're impossible," James said with affectionate frustration, squishing her cheeks gently with both hands.
"And you love me either way," she retorted without missing a beat.
James released her cheeks finally recovering some semblance of control. "I haven't proposed. We haven't even seriously approached the marriage topic. What about that? Are you ready to settle down, Tori?" he asked, studying her face carefully for her reaction.
Victoria smiled at him, slow and sweet. She leaned in and kissed him softly, then replied with characteristic evasiveness, "Come back quickly," she whispered, "and find the answers you seek yourself." She wiped his lip clean with her thumb, then sank back into her seat with satisfied finality.
James stared at her, utterly lost. What did she mean by that? Was that a yes or no? He wanted to ask for clarification, but he knew there would be no direct answer. Victoria had always been masterful at revealing information on her own terms. He decided to let it go for now and settled back into his own seat.
Nevertheless, their hands remained joined together throughout the remaining short distance to the airport, a physical connection that spoke of promises yet to be made and futures yet to be determined.