“The baby’s lucky to have you too,” she said. “Even if you won’t admit you’re already attached.”
She felt him go still.
“Chloe—”
“It’s okay.” She tilted her head back to look at him. “I know this is complicated. I know you’re fighting it. But Victor, you’re already here. Already caring. Already part of this baby’s life.”
His eyes were glowing faintly green. Hyde, stirring in response to her words.
“I can’t promise you what you deserve,” Victor said, his voice rough. “Can’t guarantee I won’t hurt you. Or scare you. Or?—”
She kissed him. It was meant to be reassuring—soft and brief and uncomplicated—but the moment their lips met, something shifted. He made a low sound in his chest—half-groan, half-growl—and pulled her closer, kissing her with a desperate intensity
CHAPTER 16
Chloe melted into the kiss, her hands coming up to frame his face. She could feel the faint roughness of evening stubble, the heat of his skin, the way his jaw worked as he deepened the kiss. This was different from their previous kisses. Those had been careful. Controlled. He always pulled back before things escalated too far. But now he wasn’t pulling back.
His hand on her belly shifted, sliding down to her hip, then around to her lower back, pressing her more firmly against him. His other hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head to give him better access. She felt the subtle shift—the slight lengthening of his fingers, the broadening of his palm. Hyde was emerging, slowly but surely.
Instead of fear, warmth bloomed in her chest. This was him. Both of them. And they wanted her.
She arched into him, a soft sound of surrender escaping her lips. His response was immediate and possessive, his grip tightening fractionally. The kiss went from desperate to devouring, his tongue sweeping into her mouth with bold certainty. He tastedlike coffee and mint and something uniquely Victor. Something she could easily become addicted to.
A small, detached part of her brain noted this was a terrible idea. He was her doctor, emotionally repressed, and actively fighting his own nature. The rest of her brain told the small part to shut up and enjoy this.
When he finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard. His eyes blazed green, bright as evergreen needles in the firelight. His face was still human, but barely—the line of his jaw sharper, his cheekbones more pronounced. Beautiful and dangerous and all hers, if she was brave enough to claim him.
“Chloe.” Her name was a raw, broken sound. “I should—” He stopped, his gaze dropping to her lips, then back to her eyes. “I need to go.”
“No.” She tightened her grip on his shoulders. “Stay. Please.”
“I don’t trust myself.” His hands flexed on her body. “One more kiss and I might not be able to stop.”
Her heart hammered against her ribs, a wild, exhilarating rhythm. “Then don’t stop.”
He searched her face, his expression a war of desire and fear. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“Yes, I do.” She slid her hands from his shoulders to his chest, feeling the hard planes of muscle beneath his shirt. “I’m asking for you. All of you.”
He made a sound like a man in torment. Then he kissed her again, and this time there was nothing held back.
It was more than a kiss. It was a claiming. His mouth was hot and demanding, his hands roaming her body with an almost worshipful reverence even as his touch grew more confident. She could feel the changes in him—his shoulders broadening, his muscles thickening, his scent deepening into something wilder and more primal. Hyde was rising, not in a violent surge, but in a slow, deliberate unfurling, and she was here for it. She wanted it.
His hands found her breasts, cupping them with a new weight and size that made her breath catch. His thumbs brushed over her already tight nipples through the thin layers of her sweater and bra, and she arched into his touch in a silent plea for more. He answered it with a growl that vibrated through his chest, a sound of pure masculine satisfaction that sent heat pooling low in her belly.
When he broke the kiss this time, his eyes glowed like emeralds in the firelight, his face fully transformed into the sharper, more angular features of his Hyde. He was larger, more imposing, and undeniably dangerous-looking to an outside observer. To her, he was simply… beautiful.
“Are you afraid now?” he rumbled, his voice deeper, rougher.
She shook her head, reaching up to trace the strong line of his jaw. “No.”
He studied her for a long moment, as if searching for any sign of deception, any flicker of fear. He found none.
“Chloe,” he breathed, and bent his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He didn’t bite, didn’t mark her. He just breathed her in, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. His lips brushed against her pulse point, a soft, reverent kissthat was somehow more intimate than anything that had come before.
She threaded her fingers through his thick, blonde hair, holding him close. His body was a warm, solid wall of muscle against hers, and she had never felt so safe. So wanted.
“I should stop,” he murmured against her skin, the words a lie even as he spoke them. “We should stop.”
