Chapter Fourteen
Vic
Vic knew he was in deep before he ever said the words.
It had been building for weeks—the late-night hookups turning into all-night stays, the wild sex melting into slow, devastating mornings, the conversations that went deeper than anything he’d ever had with anyone.Bonnie had gotten under his skin in a way no one else ever managed.
He was falling.
Hard.
And tonight, lying in her bed with her head on his chest and her fingers tracing lazy patterns over his ribs, he couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Bunny,” he said quietly, voice rough from everything they’d just done.
“Hmm?”She sounded sleepy, content.It made his chest ache.
He swallowed.“I need to tell you something.”
She lifted her head, propping her chin on his sternum.Her hair was a beautiful mess, eyes soft in the low lamplight.“What’s up?”
Vic brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, heart hammering.“I’m in love with you.”
The words hung in the air between them.
For a second, her expression stayed open, almost tender.
Then the walls slammed down so fast it was like watching shutters crash over a window.
Bonnie went completely still.Her body, which had been warm and relaxed against his, tensed like a coiled spring.
“Vic...”Her voice was flat.Careful.
“I know it’s fast,” he continued, because now that it was out, he couldn’t stop.“But I’m not playing games.I’ve never felt this with anyone.You make me want to be better.You make the music better.You make everything better.I love you, Bonnie.”
She sat up abruptly, pulling the sheet around herself like armor.The warmth in her eyes was gone, replaced by something close to panic.
“You can’t say that,” she whispered.
Vic sat up too, reaching for her.“I just did.”
