Alexander
The words I had spoken were not words I ever imagined saying to a woman.
They carried weight. Responsibility. Risk.
And I felt every second of it pressing against my chest.
Victoria was trying to push me away, to provoke me, anger me, make me resent her.
But in the short time we had spent together, I had learned something about her.
I knew when she lied.
“No, Victoria,” I murmured close to her face. “You feel it too.”
Color bloomed across her cheeks, spreading down her neck. Even the tips of her ears burned red.
She was furious.
Good.
If anger was what it took to break through her walls, then I would take it.
“I’m not trying to pressure you,” I said more quietly. “But don’t pretend those feelings don’t exist. Not with me.”
“Enough, Alexander!” she snapped, her voice
