Follow Your Heart (Catalina Cove #4) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,40
about time someone put her in check.
* * *
WHEN VICTORIA WALKED into the Witherspoon Café, Roman was already there, seated at a booth. She smiled when she saw him. When she reached the table, he stood, leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. “Good morning, Victoria.”
“Good morning, Roman,” she said, sliding into the booth seat across from him. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long. I told Bryce I’d wait to place my order until you got here. Did you sleep well last night?”
She smiled, thinking it had been the best sleep she’d gotten in a long time. It was amazing what a kiss could do. “Yes, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.”
“That’s good.”
“What about you?” she asked him.
For a quick second their gazes locked, and she was certain every hormone inside of her came alive when he said, “My sleep last night was amazing...and all because of you.”
He continued to look at her, and her body felt warm under his regard. She was tempted to ask for details, like how and why, but didn’t. She would just use her imagination.
At that moment, Bryce came up to their table with coffee, blueberry muffins and menus. Victoria noticed she was all smiles—more smiles than usual.
“Good morning,” Bryce said, pouring their coffee and placing the basket of muffins in the center of the table. “Are you guys ready to order?”
Victoria returned her smile. “Yes, and you’re in a happy mood.”
Bryce twirled around like she was doing a happy dance. “Yes,” she said excitedly. “We’ve done a Harry-and-Meghan.”
Victoria lifted an eyebrow, wondering what that meant. “What?”
Bryce laughed. “Kaegan and I are having a baby before our first anniversary and I am so happy.”
Victoria was out of her seat to give Bryce a hug. “I am so happy for you and Kaegan. When did you find out?”
“A couple of months ago, but Kaegan and I wanted me to be further along before we shared the news with everyone. We figured we weren’t getting any younger and there was no reason to wait since we both wanted children.”
“Well, I am happy for you,” Victoria said, smiling.
“Thanks.”
After Bryce had taken their order and left, Victoria smiled at Roman. “She’s happy.”
He laughed. “Yes, I think that’s obvious. Do you want children, Victoria?”
His question caught her off guard because he’d asked it like he wanted to know for a reason. “Uh-huh. Sure. What about you?”
“Yes. I want four, just like my parents.”
“My parents had five, but I want to stop at two,” she said. Then while it was on her mind, she said, “I’m getting off work early today, if you want to grab something to eat again before the fireworks to avoid the crowds. With Monday being a holiday, it will be a long weekend for me, and I can’t wait for it to get started.”
“Is there anywhere in particular you want to eat? Anything you have a taste for?”
Victoria fought back the urge to say “another one of your kisses would be great.” Instead, she said, “I picked the last place, so I’ll let you decide this time.”
“Okay.” Then he reached across the table and took her hand and asked, “About last night? Is there anything we need to discuss?”
She knew what he was referring to and shook her head. “No, there’s nothing we need to discuss. Unless...”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Unless what?”
She wouldn’t be so bold to say everything she wanted to say to him, but she would say this. “Unless you want to assure me that what we shared last night wasn’t the first and the last.”
He held her gaze for a long moment, and she felt her body practically convulse with sharp sexual energy when he said, “I can guarantee you, Victoria Madaris, that that kiss might have been our first, but it won’t be our last.”
She smiled, liking his answer.
* * *
“WE HAVE A new client.”
“That’s great, Mom,” Lyric said, taking the folder her mother handed her.
“And he’s a cutie if I say so myself,” Leigh Ann Evans added.
Lyric rolled her eyes. “I told you, Mom, I’m through with men. Especially the ‘cute’ ones. They can’t be trusted.”
Now it was Leigh Ann who rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Lyric, it’s not that you were all in to Westley, anyway. In fact, you told me that you planned to break things off with him.”
“Yes, but that’s beside the point. He should have waited until after I broke up with him before sleeping with Wendy. And she was my