Translation of Love - By Alice Montalvo-Tribue Page 0,25

idea of lying next to him while I go to sleep and seeing his face first thing in the morning. I’m shocked at myself for thinking these things but I decide to go with it. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

“You will?” I can hear the excitement in his voice.

I nod once. “But I need to go home in the morning to shower and get a change of clothes.”

I can see the satisfaction on Victor’s face. He had been preparing himself to convince me. I can tell he’s relieved that I agreed so easily. He holds my hand and kisses my knuckles. “I can make that happen.”

We stay on the couch together for a while longer, lounging around and watching a movie. He’s sitting upright on one end. I’m not sure how but he’s managed to get me snuggled into his side. I’ve never snuggled up to someone like this before. I had no idea it could be this nice, calming. He runs his fingers through the loose strands of my hair. My mind starts to drift away from the movie playing in front of me and before long I’m asleep.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep but a strong pair of arms lifting me up and carrying me across a darkened room, wakes me up. I remember where I am, with Victor in his hotel room. Instinctively, my arms tighten around his neck.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispers.

“It’s okay, I can walk,” I say, whispering my reply.

He shakes his head denying my request. Before I know it, he’s setting me down on the enormous bed. I’ve never seen a bed quite this big before. I feel like I could get lost in it. He kisses my cheek and gives me a small smile that tells me he would like to do a lot more than share a bed with me. “You want one of my t-shirts to sleep in? It might be a little bit more comfortable than what you’re wearing.” Having Victor this close to me makes me dizzy. I almost wish I could let go of all of my fears and let him have his way with me.

“A t-shirt would be great, thanks.”

He rummages through his bag, then hands me a t-shirt. “You can change in here. I’ll change in the bathroom to give you some privacy.”

“Thank you.”

Once Victor’s gone, I quickly change into the shirt he gave me, hop into bed and pull the covers over me. I’m mentally kicking myself for letting him convince me to spend the night with him. When he’s around me, I find myself agreeing to things I normally wouldn’t.

The light from the bathroom door opening snaps me out of my thoughts. Victor comes back into the room wearing nothing but a pair of low hanging pajama bottoms. My mouth goes dry and my breathing becomes irregular at the sight of him. I’d felt him underneath his shirt but nothing could prepare me for the sight of his perfectly chiseled chest, ripped abs and the sexy V of his hipbones that meet the waistband of his pajama. It’s impossible not to stare. He must spend hours at the gym for a body like that. All of a sudden, I feel self conscious. What the hell could he possibly want with me when he’s carrying all that around? The man is flawless and I am…well, I’m not.

Wordlessly, he strides across the room, pulls back the covers and gets into bed beside me. I struggle to steady my breathing and regain my composure. We’re lying face to face now. I can barely make out his features in the dark but I can see his eyes on mine. He runs his hand through my hair, and my breath catches as he grasps the nape of my neck. He gives me a tug that’s both tender and possessive and all of a sudden, my lips are on his. One hand in my hair, the other on the small of my back, slowly he trails down to my leg and pulls it so that it’s draping over his, tangling us together. God, I never liked kissing before I met Victor, but I could do this with him all night. Kissing him is like a release. It makes me wonder what doing other things with him would do to me. I’m trying to keep my defenses up but each time we kiss, it’s like going a round in a boxing match. The more rounds we go, the