shook her head. "You're right. I can just imagine your mother's face now if she saw me sitting here."
James's face turned serious and she regretted the comment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know how much your family means to you. I feel the same about my parents."
James's face softened at her words. "They do mean a lot to me, but that doesn't mean my mother can do as she pleases. Being an Altenbury, the legacy of the name, it brings a lot with it. I'm fine with that. It's never bothered me the way it did Matt. I enjoy running the family businesses, and being a part of the villagers' lives is a privilege. But my private life is my choice, and my mother needs to remember that and stop trying to marry me off to her idea of the ideal daughter-in-law."
He shook his head as though trying to rid himself of an unwanted memory. "Tell me about your family. What are they like?"
Vicky's smile spread across her face as she thought about her parents. "They met at school and started dating straight away. My dad was her first boyfriend. They married young so they could start a family. That was all my mum wanted."
Her smile faltered and she searched out the heart charm on her bracelet. "My mum wanted a whole brood of kids, but they gave up hope after years of trying and nothing happened. She almost lost faith, but then I came along. Their gift from God," she said, her lips twisting.
"Both of your parents are religious?"
He sounded intrigued more than anything, and Vicky nodded. "Yes, they are. I went to Sunday school and everything, but when I was old enough, I told my mum it wasn't for me. I knew she was disappointed, but she never forced it."
She dropped her gaze to her empty plate. She placed her cutlery across it, wiped her mouth with the napkin, and then scrunched it up in her lap. Lifting her gaze back to James's, she quietly admitted to him what she had confessed to her mother.
"When I'd… after the vision, I spoke to my mum about her hearing God… I mean, God speaking to her. I thought maybe they were God's way of speaking to me." She laughed softly.
James stared at her for a long moment, and she began to feel uncomfortable. She thought that maybe she shouldn't have said anything to him. He pushed back from the breakfast bar and crouched in front of her, dropping a hand on each thigh and squeezing.
"I can't believe nobody thought of that."
Vicky gazed down into his icy blue eyes, which looked anything but cold. He pushed up so he could brush his lips against hers then dropped back down to a squat in front of her.
"What? You think God is talking to us?"
James rubbed his hands up and down her thighs. "Matt said it the other day. Every vision is associated with a Roman god or goddess. What if they're trying to communicate with us through the visions?"
Vicky didn't answer. What was there to say? She didn't believe in God or goddesses or whatever he wanted to call them. Instead, she bit her lip and waited for James to carry on.
"Your last vision was about me being attacked and a snake. Snakes are linked to Apollo." He let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.
Vicky leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. "We'll figure it out," she said against them.
Then James pushed her back against the chair, deepening the kiss, and she forgot about visions and God. All she could feel were James's warm lips on hers, his strong hands holding her, and his manly scent surrounding her.
She gave in to the force that was James and let everything else go, for that moment.
Chapter 12
Monday morning, standing in the middle of what was supposed to be her salon, Vicky felt a little lost. Having spent the whole weekend with James, she felt—if she were honest—lonely. She shook her head at the thought. It was ridiculous. One night in James's bed and she couldn't function without him?
She snorted because she was not that girl. But he was that boy. She dropped her head in her hands. What had she
James's face turned serious and she regretted the comment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know how much your family means to you. I feel the same about my parents."
James's face softened at her words. "They do mean a lot to me, but that doesn't mean my mother can do as she pleases. Being an Altenbury, the legacy of the name, it brings a lot with it. I'm fine with that. It's never bothered me the way it did Matt. I enjoy running the family businesses, and being a part of the villagers' lives is a privilege. But my private life is my choice, and my mother needs to remember that and stop trying to marry me off to her idea of the ideal daughter-in-law."
He shook his head as though trying to rid himself of an unwanted memory. "Tell me about your family. What are they like?"
Vicky's smile spread across her face as she thought about her parents. "They met at school and started dating straight away. My dad was her first boyfriend. They married young so they could start a family. That was all my mum wanted."
Her smile faltered and she searched out the heart charm on her bracelet. "My mum wanted a whole brood of kids, but they gave up hope after years of trying and nothing happened. She almost lost faith, but then I came along. Their gift from God," she said, her lips twisting.
"Both of your parents are religious?"
He sounded intrigued more than anything, and Vicky nodded. "Yes, they are. I went to Sunday school and everything, but when I was old enough, I told my mum it wasn't for me. I knew she was disappointed, but she never forced it."
She dropped her gaze to her empty plate. She placed her cutlery across it, wiped her mouth with the napkin, and then scrunched it up in her lap. Lifting her gaze back to James's, she quietly admitted to him what she had confessed to her mother.
"When I'd… after the vision, I spoke to my mum about her hearing God… I mean, God speaking to her. I thought maybe they were God's way of speaking to me." She laughed softly.
James stared at her for a long moment, and she began to feel uncomfortable. She thought that maybe she shouldn't have said anything to him. He pushed back from the breakfast bar and crouched in front of her, dropping a hand on each thigh and squeezing.
"I can't believe nobody thought of that."
Vicky gazed down into his icy blue eyes, which looked anything but cold. He pushed up so he could brush his lips against hers then dropped back down to a squat in front of her.
"What? You think God is talking to us?"
James rubbed his hands up and down her thighs. "Matt said it the other day. Every vision is associated with a Roman god or goddess. What if they're trying to communicate with us through the visions?"
Vicky didn't answer. What was there to say? She didn't believe in God or goddesses or whatever he wanted to call them. Instead, she bit her lip and waited for James to carry on.
"Your last vision was about me being attacked and a snake. Snakes are linked to Apollo." He let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.
Vicky leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. "We'll figure it out," she said against them.
Then James pushed her back against the chair, deepening the kiss, and she forgot about visions and God. All she could feel were James's warm lips on hers, his strong hands holding her, and his manly scent surrounding her.
She gave in to the force that was James and let everything else go, for that moment.
Chapter 12
Monday morning, standing in the middle of what was supposed to be her salon, Vicky felt a little lost. Having spent the whole weekend with James, she felt—if she were honest—lonely. She shook her head at the thought. It was ridiculous. One night in James's bed and she couldn't function without him?
She snorted because she was not that girl. But he was that boy. She dropped her head in her hands. What had she
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