such a bad view of me, however, I have no choice."
Victoria stood. "Unless you stop insulting me, I'll leave -- and blocking my way won't stop me."
"I'm sorry. This is really hard."
"Why didn't you want to marry me last night? Oh, wait -- you didn't. Now, though, since my father demands it, you suddenly do." She fired him a hot glare. "Why would I sentence myself to that? Do I look stupid? Never mind. We aren't getting married. You'll have to find a different way to impress my father. Now… I'm out of here."
She tried to dodge past him, but he grabbed her again and hauled her in for a kiss. Her body defied her and reacted before she could shut it down. He devoured her until she finally opened for him, and he slipped his tongue inside and ran it against her teeth and rolled it with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him.
He reached behind her to squeeze her butt, then trailed feather light kisses down her cheek before nuzzling her neck. "I have to make this right. Please let me."
"I see." His words woke her from her haze of passion. "So Andrew drops a bomb on my father hoping to break us up, even though we were never technically together. Then my father tells you what to do, and you cave. Do I get a say in any of this?"
"You've wanted to marry me since you were a kid. What's changed?"
"Ah, maybe the fact that it's now an order. I'm not a piece of meat, nor am I a bargaining chip for you to use to get your reputation back. God, Traye you'll stoop to any level, won't you?"
"You love me. I know you do. And I already love you, so what's standing in our way?"
"You didn't love me enough last night to want to marry me." Victoria shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyway. It's too late. I have no intention of ever marrying you just because Dad says so, no matter what happens. If you'd asked me before you fought with my brother and bent to my father's demands, I'd have been ecstatic. Not like this, though. Never like this."
"You're right. It shouldn't have come to this, but it has. I do love you, and I think we can be very happy together."
"Happy? This is a business deal. You never wanted to marry me before. I highly doubt you do now. It'd be a disaster."
"You doubt I love you?"
Victoria shook her head. "I know you love me. It's the level of love I question. I don't want to marry a man who thinks of me as a sister or because he's looking for a way to help him stay on the farm he loves."
"It's not like that, and you know it. I didn't want to subject you to my screwed up life. You live in a fancy house, and this is what you would get. Is this honestly what you want?" He swept his arm toward the rest of the cabin. "That's why I promised myself I would never do this to you. Then your father told me I had to marry you, and I looked into my heart and realized how strong my feelings are for you."
"Traye, you have to let go of your demons. You've been dealt a rotten hand. We both know that. And maybe you'll never be ready for marriage. Just because Dad tells you that's what you need to do, doesn't make it the best path -- and it won't work. Not for me. I'm so over it already. Maybe we could've had a good life together, but I guess we'll never know. Now let me go. I'm done here."
Ready to make a grand exit, Victoria grabbed her jacket, threw it on, and headed for the door. Only Traye stepped in front of her again and prevented her from leaving.
"Traye, stop."
"Victoria, I have to do this." He shook his head. "No. I want to do this."
"No, you don't -- and I won't." Her days of chasing Traye were over. She blew out a heavy sigh. "We had our chance, and you screwed it up."
His eyes softened, and she could have sworn she had wounded him. He closed the space between them and yanked her against his rock hard chest. His lips met hers, and he kissed her hard. Her legs turned to jelly, and she clamped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back. The voice in her head told her to pull away, but she tightened her
Victoria stood. "Unless you stop insulting me, I'll leave -- and blocking my way won't stop me."
"I'm sorry. This is really hard."
"Why didn't you want to marry me last night? Oh, wait -- you didn't. Now, though, since my father demands it, you suddenly do." She fired him a hot glare. "Why would I sentence myself to that? Do I look stupid? Never mind. We aren't getting married. You'll have to find a different way to impress my father. Now… I'm out of here."
She tried to dodge past him, but he grabbed her again and hauled her in for a kiss. Her body defied her and reacted before she could shut it down. He devoured her until she finally opened for him, and he slipped his tongue inside and ran it against her teeth and rolled it with hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him.
He reached behind her to squeeze her butt, then trailed feather light kisses down her cheek before nuzzling her neck. "I have to make this right. Please let me."
"I see." His words woke her from her haze of passion. "So Andrew drops a bomb on my father hoping to break us up, even though we were never technically together. Then my father tells you what to do, and you cave. Do I get a say in any of this?"
"You've wanted to marry me since you were a kid. What's changed?"
"Ah, maybe the fact that it's now an order. I'm not a piece of meat, nor am I a bargaining chip for you to use to get your reputation back. God, Traye you'll stoop to any level, won't you?"
"You love me. I know you do. And I already love you, so what's standing in our way?"
"You didn't love me enough last night to want to marry me." Victoria shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyway. It's too late. I have no intention of ever marrying you just because Dad says so, no matter what happens. If you'd asked me before you fought with my brother and bent to my father's demands, I'd have been ecstatic. Not like this, though. Never like this."
"You're right. It shouldn't have come to this, but it has. I do love you, and I think we can be very happy together."
"Happy? This is a business deal. You never wanted to marry me before. I highly doubt you do now. It'd be a disaster."
"You doubt I love you?"
Victoria shook her head. "I know you love me. It's the level of love I question. I don't want to marry a man who thinks of me as a sister or because he's looking for a way to help him stay on the farm he loves."
"It's not like that, and you know it. I didn't want to subject you to my screwed up life. You live in a fancy house, and this is what you would get. Is this honestly what you want?" He swept his arm toward the rest of the cabin. "That's why I promised myself I would never do this to you. Then your father told me I had to marry you, and I looked into my heart and realized how strong my feelings are for you."
"Traye, you have to let go of your demons. You've been dealt a rotten hand. We both know that. And maybe you'll never be ready for marriage. Just because Dad tells you that's what you need to do, doesn't make it the best path -- and it won't work. Not for me. I'm so over it already. Maybe we could've had a good life together, but I guess we'll never know. Now let me go. I'm done here."
Ready to make a grand exit, Victoria grabbed her jacket, threw it on, and headed for the door. Only Traye stepped in front of her again and prevented her from leaving.
"Traye, stop."
"Victoria, I have to do this." He shook his head. "No. I want to do this."
"No, you don't -- and I won't." Her days of chasing Traye were over. She blew out a heavy sigh. "We had our chance, and you screwed it up."
His eyes softened, and she could have sworn she had wounded him. He closed the space between them and yanked her against his rock hard chest. His lips met hers, and he kissed her hard. Her legs turned to jelly, and she clamped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back. The voice in her head told her to pull away, but she tightened her
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