Edward turned to look at me, his eyes turbulent with emotion. My heart raced, and my breath quickened. He suddenly reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“You spent the whole night with him, and I couldn’t sleep at all… Victoria, is this your way of punishing me for tearing you and Ryan apart back then?” Edward’s voice was heavy, and there was pain in his eyes.
His sorrow and sense of loss crashed into my heart like a blaze, suddenly setting it alight.
“Edward, you brought this on yourself…” I bit my lip and said, “If you just stop loving me, all this hurt will disappear.”
“I can’t…” Edward was like a wounded animal, beaten and lost. He pulled his hand back and turned away, staring out the window, his voice rough and shattered. “I’ve tried.”
My head buzzed, and before I realized what I was doing, my fingers instinctively clutched at his sleeve.
In the next instant, I was pulled into his arms by an irresistible force. Suddenly, I found myself pressed against his chest as his lips crashed down, desperately seeking mine.
Our mouths met in a rush of heat, and all sense of reason vanished in an instant. It was like a pile of tinder left to dry under the summer sun—one tiny spark, and everything went up in flames. What happened next was somehow both expected and more than I ever imagined.
Edward and I had pulled back and forth so many times—every time it felt like we were doomed, yet somehow we always managed to break free.
But this time…
This time, it was like I was pinned to him, unable to escape. Like fish starved for water, we soaked up each other’s heat, desperate and unrestrained. In that burning moment, I lost all sense of myself—Victoria… his voice whispered in my ear, again and again, and it was all I could hear.
It was like a whirlwind—a driven downpour, crashing for nearly half an hour—so fast, so wild, I couldn’t tell which way was up.
When everything finally stilled, I couldn’t even look at myself. My soul and body felt completely undone, like they couldn’t settle back into place.
But Edward just kissed my cheek and said, “I’ll drive you to school.”
“No need, I’m already late,” I snapped, my voice sharp with frustration.
Edward chuckled softly and kissed me again. “Then I’ll get you excused.”
It suddenly occurred to me that he knew my professor. I kept quiet, lips pressed together.
Edward told the driver to leave. The car was still thick with the lingering intimacy, definitely not the kind of atmosphere for an outsider.
I rolled down the window, letting the cold air rush in, but Edward rolled it back up.
“You just got over a cold, don’t let the wind hit you,” he said.
“Roll it down. I need to cool off,” I said softly, but there was a firmness in my voice.
Edward sighed and rolled the window down a little, but not all the way.
“What happened just now… that’s on me,” Edward said, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
“That’s just how things go between adults. I know the rules, so don’t overthink it,” I replied with a calm smile.
Edward glanced back at me, and the happiness on his face suddenly darkened.
“An adult’s game?” He raised an eyebrow. “So I’m just another move in your game?”
“Yeah, thinking about it that way, it’s not a big deal,” I said, my voice calm.
“Did I make you feel pressured?” Edward’s voice softened.
“No, just forget about what happened and there won’t be any pressure,” I replied.
Edward paused, then lowered his voice. “Did I… not satisfy you just now?”
Victoria’s cheeks burned red with embarrassment. “Can we not talk about this?”
Edward got all moody—men always needed some kind of answer when it came to this sort of thing.
I sighed inwardly, thinking, ‘Why are they all the same?’
I had Edward drive me home. I took a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes, and even though I was running late, I still managed to catch part of my class—so off to school I went.