Chapter 256: 256 The Night He Chose Her

Joseph led Victoria to his bed while his mouth stayed on hers, kissing her like he had finally stopped fighting himself. His hands were careful around her wounded side, but there was nothing careful about the need in his kiss. It was deep and hungry, like he had held himself back for too long and now that he had started, stopping would hurt more than going forward. Victoria let him guide her, her fingers gripping his shoulders, her heart beating so hard she could feel it everywhere. She was afraid. Not of him, never really of him, but of what this might mean after the night ended. She was afraid it was just the heat of the moment, gratitude mixed with danger, a man shaken because she had saved his life and not because he truly wanted her. But even with that fear sitting in her chest, she could not pull away. She had wanted him too much for too long. If this was all she would ever get, then she would take it and burn later.

He gently laid her on the bed, still kissing her as if he wanted to learn the shape of her mouth properly. Victoria’s body trembled beneath him, partly from nerves and partly from the ache she had carried quietly for weeks. She had tried so hard to kill that ache. She had trained until her muscles screamed. She had avoided the hospital. She had avoided his eyes. She had told herself Leah was better, prettier, more fitting, and that Joseph would never look at her the way she looked at him. Yet here he was, above her, his breath warm against her lips, his hand sliding carefully over her waist like she was something precious.

Joseph broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. The room was dim, and she was wearing his shirt, and for a moment everything felt too quiet between them. He saw her heart there. It was open even though she was trying to hide it. There was something pure in the way she looked at him, something he had never seen in Ashley’s eyes. Not because Ashley had never cared in her own way, but because this was different. Victoria’s love was not demanding. It was not selfish. It did not ask him to repair pride or erase shame. It had risked itself for him in silence, then tried to walk away without making him feel guilty. That thought hit him hard.

He hoped she could see what was in his eyes too. The surrender. The decision. The way he had stopped standing at the edge of his own feelings and pretending there would be a better time. There might not be a better time. The attack at the warehouse had shown him that sharply. One moment she had been standing near him, trying to keep distance. The next, she was bleeding on the ground because her wolf had chosen his life over her safety. Waiting suddenly felt foolish. Waiting felt arrogant, as if life had promised him enough tomorrows to waste.

“There is no one else, Vicky. I do not feel anything for Leah but gratitude,” he confessed.

Tears slipped down Victoria’s cheeks immediately. She hated that she cried so easily in front of him now, but the relief was too much. She had suffered for almost two months believing he was falling for Leah. She had replayed every smile, every hospital visit, every moment he stayed by Leah’s side until her chest ached from it. She had told herself to accept it, to be graceful, to be sensible. Hearing him say there was nothing there felt like something tight around her lungs had finally loosened.

“It had been you for a while now, but I wanted the troubles over before I committed myself. I wanted to wait, but after holding your almost lifeless body in my hands last night, I knew it was only wise to seize the moment and take each day as they come with you, Vicky. I was too slow, and I want you to forgive me,” he said.

Victoria’s tears came harder, but they were not bitter now. They were relief. Joy. The soft pain of wanting something and suddenly realising it had wanted you back too. She lifted her hand to his cheek, still not fully trusting that the moment was real. Joseph turned his face slightly into her palm, and that small action broke something inside her. He was not looking at her like a man doing her a favour. He was not looking at her like she was convenient. He was looking at her like he had finally arrived where he was meant to be and felt stupid for taking so long.

Joseph slowly took off the shirt he had given her, giving her enough time to stop him if she wanted to. She did not. She let him pull it away from her body, leaving her bare beneath his gaze, exposed in a way that made her cheeks heat. His eyes did not rush over her like he wanted to consume and move on. He looked at her as if every part mattered. As if he was taking in her beauty and the wound together. His gaze moved to her side where the injury was almost completely healed, and his jaw tightened with emotion.

He touched the area gently, his fingers barely brushing over the tender skin. Then he bent and kissed the place where the wound had been. Victoria’s breath caught. The kiss was not sexual at first. It was reverent. Grateful. Painful. That mark would remain in his mind forever even if the skin healed clean. It was the proof that she had chosen him in a split second without calculating the cost. It was the reason he was still breathing. He kissed it again, softer this time, and Victoria’s fingers slid into his hair nervously.

He kissed her belly, then her navel, moving slowly, and her body responded with a strange mixture of shyness and hunger. This would be her first time, and every touch made that truth feel louder inside her. She had imagined things before, like anyone with a body and a heart did, but imagination was nothing compared to Joseph’s mouth on her skin and his hands holding her like he wanted to protect the same body he desired. It made her nervous. It made her ache.

Joseph moved up to her breasts and worshipped them with a hunger that made her arch before she could stop herself. He took his time, kissing, sucking and tasting her until her moans became impossible to swallow. The sensation was mind-blowing. Her body felt too alive, too sensitive, and every little movement of his mouth sent heat rushing down between her thighs. She gripped his hair tighter, embarrassed by how quickly she was falling apart, but Joseph only seemed to love it. He listened to every breath, every small cry, learning what made her tremble.

He moved lower again, kissing down her stomach, and when his hand reached between her thighs, his fingers touched her gently. Victoria flinched before she could control it. Joseph stopped immediately. His dark eyes lifted to her face, wolfish hunger still there, but when he saw the fear in her eyes, his expression changed. The heat softened into understanding. Slowly, he realised what he had not fully considered before. Victoria was bold. Daring. Gorgeous. Strong enough to face rogues without fear. And still, this would be her first time. She had kept herself, and somehow that made him feel even more careful with her.

“Let me know if I shouldn’t,” he said gently.

Victoria shook her head quickly. She did not want him to stop. She was afraid, yes, but she wanted him more than she feared the unknown.

“I want you to,” she said.