42. Home Movies
42
Home Movies
The dial tone beeped. Victor and I chuckled, our kiss briefly intercepted by teeth.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Does the basement count as a public area?”
“Probably. I’ll keep it PG.” He sucked my lips and cradled me against him, the spider-legs on his fingers digging into my ass. A flash of his tongue spiked my adrenaline.
I giggled and scooted back. “That’s PG-13.”
“Would you like to go to my room for some privacy?”
I whispered in his ear, “Does intimidating people make you horny?”
“Watching you do your thing in any capacity…” He hummed and hugged me tight. “That’s what gets me going.”
I stroked his hair and relished our newfound closeness, his breath warm on my neck, his heart open to mine. This was the strength I needed to take life’s hits.
He pressed a gentle kiss to the same spot he bit me.
A pleasant shudder worked its way through my body. This wasn’t some fling. He loved me.
My phone buzzed, jolting us out of our reverie.
“It’s not Sam. It’s Tori.” I opened the message in case it was an emergency.
Tori: Are you mad at me?
Victor frowned. “Why would you be mad at her?”
I started to fill him in on what’d happened earlier in the evening when she sent a follow-up message.
Tori: I saved your pumpkin from Jen. [big eyes emoji]
Tori: Well, Mom and Dad helped me.
Next, a video popped up with my pumpkin proudly displayed on the porch step in front of the porch cam. My spider glowed in wait for its next victim—or visitor.
Victor's gaze trailed over my face. “You made a spider. For me?”
My breath caught in my chest. It was still scary to admit my feelings, but I was safe in his arms.
“I love you, Victor. You’re my Spider-Man,” I said.
His eyes lit up, and he surged forward with a kiss. Real fingers and spider legs clutched my back. “I love you too, Kat,” he confessed with that sexy, graveled voice of his. His dewy eyelashes brushed my cheek. “Do you believe me?”
“I do.”
I got lost in kissing, hugging, and loving my man. This was better than any on-screen kiss or happily-ever-after. I had a lover I could trust, someone to lean on and care for me, someone I could lend my own strength. We could spend a lifetime sharing all kinds of surprises. I hoped most of them ended in laughter and kisses.
He nuzzled my nose. “So, do you want to bring Jinx here for a sleepover or do we need to head back to feed him?”
God, I loved that he cared about my cat. “A sleepover would be fun, but he doesn’t do super well with new places. Your sister hasn’t approved of either of us staying yet, either. I wouldn’t want her to have to worry about her creations.”
“Ah, yes.” His gaze dipped, then bounced back to my eyes. “Could we keep him sequestered in my room for a bit? Train him?”
“Train a cat?” I laughed and slid off his lap. “Are you still trying to convince us to move in?”
“Perhaps.” That mischievous devil arched his eyebrow.
“Victor—”
“Let me show you the space.” He took my hand and led me up two flights of stairs to a dark blue bedroom with a steepled ceiling. The high, tinted windows had some kind of fake stained-glass finishing.
“This is my private sanctum,” he joked, gesturing to an ensuite bathroom. The towels, comforter, and pillowcases were navy. Come to think of it, the lights in his car and his uniform stripes were blue too.
He tilted his head to catch my eye. “Why are you smiling?”
“I think I got to know a little more about you.” I swung our linked hands and batted my eyelashes. “Is your favorite color blue?”
He nodded, his cheeks flaring pink.
He was so fucking cute, blushing. Everything we’d been through chopped down his guarded fa?ade and let me in.
I could get to know him better, now. Here. In his room. His ‘sanctum.’
I rearranged the pillows so I could sit up against the headboard. “It’s very calming, blue. In fact, I used to—” A fluffy ball with eight legs tumbled out from behind the pillows and stopped my heart. I shrieked and hugged the stuffed animal. “Bitsy.”
I shot Victor a playful reproach. “So, you were sleeping with other women.”
He chuckled and combed his bangs with his fingers. “I’m still trying to figure out what Sam was talking about with all my ‘guests.’ Once in a while, Zero would come in, but she was my sister, and she was usually working.”
“Well, he did mistake my general friendliness as an invitation to stalk, so, maybe he’s not the best judge of relationships,” I said.
“Fair," he said.
I stroked Bitsy for comfort. “There is one thing I wanted to ask you about, though. There was a girl from my store.” Not a friend. “You gave her popcorn.”
“Yes?"
Bile simmered in the back of my throat. “Did you two ever…?”
He recoiled from the idea. “God, no. She was fishing for freebies pretty hardcore though.”
Flirting, I bet.
Victor frowned. “The team said she left a mess. She spilled the small popcorn on the floor, left it there, then tried to talk me into letting her use my membership. She pretended to want to get to know me better. That popcorn was a one-time kindness because of your association, and I let her know that. Plus, I was working. I never flirted, and we were never alone together. She’s hardly one of ‘my girls.’ She was an annoying, average customer.”
“I believe it.” Managing stuff often meant making small concessions to get on with the day. After all, he didn’t go on break for her. He didn’t invite her over or give her his jacket. She was just making trouble. Again. “I’m sorry my questions upset you. I’m still new to this relationship stuff,” I said.
“Me too.” He tugged his bangs and glanced over his shoulder. “You don’t want any more secrets between us, right?”
I nodded and hugged the plush, bracing myself.
He sighed and sat on the bed. “I apologize for not being more forthright. I…I’ve always had to deflect from serious topics. My parents think I’m not living up to my potential, especially compared to Zero. They figure I should be in tech too. I was in her classes often enough I could probably pass as a mediocre electrician or data scientist.”
I nudged him with my foot. “But you love movies. You’re a great manager, too.”
“Thank you.” He slow-blinked and squeezed my sole. “You are as well.”
This man. I had to focus on what he was saying, not smother him with kisses the second he opened up or flattered me. I softened my voice. “What about your sister? Can you be open with her?”
“Somewhat.” He frowned. “Maybe because I tagged along to her classes, she sees me as some kind of emotional support puppy…or a mildly annoying little brother. We love each other, but she doesn’t take me seriously. She didn’t believe the widow was malfunctioning. When I sent her a video, she said I didn’t need it to perform properly. She doesn’t think about my needs…generally.”
He hunched over and shook his head. “Sorry. I am grateful to her, and I appreciate she’s been through a lot, but I uprooted my whole life for her sake. It’s time I got my own life outside the theater. A life with you.” He placed his hand on my thigh.
My insides fluttered, and I scooted up to hug his side. “You deserve the world, Victor.” I'd be happy to share mine.
He shifted to wrap his arm around me. “I’m glad she let you come here. And that she helped. If not, I would’ve gone to you in a second.”
“She’s a good person. We’re all just doing the best we can.” I kissed his cheek. Whether we’d survived a horror or were in the throes of a romance, I loved how vulnerable and safe we were together. Real life was hard. It was complicated. So were happy endings.
I eased back on the bed, then used the spider plush’s fuzzy leg to beckon him closer. “Do you want to cuddle with us?”
“Absolutely. Let’s get a movie started. Something terrible.” He queued up something from a web file and snuggled in.
On-screen, a middle-school-aged Victor swooped aside mushroom-style bangs and called for his assistant in evilness. A small mech, most likely one of Zero’s creations, rolled into shot. Its engine was so loud Victor had to shout his lines. He committed to the role with a strong voice, dramatic presence, and Shakespearean levels of importance placed on every line.
I laughed and tapped his chest. “You made this?”
“Yes, I wrote and directed it for a class,” he said.
I nodded along to the wide, wobbly follow-shots in presumably his old house. “Oh, very cinematic.”
His chest rumbled under my cheek. “The only saving grace of showing you this movie is that you’ll probably talk too much to actually watch it.”
“Hey.” I laughed, nudging his side. “I’m enhancing the experience. I love this. And I love you. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“You’re welcome.” His lips grazed the top of my head.
“So, does the evil assistant turn on you or do you change your ways in the end?”
“Watch the movie.” He chuckled, lightly rubbing the underside of my arm. “If this one proves too painful, we can pick another from those bookshelves.”
“I like this.” I squeezed him and Bitsy. My whole body tingled with pleasant anticipation.
If we lived together one day, we could do stuff like this every day: cuddle, laugh, fuck, and chat. Every day would be its own little adventure. After all, he did have an extensive movie collection.