“I don’t know.” What if he used the time they had together with the therapist to compile ammunition against her?
“Do you believe Vik will destroy Archer International Holdings if I attempt to have you declared mentally incompetent?”
“Yes.” There was not a single atom in her body that did not trust Vik to do just that.
“Then you have nothing to fear,” her father said, showing he’d guessed correctly what had her hesitating.
“I’ll talk to Dr. MacKenzie. If she thinks it’s a good idea, we’ll arrange the sessions.”
Her dad startled her again, getting up from his desk and coming around to kiss her on the cheek and shake Vik’s hand. “Thank you for watching out for her better than I ever have.”
“I always will.” It was another Viktor Beck promise.
And the places still cold inside from Maddie’s unexpected meetings with her father, the psychiatrist and then Perry, warmed. “And I will watch out for Vik.”
Starting with taking him home and teaching him how to say three all-important words.
“I believe you. You have your mother’s loyalty and my stubbornness. He couldn’t be in better hands.”
Maddie surprised herself, accepting the compliment with the warmth it was intended. “Thank you.”
Vik slid his arm around her waist. “It’s time for us to go home, I think.”
“What about your afternoon meetings?” she asked, not really wanting him to go back to work.
But now that she knew he loved her, Maddie could wait for the evening to hear him say it. Maybe.
“I canceled everything after your phone call.”
“Because nothing is more important to you than I am,” she said with satisfaction.
Vik could have shrugged. He could have tried to deny it. He could have grimaced in unhappy acknowledgment.
He did none of those things.
What he did was turn his big body to face her, blocking out her view of her dad and his office.
Vik cupped Maddie’s cheeks, his hands trembling against her skin. “Exactly.”
Oh, man. She was going to melt right there.
“Take me home, please,” she said, her voice low with fervency.
Vik made a sound like something had broken inside him and then leaned down and kissed her. His mouth claimed hers with undeniable need. She gave in to it without hesitation.
Maddie didn’t know how long the kiss lasted, but when her father’s voice finally penetrated, she was pressed against Vik, his arms tight bands around her.
“Sheesh, you two need to go home.”
“Kicking us out?” Vik asked with no evidence of embarrassment at what they were doing.
Her dad, on the other hand, had a definite ruddy cast to his cheeks. “What’s coming next is not going to happen in my office.”
Maddie’s own cheeks heated at the implication of his words. He was absolutely right. It was time to leave.
The trip home happened in a haze for her and Maddie was glad Vik drove.
He surprised her by pulling her into the morning room, the shabby chic so like her former apartment and cheery lemon-yellow accents barely registering as he pulled her to sit with him on the deep sofa.
“I thought we were going upstairs.” To make love.
That’s certainly where their kiss in her father’s office had been leading.
“We’re going to talk.” Vik winced as if the words pained him. “About the emotional stuff.”
“Can’t we do that later?” Knowing he loved her was making her desire for the physical proof overwhelming.
“No.”
“Why not?” She wasn’t whining.
She wasn’t, but so far, her day had sort of sucked. Making love with her husband? Now, after learning he was in love with her, that would take this one into the “best days ever” category.
“Because maybe things would have been different for Helene and Jeremy if they had,” Vik said, quoting her own words back at her.
“That was them. We aren’t my parents.”
“No, we aren’t.” Vik took a deep breath and let it out, his complexion just a little green. “I love you, Madison.”
She didn’t tease him for nearly being sick with stress over the admission, though the temptation was great. But she appreciated how hard this had to be for her usually single-minded, alpha business tycoon.
“Maddie.”
“What?” he asked, like she’d strayed from the script.
“You love me. I love you. You call me Maddie, like Romi does.”
“Perry, too.” And Vik didn’t appear happy about that.
“Not anymore. Perry doesn’t get to call me anything. You saw to that.”
“The restraining order lasts two years, but we’ll renew it.”