Page 133 of Shattered By Grace

He’s so fucking sexy, she thought, unable to suppress the quickening of her pulse. The way he held himself, the way his eyes blazed as they locked onto hers like a silent dare.

She kept dancing, but her eyes never left him. The world around her seemed to fade, the music pulsing through her veins as he drew closer, their invisible connection tightening with each breath.

Then, as if the moment had been written in the stars, the music shifted. The soft notes ofWildest Dreamsfilled the air, a slow, haunting melody, and suddenly Tristan was there. Without a word, he grabbed her hand, slinging her effortlessly into his chest until they were face to face, the tension between them so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

Victoria’s breath caught.This is it,she thought. This is the moment.

His lips curled into a half-smirk, and the fire in his eyes flickered darker as he leaned in, just enough to speak in a low, almost teasing tone. “Admit it, Victoria, You’ve had me underyour skin since the moment I laid eyes on you. So, what are you waiting for? Let me show you what happens next.”

It wasn’t a request. It was a command, wrapped in that familiar, cocky confidence. The words hung in the air between them like a challenge.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she let herself melt into the rhythm of the song, the weight of their gazes pulling her deeper. They danced, slow and easy, their bodies moving as if they had done this a thousand times before. There was no rush. Only the lingering heat of his touch on her waist, the flicker of a smile on his lips, the way his eyes never left hers.

Tristan moved fast, dipping her before she had a chance to react, his grip strong and steady, like he had no intention of letting her go. The world around them blurred, the music pulsing through the air, but all she could focus on was him. The way he always looked at her, like she was the only thing that mattered.

“Oh, love,” he murmured, voice dripping with amusement. “You should know better than to look at me like that.”

And asWildest Dreamsreached its crescendo, he kissed her.

It wasn’t soft or hesitant. It was reckless and consuming, like he knew exactly what he was doing to her and refused to stop. His fingers tangled in her hair, his body pressed against hers, and for a moment, the entire world tilted, gravity bending beneath the weight of them.

And then, just as quickly, it was over.

Tristan pulled back, his breath warm against her lips, his smirk still there. His eyes… God. They burned for her with a deep hunger. No teasing now. No games. Just him, laid bare.

“I love you, Victoria.”

The words weren’t playful. They weren’t arrogant or coaxing. They were real.

And just like that, the air left her lungs.

Chapter Sixty

The words were right there. On her lips. Ready to be spoken.

Victoria could feel them, heavy in her chest, a truth that had been clawing at the edges of her soul for far too long. The love she had spent so long denying, fighting, running from. It had caught her. Wrapped around her like an unshakable force, pressing against her ribs, demanding to be freed.

She was in love with Tristan.

Not the kind of love that was soft and simple, but the kind that was all-consuming. The kind that rewrote the fabric of her being, burned through her fears, and left her breathless in its wake.

And he needed to know.

Her fingers curled into the lapels of his suit, gripping the fabric like an anchor, as if letting go would send her spiraling. Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning out the music, the voices, the world beyond him.

“Tristan, I…”

She faltered.

Not out of hesitation. Not out of doubt.

But because of the way he was looking at her.

Like she was the only thing in existence.

He already knew.

His eyes burned into her, dark and unwavering, yet somehow so achingly familiar, like a promise she had spent a lifetime trying to decipher. His hands at her waist, the way he was holding her so effortlessly close, like she belonged there, like she always had… it unraveled her.

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