The doorbell rang later that night and Theo stood on my porch, looking exhausted.
“Hey beautiful.”
I looked around, embarrassed at his words, but Sam and Alex were busy watching some reality show and didn’t notice. But as I saw his eyes taking in my body, and the smile that formed on his handsome face, I felt ashamed for being embarrassed in the first place.
This man was showing me over and over again how much he wanted me. And as surprising as it was, I wanted him too. So why was I having a hard time accepting it? Admitting it? I resolved to do better.
“Rough day?” I asked, holding the door open for him to come in. Raven trotted up to him and rubbed herself against his legs, purring for attention. He bent down to pet her behind her ears, and she mewled in response.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, straightening up. “Just long.”
“You want a drink?”
He nodded and put his hand on the small of my back as we walked into the kitchen. I tried to ignore the shivers that electrified my spine, but his deep laugh beside me made that impossible.
“How was your evening? Everything okay here?” Theo looked around, as if needing to make sure things were indeed safe and status quo.
“Yeah, it’s been fine. I’m not used to being babysat,” I said with a snarky grin. “But we had a nice dinner. I uh, told Alex about us. Well actually, she asked because she heard some sort of gossip from Cheryl. I didn’t know what to say, so I’m sorry if that’s weird, I mean, it’s not like we even are anything, so I should have just kept my mouth shut but Alex is my best friend—”
“Sara, stop.”
I looked up at him and the bastard was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning, his eyes full of mirth and his chest bouncing from laughs he was trying to keep under control.
“What’s so funny?”
“You. I’ve never seen you talk so much. So nervous.” He stepped into my space and boxed me in against the counter. The scent of him, musky after a long day of work, was intoxicating. I couldn’t help but breathe deeper.
“I just. Um. I guess you make me a little nervous.” I shrugged, trying and absolutely failing to appear nonchalant. Even just admitting such a thing was a huge step for me because I was never outwardly nervous. And Theo knew it. He leaned his face in close to my neck. Was he breathing me in too?
“I think it’s cute. And it just caught me off guard because this whole time I’ve known how sexy you were. But I didn’t know just how fucking adorable you could be.”
I huffed out a breath. “Hardly.”
“Oh, totally.”
I looked away, pretending to be unaffected, which was stupid since he could probably see the pulse in my neck throbbing.
“But I like that you try to deny it. You can fight me on anything and everything, hippie. It just turns me on more. Because that’s a little secret between you and me. Your bratty side gets to me. Makes me even harder for you.”
He nuzzled his nose against my neck and damn me, I turned my head to give him better access.
“I know things are heavy right now, but fuck I missed you today.” He left a trail of kisses along my neck as his hands found their way to my ass. “Did you miss me?”
“No, not at all,” I whispered, breathy as all get out. If he liked it when I was a brat, I could be a brat. It seemed to be in my nature to argue with him every chance I got. Even when my body wasn’t on the same page.
He laughed into the crook of my shoulder and trailed his hand down the front of my yoga pants to palm me right where I wanted him most.
“Deny it all you want. I know what you need. I’m the only one who can make you feel this good.”
And he was right. Damn him, he knew it too. My skin pebbled with goosebumps as his lips caressed me. Shivers wracked my body and my nipples hardened. Theo moaned in my ear as he noticed, moving his hand up to tease them through my shirt.
Every cell in my body was screaming for release. A distraction from all this mess, a moment of ecstasy to erase the pain. And, if I was being fully honest with myself, a moment of vulnerability. Letting myself open up to this man. Just as I was about to touch him back, a voice sounded from the other room.
“We’re gonna head out in a minute.” Alex called out.
Holy shit, how had I lost sight of reality so much that I’d forgotten Alex and Sam were in the other room?
Theo backed up, not enough to fully lose the heat of him, but enough to halt our actions. The smirk on his face made me roll my eyes.
“Yeah, okay, we’ll be right there.”
I pushed against his hard chest to get him to back up another foot. I could barely think with him so close. Reaching in the fridge, I grabbed a beer and handed it to him. He twisted off the cap without an ounce of effort. The man’s hands were a gift, but a dangerous one.
I shook out my hands and cracked my neck from side to side, as if that would get rid of the ache Theo had cursed me with. He just laughed, so I elbowed him in the ribs and walked out of the room. His laughter only got louder.
In the living room, I found Sam and Alex slipping on their jackets.
“Well thank you for coming to watch over me, however unnecessary it was.”
Alex came and put her arms around me.
“Of course, we had a good time and it’s not unnecessary. We don’t know what’s going on, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Yeah, I still think you should come stay with us for a while,” Sam added. “Why don’t you go pack a bag and we can bring you back with us?”
“I’ve got it. I’m going to stay here with her.” Theo spoke loudly like he was ending the conversation. Raven meowed appreciatively. Alex sucked her lips in and tried to hide a smile.
“All right then. As long as you’re sure.” Sam looked like he was suspicious, but Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door.
“Call us if you need anything. I can come hang out with you at the shop tomorrow.” She waved as they left.
“Okay, thanks.” I blew her a kiss and closed the door behind them. When I turned around, Theo was holding Raven against his chest. She purred loudly and they both looked quite satisfied with the new arrangement.
“You’re a traitor, Raven.”
“She just can’t resist my charm. Can’t fault her for that, she’s just like her mama.”
“Oh that’s rich. I seemed to have resisted your charm for quite a long time, Sheriff.”
“I was playing the long game.”