Hero Next Door

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She nods slowly. “I will be the one in control at long last.”

I can see that this pleases her and I understand in a way. The situation might be different but I got the same sensation when Jane walked away from me at long last and I felt like I had taken some of the control back. I don’t think that she will try and bother me at work again and she can’t call me, nor can she come to my house. I have that freedom and control over myself with what happens next and now Esme does as well. I just hope that she learns her lesson and she picks her next job more carefully, just as I have to choose the next person that I get in to a relationship.

I don’t know if I ever really went with my gut when it came to Jane. Not enough anyway and that’s why it all went wrong. Whereas with Esme… well, my gut is telling me that she can be good for me. If she lets me in. She might be giving me that look right now but it doesn’t mean that she wants me sticking around for good. We’ll see.

We head in to the kitchen and Esme gets some food items out of the fridge, but I can already see that this is too much for her. She’s tired, dizzy, probably overwhelmed as well, so I do the obvious thing. The thing that I wanted to do in the first place. I take the food from her and start cooking, batting off any argument from her. There’s no way that I can sit back and watch her struggle whether she wants to thank me for being her hero or not.

“Just sit down,” I tell her with a chuckle. “I am doing this no matter what you want.”

“But I invited you here for a treat and now…” She gives up, knowing that she can’t argue with me anymore. There’s no point, it won’t get her anywhere because I have already started. “Thank you, Theo.”

She sits back and leans in to her chair, smiling at me like I’m really important to her as I cook, and I find my heart beating much quicker with every passing second. She has me, a big part of me, and while I’m not sure what way this is going to go next I’m excited to see. I haven’t been this thrilled about a person for as long as I can remember. Maybe not even ever. I don’t think that I have ever had butterflies this big.

Something is happening here between me and Esme, something huge. I don’t know if either of us are ready for it, but it doesn’t matter. It’s happening regardless. All that we can do is go along for the ride.

Chapter 17 – Esme

“That was delicious,” I declare happily as I flop down on the couch beside Theo. I angle myself towards him, my knees graze against his, and I’m shocked to find that I don’t feel shy or self-conscious at all. There is something comforting about being around the man who has seen me at my worst and rescued me from that moment. I don’t feel like I need to hide anything from Theo anymore, he is too big a part of my life… which actually is crazy because I have always tried to hide myself, I haven’t ever felt good enough for anyone. “You are a great cook. But one day, you really do need to let me make something for you to eat because this was supposed to be me thanking you.”

“You just keeping me here is thanks enough,” he replies genuinely. “I appreciate it so much.”

“After everything that you have done for me… pfft, I’m not kicking you out any time soon. Maybe never.”

The air shifts. Something about my words has changed the atmosphere a hundred percent. That thick intense chemistry that me and Theo share rockets between us both and it’s like there is a magnet between us, pulling us both in. Neither of us can resist, even if we wanted to. Thankfully, I definitely don’t. I allow myself to slide towards him and shudder with excitement as his hands catch my cheeks. He gives me a look of sheer adoration as he pulls me in.

“You are beautiful, Esme,” he whispers just seconds before his lips graze against mine. “Truly beautiful.”

The kiss deepens right away. His tongue invades my mouth and I can’t resist leaning in to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around me to bring me in nearer to him. Honestly, I can’t get enough of his body, I want to feel every inch of him. I might have been tired before, drained and exhausted, but now he has me sparked and alive, more so than ever. I don’t think that I will ever be able to sleep again. Perhaps this isn’t my wisest choice, I shouldn’t be jumping in to anything with this guy when I’m still recovering from the trauma of Mr. Jones, but Theo is lovely, he’s better, he’s my hero for crying out loud. There is no reason why I shouldn’t be with him.