Color Me Pretty: A Father's Best Friend Romance

His head bobbed once. I accepted it and swung my legs as he grabbed a couple plates and set them on the table. “I found a show I think you’d like. It’s all about King Tut and his rule over Egypt.”

He turned to me with drawn eyebrows. I sighed, relenting. “Okay, so maybe you won’t like it, but I will. You’ve never been into those kinds of TV shows which I’ve never understood. They’re so interesting.”

His chuckle made me smile. “Like I told you before. I’ll watch whatever you want, Della, I just want to spend some time with you.”

“And what if that time was spent not watching television?” I asked carefully, gauging his reaction.

When his eyes darkened with lust, I knew he was fine with that idea too. I bit my bottom lip and watched him come over to me, planting his hands on either side of my body before leaning in until his lips nearly grazed mine. “You just had to say that didn’t you? Get my cock hard just before dinner to make it uncomfortable to sit through.”

I exhaled shakily, feeling dampness settle between my legs. “We could skip dinner.”

He groaned, kissing me lightly and then drawing my bottom lip into his mouth. I wanted the kiss to go longer, deeper, but he didn’t allow it. Instead, he drew back enough to rest his forehead against mine. “You need to eat, Della. So do I. But don’t think I won’t lay you down on that table afterwards and eat you out for dessert.”

“Theo.”

His laugh was husky and deep. “You asked for it, sweetheart. I’m happy to oblige. Now get that perfect ass off my counter and help finish setting the table. Quicker we eat, quicker we can get naked.”

I laughed and obeyed, yelping when his hand slapped my butt as I walked past him to grab the silverware.

I liked this version of Theo.

I hoped it lasted.

My body was content as I rolled my yoga mat up after another session. Today was exceptionally relaxing, something I needed since my muscles seemed to coil over the course of the week. I didn’t know why because things were…good. Almost too good, like I was waiting for the shoe to drop and ruin everything.

Dinner at Theo’s last week had led to kissing, heavy petting, and eventually sex. Good sex. The kind that made my toes curl just to think about. If there was one place I didn’t think I’d have Theo besides my fantasy, it was inside me. And that was where he belonged and made sure I knew it. On the table. On his couch. He’d tired me out but sated me in a way that I still felt it deep in my soul.

I loved Theo West. I really did.

I felt Tiffany’s eyes on me as I stood and collected my belongings. “We start on Saturday, you dreamy-eyed bitch.”

I blinked. “Uh…?”

Her eyes rolled as she propped her mat under her arm and gestured toward the door. I adjusted my bag and followed her out, waving at a few people who said goodbye. I’d found solace again in coming to these classes. I had Tiffany to thank for that since she kept her word and dragged me out twice to ensure I wouldn’t ditch even though I had no plans to. “You’re going to come to my place Saturday morning. Your body is more limber, but we’ll do the same warmups we used to in dance before we start anything just to make sure. You’re out of practice, but I’ll go easy on you.”

“Tiff—”

“Nope.” She grinned, bouncing to a stop with a cocky look on her face. “You’re opening up and making progress. And whoever got between your legs is definitely helping with your moods because I know when people get some. You’re glowing.” My red face must have been amusing because she snorted. “Stop being all shy, nobody here is listening. I’m just saying, I might even be a little jealous. You’ve been smiley all week. It’s kind of gross, but I’m happy for you. And I’m not blowing smoke up your ass about the progress you’ve made, I’m being real. I can tell you’re not in your head as much. There’s something lighter in your walk. You engage with more people when we’re out instead of avoiding them. That’s something, Della.”

I wasn’t sure about that, but I did try putting aside my problems when I was with my friends. Lately, that was Ren and Tiffany. We’d meet up on campus, help each other study, or grab something to eat at the Hut or some other eating establishment close by, before heading to one of Ren’s games. Turned out, Tiffany loved sports. A lot. She yelled louder than I did when he hit a homerun. Then again, maybe it was just because her thoughts about Ren were much different than mine.

With finals right around the corner, I knew I needed to get my head in the game. That meant not worrying about what Theo was thinking when it came to us. Instead, I had to focus on passing Ribbons’ class since I’d gotten a C- on my exam and making sure I proved to her I was more than my last name, and being Tiffany’s puppet since she was adamant on me dancing with her. I wasn’t sure why she was so keen on getting me to start again, but she promised she wouldn’t pressure me to talk to Judith. I believed her, even if a part of me was hesitant. She’d proven to be a good friend, maybe even better than I offered her considering she didn’t know a lot about me, but it was something.

Blowing out a breath, I relented to her demand because I knew I wouldn’t have much else of a choice otherwise. “What time?”

She beamed. “Nine too early?” We both knew we’d had earlier days when we danced together at Judith’s. “You have my address still, so just come on over. My studio is in the backyard. It’s a converted pool house.”

I blinked, sometimes forgetting she came from money. She didn’t act like most other people did when their families were well off. Then again, had she ever? She always wanted to work as a cosmetologist, and the reason she didn’t was probably because of how she was raised. It made me think about Sophie’s lectures to me growing up.

“You don’t need to work, darling. Just look at your mother. She stopped when she met your father.” But she hadn’t. My mother was a well-known interior designer who did leave her job, but it was to pursue charity work with non-profits. It kept her busy, busier than when she worked for a living.

I nodded. “Fine. But—”

“Nope. I’m not going to listen to self-doubt or boring excuses. You’ve got this.” I glared at her as she winked. “Oh, and we’re going out tonight. Thank your boy toy for that, he kept bugging me to tell you about it.”

“But—”

“What did I say?” she cut me off again, making me groan loudly. “Listen, since yoga was moved to today, that means we have all tomorrow to recover from a hangover. We both need to have fun.”