Chapter Thirteen
Henry
“Oh my!”
It wasn’t until the woman exclaimed behind us that I realized the elevator had stopped on another floor. I pressed Theo into the wall with my whole body, moaning into his mouth. I supposed our only saving grace was that he was clutching my waist and not lower.
We broke free. Theo’s lips were shiny as he burst out laughing. I wheeled to face the woman, almost tripping over Theo’s discarded duffel bag to find she was with three children and a laughing elderly couple. And that we were at the lobby, the concierge rising from his chair to inspect the commotion.
I stood frozen, but as the doors closed, Theo pressed the button for my floor and called, “Sorry! Merry Christmas!” Still laughing, he collapsed into me sideways. “Amazing.”
I stood rigid, my face burning. My black pants didn’t hide my arousal, and my instinct was to run and hide. But Theo was poking me.
“It’s all right, baby. Don’t freak out, okay?”
Baby. My stomach fluttered, and to my shock, I laughed. It could probably be more accurately described as a giggle, and it clearly delighted Theo, who grinned and kissed me, his arm around my back.
On my floor, I grabbed my abandoned bag, and we hurried to my door. I fumbled with the keys, Theo intoxicatingly close behind kissing my neck, his hands stealing under my jacket. We stumbled inside, barely getting the door closed before I pressed him against it in the faint red light from the kitchen.
Our tongues tangled as we gasped and moaned, my leg between his thighs. He was hard, but his lips were so soft. Hands everywhere at once, squeezing and exploring. I was probably a terrible kisser, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Esmeralda’s outraged meow broke through the haze of lust, and we laughed as she rubbed against our calves. Theo took my face in his hands and murmured, “Let me see you smile.”
Suddenly self-conscious, I dropped my gaze. “You’ve seen me smile plenty of times.”
“Not these smiles.” He rubbed his thumb back and forth over my wet lower lip. “Kissing you is even better than I thought. Do you like it?”
I nodded, and Esmeralda meowed again. “I have to feed her.”
“Right, okay.” He dropped to a crouch. “Are you hungry, sweetheart? You’re such a good girl. Yeah, you are.”
After we took off our boots and coats, I dished out an extra teaspoon of her wet food, Theo still at my side touching me—a hand on my wrist, my neck, a kiss to my shoulder, my ear, a sweep of his tongue into my mouth for just a moment. My head rushed with blood, which was a miracle considering how much had been allocated to my groin.
“Is this okay?” Theo mumbled against my mouth. “Do you still want to kiss?”
In answer, I licked his lips, and he pushed me against the counter with his hips, rubbing our hard shafts through our practice pants. He pulled back, his eyes dark and searching.
“Do you want to go to bed? Can we get naked?”
A memory yanked through me with barbed hooks. I hesitated.
“We don’t have to. It’s okay. Whatever you want to do. Or not do.” Theo peered at me carefully. “I know you said you’ve done stuff before, but—”
“I’m not a virgin.”
“Okay, but if it’s too much—”
“It’s not.”
I tugged him by the hand across the living room. I’d flipped on the kitchen light, but the rest of the condo was still in darkness, the distant lights from other buildings twinkling through the window, thick snow falling.
I paused again. Evaluating. Was it too much? Did I want to be naked with Theo? I inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly.
Yes.
I wanted this. I wanted to be with him. I was ready. Almost ripping my shirt, I grabbed the hem and tugged it off over my head. Theo grinned, and we stripped off everything. Standing naked under his avid gaze, my face burned, but I didn’t give in to the persistent temptation to hide.
What exactly did I want to do? Feel Theo’s naked body against mine? Yes. Heart pounding, I leaned back against my pillows, pulling him along with me. He straddled my hips and leaned low, but hesitated.
“Do you want me to fuck you? Or do you want to fuck me? Or we can just keep doing what we’re doing.”
“Why do we have to talk about it?”
I’d been fine a second ago, but my lungs seized, and all I could think about was him. What a fool I’d made of myself those years ago in Vancouver. I believed Theo was different, but suddenly the tender way he was looking at me was too much.
I said, “We can do whatever you want.”
Theo straightened, still sitting over my hips. He smoothed a warm palm down my chest. “You’re all tensed up. I know you don’t like talking, and I know, I know, you said you’re not a virgin. But I want to make sure this is good for you. I’m trying to understand what’s going on in your head.”