"Why are you so curious?" Aurora groaned.
"A smokin' hot guy followed you out and couldn't take his eyes off you. You really think I’ll ignore that?"
"He was looking at me?" She turned to Harper but knew she wouldn't take her eyes off the road.
"Yea, at your ass." She giggled.
"That's Theo." She pouted, her eyes shifting outside.
"Theo? Your brother's friend? The bully?" She gawked, her eyes bugging out.
"Yea."
"He's so hot, Rory! My goodness!" She giggled more as they pulled into the parking lot at Ulta. "Wait. Didn't you say you had to agree to be his?"
Harper had parked the car and they were both getting out now. Aurora made sure to grab her lunch and Harper locked her car.
"Yea, but I don't think he was serious."
"Girl, the way he looked at you wasn't a 'I want that booty' it was a 'I own that' look. God, I wish a man would look at me like that! That raw, possessiveness that makes a man grab his woman and-"
"Stop!" She sighed. "I think he just likes to tease me."
"I'm sure Tristan will agree with me." She spoke as they stepped inside, the cool air a welcome against their skin
"Agree with what?" Tristan was already in front of them, his eyes moving between the two.
"Rory has a smoking hot guy!"
"Oh, girl! Did you give him your v-card?" He clapped his hands together, jumping up and down.
"No!" Aurora quickly responded, her feet carrying her to the break room to put her food in the employees’ refrigerator.
"Why not, Rory?" Harper joined in.
"Because it's Theo. I can't." She was shaking her head as she spoke.
Harper glanced at Tristan, filling him in on what happened when Aurora came out of the building. Aurora blushed at how Harper described Theo to Tristan. Tristan gushed, claiming all his hard work with her was finally paying off. She didn't want to even bring up everything else that happened, but eventually had to tell Harper that she didn't need a ride home. Of course, she wanted a reason and details. She wouldn't leave Aurora alone until she spilled everything. With a heavy sigh, the three sat down for lunch and she told them everything that happened. The two kept gushing and squealing after everything she said. Aurora lost count of how many times she had rolled her eyes or told them to calm down.
"Just wait until you see this guy, Tristan! You'll cream your pants!" Harper bubbled enthusiastically, making Tristan burst into a fit of laughter.
"Harper!" Aurora glared at her.
"What? I don't know how you haven't jumped on him. My panties would be soaked if he touched me."
"He tormented me for years!"
“Are you sure he didn’t like you? Boys can be mean to the one they like.”
“I’m positive, Harper.”
"Then can I have him?"
"Sure, I'll let him know." Aurora wondered if that would get him to leave her alone, but she also felt a pang of jealousy at the idea.
The rest of the work day went faster than Aurora wanted. Her stomach was starting to get nauseous, a sign her anxiety was flaring up. She wasn't sure why Theo wanted to pick her up. She also wondered if he would want her to cook again, if he did she would have to go to the store.
"Earth to, Rory!" Harper's shrill voice pierced her ears and brought her back to what was going on. "Your man is here." She giggled.
Aurora shifted her blue eyes to the doors and spotted his Viper toward the back of the parking lot. He was standing outside of it while he smoked a cigarette and waited for her.
"Rory, you better hop on that. Harper's right." Tristan was fanning himself with his hand, both of them staring at him. "Hell, I might even try."
"He might kick your ass for trying, look at those muscles!" Harper's voice becoming dreamy. "I bet he could hold you up while he fu-"
"Harper! Tristan! Enough!" Aurora's cheeks were inflamed with embarrassment. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"You better be sore when you come in, girl!" Tristan yelled as she walked out the door.
She kept her head down as she went over to Theo's car. She could smell the smoke of his cigarette and hear the engine purring the closer she got to it.
"Hey, babe." He smiled at her when she got close enough.
She froze for a split second, caught off guard by being called babe by him again. She didn't understand why he was acting this way. He couldn't really be thinking of her deal with him. As she came closer to her side of the car, she noticed her mood sinking deeper into embarrassment as her mind played imagines of what Theo could do to her. His muscled arms lifting her up and pinning her against a wall, a fantasy that Harper had described earlier that day. She scrunched her nose, her cheeks turning pink.
"What do you want for dinner?" Theo glanced at her, both of them in the car now.
"Dinner?" She turned to him as her shifted into drive.
"Yea, you made me dinner last night. I'll get you dinner tonight."
"Oh-" She paused, turning away from him. "That's okay, I'm skipping dinner tonight."
"You can't skip dinner."
"Yes, I can." She pouted.
"Fine."
She was surprised at how easily he gave in. The rest of the car ride was silent except for a rock channel that was playing on the radio. They pulled up to their complex, having a spot in right in front was really helping her feet with her heels. She stepped out of his car and headed for the elevator, Theo right behind her. He stood close to her as the elevator took them up.
"When are you supposed to get your stuff?"
"Hm? Oh, I don't know." He glanced down at her.
"How do you not know?" She stared at him in disbelief.
"I don't know." He shrugged; apparently, it wasn't a big deal to him.
"Okay, well tonight if you stay over, sleep on the couch."
She didn't wait for a response or the glare he probably wanted to give her. She went into her bedroom and shut the door the moment they were back at her apartment. She leaned her back against her door for a momentary break. Her eyes glanced at her messy bed, tingles shooting through her as she remembered how his arms had felt around her. She can't have thoughts like that about him. Even if he wasn't mean to her, he's a player. In fact, he probably is only giving her attention to sleep with her. Not because of some stupid deal they made in high school. Although, she didn't know why he would even try to sleep with her. He could get any woman he wanted.
When she finally pushed herself from the door, she started slowly tugging off her clothes. Like every day after work, she wanted to be comfortable and relax for the night. Before getting clothes, she went to the bathroom to wash all the make-up, sweat, and the day's dirty from her face. She patted her face dry, then she hurried over to her dresser. She didn't want Theo 'accidentally' walking in on her. She grabbed a baggy t-shirt and pulled it on to give her some cover. Digging through her other drawer for bottoms she could only find shorts.
Apparently, she needed to do laundry. Her eyes shifted to the corner of her room where her laundry basket was. Sure enough, it was over flowing with her clothes. How had she not noticed? She grumbled, she'll have to do it this weekend. She opened the door, the sound of the TV filling the small area. She spotted Theo sitting on the couch. His arms stretched across the top and his right ankle resting on his left knee.
"I ordered pizza, it'll be here in 30 minutes."
She stared at the back of his head, her mouth opening slightly. She could never resist pizza, that must be why he hadn't forced her to pick something for dinner.
"Okay." She said coolly, she'd act as if she didn't want any.
She went into the kitchen to grab a cold water, then headed to the living room. She plopped down at the end of the couch, sitting as far as she could from Theo. She had an arm on the arm rest and her legs curled up next to her.
"Come here."
She looked over at him, her lips around the water bottle she
"Why?"
"Because I said come here." He gave her a glare.
She turned her head back to the TV, ignoring him completely. She needed to stop giving into him. Yes, he was intimidating but she needed to be strong. Before she knew what happened, she had a hand wrapped around her ankle and was pulled onto her back. He was hovering over her the moment she was lying flat.
"Theo-" She blushed, her blue eyes connecting with his green ones.
"Don't ignore me, Aurora." He inched closer to her.
Her heart began slamming in her chest as she tried to left herself off the couch. His hand came down on her waist, stopping her. His body separated her legs, trapping her beneath him. She turned away from him but his hand caught her chin and forced to her to look at him.
"I just told you not to ignore me." Frustration furrowed his brow.
Aurora felt as if her heart was going to burst inside of her chest. She'd never been this close to a man, especially a mouth-watering chiseled one. Wait, no! She wasn't supposed to think that of him. She squeezed her eyes shut, her brain screaming at her to pull herself together.
"Aurora." He growled.
She bit her lips hard, her eyes squeezing tighter. His hand tilted her head, exposing her neck. She felt his lips first, then his teeth. They grazed her skin, causing her breath to hitch and her hands to instinctively shoot up to push at his chest. He moved up her neck, his mouth returning to kisses as he reached under her jaw.
"Sto-ah!"
He let his tongue trace the outer edge of her ear, his body lowering on top of her. Her petite body struggling against his, her muscles straining. His hand loosened around her jaw, his muscled body starting to dig into her much softer one. Aurora could feel tears welling up in her eyes.
"Have you learned your lesson?"
"Lesson?" Her mind in a daze.
"Never ignore me, babe." He nibbled at her earlobe. “I’ll only make things harder for you.”
"O-Okay!"
"Good." He planted a gentle kissed on her temple.
All of a sudden, the pressure of his body along with his warmth was gone. He was sitting at the other side of the couch, his arms across the top again. His eyes, however, were still on her.
"Come here." He smirked.
She licked her dry lips, afraid of another attack on her body. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle that again. She pushed herself up and crawled over to him. She had her knees bent, her legs tucked under her. She left a few inches between them, her eyes focusing on the TV even though she was all too aware of him. His right arm came down, pulling her into his body and wrapping around her. Her hand landed on his chest for support. His warmth rushed back to her and in an odd way it was comfortable.
It didn't take much longer for the pizza to arrive, a knock on her door alerting them. She moved to get up, but Theo pushed her back down and went to the door instead. He paid the man, grabbed the pizza and brought it into the kitchen. Aurora fought the urge to get up and grab a slice. She repeatedly told herself she didn't need it, she couldn't have it. Her stomach growled in response to the smell as it wafted toward her. She grabbed the TV remote and decided to find a movie instead of the show they were watching. While she flipped through the horror section, Theo came in with two plates of pizza.
"Don't even try to deny me." A smile on his face as he set one of the plates on her lap.
She grumbled, knowing she'd end up eating all of it. Her plate had about 5 square slices of steaming hot cheesy pepperoni pizza that made her mouth water. She put on a random movie and started devouring her food. The first few bites burned her mouth, yet she couldn't stop herself. As soon as she finished, Theo laughed.
"I thought you wanted to skip dinner?" The smirk on his face showing that he had won.
She turned to him, a smirk of her own forming on her lips.
"I didn't want to disobey you." She said overly sweet.
The look on Theo's face was priceless, but the emotion that began to swirl in his eyes were so intense, she had to force herself to breathe. She quickly stood up and brought her plate to the sink. She was playing a dangerous game. He may tease her, but she shouldn't tease him. She rinsed off the plate, then gently set it in the dish washer. Theo hadn't come after her, which she took as her chance to flee. She hurried to her bedroom, making sure to shut and lock the door before jumping into bed. She had work tomorrow anyway, she needed some rest. Especially with this weekend, dinner at her brothers and the next day the club.
9
Aurora awoke the next morning snuggling into Theo's chest. She was so warm and comfortable that is took her a minute to realize she had gone to bed alone and had locked her door last night. She let out a loud scream, her body scrambling to get away from him.
"Fuck, Aurora. What's wrong?" His green eyes peeked at her through half close lids.
"Ho-How are you in my bed? I know I locked my door!"
His eyes glanced at the door that was now wide open. He grumbled something, then pulled her back to him. His chest hot against her skin.
"I told you to sleep on the couch." She whined, her hands attempting to pry his arms off her.
"I didn't want to sleep out there." He brushed off her hands, his fingers grabbing the bottom of her shirt and pulling it up to reveal her stomach. "It's better in here."
He laid butterfly kisses along her side, his hand caressed her skin and pushed her shirt farther up. She squirmed against him, fighting with him to keep her shirt down. Her lungs felt as though they were being compressed the higher he got. He stopped just under her bra, his tongue drawing a circle before he began sucking gently. She tried to find her voice, even some sort of strength to protest would do. He didn't stop until there for a quarter sized purplish mark on her. He let her go, rolling over and getting out of the bed. She was so confused but was finally able to suck in a breath of much needed air to try and calm herself.
"Do you work today?"
"Yea." She was spacing out, she needed to get up and get ready.
"I'll pick you up again."
"I can walk to Caleb's." She pushed herself to get it of bed and grabbed her work clothes.
"I'll be there at five." He pulled his jeans and shirt on, then left.
She sighed softly, her front door opening and closing as he left her apartment. She went into her bathroom and took a power shower. As she got out, she spotted the mark her gave her. Her finger tips tracing over it. What was he doing to her? She blow-dried her hair but left it wavy today. She put on her other white blouse, this one a button up, and a pair of black pants. She noticed they weren't as snug anymore which made her feel good about all the effort she's been making. She started to head out the door when she heard her phone vibrate. She rolled her eyes, assuming it was Harper yelling at her for taking so long again. She picked it up to tell her she was coming down but was surprised to see an unknown number.
[Your friend is staring at me again.]
It must be Theo. She wondered where he had gotten her number.
Aurora: [She thinks you're hot, maybe you should talk to her.]
She smiled for a moment, but then it faltered. He probably would go after her and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. But that was Theo, he jumped from girl to girl. She was pulled from her thought by her phone vibrating.
Harper: [Hurry up!]
Crap! She grabbed everything she needed, then hustled out the door. She felt her phone go off again but would wait until she had gotten into Harper's car to look at it. She didn't see Theo outside and assumed he went to do whatever he does daily. She found Harper's car and rushed over to it.
"I'm sorry!" Aurora gave her puppy dog eyes, asking for forgiveness.
"I’m only forgiving you because I got to see man-candy again!" She giggled, then sped off toward Ulta.
Aurora grabbed her phone and saw the unknown number again. She needed to save it before she forgot.
[Not interested.]
She rolled her eyes, Harper was cute. She didn't understand why Theo wouldn't like her. She decided not to reply, instead she saved his number and tucked her phone away. They were almost there anyway. The day went by as usual. Of course, Harper and Tristan wanted to talk about 'Mister Pantie Dropper' as they liked to call him. By the end of the day she was tired of talking about him. She wanted to get away from the topic.
She knew the moment Theo was there because Harper and Tristan were both drooling as they stared out the window. She gave them both a playful glare as she grabbed her purse and walked past them. Tristan reminded her of their shopping trip tomorrow morning and she promised she'd be on time. Theo was smoking a cigarette once again, she scrunched her nose as the smoke drifted toward her. He tossed it as she reached for the handle and shortly after they were both in Caleb's apartment. Ruby was home already and was preparing food in the kitchen. Caleb came to greet them but had a scowl on his face.
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