by Sabrina York
Chapter Sixteen
I’m in an Italian-induced coma when Theo leads me away from our empty plates. The restless noises of animals settling in for the night are alive all around us. My pulse races with the possibilities of where he’s taking me next. I highly doubt he brought me here just for the jungle-like ambiance. My love for animals and the possibilities have already made this the best night of my life.
Theo strides with energy at my side, playing with my fingers and flashing me his deepest-set grin. A few months ago, I would’ve tackled him into the bushes and had my way with him. I still want to, but I resist.
We enter a gray cement building that smells like a vet clinic—a sharp mix of medicine and animal. I hear the soft muttering of a gorilla before we see it.
“Good evening, I’m Veterinarian Jackson,” a round-faced man in a white doctor coat and square glasses greets us. He stands beside a black gorilla nearly half his size that’s resting on her knuckles and chewing on something. “Theo tells me you’re interested in pursuing a career in animals, and thought maybe you’d like to see some of the behind the scenes action.”
“Oh. My. God,” I whisper, wrapping my arm around Theo’s waist. He pulls me into his side with a light squeeze.
“Serena, here, seemed to have a tummy ache, so they brought her in for an exam,” the vet explains. “She’s harmless. Just be sure to use a calm voice and slow movements around her so she doesn’t get overly excited.”
Theo and I watch on silently as the man interacts with her, as if examining a person. A few times her eyes fall onto me, and it’s like staring at another human. It’s a total rush standing so close to an animal without a fence separating us. I feel myself glowing with excitement. More than once Theo bends down to kiss the side of my head while I just stand in awe, taking it all in.
After the exam, the vet wraps his stethoscope around his neck. “It seems she just has a little indigestion. She’ll be just fine.”
The gorilla makes a quiet little noise, and reaches her arm out to me.
“Serena seems to like you,” the vet tells me with a bright smile that glows against his dark skin. “Would you like to come over and say hi?”
I look up at Theo, who laughs. “Go ahead. This is why I brought you here.” He kisses my head again before releasing me.
I slowly approach the large animal with my heart in my throat. “Hi, Serena.”
The gorilla first touches my hair, then brings a handful up to her nose for a long sniff. On instinct I reach for the roots of my hair so she won’t pull too hard and laugh softly. She meets my gaze as if watching for my reaction. Then she releases my hair and reaches out to touch the top of my head, gently picking her fingers along my scalp as if looking for bugs.
I laugh again. “She’s beautiful.”
There’s a soft click of the door opening behind us. The woman who brought me into the zoo appears. “Sorry to interrupt, but Zahara is crowning.”
The vet nods. “I figured that’d happen about now. I’m sorry, folks, but we’re going to have to wrap this up. Our newest addition to the zoo came to us pregnant, so I wasn’t one hundred percent sure of the timing. Susan, would you please take Serena back for me?” He removes his rubber gloves before reaching for another pair. He pauses, turning back to us. “If you’d like, the two of you could come along to watch from the other side of the gates.”
I open my mouth to answer, but can’t find the words. Theo rubs my arms. “We’d be honored.”
Exhilarated with the prospect of seeing an animal give birth, I don’t even think to ask what kind he’s leading us to as we wind through the trails of the zoo and into another gray cement building. I stop in my tracks when we come upon a group of elephants grazing inside a pen with thick cable wires. One of them seems to be more on edge than the rest, pacing and trumpeting in short blasts. A slimy white sack hangs from between her legs. It’s both disgusting and intriguing.
I squeeze Theo’s hand and whisper, “Hole. E. Shit.”
“You two wait here, and try to stay quiet,” Vet Jackson tells us as he opens a door to the pen. His eyes dance with excitement. “Don’t blink an eye. It will happen very quickly.”
We watch in bewilderment as the elephant paces around, a group of zoo staff hanging back incase she needs help. Theo slips his arms around my waist, resting his cheek against my forehead. I can feel the tension in his cheek from a wide smile.
The vet has hardly stepped foot inside the pen when the elephant takes on a galloping speed. The white sack falls out from beneath her, its contents of blood and fluids exploding everywhere like a full bathtub falling from the sky. I cover my mouth to stifle a small cry of surprise.
The staff is quick to release the baby elephant from its sack, and rouse it to life. Tears spring to my eyes as we watch the little animal take its first steps, lifting its hooves out in front in the world’s cutest baby elephant march.
“Having fun yet, Cavenaugh?” Theo whispers with a little chuckle.
In the back of the private car, I’m still stunned into silence at Theo’s side. He squeezes my hand after a long silence has passed. “You okay?”
I turn to him, shaking my head. “That was by far the most amazing first date in the history of dates. Meeting the gorilla…seeing that baby elephant coming into the world…it all felt like some kind of a dream.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“Liked it?” I touch his arm and shake my head. “That’s an understatement. It’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. How are you going to top that? How could anyone top that? You’ve ruined me. I’ll never see dinner and a movie the same way again.”
Chuckling in his deep voice, he takes my face in his hands and kisses me, soft and slow. He presses his forehead to mine, his lips still lingering inches away. “Good. I won’t have to worry about losing you to some schmuck who promises you flowers and candy.”
“Flowers aren’t my thing, but you’d be amazed what I could be enticed to do with a bar of chocolate,” I tease, stroking his face with my fingers. “Keep this up, and I’m going to have a reason to let myself give in to my desires. You’re incredible, you know that?”
“I have my moments.” He pulls away with a confident smirk. “Hold on, Cavenaugh. Our date isn’t over yet.”
Before long, Charles pulls the car into an underground garage. I raise my eyebrows at Theo. “Is this the part where he leaves us alone so you can have your way with me? Please say yes.”
Theo laughs. “Grab your jacket.” He pulls me out of the car. We take an elevator up to the top level of the building, and exit onto the roof where we’re blasted with cold air and the chopping sound of helicopter blades.
“Really?” I turn to him and smile with my hair whipping around me. “You’re unreal.”
Grinning, he removes the hair from my face to kiss me. He tightens his grip on my hand before leading me to the sleek black aircraft awaiting us. A man in dark-colored flight gear and a headset stands waiting, holding the back door open. Theo helps me climb inside, shaking the man’s hand before joining me.
“Good to see you again, brother!” the man tells him.
It’s not as loud once we’re all situated inside with our designated headphones adjusted in place. “Let’s ride,” Theo says, his voice flat inside the headphones.
“Roger that,” the pilot answers before launching into radio talk.
The helicopter slowly rises, taking my rolling stomach along with it. It reminds me of peaking at the top of a roller-coaster when you know you’re about to plummet. I reach for Theo’s hand, smiling with a burst of giddy delight. “Why am I not surprised you happen to know a good pilot?”
With a rolling laugh, Theo brings my hand up to his mouth, kissing it. “He’s an old buddy from the Corps.”
We stare down on the city, all aglow with twinkling lights of varying colors. Everything appears smaller and impossibly dense from above. Rows of cars go on as far as the eye can see in a dizzyi
ng cluster of white and red. It’s easy to make out the top of the Empire State Building: its top lit up in a mix of red and white for whatever occasion I’m clueless to.
Theo holds my hand as we fly over the Statue of Liberty, a football stadium all lit up, the loading docks of several barges, and downtown Manhattan.
I take the city in with a new appreciation, realizing I truly am in my home now. There are moments in my life when I’ve felt a discomforting nag because I thought I had made a wrong decision, but this isn’t one of them. For the first time in a very long time, I feel as if I’m on the path I was meant to take, living the life that was destined for me. Whether or not that means Theo is meant to be a part of it weighs heavily in the back of my mind.
As the car rolls up beside Flanagan’s, we face each other, grinning. Theo brushes my hair over my shoulders, his gaze burning with wanton need. I feel the same desire burning through my veins. More than anything, I want to stay with him and let him hold me through the night.
The partition between us and Charles cracks just a smidgen. “I’m going to run across the road and grab myself a cuppa coffee. Would either of you care for one?”
“No, thank you, Charles,” Theo answers.
“Goodnight, Charles,” I pipe in. “It was good seeing you again. Enjoy that baby grandson of yours. Next time I hope to see a few pictures.”
“Of course, Miss Cavenaugh. Good night.”
After Charles leaves, Theo’s fingers trail up my neck, brushing across my lips. “I suppose since this is our first date, I should kiss you like a gentleman and tell you goodnight.”
“This date was a long time coming.” I curl my fingers around a loop in his jeans. “We’re far beyond first kisses.”
“Refresh my memory on these rules again,” he says in a thick voice.
I close my eyes and sigh. “What rules?”
“Cavenaugh, look at me.” When my eyes flip open, he grins, his fingers still trailing across my lips. “I don’t see us going anywhere but forward together. I’m confident there will come a day when you’re ready to share yourself with me. Until then, I plan to play within your boundaries, whatever you want them to be. And when I say ‘play’, I mean play.”
He draws me into his arms, kissing me with a heat that burns into my core. I fall into the kiss eagerly, swiping my tongue against his and letting out a throaty moan. I climb into his lap and straddle him, giving me an unobtrusive angle to kiss him without reserve. He cups my ass, bringing me as close as our bodies will allow.
I stop to bring his sweater up over his arms and sigh before running my hands over each of his exposed muscles on his stomach, taking in what I can see of his sublime body in the dim light. “Holy shit, you’re so gorgeous.”
I can’t resist leaning in and running my tongue along the dark ink running along his pectoral muscles, pleased when his nipples shrink and harden from my touch. His hands are all over me at once, slipping up my sweater.
“Is this okay?” he asks, his fingers pausing at my bra clasp.
“I’m still in control,” I say quietly, slipping my sweater over my head before removing my bra from my arms. When he discovers my nipple rings, an epic look of surprise and lust seizes his features.
“You wanted to play,” I say, breathless. “So go ahead, play.”
His eyes meet mine. “Are you sure?”
I’m not sure of a lot of things anymore, but I trust Theo enough to continue. “Just don’t let me lose control.”
He doesn’t hesitate in taking my nipple in his mouth, giving the other ring a turn with his tongue. He brings his mouth back to mine, this time feeling as if he’s claiming me. I’m stuck between holding on to resolve and giving into lust when I unzip his jeans. His immense erection springs to life inside his boxer briefs.
“Cavenaugh,” he groans between kisses. “Wait.”
“Tell me you won’t think I’m cheap once I step out of this car,” I whisper, stopping to meet his gaze.
He takes my face in his hands. “I’d never in a million years think that of you. And like I said, I can’t wait for you to meet my family. This thing between us is real.” He strokes the side of my face, a tender look claiming his features. “We can stop now if you’re not ready for anything beyond kissing. I don’t want to go too far and make you regret it tomorrow.”
“There’s no way I’ll regret doing this with you. As long as we don’t have actual sex, everything else is fair game.”
As I assess his gorgeous body, all mine for the taking, I realize it’s going to take a miracle to hold back. After all, we’re half naked and alone in the back of a parked car.
This is so dangerous.
Knowing there’s no way I can straddle him without things going too far, I climb down and slip my hands beneath his boxers, stroking him. He grunts against my ear, flexing his hips with the movement while biting and pulling at my nipples. My body’s on fire. I may not be able to fix Theo’s long run without sex just yet, but there are other ways to satisfy him. The minute he’s detached from my nipples, I slip down to the floor of the car, taking his glorious erection in my mouth.
“Are you sure…” he begins to ask just as I take him deeper. Then he wraps one hand in the thick of my hair, tugging on one of my nipple rings with the other. I become incredibly excited myself with his pleasurable groans as he comes to a shuttering climax. “Damn. You feel so fucking good, Cavenaugh.”
He rests his head against the back of the seat, panting. I move up to sit back at his side, running my hand across the ban of tight muscles across his chest. Soon he’s grinning at me like the Cheshire cat. “Is it okay if I take a turn now? I’m dying to get a taste.”
“Be gentle,” I plead, tracing my fingertips along the pattern of his tattoo.
He unzips my boots and removes my pants with torturously slow movements, stopping every few seconds to flick his tongue against my nipples, letting his teeth click with the metal bars. Once to my leopard print undies, he runs his large fingers along the lacy band. Just as I’m sure I can’t handle it any longer, he touches my throbbing parts. The explosion of a million nerves bursting from his touch. Gasping, I arch my back, eager to feel more of him.
It’s scary as hell knowing I’m letting myself go this far. Then I stare into his eyes and remind myself I’m only doing this because it’s Theo.
He finally pulls my undies down over my legs, running his fingertips along the insides of my thighs. The anticipation is total torture. I want to grab him and make him come inside me. Instead he moves his mouth down between my legs, his breath so hot on my swollen lady parts that I think I’m about to melt. I cry out with the introduction of his warm, large tongue, swirling and licking against my bud with precision.
I feel ready to burst when he stops, his breaths heavy between my legs. “God you taste like candy.” When he takes me in his mouth again, I pull his hair with both hands, screaming his name among obscenities. He reaches up to play with one of my nipples, his reserve from earlier gone as he yanks so hard that I see white. His other hand presses underneath my butt cheek, bringing me closer to his talented mouth. My body’s aglow with sensational nerve endings. As I find sweet euphoria, I suck in a deep breath, arching my hips up to the roof of the car.
Theo trails kisses up my body, from the curves of my hips and stomach to the side of my breast and neck, relaxing his hold on my nipple as he goes along. His lips brush with mine, his tongue slipping inside to mingle the taste of our sexes. I twist my fingers through his hair, deepening in the kiss. Before now, I’d never experienced an orgasm that left my feet violently twitching.
“We definitely need to plan more playdates.” He runs his hand up and down my bare side. “You’re fucking amazing.” Then he reaches for my sweater, throwing it over my chest. “Now get dressed before my resolve breaks and I take you in the back of this car.”
“I’m not so sure I would mind,” I say, eyeing his naked body. Although I’ve been able to keep my sexual beast in check,
the need deep inside has resurfaced, craving more of him. I run my hand along his chest, admiring his ink.
“Cavenuagh,” he grunts in a dark tone, rolling away from me. “You’re treading in dangerous waters.”
Before our eyes make contact again, we both quickly throw our clothes back on. I’m crushed when I no longer have access to the hard ridges of his chest and stomach, but he still takes my breath away, even fully dressed.
Grinning like it’s the best day of his life, he wraps his fingers with mine. “Now let’s get your sweet ass out of this car so I can walk you to the door like a gentleman.”
With my heart still racing, I follow him out the car. We stand underneath the Flanagan’s sign, staring into each other’s eyes for a moment of silent reflection.
I finally take his face in my hands and give him a soft kiss. “Thank you for this magical night, Theo. Everything was…perfect. I don’t remember the last time I’ve been this happy. You don’t know how much it means to me that you decided to give us another chance.”
“It was worth it to see you light up around the animals tonight. You make me happy.”
I wrap my arms around him, pressing my face against his chest and enjoying the pounding of his heartbeat. “Hang in there, big guy,” I whisper. “I have a feeling you’re going to be the first one to claim my heart.”
He presses his face to the top of my head, inhaling. “That’s good to hear, because you’ve already claimed mine.”
Chapter Seventeen
The next few weeks I’m higher than a stoner at a Snoop concert. Our schedules don’t allow us to spend much time together, but Theo constantly calls and sends thoughtful texts whenever we aren’t able to make time for another date. He even sends random pictures throughout the day, although I’m disappointed that they’re all PG.
I’ve dissected our first date a millions times—it was epic on so many levels. The fact that he arranged all of it with a day’s notice, and took so much care in finding something he knew I’d love speaks volumes. Theo’s the total package, just as I always suspected. I’d be a fool not to recognize that. Each time I recall our steamy night in the back of his private car, my skin warms to dangerous levels.