“Hey,” he whispered. The bed dipped under her as Theo shifted, turning onto his side to face her. She rolled her head to the side and opened her eyes. Theo’s blue eyes stared back at her, searching. They usually had sex when they went to bed, but tonight…
“It’s been a long day,” she said. “A long and crappy day.”
Theo propped his head against his casted hand. “I know. Long day for me, too. Probably not as crappy a day for me as it was for you, but it had its rough moments.”
“Having to paint my fence must have been the worst.”
He raised a casted hand and with the tip of his thumb, traced her jawline, then ran it lightly over her lower lip. He stared at her lips for a second before he spoke. “No,” he said softly. “The worst part of my day was seeing you cry.”
His word brought a sharp pain to her chest.
Beside her, Theo brought his hand down and stroked her breast with his fingertips. She didn’t turn to him, like she usually did.
“Sex isn’t a requirement, you know.” He spoke softly.
She nodded. “I know.”
“Sometimes I just like to touch you, to look at you. You’re beautiful, Chessie.” He continued stroking her breast.
She managed a wry grin. Never in a million years would she have guessed that Theo Courant would find her beautiful, but there could be no denying his sincerity. “But I’m no skinny-assed blonde,” she said.
His eyes searched her face. “I hope you’re not pissed at me for not introducing you to that girl at lunch. It didn’t have anything to do with you—I forgot her name, that’s all.”
“You had her put her number into your phone,” she said, surprised by the bitterness that came out in her tone. After everything that had happened during the day, that was the one thing her mind was focused on?
“Yeah. It’s a trick my mentor taught me—get someone to write their contact info down instead of admitting you’d forgotten their name.”
“It’s no big deal,” she said, her words coming out in a rush. “Really, forget about it. You should call her when your casts are off. Hook up with her. She seemed perfect for you.”
“How so?” he asked, his eyes growing a shade darker.
“You know, perky, blond, thin…rich.”
“You forgot brainless.”
She swallowed. “I didn’t say that. Besides, you’re the one who once said he liked blond bimbos with a low IQ, remember?”
Theo broke eye contact. “I said that?”
“Yeah. A few times, over the years.”
“You must think I’m a shallow prick.”
She took her time to formulate a response. “I used to, but now I’m not so sure. I think you want to pretend to be a shallow prick because it’s easy. Caring is never easy. Caring about someone means opening yourself up to being hurt, being vulnerable. And you care—”
He pretended to sniff.
“Don’t try to fake it. I’ve watched you care numerous times over the last few weeks to know that’s true. I think for you, though, you don’t like to show anyone you care because if they cared back…well, that’s when you could get hurt.”
“Sounds like you got me all figured out.”
“Parts. But not the whole of you. Only you know the whole of who you are.”
Theo continued staring into the dark. Chessie waited, wondering if he would respond. A bird called in the background, its plaintive cry filling the night air.
“Wasn’t that a mourning dove?” he asked.
“Uh-huh. A male, looking for a mate.”
“Horny bugger.”
She laughed. “Like most single men, I suppose. And single women.” She stroked her hand down his chest, stopping to dip her fingertip in his navel. When he smiled, she trailed her fingertips lower. “Should we end this day on a good note?” she whispered.
At Theo’s nod, she sat up, reached into the drawer of the nightstand, and pulled out a condom. She placed a knee on either side of his legs, ripped the package open, and bent forward. Wordlessly, she smoothed the thin barrier of latex over his erection and mounted him, gasping as his width spread her. She rocked, soundlessly, her gaze fused with Theo’s. Arousal pooled into her limbs, weakening her arms until she fell forward onto his hard chest. His exhales were short, sharp bursts that blew strands of her hair into the night air.
In the distance, she could hear someone calling Theo’s name. It took her a moment to realize the word was coming from her lips. Frenzy and need built until her mind spun free.
“God, I want to touch you with my hands.” Theo’s words tugged her lightly toward the earth. “I want to stroke you, to feel you. Damn these fucking casts!”
Chessie flung her eyes open to see Theo’s face contorted with frustration.
“I need to touch you, I need—” He cut himself off mid-sentence.
What did he need? What did she need? The desire to climax was rising in her, as she knew it was rising in Theo. But there was more, something else that was needed. There was an empty feeling that hung in the air between them. An empty cave needed to be filled, but with what?
And yet, as her body shuddered its way toward ecstasy and her mind floated free, there still existed the sense that something was missing, that somehow she wasn’t complete.
Theo groaned, the lids of his eyes lowering partway, but still he kept his gaze glued to hers. Still they locked eyes as they locked bodies, connected both physically and intimately. “Chessie,” he said, the single word thick with emotion. “Chessie, kiss me. Please, just this once.”
Her head had been slowly dropping closer and closer to his as her limbs became weaker, quivering from the erotic onslaught. She was closer to his mouth than she’d ever been, close enough to reach out and kiss him.
“Kiss me, Chessie.” This time it wasn’t a request—Theo wasn’t begging. This time it was a command, a demand, a statement meant to not be ignored. “Kiss me.”
She struggled to bring herself back to reality. The sense of incompleteness tugged at the back of her mind, then building need pushed it back and away as she dropped her eyes to his mouth.
She stared at his lips, so close to hers. She could feel his breath on her lips, could see the light flutter of his tongue between his teeth. His mouth, open and inviting, beckoned her in.
She lowered her head by a bare fraction of an inch and touched her lips to his.
And was overwhelmed.
Completely, thoroughly, overwhelmed.
There would have been no way she could have prepared herself for the tidal wave of both sensation and emotion that washed over her when Theo took her tongue in his mouth. He slanted his mouth across hers, plundered her. His tongue and teeth licked, nibbled, and plunged, his breath sweet and hot, driving need from her, filling that chasm of neediness.
Everything else about sex paled in comparison to what Theo’s mouth was doing—to her mouth, her body, her heart, and her soul. The bed, the room, the world spun in circles and the empty cave inside her filled.
It took a matter of minutes before Chessie returned to some semblance of normalcy. Her mouth broke contact with Theo’s and she breathed deeply. When her breath finally slowed and evened out, the room stopped spinning. She opened her eyes to face the aquatic blue of Theo’s gaze.
“What just happened?” he asked, his voice oddly shaky.
She couldn’t answer him. Not because she didn’t know what had just happened, but because she did. That experience hadn’t been just two friends having casual sex: It had been something much more profound, something that had involved their hearts as much as their bodies.
No, she couldn’t answer his question—she wouldn’t open herself up to that vulnerability. She couldn’t tell him that they’d moved, almost as if without effort, from being friends who were having awesome sex to being friends who were falling in love.
She couldn’t have fallen in love with him. She wouldn’t. He was all wrong for her. He’d leave her.
Thank g
od Theo’s casts were coming off in two days. Thank god he’d leave then, because their time was up.
Because she didn’t think she could bear it if he ever left her the way Arthur did—because of who she was.
Or rather, because of who she’d never be.
Theo tipped the longneck upward, chugging down the first of a six-pack of ale Jack Gibson had brought over. How nice that he’d had the casts on his wrists removed earlier in the day. God, that felt good to grip something with his own hands. He wiped his mouth with a shoulder and forearm, then leaned back, sinking into the comfort of the front porch swing.
“Thanks for the beers, dude. And thanks for the company.” He tossed the bottle toward the recycle bin Chessie had hauled out to the front porch, but the late afternoon sun, low on the horizon, caught him in the eye and he missed. The bottle clattered as it tumbled down the steps. Damn. Chessie was gonna let him have it if she saw a beer bottle littering her precious lavender beds.
“Is my sister’s constant company getting a little too much for you?” Jack asked.
“No,” Theo responded quickly. Too quickly, he realized, as Jack shot him a look, which he pretended to ignore.
Loud voices caught his attention. Three slouched figures dressed in hoodies were walking down the lane. In a few seconds, they’d pass Chessie’s house. He recognized one of them; the eldest daughter of the neighbors who owned the abysmal rooster. Madison. He nudged Jack and nodded in the direction of the teenagers.
“Jerks, one and all,” he commented.
“For the simple fact that they’re teenagers, or are they jerks for some specific reason?”
“The middle one is Chessie’s neighbor. I’m positive she’s the one who egged her house and did all that other shit to it. I was out here on the porch the other day and tried to talk to her about it, but she sneered and plugged in her earbuds and walked off.”
“Wouldn’t you have sneered and walked off if some adult tried lecturing you about egging when you were that age?” Jack grabbed two more bottles from the cooler at his side. He used the tail of his plaid button-down shirt to twist the caps off, and handed one to Theo.
“I never sneer,” Theo answered, straightening his back and affecting a snobby British accent.
Jack laughed. “What, do you have too much class for that?”
“Class, style, I got it all,” Theo said.
Jack ignored him.
Theo watched Jack thumb the label on his beer bottle and stare at it as if it held the mysteries of the universe. Silence ate up the minutes, until Jack finally cleared his throat. “About my sister,” he began.
Theo froze. “Uh, what?”
Jack nudged his cowboy boot against Theo’s bare foot. “My sister. Lia says you’re doing my sister.”
Theo furrowed his brow. “How did Lia find out?”
Jack smacked him in the chest, hard, but with an open hand. Theo let out a yelp. Jack smacked him again.
“What did you do that for?” Theo asked, rubbing his chest.
“Because you’re sleeping with my sister. Seemed like the appropriate thing to do.”
Theo scowled. “But she likes sleeping with me.”
“That’s why I didn’t punch the daylights out of you. I’m sure she does enjoy going to bed with you.” Jack paused, took a long pull of beer. “So,” he continued, “She your new girlfriend or something? Lia seemed a bit vague on the specifics.”
Theo shook his head. “More like the ‘or something’—it’s an odd situation.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Jack nudged him with an elbow. “Define ‘odd’.”
“We, um…” Now that he was about to tell Chessie’s brother about their arrangement, it suddenly seemed seedy. “We agreed to, uh, ‘satisfy’ each other’s needs for the duration I’m here, and be done with it all when my casts come off and I go back to San Francisco.”
Jack nodded. “Sounds like it could be an interesting arrangement, especially for the two of you. You good with it all?” he asked.
“Uh, not really.”
“Seriously? Why not?”
“Because I’m in love with Chessie.”
Hearing the words come out of his own mouth shocked Theo. He’d realized his feelings toward Chessie intensified over the last few weeks, but the word “love” hadn’t even entered his brain until the night before. Until the moment Chessie had kissed him. The floodgates to his heart had opened then, at that very moment. And like a real flood, he’d been knocked off his feet.
Yeah, he realized, he’d fallen in love. Just hadn’t realized it until now.
Wow.
And damn.
“Well.” Jack stared at the ground for a moment, then cocked his head sideways at Theo. “That’s intense.”
“Tell me about it. I so did not see that one coming.”
Jack laughed, lightly. “I did.”
Theo leaned forward, frowning. “How on earth could you ever have thought I’d fall in love with Chessie? We’re nothing alike.”
Jack shrugged and stared at the beer bottle in his hand, thumbing off more of the label. “You’re more alike than you know.”
“How so?” Theo challenged.
“Well, for starters, you’re both idealists. You both see the good in other people.”
“She thinks I’m shallow.”
“That’s because you act shallow. You work your ass off for The Courant Foundation, tracking down people who are in need and following through even when they’re back on their feet. But you’ve also seen the bad side of what individuals and society can do—you see the reason people get hurt and destitute—and you hold back a part of your heart.”
Theo looked off into the distance, letting Jack’s words seep in. “And Chessie’s the opposite—she puts herself out there no matter what, always taking the risk that she’ll get hurt but trying anyway.”
“Now you’re clueing in.”
“How else are we alike?”
Jack laughed. “You’re both sensualists. I’m figuring you both are crazy-wild in bed”—he held up a hand—“and I don’t want to know any details. Keep that to yourself. But I’m sure I’m right.”
Theo didn’t bother responding. Yep, he and Chessie certainly did get crazy-wild in bed. And he’d miss that. But it wasn’t the physical acts of sex he’d miss—he could imitate act-for-act all the things he’d done with Chessie in bed…and on the couch…and in the kitchen with any number of women. But he could never find an imitation for Chessie.
“So,” Jack said, drawing out the word, “What the hell are you going to do about it?”
“Good question,” Theo answered.
Excellent question.
Really—what the hell was he going to do about it? Especially when he had less than forty-eight hours before he left Chessie’s, forty-eight hours before his life returned to normal.
Whatever the hell that was. “Normal” no longer existed for him. Not after he’d fallen in love with Chessie Gibson.
A plan started to take shape in his mind. A good plan. A plan that would have any woman on the planet squealing with delight. As soon as Jack took off, he’d pull out his cell phone and make a couple of phone calls. Tomorrow night would be the last night he’d stay at Chessie’s.
And he’d make it a night she’d remember forever.
* * *
A day later, Theo sat alone on the porch swing, rocking back and forth, enjoying the gentle motion. But not enjoying the loud squeak the swing made every time it went forward and back. He’d had the casts on his hands off for two days now. Why hadn’t he located a can of WD-40 and sprayed the shit out of that squeak?
A fluttering motion caught his attention, and he reached down to brush a moth off his laptop. Dusk was beginning to fall, and a plethora of moths were being drawn to the blue glow of the screen. He’d have thought that with autumn hitting full-swing, with the nights getting as cold as they did, that the moths would have gone into hiding. But the gas-fueled outdoor space heater
Chessie had bought so they could work outdoors in the cool evening air seemed to draw them in droves.
The day before, when Jack had come to visit, they hadn’t needed the space heater. But tonight, the air had taken on the brisk sensation of fall, and he’d lit the thing up so he and Chessie could sit on the porch. After dinner, she’d shooed him outside to finish up on a few emails while she tidied up the kitchen, promising to join him in a little while. He couldn’t wait for her to join him. This was his last night at Chessie’s—tomorrow he’d meet with the doctor and his ankle would finally be free. As would he. Free to return to San Francisco, and free to get back to his life.
A life he wanted to fill with Chessie’s presence.
She felt the same way, right? Of course she did. He smiled. Then frowned. Hell—the package he’d expected to be shipped to Chessie’s today apparently hadn’t turned up yet. He’d had big plans for this night, but couldn’t do anything until what he’d ordered showed up. But this late into the evening, he doubted the FedEx truck would swing by.
He’d have to improvise, but how? And with what? He needed that little box.
“This came for you.” Chessie’s voice next to his ear startled him, breaking his concentration. Before he could fold up his laptop, she dropped a FedEx package onto his lap, causing his keyboard to type nonsense letters.
Oh, thank god, it had arrived. But when? He’d been glued to the window all day, waiting for the FedEx truck. “Hell, Chessie, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” he asked. “I’d been waiting all day for this. Thought it wouldn’t come.”
She dropped down on the porch swing next to him. The warmth emanating from her body both warmed him and triggered his pulse to quicken.
“I ran into Jim down at Delilah’s Diner.”
Jim? Who was Jim? And what did this Jim dude have to do with his delivery? “And this means what, exactly?”
She flashed a quick smile, but it held little humor. “Jim is the FedEx delivery guy. He was delivering something to Delilah’s Diner and I was there, having a bowl of pumpkin-leek soup. He said he had a delivery for you and I signed for it. Didn’t see any need for him to drive all the way down my road.”
Tempting the One (Meadowview Heat 4; The Meadowview 4) Page 13