She propped the door open with her hip and fiddled with the handle. Over her shoulder, he could see a layout similar to his own suite, a desk and chair, sideboard with coffeemaker, a chaise … luckily the bed was hidden from view, in another room of the suite. Seeing the chaise was bad enough. He licked his lips. There was a long list of reasons he should do exactly what his brain was instructing him to do, and only one reason he should ignore his brain and listen to another part of his anatomy. But that one reason was reiterating its case very … pointedly.
Theo glanced down at Bonnie, from the top of her tousled red curls to the tip of her pert freckled nose to the glimpse of pale creamy breasts revealed in the deep V of her jumper. He itched to stretch the neckline open, hands spreading over her collarbones, thumbs sweeping up the sides of her throat, as he got a closer look at her pale perfect skin to see if she had any freckles there too. He hoped she did.
He swallowed hard and cleared his throat. The tension between them hummed at a low frequency, a constant subtle vibration that was likely the reason for his permanent state of semi-arousal around her.
Maybe he should take the Scot’s advice and stop being such a prig. If she wanted him too, what was the harm? Before that meddlesome thing known as common sense could intrude with a neatly detailed list of all the reasons why this was a bad idea, Theo made a decision. Sort of. He’d let her decide.
Tugging at her hand, he kissed the knuckle over the bare skin on her ring finger. He wondered, if she’d been single when they’d first met back in London, what might have happened. Theo didn’t consider himself a romantic, but he had to admit there had been something … magical about that evening. He remembered his first glimpse of Bonnie as she boarded the deck of the river cruise, auburn curls flying wild in the breeze off the Thames. Twilight dusted her profile in rose and gold, her cheeks glowing, eyes flashing. She’d turned those eyes on him, and he’d had to remind himself how to breathe.
He’d made a move to charm her, and been instantly rebuffed, the blue of her gaze turning as frosty as her tone as she addressed him with polite formality. Would she rebuff him now? Only one way to find out. He entwined their fingers before meeting her eyes, pleased to note the blue was much warmer, her expression much softer, than it had been that first night they met.
Rather than attempt to charm her now, Theo decided to be honest with Bonnie. He tightened his grip, squeezing her fingers with his. “Before I go, there is one thing I’d like to ask you.”
“Oh?” She straightened, other hand still on the door handle. “What’s that?”
Theo glanced around, he really didn’t want to have this conversation in the hallway. But he knew if he stepped inside her room, all bets would be off, and he wanted to gamble. He wanted to play this game with her, put his cards on the table and see what she would do. Would she fold? Raise the stakes? Or would she call his bluff?
Only … he wasn’t bluffing.
Hands still clasped together, he raised her arm over her head, pinning her wrist against the door. “Do you want to come to my room?”
She gaped up at him.
Maybe a little too blunt, mate. Well, he’d told himself he didn’t want to try and charm her. Theo gave up on talking and bent his head, slanting his mouth across hers, thrusting his tongue between her parted lips. She made little noises in the back of her throat, and he paused, ready to withdraw, to pull away, but then she began to kiss him back, meeting each thrust of his tongue with her own.
“Do you want to spend the night with me?” he asked against her mouth.
“Hmm?” she mumbled.
He broke the kiss. “And here I thought I was being obvious,” he teased, pushing his hips forward, the hard press of his erection sending a clear message. He bent his head and spoke low into her ear. “I’m going to say good night now. Then I’m going to turn around and walk down that hallway, and I’m not going to look back. If you want to come to my room, if you want me, you know where to find me. If not, then consider this a goodbye kiss.”
He trailed his lips from her ear to her mouth, and she shuddered against him in a full body shiver. He didn’t want this to be goodbye. Didn’t want things to end here, with this kiss. But he’d said the choice was hers, and he wanted her to make that choice, to come to him, almost as much as he wanted her.
So, he broke the kiss again. Released her hands, peeled himself away from her.
“Good night.” He turned around and walked down the hall to his room.
And not once, did he look back.
CHAPTER 12
WHAT WAS THAT? Oh, heavens. What had just happened? Bonnie stared after Theo as he strode down the hall, his dark head and broad shoulders lit by the soft glow of the hotel’s tasteful wall sconces. He reached the door to his room and paused. Bonnie sucked in a breath and held it. He’d said he wasn’t going to look back, but still, she waited for him to turn and look at her. See if she planned to take him up on his invitation. Maybe hold his door open for her.
But he didn’t. As promised, he reached into his pocket, retrieved his key, and entered his room without a backward glance.
His door snicked shut, and she exhaled, all but melting into a puddle on the floor. Her right hand still gripped the door handle. With effort, she unwrapped her fingers and stumbled into her room. Dropping her purse on the desk, Bonnie began to pace. He wasn’t serious, was he?
She replayed the press of his body against hers, the way he’d possessed her with his mouth, stealing her breath, her thoughts, and quite possibly her soul … but not her ability to choose. It was up to her, he’d said. Her choice. He wanted her. Did she want him?
God, yes. Ever since she first saw him standing next to Logan on that boat. He’d smiled at her, dimples turning her knees to water, and she’d debated jumping into the Thames. Instead, she’d armed herself with attitude, using cold aloofness as a life preserver, attempting to distance herself from the emotions swirling through her every time he caught her eye and made her have feelings she should not be having.
With each flicker of awareness that passed between them, Bonnie doubled her efforts to pretend the charming Brit didn’t exist … or at least the things she was feeling for him didn’t. She was determined to remain loyal to her fiancé back home, the man she thought was working hard on his doctorate, going to bed alone each night while she frolicked the summer away on vacation with her friends. Turned out, he’d been doing some frolicking of his own last summer, and he was hardly alone.
No. She pulled the plug on that thought. Not going there. She wasn’t thinking about Gabe now. She’d turned the page, started a new chapter—a new story. And why couldn’t Theo play a leading role, even for a little while, in this plot twist in her life?
Being around Theo put all her senses on high alert, waiting to absorb any bit of him she could get. Whether it was his voice, his scent, his touch … his taste. She licked her lips, the taste of his kiss still on her tongue. Yikes, she probably tasted like ketchup. She scurried to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. Her reflection stared back, curls wild, cheeks flushed, eyes wide and a little shell-shocked.
“Are you really going to do this?” she asked herself.
The question was only half-ludicrous. If her reflection answered back, then maybe she had a problem. But she did need an answer. Was she going to do this? He wanted her. She wanted him.
Could she let it be that simple?
Casual sex was not something Bonnie had ever considered. She didn’t have a problem with the concept, she’d just never thought it was for her. For one, the only guy she’d ever been with was Gabe, and she’d planned on marrying him from the time she was eight, and even then, they hadn’t officially “done it” until she was eighteen.
Also, Bonnie had a secret. Something she’d never told anyone, not even Cassie. Something she’d barely admitted to herself, even. But the truth was, as much as she loved Gabe, she’d never wanted him. Not that way. She wanted his attention, his kisses and cuddles … an
d when they’d had sex, she’d enjoyed it—mostly—it had been nice. But honestly, she could just as readily gone without it. She’d never felt this ache, this need.
If she did go to Theo’s room, she had no idea what to do. Should she change? She’d packed up most of her clothes today, but didn’t really have any sexy lingerie, just some comfy pajamas and her teacup robe. He’d seen the robe before, back in the hotel in London, and her teacup slippers too. Okay, even she knew those were not sexy. So no, she wouldn’t change. Wait, did that mean she was going?
Bonnie ran her fingers through her hair, a useless attempt to tame the untamable. She needed to stop stalling. Was she going or not? Theo was leaving tomorrow. If things went terribly (translation: if she was terrible in bed), then at least she wouldn’t have to face him—not for several months until they saw each other for the wedding stuff later this summer. And by then, it would be no big deal, right? Just this thing that happened one night.
Stop overthinking this. She looked in the mirror one more time, trying to channel Sadie or Ana, the two most confident women she knew. She distinctly recalled how Sadie had flirted with Theo when they’d all met that night on the boat. Sadie wouldn’t be having this silly little internal debate right now, she’d already be in Theo’s room, stripped down to one of her outrageously expensive bra and panty sets. Bonnie still gagged a little at the memory of how much money Cassie had spent on underwear during a pre-vacation shopping trip with Sadie.
Cassie had been determined to have a foreign fling during their trip, and the purchase had been part of the plan. Considering what happened with Logan, it had worked, though Bonnie couldn’t say how much could be attributed to expensive underthings.
Actually, the success of Cassie’s endeavor was more likely due to Bonnie. She’d been the one to encourage her friend to spend more time with the “sexy Scot,” after Cassie had first met him under rather unusual circumstances inside Edinburgh Castle. And after what could have been only a one-night stand, it was Bonnie who’d given Cassie’s cell number to Logan. It was even Bonnie who’d suggested Logan meet them on that fateful supper cruise on the Thames.
A one-night stand. That was what she was considering with Theo, wasn’t it? Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. After all, look what had happened for Cassie and …
Whoa. Bonnie disembarked from that boat before it could head for trouble island. She’d only just officially broken off her engagement this morning. She was not ready to jump into another relationship, and she certainly wasn’t going to contemplate marriage to someone else already. Did she want to get married? Sure. But she was not so desperate for a husband she was going to start planning a wedding with a man she hadn’t even slept with. Yet.
One more time, Bon. Are you going to do this?
All Bonnie’s stalling, all her mental games, were for naught. She’d known the answer all along; she’d just needed a little time to talk herself into it.
Of course she was going. She grabbed her key card, screwed her courage to the sticking place, and headed down the hall.
Minutes later, Bonnie stared out the window of Theo’s suite, hiding her nervousness as she gazed upon the Chicago night. They both knew what her presence here meant. He’d spelled it out pretty clearly. Theo’s room was on the same side of the hotel as hers and commanded an impressive view of the lake. The lights of the city twinkled all along the dark curve of the Gold Coast.
In the reflection of the window’s glass, she saw Theo pull his sweater over his head and hang it on the desk chair. Her back to him, she continued to watch the ghost of his movements as he turned to approach her, rolling up the sleeves of the dress shirt he’d worn underneath. Bonnie’s skin began to tingle, anticipating his touch well before he reached her side.
Finally, Theo stood next to her, the fingers of his right hand entwining with her left. “Lovely,” he said, his crisp voice cutting through the silence of the room. He squeezed her fingers.
Bonnie smiled, glancing up at him. Was he talking about her or the view? “When I was little, I used to think Lake Michigan was an ocean.”
“Well, I can understand that. It’s bloody big.” Theo chuckled. “One of the Great Lakes, correct?”
She nodded, the tingling intensifying as he lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed a featherlight kiss across her knuckles.
“How many Great Lakes are there?” he asked, his breath warm on her skin.
“Five,” she croaked, watching as he held her hand out and spread her fingers apart.
“Lake Michigan is one,” he said, wiggling her pinky. “Remind me what the others are?”
“Lake Ontario.” That one was easy. Her grandfather owned a fishing cottage very near the Canadian side of the lake, and she’d spent many childhood summers visiting him there, pretending she was Anne on Prince Edward Island.
He pressed her thumb to his lips. “That’s two,” he said, his mouth moving beneath her thumb.
“Then there’s Lake Erie,” she continued, while he guided her thumb across the soft curve of his mouth.
“Three,” he murmured, nibbling on her index finger.
“Uh…” Bonnie paused, swallowing hard as his teeth grazed her skin. “And Lake Huron.”
“Four,” Theo said before dipping his head to lick her middle finger.
The sensation tickled, but rather than make her laugh, it made her nipples tighten, and she groaned.
His smile was wicked. Confident. Pleased. “That leaves one more. What’s it called?”
“Hmm?” she asked, her brain feeling like a balloon detached from her body and floating somewhere overhead.
“The last Great Lake,” he reminded her, his voice a gentle tease as he raised her ring finger to his mouth, eyes on her face. His eyes were as blue as any lake, and just as beautiful, the swirl of indigo around his pupils expanding as he continued to stare down at her.
“Uh…” she stammered, her brain-balloon floating farther away, over the wide expanse of the night-shadowed lake beyond the window.
Theo parted his lips and took her finger into his mouth. He began to suck on the tip, his tongue stroking up and down.
This didn’t tickle. Not at all. And if her brain was floating away, her body was grounded. Tied hard and fast to the point of contact between them. It was as if a wire had been strung from her fingertip to her core, creating a direct line of sensation. With each wet hot tug on her finger, an answering pulse came from deep inside her.
Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut. Michigan, she muttered silently, struggling to focus as he increased his tempo. Ontario, Erie … Huron. He sucked harder and the pulsing intensified within her. Suddenly, he bit down, and she gasped, “Superior!”
He laughed, a rich warm sound that dusted her skin with magic, made her whole body tingle. Again, with the tingling. She was a ball of nerves around this man, every sense heightened. And she loved it. She already knew by the way he’d kissed her last night that sleeping with Theo would be different from anything she’d ever experienced with Gabe.
At the thought of her ex-fiancé, Bonnie glanced at her finger, the one that had so recently worn an engagement ring—and even more recently been inside a hot British guy’s mouth.
“Don’t,” Theo said, his voice quiet but commanding.
She tore her gaze away from her naked ring finger and met his eyes. She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. Theo read her too well. How such a thing was possible, as they’d only spent a handful of days together, she didn’t know, but he did, he knew her.
“Tonight is for you and me alone. No one else.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on the inside of her wrist.
His mouth hovered over her hand, breath warm on her skin. His eyes traveled up her body, as if mapping the route he intended to take. When his gaze landed on her face, Theo paused. Everything inside Bonnie paused too. Her breath caught, her heart stalled, her mind went blank.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “With me? With this?”
�
��Uh…” She wet her lips, pulled air into her lungs, willed her heart to start pumping again. When her brain finally kicked back into gear, it was in full panic mode. This is a mistake, I’m making a mistake. I can’t do this. But I want to do this. Why shouldn’t I do this? The thoughts fired off lighting fast, circling around on themselves in nanoseconds.
Theo gently squeezed the hand he was still holding. “Perhaps this is a bad idea.”
“No!” she exclaimed, the denial coming out in a desperate hiccup of sound.
He raised his eyebrows.
She dropped her gaze and stared at their joined hands. She wanted him to go back to what he’d been doing. Touching her, kissing her, licking and sucking and not talking.
She flexed her fingers and gripped his hand. “No,” she repeated, more calmly this time. “I don’t think we should stop, I don’t want to stop.” She rotated her wrist, flipping the position of their hands, so his was on top. “And no, I’m not one hundred percent okay with this, but not in the way that sounds … I’m not…” She paused, what she said next could ruin her chance with him, could end this night right now, but it needed to be said. “I’m not okay myself. Does that make sense?”
“I think so,” he murmured, brow furrowing, “I don’t wish to take advantage of the situation, of what you’re going through right now. Which is why maybe we shouldn’t—”
“No,” she cut him off again. “You’re not taking advantage of me. I’m afraid I’ll be taking advantage of you. I just broke up with the man I’ve been dating since before I hit puberty, the man I was going to marry. And I can’t be one hundred percent sure that this”—she waved her free hand between their bodies—“isn’t my way of dealing with all that.” She let her hand rest on top of his, sandwiching his palm between both her own. There. She said it. It was out there, between them now.
“Let me ask you one thing,” Theo said, lashes dark against his cheeks as he stared down at their joined hands. “Are you one hundred percent sure you want this?” His lashes lifted, blue eyes meeting hers. “Are you sure you want me?”
Smitten by the Brit--A Sometimes in Love Novel Page 12