“I’m not drunk.” I straighten my back, wriggling out of his grasp. “I had one drink. It’s just a headrush.” Black spots fade to grey. “I didn’t know you smoke.”
“I don’t. Call it a moment of weakness. I quit a while ago.” He flicks the cigarette onto the street, motioning with his chin toward the building, urging me to follow him inside. “You’re upset. What did Dean do?”
“I’m not upset.”
He grabs me again, my wrist this time. The urgency of his touch awakens the ache deep inside my core—the one I’ve been plagued by every night for weeks while erotic fantasies intensify. He spins me around, pushing my back against the brick wall, his muscular body crowding my personal space.
I feel him. The heat radiating off him in palpable waves, the arousing scent of his cologne, the firm touch of his fingers on my waist.
“Don’t lie. What happened?”
“I’m not upset.”
To keep his raging temper at bay, he inhales a deep breath. I wait, hoping he’ll close the distance and kiss me, but he doesn’t. I can almost hear the spine of my wish snapping, the sound accompanied by a cloud of disappointment when Theo steps back. I take it as a cue to leave, but he touches the back of his hand against my stomach, keeping me still, fire dancing in his dark eyes.
“Tell me what’s wrong. I don’t like seeing you upset.”
Why does he say all the right lines? It’s as if someone built him according to my instructions: handsome, caring, thoughtful. My throat clogs with frustration. I’d be much happier if he wasn’t so stubborn.
“You were right. Dean just wants to fuck me.”
A smile pulls at the corners of his full lips. “I told you not to waste your time.”
“That’s not funny. Seems like I only attract men who want nothing more than sex.”
“You’re a shitty judge of character. Check with me next time someone asks you out.”
A tickling sensation floods my chest, cranked up and almost unbearable when Theo hooks his finger under my chin, tilting my head so I look up to him.
“You look tired, Thalia.”
“Isn’t that a compliment every woman is dying to hear? Three for three. Would you like to hit again, or are you done insulting me tonight?”
He smiles wider. “I’ve seen you with and without makeup. I’ve seen you with mascara smeared under your eyes when you were too lazy to wash your face before falling asleep. I’ve seen you wearing a sexy dress, and I’ve seen you in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt stained with tomato juice. You’re beautiful, little one. Always. But now, you’retired.”
Stopping a smile from ripping my mouth open is impossible after hearing that. Hot and cold flushes slide down my spine as if my body can’t decide how to react. “Saved by sweet-talk,” I tease, pushing him away. “I’ve not been sleeping well lately.”
“Bad dreams?”
Good dreams. Very good, intense dreams of Theo’s face hanging over mine, his eyes hooded, hungry. His naked body hot to the touch as he drives into me in a rushed rhythm. Vibrant, erotic fantasies plague me every night, stopping seconds before orgasm blooms and I wake up frustrated.
“No, just late nights and early mornings.”
“You’re normally a good liar, you know? Tonight, you’re slacking. If you don’t want to tell me what’s bothering you, don’t, but don’t lie.”
“Okay,” I huff, defeated. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can we go in now? It’s chilly.”
He’s silent for ten seconds, staring at me as if to read my mind. Finally, he steps aside and holds the door open, letting me in first.
“I’ll get changed and fix us a light bite to eat,” I say, heading to my bedroom.
“Another episode of “Ozark?”
We started watching the show last week, which is why I ditched the afternoon naps. Instead of recharging my batteries between working at the Country Club and waitressing, I’m on the couch with Theo, watching at least one episode a day.
“Do you have to ask? Set it up.” I close the door behind me, shimmy out of the dress, slide a pair of jeans on, then wrap myself in a thick cardigan and pull my hair into a ponytail before invading the kitchen. “Play,” I say ten minutes later, hurrying into the living room with two beers and a charcuterie board.
Theo loves it when I make tiny cracker sandwiches throughout the show. And I love that most of the time, I get to put those little bites straight into his mouth.