Twelve
He didn’t text me.
Or respond to the text I sent him. Not even a phone call. At first I was worried, thinking he may have gotten into an accident or maybe caught up with something, but when I saw him casually entering his home with a box of tools the following night, I knew he was avoiding me.
I tried thinking of what may have happened between the time I left him and now. Other than Mariah blabber-mouthing about how he looked like Izzy, I couldn’t think of much. Maybe the mere mention of his daughter’s name was enough to make him realize that he was getting off track—that he couldn’t go back to what we were before.
It couldn’t be that way. He couldn’t hurt her, and he also couldn’t hurt me. Distance was understandable, but all he had to do was tell me. What was all that talk about sharing just one summer? Did he not think of her then? Or was he too far gone in his thoughts and thinking with his dick?
I considered it him thinking with his other nonsensical head.
It whipped at my emotions, but I had to put myself in his shoes. I was tired of beating around the bush, dying for this man to touch me, feel me—do anything that would make me feel something. I just wanted to go back to school, forget I ever came here and saw him again.
Ugh. Men.
Speaking of, my father had trapped himself in his bedroom, refusing his meds again, which eventually resulted in a tough day for us. He called us strangers (as he always did) and even threw one of his trophies at us when we came to bring him lunch.
My day was stressful. Margie had way more patience than I could ever uphold. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could handle—the confusion from Theo and the stress I endured while putting up with my father. I was a strong girl, but there was only so much I could handle right now.
I sat on my bed a few minutes after I saw Theo entering his home, knees drawn to my chest, tears shedding. A knock sounded on my door seconds later, and Margie walked in with a basket of my folded laundry. Seriously, she was too much. Freaking wonderful. When she caught sight of the tears on my face, she quickly apologized and hurried back out, but I called for her to come back in.
“It’s okay,” I whispered.
“Are you sure sweetie? I don’t want to be a bother.”
“No bother at all.” I swiped my face, clearing my eyes as she placed the basket in front of my closet. “What’s going on?”
“I washed most of your clothes. Thought you could use a little help.” Her smile was complacent. “I also wanted to let you know your father is finally asleep. He ate a little bit of yogurt and some of his banana, so hopefully that’ll hold him over for the night.”
“Oh, okay.” I nodded. “Thank you so much, Margie.”
“Of course, dear.” She started to turn, but then changed her mind, looking at me again. “I—well, I just wanted to ask you about something.”
“Yeah?”
Stepping forward, she twisted her fingers in front of her and hesitated for a few seconds. “It’s none of my business at all, and you don’t have to answer, but… I saw you coming from across the street the other night? The man kissing you on the cheek?” She blinked, an ounce of overprotectiveness in her eyes. “Is he the reason you’re upset?”
“Oh, god, no!” I slid to the edge of the bed, and she pressed a hand to her chest, relieved. “No. The man across the street is a really good guy. He invited me over for dinner. I’ve known him since I was twelve.”
“Oh. How nice. Does he have children?”
I looked away. “Just one. A daughter.”
“Oh.” Margie’s eyes maneuvered to the picture on my nightstand. The black and white photo of me and Izzy standing right in front of their house across the street. “I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that’s her?”
I glanced up. Margie’s head was slanted. When I didn’t say anything, she walked forward and sat beside me. “Sweetie, you don’t have to talk, but I just want you to know that whenever you think you need to, I’m here. I know your mom isn’t around and your dad isn’t in the very best state of mind to take in your problems on top of his own, so if you need an ear, I’m always here.” Her chubby cheeks spread, grey irises full of kindness.
“Thank you, Margie. I appreciate that.” She nodded but remained seated as if she knew there was more. Surprisingly, I continued our chat. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have been thinking about Theo—”
“That’s his name?” She pointed towards my window.
“Yes…”
“Ahh. You call him by his first name. I see my eyes weren’t deceiving me. There’s much more to that kiss on the cheek, huh?”
I huffed a laugh. “A lot more. How can you tell?”
“Let’s just say I may have dealt with a situation like the one you’re in. Goodness, it was so long ago, but I can remember everything.” Silence fell between us. I assumed she was thinking of whomever the man was, remembering every single detail like I did every single damn day.
“He isn’t the reason I’m upset, though,” I murmured.
“No?”
“No. It’s just Dad. I feel so awful for him. For Mom not being here, him being alone. It kinda sucks, you know?”
“Oh, honey, your dad will be okay. Trust me, he’s a strong man. Just very stubborn on the days he can’t remember much.”
“Is it supposed to be that way?”
She shrugged and sighed. “It could be worse.”
“I bet you hate your job now, huh?” I laughed, teasing.
“You know… it’s actually not so bad. Mr. Knight is a good guy on his good days, and I was fortunate enough to meet his sweet daughter. I swear I thought I was going to have to deal with two stubborn people when I heard you were coming home. I was kind of scared.”
I snickered. “Nah… I hear I can be pretty laid back like him.”
“You have a lot his traits, but when it comes to love…” Her eyes softened. “I think you get that from your mom. The testing of boundaries, wanting what you know you shouldn’t have. What you don’t need. Trust me, I know.”
I wanted to frown, but I was too stuck on how spot-on she was. She knew so much about us. It was strange. I felt like I’d met her before, a very, very long time ago. Way before my memory could ever be established. “Did you—did you know my mom personally?” I squinted my eyes in her direction.
Margie stood, looking down at me with a faint upward curve on her lips. “Your mom was my roommate in college. We used to hang out a lot even after you were born, but… certain things set us apart.” She sighed. “She chose me to watch over your dad because she trusted me—knew I wanted to be a caregiver and nurse.”
“Wow… it’s kind of like she had this all planned out.”
“Well, I don’t mean to bash your mother or anything, but when it comes to life, she lives it and refuses to have anything holding her back. I’m pretty sure when she heard about your father’s Alzheimer’s, she was already planning how to get out of the situation but still keep the money in her pocket. Why do you think she only has one child? Because she didn’t need more holding her back, but she also wanted to have that experience in her back pocket to talk about whenever the conversations arose with other mothers. Why do you think you’re so distant from her? Why she only gave you an hour of her day when you were young? Why she isn’t here right now?”
“She gave more than Dad could. He was hardly around.”
“Your father worked very hard to provide for you, Chloe. He—” She froze. I could tell she wanted to say more but had to rapidly stop the flow of her words, swallowing hard and holding back. “Anyway, remember what I told you. Anytime you need to talk, I’m here.” Margie moved towards the door, but I hopped off the bed.
“Wait—Margie!”
She glanced back as I stood in the middle of my bedroom. “Mom wasn’t all bad you know?”
“I know, sweetie.”
“And about Theo… well, I’m just a little confused right now, is all. I’m sure I’ll figure that out soon.”
She put on a genuine smile, gripping the doorknob. “That, I’m sure about too, lovely. But I’m also sure you won’t be figuring it out anytime soon.”
I stared at her, unsure of what else to say. This was the most I had ever spoken about boys to anyone older than me. Margie seemed to hold wisdom and understanding. She was a patient woman, and I could use that in my life.
Honestly, it kind of scared me to think about opening up to a woman I’d just gotten to know, but it also thrilled me to know I could come home to someone that would listen and understand. Someone that wouldn’t judge me or think I was insane or selfish for my actions. Someone that understood exactly what I was going through.
We swapped smiles. “Goodnight, Margie.”
“Goodnight, bella.”
When the door shut behind her, I blew out a breath, sitting in the chair in front of my computer. Headlights crossed my window and an immediate frown took over. Hopping from the chair, I rushed to the window, watching as Theo’s Charger pulled in the driveway backwards. He climbed out, and out of the passenger door came the girl with the blonde hair.
I blinked hard, biting hot tears. They walked to the door, her ahead of him. When they were inside, I could no longer look. I knew what was about to happen. Izzy didn’t call her his girl toy for no reason. She only came over when he was in need… when he was desperate to get off.
My head shook hard, and unfortunately, the tears fell. If he didn’t think he was hurting me, he was wrong. He was killing me, and being here in Primrose was making me spiral and lose myself all over again.
I felt just like I did right before I left.
Like scum, a piece of gum on the bottom of someone’s shoe.
Worthless. Pointless. In the way.
Switching the lamp off, I slipped beneath my blanket. I fell asleep, and luckily, I couldn’t remember my dreams. I just slept, but when I awoke, my head was pounding. I checked my alarm clock. 12:18 PM.
“Ughhh.” I groaned, sitting up. My head pounded even more. I’d slept a little too long. Climbing out of bed, I went to the bathroom to freshen up and then put on a pair of shorts and a tank top.
After informing Margie that I was going for an afternoon run, I was out of the door with my earphones plugged in my ears. I ran around Primrose twice and then entered the park, the park that held so many memories.
As I neared the fountain, I helplessly looked to my right and spotted the line of trees Theo had taken me through once before. I knew that patch of grass was still there, the daises and sunflowers.
I picked up my pace, running faster, zooming through the park and hitting the track. I ran it five times, until I became too tired and too out of breath. Bending forward, my palms on my thighs, I inhaled much needed oxygen, trying desperately to rid myself of all memories of him. It was impossible. They’d been seared into the core of my brain. They were permanent. There was no getting rid of him.
The sun beamed down on me, heating my skin even more and making sweat spill down my face. Footsteps sounded behind me after several seconds had passed. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted him running in my direction. I was sure he couldn’t see me. I was standing by the fence, out of his line of sight.
I should have stayed bent over, perhaps then, he wouldn’t have seen me, but I stood up straight, watching him come nearer, and his eyes moved to the right, face going stiff. I couldn’t believe he still ran this track every day. I thought he’d killed that habit a long time ago, but it explained how he was still in great shape.
Sweat glistened on his forehead, beads spilling down his defined chest and over his eight abs. He slowed his pace, meeting my eyes. We stared at each other, me confused and him remorseful. Lips parted, he began to speak—explain himself—but I quickly turned, dashing off and regaining all the energy I’d lost only moments ago.
“Chloe!” he yelled after me.
I ignored him, continuing my run to the gap in the fence. When I made it through, I hit the trail and jogged without looking back. Heavy steps crushed the gravel behind me, and I gasped, finally peering over my shoulder, spotting Theo getting closer.
I picked up my pace, but I was no match for him, the man that used to play soccer when he was in high school. The man in such fine, sculpted shape. That man, period. His hand wrapped around my wrist when he made it by my side, spinning me in his direction.
I instantly protested, struggling to yank away. “Theo! I’m done! Why can’t you just leave me alone!?”
His eyes glistened, full of an unexplainable ache. Nostrils flared, he watched as I clawed and scratched at his hand, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. “You don’t feel bad about this?” he asked angrily, brows furrowed
“About what!?”
“About this! This, Chloe!”
My fighting came to a cease, confusion taking anger’s place. Then, I realized what he meant. As he stepped forward, brought a hand to my waist, and tugged me in, I figured it all out. This, as in the foundation we lived on. The reason we’d met in the first place.
The guilt.
The shame.
The bad.
The good that felt so horribly wrong.
He watched me with intense brown eyes. My bottom lip trembled, and when he noticed, he reached up, pressing the pad of his forefinger on the center of my mouth to stop it. Then, before I knew it, his face inched forward, and his mouth found mine. A groan rumbled deep in his throat as his lips collided with mine.
My body reacted way differently than it should have. Instead of fighting—instead of protesting and shoving him away—I sank into his arms, and he picked me up. My legs hooked around his waist, hands cupping his smooth cheek. The scruff on his unshaven face rubbed across the smoothness of my palms, his damp lips consuming me. He stumbled into the shade. My back bumped against a tree, but his mouth didn’t dare pull away from mine.
His cock grinded between my legs, his arousal making me crave every solid inch of him all over again. I moaned, my mind begging me to tell him to stop but my body refusing, falling deep into this lust. Into his clutches.
In that moment, I felt like we couldn’t be stopped, like years of avoidance and disregard had finally caught up to us—like life was telling us we would never forget about each other. But then, in just the same amount of time, I remembered last night and the pain I felt when I saw him walk into that house with the girl.
“Stop, Theo.” I shoved his face away.
His head traveled down, lips pressing on the crook of my neck. “I don’t know what it is about this fucking park,” he growled. “Maybe it’s the way the sunlight bounces off your skin when you run through the trail.” His head lifted, gaze matching mine. “Or maybe it’s because when it comes to this place, we aren’t restrained. And no one can see. No one cares. It’s our place…” His finger came to my chin, tilting it up. His lips then landed on my cheek, and he kissed me tenderly, blinking slowly before his eyes dropped. He then placed my feet on the ground, running his fingers through his damp, raven hair.
I felt like I’d been ripped right away from him. I wanted him to stop, to listen, but I didn’t want him away from me. I moved forward, placing my hand on his chest. “Why didn’t you text me?” I whispered. He struggled with words, eyes avoiding mine. I caught his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “Why?”
“You know why, Chloe.”
“You thought of Izzy?”
“I thought of you.”
I frowned. “No. You didn’t think of me.”
Confusion made his face warp.
“If you had thought about me, we wouldn’t be here. You would have known that I was actually looking forward to that text—a location. A place to meet.”
“I can’t fucking hurt you, Chloe. Don’t you understand that the only thing that comes out of this is pain? Someone will get hurt in the end…”
“Don’t you think I know that? Yes, it’s a risk—”
“A risk we shouldn’t even try to take.”
I sighed, mildly agitated. “If we don’t, we’ll keep ending up like this—in this fucking park, fighting hard not to touch each other.” His lips pressed, but I continued. “If we don’t do anything about it, every time we see each other, it will result in a situation like this.”
He looked down. “Fucking you in the park…”
“You touching me,” I added.
“Unable to fight my feelings…”
“Me craving every single part of you… never forgetting what we did.”
Theo stepped forward, looking down at me, jaw locked. His smoldering brown eyes bolted with mine. With slow, cautious action, he lifted his arm, bringing his hand to my face. He cupped my cheek, and his head lifted as he studied my face, breath bated.
My breath caught as well, the air between us impenetrable. The air surrounding us was hot and thick, weighing us down. Holding us in this moment. Using the pad of his thumb, he stroked my cheek, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I can’t stay away from you,” he said, voice low and deep. My core hummed in recognition of this voice, the deep and husky one that made my pulse accelerate and my insides overheat. “I try so hard to fight it, but it’s clear now.” He held my face tighter. “It’s so fucking clear now, Chloe. Avoiding you is damn near impossible.”
“So… what do we do?” My voice was faint.
He looked me over, and in that moment, it seemed he thought of every possible thing that could go wrong—every disaster that could happen. But when it came down to the wire, he had the same thought in mind as I did. “We hope this is just a phase and try to get over each other.”
“Just this summer?”
His eyes became soft. “Just one summer.” After he said that, his head moved down, and his mouth found the lips he’d been dying to get a taste of. This time, I didn’t fight him. I didn’t ward him off or push away. I fell deep into Theo’s black sea because it’d been so long since I felt this. It wasn’t scary, and it wasn’t sticky or dark. I… liked it. The dark, clashing waves he created within me, the feeling of floating, drifting—so far gone while with him.
I’d wanted this to happen for years now. Theo Black in front of me, on top of me, taking me. Making me his. Owning me like he did the very first night we attempted this crazy, fucked-up relationship.
In no time, we became antsy. Hands all over, bodies grinding, hearts pounding. His hands became greedy, tearing at my shorts and then yanking my tank top over my head. I tore at his shorts, and when his cock sprung free, I gripped it, grinning behind our kiss.
His groan was ferocious, body in need of more. Hungrily, he kissed me while my legs snaked around his hips, and he sank into me. A sharp gasp brushed by parted lips, my mind no longer crowded but focused on this solitary moment. His strokes were slow and rigid, our breathing heavy. Our foreheads were touching, my arms laced around his neck, and our lips only a breadth away.
His face turned as hard as stone as he watched me, as if it’d been years since he wanted this and now that he had it, he couldn’t fuck it up. He wanted to take it slow, but I could tell he wanted to fuck me until I couldn’t take anymore.
“Talk to me, baby,” he breathed in my ear. “Tell me how long you’ve waited for this.”
“Too long,” I breathed, tugging him closer.
“You didn’t come home…” He stroked faster, panting deep. “You avoided me for three years, Little Knight. Such a bad girl, making me suffer like that.”
“I… I didn’t know how to face you—what to say.”
Reaching up, he gripped my face and forced my eyes on his. “You face me like this,” he growled, nostrils flaring. “With my dick deep inside you and your eyes right on mine. Like this, Chloe,” he grunted, slamming into me. “Like you’ve always wanted.”
My chin dropped, and a loud moan shot to the treetops. This time, he didn’t bother covering my mouth. He wanted to hear me, and he didn’t give a fuck who else could.
Theo released my face, his palms going to the thick trunk of the tree. He took me mercilessly, grunting and growling, his body going stiff as my teeth sank into his bottom lip. Cupping my ass, he walked away from the tree and lowered my back to the grass, stroking harder, faster, drilling so hard a clapping noise echoed through the small forest.
“You feel so fucking good, baby. Still so fucking wet for me.” His brown eyes roamed my body. I started to writhe, gripping the arms that were planted on either side of my head, watching as only his hips moved up and down, side to side. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I clenched repeatedly, soaking the length of his massive cock.
He didn’t stop.
In fact, he picked up his pace, his name a forbidden exclamation spilling from my lips. He conjured a yelp so shrill it made birds scatter. He scanned the area, and when he saw our surroundings were clear, he craned his head, bringing his mouth down.
Holding one side of my face with one hand, he used the other to grip my thigh, stroking repeatedly in the same, deep, relentless stroke, until he let out a heavy groan and came, eyes sealing, body jolting.
“Oh fuck, Chloe.” His voice was full of disbelief, as if he didn’t expect to cum so hard and so soon. He stilled in his position above, falling from his high, head dropping, and eyes landing on me.
He panted.
We panted, staring into one another’s eyes. Leaning forward, his lips brushed my cheek before moving over to my mouth. “Your pussy is perfect, you know that?” His upper lip curved, and the top row of his pearly whites was revealed.
“Stop it,” I murmured, fighting a smile. He moved aside, allowing me to sit up. He watched me for a few seconds, and then he leaned forward, lifting a hand to pluck something out of my hair.
“I like this park and all, but we can’t keep making shit happen here.” He laughed, flicking the piece of grass away.
I giggled. “It just… happens, I guess.”
“I guess… but you deserve better. A room. A nice place.” His gaze softened. “With me.”
The longer he looked at me, the more my smile happened to collapse. Every bad thought flashed in my brain like hazard lights, along with one of the very reasons I was upset with him to begin with. “Last night,” I said, voice breathy. “I saw you.”
His head tilted. “Saw me what?”
I dropped my head plucking a piece of grass.
“With Trixie?” he answered for me.
“That’s her name?” I tried not to laugh but couldn’t help the smile.
“Sounds stripper-ish, right?” he chuckled.
“Uh, yeah!”
“She only stopped by to pick up her clothes. Nothing happened. I promise.”
“How do I know you’re not lying? She is your girl toy, after all.”
“We aren’t really going to make things happen anymore…”
My brows narrowed. “Why not?”
“She’s moving to Las Vegas. I already don’t trust her here. I damn sure wouldn’t trust her there.”
“Oh my god,” I laughed, “Is she a stripper?”
“Nah… but she works at Dane’s. It’s pretty much the same thing.”
“That’s where you met her?”
He stood up and tugged his shorts up to his waist, then he went for my shirt and shorts on the ground. After helping me up and handing my clothes to me, he said, “Yep. Kind of just… happened.”
“Hmm. Like we did?”
He scoffed. “Definitely nothing like that.”
“Do you love her?” I avoided his eyes after asking the question, afraid of his response. I focused on adjusting my panties and putting on my shorts, staring at the ground, but he tilted my chin, head shaking as our eyes met.
“I don’t love her, Chloe. She was just someone that… distracted me when you left and helped me forget about certain things.” He paused, dragging his eyes down my five-foot-seven frame and then bringing them back up to mine again. “But now that you’re back, well”—he shrugged—“I guess I realized she isn’t exactly the type of woman I want running around in my life.”
“No? So what kind of woman are you looking for?”
He moved forward, a boyish smile on display. Stroking my cheek, he quietly answered me. “I want a woman with brains, but also one that knows how to have fun. A woman with dreams. Goals. A woman that knows what she wants, even though she knows it may be bad for her. A woman that doesn’t mind taking risks in order to be happy.”
I inhaled a wisp of air, looking away. All those things I could relate to, but there were plenty of other women out there that could also relate—women that had no sort of relationship with his only child.
“Hmm.”
When I was all dressed, he hooked an arm across my shoulders and led the way back to the trail. “What are you doing tonight?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. Why?” I looked up, meeting the brown irises that were already on me.
“Come with me to my boat.”
“Your boat?” My eyes expanded, brows rising. “I didn’t even know you had a boat!”
“Bought it a few months ago. It’s not huge or anything, just something to get me from point A to point B. It’s where I was going to take you after Dane’s.” He stopped walking, turning me in his direction, the palms of his hands curling around my upper arms. “Forgive me for not sending you a location the other night,” he begged, eyes full of remorse. “I was just… really fucked in the head. I don’t know what was going on with me. I had this small chat with Marcel, and it sort of fucked with me.”
“Oh.” I paused. “I have one question…”
He pulled away, looking at me oddly, almost like he already knew the question I was going to ask. “What’s that?”
I fiddled with my fingers, focusing on the ground. “Do you really think this will last all summer?”
Relief washed over him, and he drew in a thick amount of breath, nodding. “Let’s make the deal right now. All summer, no thoughts of the past. No thoughts of our lives or who it may be that ties us.” His face changed when he said his last sentence. He hated owning up to the betrayal as well. The thought of his baby girl finding out about us would kill her and possibly damage their bond. Our bond. “Let’s promise to pretend that we’re two strangers. Like we’ve never met before and are only looking for a good time. You could use it. I could use it.”
“But… what if more comes out of this?”
His face changed, his attitude no longer carefree. “We agree now that nothing more comes out of this.” His face was stern, eyes like steel. Gripping my shoulders, he said, “Promise me, Chloe. We can’t take this farther than it is right now… okay?”
I swallowed hard. “Okay.” My voice was defeated. He noticed.
“Fuck…”
“What?” I asked as he roughly raked his fingers through his hair.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this… I shouldn’t do that to you—make you think this is just me wanting to get my dick wet.” He pulled me into him, watching me with a gentle stare. “I don’t want you thinking I don’t care about you. I care about you a lot. You’re a good girl, and you know me just as well as I know you. It’s just—well, if we still want to be in each other’s lives, as well as Izzy’s, we have to settle on some terms and keep some things out of the way.”
“Like love?” I whispered.
His throat worked hard to swallow the lump that’d been lodged deep inside. “Love… will get in the way. To protect ourselves—to protect Izzy—let’s settle on this. Trust me, we’ll still have a good time. We’ll make this one of the best summers of our lives. And when it’s all over, we’ll still be at an understanding.” He dropped his head to catch my eyes. When he did, he asked, “Is that okay with you? We don’t have to. I understand you not wanting to. The risk involved—I just need to know if this risk is one you will take with me. If I’m worth it to you. I’m sick of pretending I don’t want you.”
I struggled with a smile, unsure, but as he looked at me, so child-like, his face handsome, eyes full of want, need, and the same hunger I’d clung to for years, I knew I couldn’t say no, no matter what feelings came out of this arrangement.
“Just the summer,” I told him, smiling. “I think you’re worth the risk, Theo.” Then I kissed his cheek, and he nodded with a smug smile, following me out of the neighborhood park.
We were hand-in-hand until we reached the exit, then we went our separate ways, never losing sight of each other, even as we walked on opposite sides of the street. Not even as cars passed by us, quick blurs that meant nothing right now.
When we made it to our houses, entering our front doors, we took one final glance and finally lost sight of one another. Even while he was gone, I knew he still thought of me. Probably just as much as I thought of him.
Knowing it thrilled every single part of me.
Later that afternoon, after hitting the shower and helping Margie clean up the kitchen, I was at the diner on the pier of Bristle Wave with Theo. Like most men would, he ordered a double cheeseburger with extra bacon and cheese and a side order of fries. I helped myself to the honey-glazed salmon, a side of broccoli, and a sweet potato.
“You eat like a girl,” he teased, poking at my fish with his unused fork.
I gave him the evil eye, chewing thoroughly before speaking. “I’m sorry I’m not a brute like you, ordering extra meat and fries.”
“Yeah… I’m pretty sure I’m going to end up on the toilet later on tonight.”
“Oh my gosh!” I gasped. “I’m trying to eat here!”
He busted out in a laugh. “See. Like a true little girl.”
“Whatever.” I sipped my sweet tea. As I placed my glass down, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I’d felt the heavy gaze on me ever since we entered the diner. It was really starting to bug me. I couldn’t not look anymore.
Turning my head a fraction, I spotted a woman sitting in the corner, magazine in hand, and a half-eaten slice of cherry pie on the plate in front of her. She caught me watching her stare at Theo. She looked at me for a brief second before rapidly snatching her gaze away, focusing on her magazine again.
“Do you know her?” I asked. I gestured to my left, and Theo glanced over.
“Not at all.”
“She’s been staring at us since we walked through the doors.”
“She’s most likely curious…”
I thinned my eyes at him. “About what?”
“Us.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
Theo’s eyes bounced from mine to the woman again. She was pretending we didn’t exist now, scanning her magazine with swift eyes. “Well, look at us, Chloe. We don’t exactly look like we belong together. I’m much older than you are, and she isn’t going to assume we’re related with how much I’ve been absentmindedly touching you.” He flashed a smile. “I bet she’s been wondering why we’ve been playing footsies for the past thirty minutes.” With quirked eyebrows, Theo’s leg brushed mine, and goosebumps crawled along my skin. Reaching across the table, Theo picked up my free hand, curled it into a fist, and then brought my knuckles to his lips.
A hot flood ran down my throat, sinking deep and pooling in my panties. I blushed ridiculously as he kissed each knuckle while his eyes moved to his right, staring right at the woman that was watching us again.
As if she were shocked, she gathered her wallet, tossed a few bills on the table, and then rushed out of the restaurant, taking one more glance at us before slipping out of the door.
Theo and I laughed out loud, catching the attention of a few guests in the restaurant. Fortunately, they disregarded our silliness, returning to their meals and small chats.
“So, I’ve been meaning to tell you.” Theo straightened up in his seat, his face getting serious.
“What is it?” I aligned my back as well.
He capped one of his fists, his elbows on the table, and hands now on his chin. “I’ve been thinking about putting the house up for sale.”
Shocked, my eyes widened, and I dropped my fork. “For sale? Wow… are you sure?”
“I think it’s time. I mean, I’m hardly ever home, but there’s a reason behind that.”
“And what is it?”
His brows drew together, lips twitching. “It… reminds me too much of Janet.” The sentence came out rushed. His voice was strained, eyes no longer on mine as he scratched his head.
“Oh.” I focused on the wooden tabletop.
“Not that I want to forget about her or anything, it’s just when I go there, I always end up thinking about her. Standing or sitting in certain places, putting on makeup in the mirror in the bathroom, or even cooking her disgusting ravioli in the kitchen.” His laugh seemed to cause him pain. “I thought getting the kitchen upgraded and remodeled, rearranging the bedroom, and even changing the paint in the house would help, but it didn’t. I still feel her. I still think of her. I know you don’t want to hear all of this but—”
“No. Stop. It’s okay,” I assured him. “You can talk about her with me. I cared for Mrs. Black, too.”
He was relieved. It showed all over his face, his eyes sparking.
“You want my honest opinion?” I asked.
“Please?”
“I don’t think you are ever going to be able to stop thinking about her, no matter where you live or how hard you’re trying to move forward in life. It’s natural. I mean, I still think of my Granny Joan sometimes. She was the fun grandma.”
“That’s true, but at least I’ll know that the place I move to wasn’t shared with her. Sort of like starting fresh.” He hesitated for a moment, dropping his hands and running his palms across his jeans. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but we shared a lot of good times in that house, and I hate that I used to have Trixie walking back and forth in there. I feel guilty in there—like I shouldn’t be living freely. Like I still owe a debt to someone that isn’t even alive.” He sighed. “I see her red recliner in the corner of the living room, and I can’t seem to get rid of it. Isabelle doesn’t want it, and I refuse to just throw it out. Janet loved that chair. She’d flip in her grave if she saw it was in a dumpster somewhere.”
“I understand,” I murmured. I looked towards the ocean, allowing an idea to sink in. “Hmm… maybe I can take it off your hands. I could use a chair for my dorm at school.”
His eyes lit up. “You’d do that?”
“Sure.” I waved a hand. “Why not?”
Appreciative, he grabbed my hand again. “You know, you don’t have to do stuff just to please me. You don’t have to always be so generous.”
“I don’t mine, Theo. I swear.”
His head shook, not negatively, but more in a she-is-too-good-to-me kind of shake. “Thank you, Little Knight.” He smiled. I returned one. “So… you think I should move out?”
“I think if that’s what you think will make you happy, then go for it.” I squeezed his hand. “But I will miss not seeing you across the street whenever I happen to be in Primrose.”
His smile was sweet and innocent. “You can always come visit me.”
“Yeah…” My lips twisted. “That all depends on when you plan on moving.”
“Well, see, that’s the thing.” He smirked. “I already found a place. I can move into it in two weeks.”
“Two weeks?!”
One of his cheeks quirked up as he played innocent “Yeah… crazy, huh?”
“So why’d you ask for my opinion if you’d already made a choice?” I laughed.
“Just wanted to see what you’d think. I needed someone to talk to… hear me out and maybe back me up if Izzy throws a fit about me moving to a smaller place.”
“Wait—you haven’t told her yet?”
“Nope. You’re the first person I’ve told.”
“Really?” I lit up inside, grinning like a giddy idiot.
“Yes. I’ll let her know when I’m all moved in…”
“Where is the apartment?”
He pointed somewhere behind me. I looked out of the window, spotting a small tower in the corner. “The condos right over there. They were just built right in front of the coast. It’s convenient. Close to my job. Right down the street from the market and only a short walk to my boat… speaking of…” he smirked.
I laughed. “What?”
“You still haven’t answered me about the boat thing?”
“What exactly will we be doing on this boat?”
His eyes focused on mine. “Do you really care for the answer to that question?” His leg brushed my calf, but something else was there—his hand. It ran up my thighs, nearing my heat. I clenched as he got closer but purposely kept his hand in the center, feeling weak as I helplessly let my legs fall apart.
“I don’t,” I breathed. “I’m just curious.”
“So many questions, huh?”
“Tons…”
“Let me answer them out there,” he pointed towards the water. “Out at sea where no one can watch us. No one can hear us. No one will matter outside of us.” I watched as his tongue ran over his lips, his hand moving higher.
He was right there, provoking me, expecting an answer. “You think we should jump right into this?”
He shrugged. “I told you, Chloe. Don’t think. Don’t wonder too much. Just let it be.”
I inhaled and then exhaled deeply, reaching under the table and holding his hand. His brown irises sparked from the sunset, shimmering as he looked me over. The sun made them appear to be an amber color, as clear as whiskey.
He looked at me as if he wanted to take me right there on that table. But he knew better. He was a wise man with a lot of self-control. That came in handy when it came to my desires.
“Okay,” I finally responded. “Fine. I won’t think. I won’t wonder.” I leaned over the table, and he did the same. Our lips touched, but instead of kissing him, I sank my teeth into his bottom lip and sucked.
“Fuck,” he groaned, eyes hooded, fixated on my mouth as I pulled away.
“I’ll just let it be.” My voice was breathy, full of seduction.
“Damn right,” he groaned. He tossed some money on the table and grabbed my hand. Within seconds we were out of the restaurant, me with my heart racing and him with a hard cock that he tried so hard to conceal. I couldn’t believe I had this effect on him. I mean it was Mr. Black. We knew each other well, but who would have thought we’d be where we were now?
Kissing.
Grinding.
Holding.
Hugging.
Touching.
Caressing like lovers, right before fucking like wild animals.
God, this man did so much to me. To my body and mind and even my spirit. But it wasn’t bad. It was good. Theo allowed me to forget reality, which was what I needed that summer.
I needed to forget.
To let go.
To get exactly what I’d been dying for all those years.
Him all over again.