Chapter 13
“I remember your mom very well,” Theo said. They were sitting at the dining table again, across from each other. The lights were dimmed in the room and Nora stared at Theo’s strong jaws as he spoke. She wanted to tell him how happy she would feel if he took her into his arms just then.
“She was a good beautiful woman. She was around my age, a few years younger than Andy and she died too young,” he continued and took a sip of his beer. Nora licked her lips and looked away from him. Her father rarely ever spoke about her, and all she had of her mother were the old photographs.
“And your dad was a young father, clueless and grieving over the loss of the love of his life. I tried to help out to the best of my abilities in those years when you were little and Andy didn’t know what he was doing,” Theo said and they looked at each other again. They would have heard a pin drop in the room, there was complete silence.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better father,” Nora said and looked down at the bottle in her hands. She didn’t want to talk about her parents with Theo. She wanted to keep those topics separate from this man she was still lusting after. He had known her when she was little, when she didn’t even remember his presence in her life.
“Yeah, he was great with you,” Theo said, searching her eyes.
“Did you want children?” Nora asked, already knowing the answer because her father had told her. But she was desperate to change the topic. Theo clenched his jaw and gulped.
“For a while, yes. Around the time I met Violet. Before that, the thought never crossed my mind,” he said and Nora took in a deep breath, the scent of his cologne surrounded her and she felt giddy with desire for him.
“You would have made a great father, too,” she said, slightly shy of what she was saying but Theo encouraged her with a smile.
“I don’t know about that but what I do know is that Violet would have made a terrible mother,” he said with a small laugh escaping his lips as he took another sip of his beer.
“It doesn’t sound like a happy marriage to me,” Nora said, unable to keep her thoughts to herself any longer. Theo threw her an angry look and she immediately regretted saying it.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” she added quickly and he shook his head.
“No, it’s all right. You haven’t offended me. It’s just that I don’t like talking about her and me. I know how bad the marriage is. I’ve seen Andy and your mom together. I know what a good marriage looks like,” Theo said and Nora gulped, placing the bottle of beer in front of her on the table. She didn’t want to actually say the words. She didn’t want to actually tell him to leave his wife, because it wasn’t her place to dish out relationship advice. And neither did it mean that if he left his wife he would definitely be with her.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve made my peace with my choices. What you should do is dump that boyfriend of yours,” Theo said and Nora’s cheeks colored. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing,” he added.
“Yeah, he’s not exactly my boyfriend. In his own words, we go on casual dates and fuck,” she said, the words lumping up in her throat because she was aware of how pathetic she must have sounded to him.
“Well, as long as you are aware of what you’re doing…and don’t let yourself get hurt,” he said and their eyes met again.
“I have no feelings for Jack,” she said and Theo’s green eyes grew darker as he stared at her.
“Then you are in the same position as me,” he said and Nora nodded. “The only difference is that you’re not married to him, which means that it would be easier for you to leave,” he added and she looked away from him. How was she supposed to explain to him that she needed to be with someone constantly, just to numb the desire she felt towards Theo. That if she broke up with Jack, she would be heartbroken over thoughts about Theo.
“Because if that guy ever hurts you, Nora…” she watched as Theo fisted his hands and his jaws clenched. She had never seen this side of him before and it surprised her. She had never guessed that he felt this protectively about her.
“I can take care of myself,” Nora said to him and Theo’s eyes burned into her face.
“I know you can, but if he does…” he was speaking through gritted teeth and Nora reached for his fisted hands. She placed her own small hands on his and felt the sting of his warm skin. They were looking at each other, and she gulped, focusing on his lips and how harshly he was breathing.
“I knew you as a kid, Nora,” he said and pulled his hands away from her. She settled back in her chair, trying to suppress the wave of rejection that was rising up in her.
“And I am an adult now,” she said and Theo shook his head.
“I don’t want to apologize for what happened last night, because I did what I wanted. I’ll be lying if I said that I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said, in a voice that was deep and harsh. He suddenly sounded very angry and Nora gulped again.
“But it was wrong. Your dad trusts me, and I can’t betray him like this. What happened was a one-time thing and I’m sorry it did,” he said and Nora felt a cry rise up her throat.
“It happened because I wanted it to happen too. My dad has nothing to do with what two adults do,” Nora cried and Theo clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his thick hair. She noticed the silver on his sideburns again.
“If you’d always lived here, Nora, things would be different. You were just another kid seven years ago and now, suddenly I don’t recognize you anymore. You’re a beautiful successful young woman and I can’t help but want you,” he said and Nora shifted in her seat, desire surging up in her body again. She couldn’t believe that she was actually hearing him say those words. Words she had waited so long to here.
“Things wouldn’t have been any different for me if I stayed here, Theo. I wanted you since I was sixteen. When you didn’t even look at me. When you dated other women and eventually found someone to marry. I wanted all this since then,” she said and Theo arched his eyebrows in surprise. She couldn’t believe he had no clue. He shook his head and stared at her from under his heavy eyelids.
“You don’t know what you’re saying, Nora,” he said and his gaze dropped to her breasts. She thrilled under his gaze. She wanted him to watch her, to look at her breasts. She wanted him to ask her to undress herself.
“I know exactly what I’m saying. I’ve never forgotten my crush on you. I couldn’t wait to grow up and become an adult so that I could live my fantasies,” she said and Theo banged his bottle on the table.
“Fuck, Nora! We shouldn’t be talking like this. Your father is sleeping upstairs!” he spoke through gritted teeth, in a hushed low voice. Nora had started breathing hard. She had never spoken so brazenly to someone before, but this was the man of her dreams. What was the point of holding back?
“Exactly. He’s sleeping,” she said and his gaze dropped to her heaving breasts again.
“I wanted you so badly, Nora. Since I saw you that night at Andy’s birthday. I had to go home and take a cold shower because I knew it was wrong to think about you like that,” he said, and leaned over the table towards her. Nora leaned forward as well, matching his hushed husky voice with hers.
“I’ve been having cold showers since I turned sixteen,” she said, parting her lips seductively at him. Theo snapped his head away from her, like he was forcing himself to look away.
“I helped myself to thoughts of you that night, after I came over to apologize. And then after the party last night. I pictured you naked. Bouncing on top of me. I imagined what your breasts would look like,” he said and Nora squeezed her legs together. She could feel the wetness growing there between her thighs. He was trying to be honest and had no idea what he was doing to her. He hadn’t even touched her yet. She wanted to tell him she’d done the same, but he was looking threateningly at her. Like he didn’t want her to say another word.
“This has to stop. You need to go back to New York,” he said and Nora shook her head.
“I’ll leave when I want to leave,” she said and Theo stood up with a jerk. The chair he was sitting on toppled over and crashed to the floor. He walked around the table and stood over her, his shoulders heaving. She could see the rising erection in his pants and she wanted to reach out and stroke him. Finally feel his cock in her hands.
“You need to leave now, Nora. I won’t do this to Andy!” he spoke through gritted teeth again and Nora leaned herself against the back of her chair, thrusting her breasts outwards towards him. She saw as he looked at her breasts, his eyes sparkling with desire. His arousal was unmistakable. She knew she wasn’t imagining it anymore.
“Nora, stop!” he said and stepped towards her. She parted her lips and licked them seductively and then lifted a hand to her left breast, stroking it gently. He was watching her every movement with wide steely eyes. She knew her nipples were pebbled through the thin material of her cotton t-shirt. She knew he could see them and she saw his cock grow bigger in his pants.
“Touch me, Theo,” she heard her voice quiver as she spoke. He was standing over her, glaring down at her with fire burning in his eyes. He had his hands clenched in fists, his nostrils flaring and he looked nearly dangerous, threatening, but Nora had never wanted anyone more than she wanted him in that moment.
“Aarrrgh!” they both heard the sound of her father’s voice at the same time. Nora gazed up at the ceiling and another painful yelp erupted.
“Dad!” she shrieked and Theo was out the kitchen door before she had even jumped off the chair. She ran upstairs, fast at his heels and they burst into her father’s dark bedroom.
He was bent over on the bed, clutching his chest and making ragged hollow breathing sounds.
“Daddy!” Nora was screaming, while Theo thrust his cell phone into her hand.
“Call an ambulance. Andy, lie down. I’ll have to perform CPR on you. You’re having a heart attack,” Theo said, grabbing her father by the shoulders and gently pushing him down into the bed.
Nora’s fingers shook as she dialed 911. She couldn’t hear her own voice as she spoke into the phone. Her eyes were riveted to where Theo was hunched over her father, performing CPR expertly on him. The phone fell from her hand after she had given their address to the 911 operator.
She clasped a hand on her mouth, watching in horror as her father seemed to choke.
“Nora, get him an aspirin. Find an aspirin now, Nora!” Theo was screaming at her, while she stood frozen to the spot. Her body immobilized by panic.
“Nora!” Theo was shaking her by the shoulders now, while she stared at her father. “You need to find aspirin, now. Andy’s going to be all right,” she faintly heard him say.