The Love I Need

Chapter 54

The air around Theo and I feels thick with conflicting emotions. I want to throw myself in his arms and cry but I get the sense that he's upset about Cal and I convincing him not to call the cops on Justin.

He looks completely worn out, and I'm sure I don't look much better. I know we need to talk; about Justin, about Megan, about us. But I wouldn't even know where to start.

"You ready to go inside, Princess?" he asks while extending his hand toward me.

My shoulders sag with relief that he doesn't seem too upset with me after all. I place my hand in his, and we walk slowly to the house next door.

His limp makes it known that his leg is starting to act up again, but I don't dare to comment on it now. We'll be sitting down soon enough, and hopefully, I will be able to convince him tomorrow morning to take an extra day off work. After such a crazy weekend, he deserves it.

Not a word passes between us until we've made it across the two lawns and gotten inside.

Theo walks a few paces into the living room, and I begin to follow him, but then he spins around abruptly to look at me. "Can I kiss you?"

"Please do."

His limp be damned, he covers the small space between us in a flash.

I reach up to place my hands on his shoulders but he doesn't lean down to kiss me just yet. Instead, he places his hands on my hips and walks me backward toward the closed door.

"Thank you," he whispers before settling his lips over mine.

His body presses me against the door while he kisses me breathless. He moves his mouth from mine so that I'm able to suck some air into my lungs, but my breathing quickly turns into a whimper when he drops his mouth to my neck and throat.

His arm comes up to brace against the door over my head, and I'm ready to beg him to rip this fucking dress off of me, but then he stops what he's doing to gaze down at me intensely.

"Who's Adam?"

Fuck. I had nearly forgotten about my screw-up earlier, but clearly, Theo hasn't.

"I'm so sorry," I apologize, feeling like an idiot all over again. With the way his strong arm is braced over me and his body is still pressed against me, it's hard to form any thoughts but I know he needs some sort of an explanation.

"I was reliving a lot of things from before, and it slipped out. Adam was just a friend though. He got involved a few times over the years when Cal and I were fighting, and I was reminded of him for a minute when you were between Justin and I. But I just wasn't thinking clearly."

He nods slowly but it does nothing to hide the insecurity in his eyes.

I reach up to touch his cheek and lightly run my fingers through his beard. "Theo, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm so sorry."

He briefly closes his eyes, and when he opens them again the insecurity has been replaced by something else.

"Tell me you're my good girl."

The gravelly demand has my insides turning to mush, and somehow, it's even more sexy when he adds in a desperate voice, "Please."

"I'm your good girl, Theo," I say the words that he so desperately wants to hear but I know that I want to say them just as badly.

Theo's forehead comes down to rest against mine, and he closes his eyes again. I swear I can feel some of the tension he's been carrying all day finally leaving his body.

I comb my fingers through his beard again and smile. "Are you feeling a little possessive, big guy?" My question comes out with a teasing tone, but I have to admit that I love seeing this side of him.