Page 56 of Love You, Mean It

“Harder,” I said, voice a breathy whisper.

And then he was moving against me, into me,throughme somehow, every thrust of his hips adding to the pressure building inside, my skin growing hotter every moment, and I was arching up to meet him, hips rolling with his, fingernails digging into his back like I might tumble into oblivion otherwise, breath coming in little pants as this swell of want kept growing…

“Ellie…I—I can’t—”

“Go. Go now,” I commanded, thrusting my hips hard against his. Dimly, I felt his muscles shudder, heard him cry out, but the intensity of the pleasure crashing over my body blurred my senses, stripping away everything but the explosion at my core, a starburst of sensation that faded only slowly, leaving a pleasant glow in its wake, the still-warm embers of the fire that had raged through me so suddenly.

Theo rolled onto his side, body pressed along the length of mine, and reached a hand up to cup my cheek. There was a tenderness in his gaze I’d never seen before, his whole face softer as he stroked my cheek absently with his thumb.

“That was…”

“Good,” I supplied.

“Incredible,” he returned with an open grin. “That thing you did with your hips…”

“What can I say? I’m kind of a prodigy.” Warmth unfurled through me at the sound of his laugh.

He drew me in for one last, soft kiss, then pushed himself up, scooting around to perch on the edge of the couch. He reached for our champagne flutes, and I propped myself on an elbow to take mine. There was something deliciously indulgent about lying naked on an expensive sofa, sipping champagne in front of a roaring fire. After a few more seconds, I stretched over to search for my underwear. I’d barely made a dent in the pizza, and it felt strange to eat ittotallynaked. Theo followed suit, pulling his boxer briefs back on. The firelight carved out the lean muscles of his stomach, shoulders, and arms. The sight of him, totally unselfconscious as he bent to clothe himself, reignited the heat between my legs. He settled onto a cushion near me, reaching over to thread his fingers between mine.

“I’m sure you know what this means.” Theo gave me a mock-serious look.

“You’re going to need to reheat the pizza?”

“That…and we’re going to have to rethink rule two.” He squeezed my hand lightly.

My whole body went tense. With the last traces of postorgasmic glow fading, the words hit like cold water, dousing whatever coals had still been burning inside.

You have complicated thingsmassively. This is a business arrangement. You are the absolute opposite of each other’s type. Nothing is ever going to happen here, other than things getting very, very messy. Were you really that sex-starved, Ellie? Because this was ahuge fuckup.

Dammit, why was the little voice so much loudernow,when it was too late for me to listen?

“Oh?” I loosed my hand and reached for the red pepper flakes.

“I’m not saying we grope each other in public, just that we expand the boundaries slightly. After all, the biggest concern was that we’d be too awkward, right? That the lack of chemistry would beobvious?” Theo grinned at me then reached for another slice. “I think we can feel confident that that’s not a problem anymore.”

“True…” The rush of cold water was solidifying into ice, clamping cold around my spine and vital organs. “But if it’s not broke…We’re so close, right?”

“Disagree. The last quarter isn’t a time to play it safe. You leave it all on the field.”

“Well, you’re the lacrosse player.” I tried to grin naturally, but it felt too tight.You fucked this up you fucked this up you fucked this up.“Speaking of, I should probably go get some rest. If Ted’s set onthrowing the party this weekend, we both need to be on our A-game. And this went…longer than I expected.”

“Oh…sure, of course.” A flicker of hurt creased Theo’s brow briefly, but just as quickly disappeared. He slid his plate onto the coffee table, grabbed the pizza box, and strode over to the kitchen. “At least take some pizza for the road. There’s no way I’ll eat all the leftovers.”

“Don’t blaspheme, Theo, it offends my delicate sensibilities.” He grinned over his shoulder as he fished out a roll of aluminum foil, any lingering tension fading from his face.

“You’d be more offended if I let the focaccia go to waste, no?”

“Good point. On second thought…load me up.”

As Theo wrapped a few slices, I quickly dressed and gathered my things. By the time he was done, I had joined him in the kitchen. He set the packet of pizza on the counter and slipped a hand beneath my coat, cupping it around my waist. My body reacted before my mind could, leaning into him, the intimacy of the touch short-circuiting the same vital switch that had already failed me once tonight.

“Text me that you made it home safe?” Theo said, voice lowering. I swallowed hard, the tenderness of his gaze equally thrilling and terrifying.

“Pretty sure I can manage. We didn’t even finish the champagne.”

“Still. It would make me feel better.”

“Fine.”I rolled my eyes, trying to dissipate some of the tension crackling between us. But Theo just squeezed my waist, and my breath caught somewhere in the middle of my chest, and my eyes shot to his lips before I could stop them.

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