Page 82 of Love You, Mean It

“No one thinks that.”

I could hear the pain in his voice, but I was finally hitting my stride.

“Except Paul. And half of Ted’s Belle Glen friends. And I know it’s what I signed up for, but the point was that this thing wouldwork. That we would find a way to make sure I’m not driven out of business. I know the deli isn’t important enough to register on Cheryl’s memory, but it’s my family legacy, Theo. Itmatterstome.”

“I promise, I know that.”

Theo slid to a stop at my curb, throwing the car into Park so quickly the brakes whined in protest. He turned to me, reaching into my lap to take both my hands in his.

“Ellie, I know how hard this is for you.” He shook his head, frowning. “Actually, no, I have no idea how hard this is. Obviously I have skin in the game, but it’s nothing compared to what’s on the line for you. I get that. And I know tonight probably didn’t feel like progress—”

“You think? Youpromisedthat the optics would be enough to keep your family from pushing this through. Instead, Paul and Ted are joking about how you’re in this for the sex and tag-teaming about me finding some new fucking calling.”

“I didn’t promise, Ellie. And I can’t promise now. But you have to believe me, wearemaking progress. Cheryl’s coming around, Ican tell, and Paul will do whatever she says in the end. It doesn’t hurt that Sam’s got the numbers to back this up; it’s the smarter play on a lot of fronts. Does that mean I’m a hundred percent certain everything will go the way we want? Of course not. But I’d wager a hell of a lot of money on it.” He squeezed my hands, tugging me slightly to face him. His brows were tented with worry, lip almost trembling as he looked me straight in the eye. My breath caught.Don’t touch him. Don’t kiss him. You have to see this through.The warning was there, but getting fainter…

Theo must have seen me wavering, because he leaned in until his forehead rested against my own, dropping one of my hands to cup the nape of my neck gently. His voice dropped to a whisper.

“I know it’s hard feeling like this is still up in the air, but please trust me. You know you can by now, don’t you?”

“Why?” I murmured, my will starting to dissolve in the wave of emotion swirling through me. “You said it yourself, you don’t have as much skin in the game.”

“Maybe not on the business front, but Ellie…” His thumb started caressing the spot where my neck met my hairline, the touch tingling through me, faint echoes of the pulsing desire from just minutes ago starting up again. “When this started, I know we both thought it was just going to be…transactional. But now…don’t you think…”

He paused for breath, and I could do it now, I could lean forward just a fraction of an inch and press my lips to his, drag my nails across his back until he gasped against my mouth, until he was pulling me onto his lap again. I could practically stillfeelall his touches, the way they lit me from the inside…

And then…what? If I gave in to this feeling, what happened next?

Not just tomorrow morning, when I’d still owe Sam what I’d promised, and the deli’s future would still be hanging by a thread, but in the minutes and seconds after, the tenderness that had already been creeping into Theo’s gestures, gazes, words, floodingthrough me too, telling me to ignore reason and throw myself away on him. And when it all eventually crumbled—he remembered who he was, what kind of person he wanted by his side in life, not just waking up next to him in bed, and I woke up to how completely wrong we were for each other, both too strong-willed, both too tender beneath the thorny exteriors, banter turning to bickering and power struggles as the honeymoon-period hormones receded—what then? Would I have anything left? Or would I have thrown it all away for this need that felt real now, but that couldn’t be, not really, or at least wouldn’t be enough to sustain us?

I jerked away, real anger flooding me, not at Theo and his painful sweetness, but at myself for finding a way to complicate this, for the stupid longing squeezing my lungs and heart.

“What are youtalkingabout, Theo?”

His mouth dropped open, pure shock slackening his face. Within moments his eyes narrowed, wary. I dug my nails into my palms again. No turning back now.

“I mean, we’ve had fun, sure, but it’s just sex, for Christ’s sake.”

“Just…what?”

“I figured you were just doing what we said—selling this, remember? But I guess I’m the only one that’s bothering with follow-through.”

Theo’s lips pinched tight, brow lowering dangerously.

“I’m sorry if I misread things.”

I barked out a laugh. His whole body tensed.

“Me too. Because while you’ve been living in some ridiculous fantasy, my business has been on the line.”

“Living in some— What do you think that meeting was? I’m sorry if you didn’t realize this when you agreed to the deal, Ellie, but businesses with a bit more clout than yours don’t just turn on a dime. You have to laygroundwork.”

“And we’ve done that. And yet from where I’m standing, nothing has actually changed. Has anyone reached out to Mangia to even, like…start a conversation about this not happening?”

“That’s not what’sdone,we—”

“Just answer the question, Theo.”

“No, of course not. Because that would be not only premature butirresponsible. This isn’t something you can just plow your way through, Ellie.”

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