Page 79 of Press Play

Taking the stairs, I leap onto the landing and head back toward the fruit tray. Picking up where I left off, I place a strawberry in my mouth and shimmy. Each bite is a symphony of sweet flavors balanced by subtle tartness. Placing another one on my tongue, I bite into it and sigh in contentment.

“Are you going to hang out by the fruit tray for the remainder of the day?” Theo asks before placing his hands on my hips and pulling my back against his chest. His breath is warm against my neck, and I shiver when he whispers in my ear. “You are radiant.”

As he massages my waist, I can’t help but lean into his touch, eager to have his lips on me again.

“Why do you feel so good?” Theo kisses my neck, and I arch into him, desperate to get closer. “I can’t get enough of you.”

The stairs creak, indicating his mom is coming. With one final kiss on my cheek, he peels us apart and starts snacking on a carrot stick.

“Wren, do you want to borrow a pair of my shorts?” Mal asks.

“You don’t like my new outfit?”

Theo’s shirt stops near the middle of my ass, and the dress falls right above my knees.

“I think you look great,” Theo says while crunching down on more vegetables.

“I just want you to be comfortable,” Mal says while starting back outside. “By the way, Gia is looking for you, Theo. Be polite.”

“Yeah, Theo, bepolite.” I tease him as she closes the glass sliding door.

His smoldering gaze leaves invisible marks over my body as he chomps down on a piece of celery. “Careful, I won’t hesitate to bring you back upstairs and teach you a lesson.”

He jolts toward me, and with a squeal, I book it outside with him hot on my tail.

Chapter Thirty-One

Theo

I thoughtshe was beautiful when I first saw her in her dress; she’s even more sexy wearing my shirt. I can’t take my eyes off her, and I don’t want to. It doesn’t matter that Mom has caught me admiring Wren, and her tiny, knowing smirks don’t get under my skin. We’re finally exploring what I’ve been desperate to discover, and I want the whole world to know that I have feelings for my best friend. And she’s off limits, especially to Andrew.

Ugh, even saying his name in my head makes me cringe, and the way he’s looking at my girl is no help either. I positioned myself as close as I could beside her, my knee resting against hers as she snacked on more fruit and chips. He won’t stop looking at her. What do I have to do to prove to him that she’s unavailable? Because I’ll do it.

Fucking watch me.

“Theo, are you okay?” Wren asks. “You’ve got restless leg syndrome.”

“I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Then why is the vein in your forehead protruding?” Wren touches my temple, and the pent-up air in my lungs releases.

Andrew finally looks away, and I throw him a smug grin.That’s right, go bother someone else with your heated gaze.

“Relax,” she whispers as she ruffles my hair.

“I am relaxed,” I shoot back, and she snickers.

“Uh-huh, sure you are.”

A group of kids runs past us, giggling and smiling ear to ear. They weave through the other adults without a care in the world. Wren watches them with a soft grin. She chuckles when she looks back down at her plate.

“What were you like as a kid?” she asks while side-eyeing me.

“According to Mom, I was far too shy for my own good. When we would go out, I clung to her for dear life. I grew out of it when I got older, only because I opted out of going out,” I tell her.

“Sounds about right.”

“How about you?”

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