Page 42 of When It Burns

“I swear. It took almost two hours for us to get him in the cage for the animal rescue guy. The little thing was almost dead on its paws; it was so worn out,” I say.

“He wasn’t the only one,” Hannah says with a laugh.

“I always joke that it’s not a Monday morning without a little bit of chaos, but I think I have filled my quota for a bit,” I say before grabbing some chips.

We continue chatting until finally, Margaret says, “So Caroline, what’s the deal with you and Theo? I barely saw him this weekend so I didn’t ask,” Hannah giggles a bit at the question as she sips her marg, both of them waiting on me to respond.

“I really like him, y’all. We’re together, and we’re just gonna see where it goes. But I hope that won't affect our friendship, Margaret. I know you haven’t been here that long, but I really love having you here,” I say, suddenly nervous and hoping she can hear the sincerity in my voice.

“Of course it won’t! I haven’t ever had any real girlfriends and my brother does not get to take that away from me. Just be easy with him. He can be a real jerk, but he usually means well. But if he pulls another stupid ass move like he did with the fire drill, I will help you kick his ass.”

I laugh before saying, “Deal.”

“So, did you ride his bronco Friday night?” Hannah asks before erupting into a fit of giggles.

“And that’s my cue to go to the bathroom,” Margaret says while trying to look mortified, but I don't miss the hint of a smile on her face.

Once she’s gone, I turn to Hannah who has a look of expectation. I blow out a breath before saying, “Not his bronco, but his tongue was pretty damn good.”

Hannah lets out a squeal loud enough that everyone in the restaurant turns to look at us. She launches into asking a million questions when my phone buzzes and I reach over to grab it.

Theo: Come sneak out back, Sunshine. I need to see you for a minute.

My heart rate picks up as I look out the back windows of Maracas. Behind the restaurant is a large parking lot. The city hasn’t replaced the lights out there yet after a hurricane came through last year and damaged the existing ones, so I know it’s almost pitch black out there.

Hannah notices me looking at my phone and asks, “Is that him?!”

“Yeah. I’ll be back in a few,” I tell her, trying to keep myself from blushing.

Hannah notices my expression because she screams again before winking. “Go get him, girlie. We’ll be here when you get back.”

I make quick work of slipping out of the booth and almost running to the door. As soon as I slip out the front door and make my way around the building, I see Theo’s truck parked in the back of the lot. If his headlights weren’t on, I probably would have missed it completely. As soon as I walk up, he cuts the lights and jumps out.

“Hey, Sunshine,” he says, reaching for my hand and spinning us until he has me pressed against his truck. It’s so dark I can only see the outline of his muscular frame, but he’s so close to me I am okay with it.

“Hey, Cowboy. What’s going on?” I ask as he skims his hands up and down my waist.

“Well, Margaret asked me to pick her up tonight, so I ran some errands and have been out here waiting for the last twenty minutes. I started thinking about this weekend, and I had to see you,” he says, easing his hands up my sides.

“Hmmm, no complaints here,” I say leaning in closer to him, desperate to feel more of him.

He skims his lips lightly across mine, teasing me before he moves away. I let out a choked sound before saying, “Theo, please.”

“Yes, darlin’,” he says, rubbing his hands up and down my waist again but this time he lets his thumb skim across my nipple through my sports bra and tee shirt.

“I missed you. Please,” I say, feeling desperate to feel his lips against mine.

He chooses that moment to grind his jean clad cock into my center. I open my mouth to let out a moan and he dives into me to devour my lips.

Between kisses, he says, “Damn, Sunshine… Missed… This… Perfect…. Mouth.”

He grinds against me once more and I claw at his back. The fact that we’re technically in public despite the darkness surrounding us has me even more desperate for his touch.

I savor the feeling of his mouth on mine as we kiss until I am breathless and desperately needy. Theo pulls back before kissing my forehead and saying, “I’m sorry. That’s not what I called you out here for. I really just wanted to see if you were okay after your day. My guys couldn’t stop talking about it at practice today. But I obviously got carried away.”

“Me too,” I say with a laugh. “And I’m good. I’m glad you called me out here. Also, just an update—Margaret asked about us and I told her we were together. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course, Sunshine. I am not hiding us. I just haven’t seen much of my sister since Friday. You having any regrets yet?” Theo asks. It catches me off guard because he says it like a joke, but I don't miss the way his body tightens as if he’s preparing himself for a hit.

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