Page 36 of With Us

“Apparently, their goodbye hugs had further ulterior motives beyond wanting to use my pool. I’m just thankful they were sneaking paper in, and not stealing my wallet.” He cleared his throat. “‘Uncle Theo,’ it starts, with the word uncle kind of crossed out. ‘Do you like me? Check yes or no.’ And then there are two boxes available, of course. It is signed, ‘Love, Dahlia’, spelled D-A-A-L-Y-E-A-H. Plus, a bunch of hearts. With arrows, too.” He held it to his chest, looking thoughtful. “I may just have to frame this. I’ll make sure to show it off and say it’s really from you.”

Laughing, I reached for the note, but Theo lifted it out of my reach, which wasn’t hard. “Hey, that’s not fair. I don’t have eagle wing span arms.”

“I take whatever openings I can.”

“So you play dirty?”

“Always.” Folding the paper, he pulled out his wallet and put it in before returning it to his pocket, still chuckling.

I reached around for his wallet, but he caught my hand. When I went for it with my other hand, he sat on the driver’s seat with his legs still out of the SUV, giving me no way to get it. Using his hold on me, he tugged me closer so I stood between his outstretched legs.

I’d been on edge all night. The teasing and grazing, the flirting and interrupted moments all worked together to drain away my patience. In the quiet night, with the light of the street lamps and echoes of our laughter, I kissed him. Up on my tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, weaving my fingers into his soft hair.

His hands cupped my ass, pulling me to him. With no way of getting closer in our positions, he lifted me slightly which pushed his elbow against the steering wheel. The horn honked loudly, setting multiple car alarms off in the process.

As Theo swore softly, letting me go as he got out of the car, I couldn’t help but laugh as I tried to remember walking under a ladder or breaking a mirror.

“Maybe we’re cursed,” I offered. “Car horns have interrupted us twice.”

He shook his head. “It’s the needed reminder for me to not do something.” His eyes went hooded again as his gaze locked onto my mouth. “At least not in public.”

I didn’t have the chance to respond as his family came out to turn off alarms and investigate the noise. Theo handed me the keys. “Do you know how to get home from here?”

“Yeah. Do you want me to drop the car off between jobs tomorrow?”

“No, Ben, Luc, or I will pick it up in the next few days. Use it until then.” With a quick kiss, he backed out of the way. “Hurry and make your escape.”

Grinning, I got in and closed the door, giving him a short wave. I started the SUV and carefully pulled away from the curb before glancing in the rearview mirror.

Standing mostly in the dark, there was just enough light for me to see Theo smiling as he watched me driving away.

???

Tugging self-consciously at my hoodie, I went through the revolving door that led to the massive lobby of Amaric. Dark woods, light accents, and immaculate décor made the building look professional, classy, yet still somehow welcoming. There were various signs indicating which direction to head for the other businesses that operated out of the building. Theo had told me that his business only used the top ten floors, leaving an additional seventeen they rented out to other companies, but I still hadn’t anticipated the immensity of it.

Oh yeah, we’re an equal match. I make average coffee and he… does all this.

I took my place in one of the formed lines to go through security, glancing at the large clock on the wall. I only had a short window of time before my shift started at the grocery store. Between my tight schedule and not wanting to run into Theo, I hoped the wait was shorter than it seemed it’d be.

Heels clicked across the floor, quiet conversations creating a constant buzz. Multiple elevators dinged, rhythmically opening and closing. I found myself wishing there was a watercooler I could stand near and pass the time with idle chitchat and gossip.

Finally making it up to the security guards, I emptied my pockets and stepped through the metal detector. One of the guards searched my purse while the other held an iPad.

“Name?” the iPad wielding one asked.

“Dahlia Kincaid.”

He tapped the screen. “No appointment under that name. Who are you here to see?”

“I just need to leave something at the front desk for someone.”

Looking bored, he made eye contact and spoke slowly, as if I was an idiot. “Who?”

I hesitated slightly before answering. “Theo Amato.”

Both guards went on alert, the purse searcher speaking into the walkie-talkie. I couldn’t hear all he said, but I caught my name.

“What—” the other one started before being interrupted.

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