Page 79 of Tempt

“Was it like this all the time?”

He shrugged. “Yes and no.” Then he smiled. “More yes than no.”

“It’s a wonder you didn’t knock a few brain cells loose.” Honestly, it was hard for me to imagine Theo like this, even with him standing in front of me.

“Are you still okay with Thanksgiving here next week?”

He nodded slowly. “Are you?”

I nodded. “As long as it isn’t interfering with your plans.” I rinsed out the washcloth and set it aside, pulling down a fresh one and repeating the lathering process.

“No,” he said. “We’ll be putting things in motion this weekend.” I carefully cleaned around his stitches, then moved around his face. He only winced a little. “I’m glad you’ll have your friends next week.”

“You’ll tell me as much as you can?”

His eyes followed my every move. “If that’s what you want.”

“That’s what I want.” I didn’t do well with secrets. I wanted all of Theo, even the scary stuff.

“You’re very sexy when you’re in nurse-mode,” he breathed.

Oh…yes.Theo had a very large erection growing between us. When he said he found me sexy, he really meant it.

I pulled my lower lip between my teeth as I gripped his cock. “I really don’t think sex is in the cards for the next couple of days. However, I’d be happy to prescribe an orgasm for your injuries.”

His breath quickened as I ran my hand up and down his length several times. But he surprised me by pulling me into him and nuzzling my neck. “Are we okay? I love your hands on me and I fucking love sex with you, but I don’t want us to get lost if we need to talk.”

“I’m not okay. I’m scared and worried, Theo. I’m mad that instead planning dates out with my boyfriend, I’m planning how to walk around without getting kidnapped.”

His hands tightened around me. “I’m sorry.”

So was I. “I want you to tell me everything is going to be okay and that we’ll live happily ever after. But you can’t do that, so I don’t want you to say anything else.” I looked up hoping to see that same conflicted series of emotions staring back at me. Instead I saw so much more. “I want you to let me touch you. And you can touch me. This is all we have right now and I need it. Theo, I need to feel this.”

He nodded and gripped me even tighter, saying what I wouldn’t let him voice out loud—that he’d do everything he could to fix things, but there was no guarantee.

“No matter what happens,” his voice cracked, “I wouldn’t change anything.”

And I wouldn’t either. Meeting Theo, taking a chance on us, believing in my gut instinct to pursue him…it was all worth it.

I wiggled my hand free enough to move up and down his hard length, but he didn’t let me go. He kept me close, our lips nearly touching, our eyes locked together. I stroked him slow and carefully, pouring myself into each movement. Connecting with him in the way we knew so well—silently and intimately.

The shower pounded my back and the steam rose around us. I let him hold me until I knew he was close. Then I insisted he loosen his grip and let me move to my knees and put my mouth on him.

Every orgasm is different, and yet predictable. Maybe it’s the experience that dictates all the little variations. I’m never quite sure why I know exactly what Theo needs or why I feel different after each one.

I certainly wasn’t prepared for this one. He planted his hands on each wall of the shower and made a noise I hadn’t heard before. It was something like pleasure mixed with agony. It came from deep inside him and seemed to vibrate the entire shower. It broke my heart and overwhelmed me with the power of his feelings.

He came hard. Even though the only thing I was touching was his cock, I felt him everywhere, all the way down to my toes. In that moment, there was no difference between him and me. I felt what he felt. The good and the bad. It was too much.

I leaned back on my heels panting for air, desperate for something to ground me. It felt like I’d become completely untethered. Theo noticed immediately and leaned down to me. He took my face in his hand and gripped the hair at the base of my skull with the other, cradling me, pulling me into him as he kissed my temple and whispered, “I love you. I’m sorry. I love you.”

Chapter 29

My day unraveled from there. I got a message from Elizabeth:You’re getting a package today. Wait until you’re home alone to open it. Call me first.

The package arrived at the office just after lunch and sat there mocking me all afternoon. I had no idea what it was and Elizabeth didn’t answer any of my messages. So I had Joe take me home thirty minutes earlier than normal, set my laptop up on the bed beside the package, and called Elizabeth.

It was really nice to see her face.

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