Page 3 of Snow, Ice, and Spice
Theo Thompson. Ingrid’s cocky cousin who I can’t stand…who I haven’t seen since my twenty-first birthday when he crashed my party and spent the entire night hitting on me before giving me an unwanted lap dance.
I stumble back, horrified at what I’ve just done.
That doesn’t deter Theo though. That smug smile remains plastered on his face as he gazes at me.
“Well damn, Maya. It’s nice to see you again.”
Chapter2
Theo
It’s a struggle not to laugh as I gaze at Maya, her expression growing more horrified by the second.
I start to reach for her, but she steps away.
“Aww, no hug?” I grab my chest in mock pain. “I figured a hug would be fine after that kiss you forced on me.”
Fury flashes in those gorgeous deep brown eyes of hers. “I did not force anything on you.”
“Oh really?” I lean against the bar, enjoying just how cute Maya gets when she’s all worked up. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you just grab me and kiss me a second ago?”
She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. She purses those luscious bee-stung lips that are somehow still glossy after laying one hell of a kiss on me.
“Okay, fine. I kissed you. But don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it. You were pretty into it.”
I laugh. “Hell yeah, I was into it. It was fucking hot having you manhandle me like that.” I let out a low whistle and lean down so our faces are just a few inches apart. “If you’d like to manhandle me some more, I’m all for it. Your place or mine?”
She levels me with a murderous glare before shoving my shoulder. I chuckle as I stumble back and right myself.
“Not in a million years, Theo.”
I don’t even try to hide it as I do a slow once-over of Maya. The last time I saw her was on her twenty-first birthday, like, six years ago. She was gorgeous then, but fuck me, she’s stunning now. She’s wearing a glittery dress with these long silver needle things that are blinding even in the low lighting of this warehouse. But it’s the short hemline and low neckline that’s grabbing my attention. I do a scan of her mile-long legs.Fuck.I forgot how tall she is. I’m six-two and she’s almost eye-to-eye with me with her heels on. That means she’s gotta be around 5’8” or 5’9” barefoot. I rake my gaze along the length of her legs again. I can’t help it. I’ve always had a thing for tall women.
I tear my eyes from her stunning legs and take a long moment to admire her flawless cleavage. She smacks my arm.
“Are you fucking serious?” she says through gritted teeth.
“You look hot. Sue me.”
She rolls her eyes and groans before looking off to the side. “I can’t believe I just kissed you,” she mutters. “Out of all the people in this room.”
“It’s a sign,” I tease. “We’re meant to be together.”
Maya aims her fiery gaze on me and I have to bite my tongue to keep from teasing her even more. Yeah, I’m being an asshole. But she’s fucking hot when she’s mad. The way those big, beautiful brown eyes get even bigger when she’s pissed, the way the tan skin on her chest and cheeks flushes red, the way her voice turns hard, it all drives me wild. I’ve always been a sucker for a fiery woman who isn’t afraid to fight with me. Keeps things exciting.
“Let me make this crystal clear: never, ever in a billion years will we ever be together, Theo.” She says it without even blinking.
Ouch. Not that I blame her for saying that. I’ve been giving her shit since she kissed me. It’s been like that since the moment we met. I still remember that night years ago, how I was hammered when Ingrid introduced me to her best friend, how the first words I uttered to Maya when she smiled at me and said, “It’s nice to meet you,” were, “Holy fuck you’ve got nice boobs.”
Her scowl will forever be burned in my brain. With that godawful first impression I made, I knew Maya would always loathe me. I deserve it.
Still though. It always sucks when someone looks you straight in the eye and tells you just how much they can’t stand you. And if I’m being brutally honest with myself, I know damn well that Maya isn’t the only one who wants nothing to do with me.
“Wow. A whole billion years, huh?” I say, a smile on my face despite the sting piercing my chest.
“A billion times a billion years,” she bites back.
Just then Ingrid runs up to us. The second she spots me, her mouth falls open.
