Page 43 of Henhouse
“I gave her what she wanted, so I could finally be with you.”
Not that it mattered now.
23
Theo was keen to experience life without planning it out first, happy to see where he ended up. Normally that would look like experimenting with dates and food and conversations, exploring a new partner’s body, seeing what brought her pleasure, and more or less throwing himself into something until he was engrossed in it.
But not with Effie.
The sheer will of her mind kept him not quite at arm’s length, but definitely scouring the perimeter to her inner workings. She wasn’t as shy about being close to him anymore, in fact, if she surprised him with any more of those breathtaking, gut-churning kisses, he’d have a very hard time not creating a PowerPoint presentation to appeal to her logical sensibilities about why they should just consummate their relationship already. He wanted to worship her in that way. But even he could acknowledge that doing things his way hadn’t created that soulmate bond he searched for. If nothing else, every new step with Effie felt important, and it wasn’t just from her side.
And if they’d learned anything from Hope and Schilling, it was that slow was okay, boundaries were necessary, and honesty, however difficult, was crucial. Theo almost felt bad that his best friend and Effie’s closest relative had given them such a good example of whatnotto do lately. Even if the love they both saw there was real enough to strangle.
Effie leaned against him on his sofa while they watched a movie. He couldn’t have summarized the plot if he tried. He’d barely taken his eyes off her long enough to see who starred in it. From his angle, he could only see the tip of her nose and the fan of her lashes that extended past her brow. Theo found himself constantly wondering what she was thinking—ironic given his advice for her to get out of her own head.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “What time is it?” she mumbled like she had been on the verge of sleep. She leaned across Theo to the side table where her watch lay, having taken it off while they made cookies earlier that afternoon. Theo’s were acceptable; Effie’s were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Theo couldn’t help but notice the enticing curve of her backside while she draped across him to retrieve her timepiece.
“Why? Got another hot date?” he joked, scooping Effie into his lap. To his surprise, she didn’t resist or retreat. He’d taken to sweetly, cautiously testing the boundaries of intimacy in the last week. Though she took a steadying breath, she sat there happily and draped her arms around his neck. She eyed his hair like she wanted to run her fingers through it. She resisted. Only when she seemed content to stay put did he wrap an arm around her waist to settle a hand on her hip. She sparked at his touch and it was utterly endearing.
“Is that your not-so-subtle way of asking if I’m seeing otherpeople?” Effie let her fingers wander to his temples, but she pulled them back at the last second.
“Dare,” he whispered in her ear. She did her best not to smile, which endeared him even more. She locked eyes with him as she let her fingers brush through his hair. It felt better than it should have, and he felt akin to a cat as he leaned into her touch.
Theo shrugged, trying his best to ignore his building desire. “I’m not seeing anyone else.”
“Neither am I,” Effie said, and Theo waited for whatever she held back. It thoroughly confused him why she wouldn’t just tell him what she wanted. She kissed him instead, her fingers still tangled in his hair. She was getting good at the daring.
“That’s nice to know,” Theo said, teasing out the moment, playing relationship chicken at this point. He wasn’t sure why it mattered, but he wanted her to say it first. “So?”
“So,” Effie breathed. Theo waited. “I want to be your girlfriend.”
“I want that too.” He captured her lips with his and damn if nothing else mattered, not even Schilling poised to throw a pillow at them from the other end of the couch. A smile tugged at Theo’s cheeks, interrupting their kiss.
“That should be sweet, but I feel nauseous,” Schilling asserted while he tried to focus strictly on the movie and not on the fact that Theo was fighting an erection with his incredibly beautiful girlfriend in his lap.
Effie stifled a giggle and slid into the space beside him. “Sorry, Schilling.”
“It’s fine, but maybe canoodle in your bedroom?” Schilling offered, head jerking to Theo’s open room. Theo wondered if Schilling sawEffie tense—if he realized why it would be a big step to take her to his bed.
Theo rose and slapped Schilling on the shoulder as he passed into the kitchen. He was sorry too. His friend needed to crash until he got his certificate of occupancy at the house. Being out of the condo within twenty-four hours of finalizing his divorce was one of the stipulations Chloe had weaseled her way into. Just for spite.
Theo started the kettle but watched as Effie slid closer to Schilling. Without saying a word, she wriggled both her hands around his and held tight. They sat there for a long moment, and Theo noticed how Schilling’s shoulders dropped, and how the tension in his jaw released. It was like watching a hypnotist, but it was just Effie, ebbing the tide of the man’s unwieldy emotions.
“You’re good at that,” Schilling said, and he placed his hand on top of Effie’s.
“So I’ve been told,” Effie cooed, and Theo admired her all over again. Something about her ease and calm, regardless of whatever spun in her mind, had people around her steadying on their feet. She brought the ground to meet them. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about everything sooner.”
Schilling shook his head. “I get it. We’re good. I promise.”
Effie threw her arms around Theo’s friend and whispered something unintelligible in his ear. Whatever it was had him belly laughing and squeezing her back all the tighter before they released the embrace and Schilling tousled Effie’s messy bun.
Theo tried to act like he wasn’t interrupting when he brought her back a cup of tea. He settled in beside her as she scooped it up greedily.
“Ah, my little tea goblin,” Theo joked as she inhaled the steam, eyesnearly rolling back in her head. He liked the waymysounded.
“I think I need a shirt or something that says that now,” Effie replied. “But I do have to go after this one. It’s my night to cook dinner with Hope.”
