Page 41 of Crumbling Truth
We ate our lunches and got back to work, but midway through the afternoon, I realized I was dangerously low on several important ingredients.
“I should run to the grocery store so I can get these finished tomorrow,” I said glumly. I was as excited about reward time as he was.
“No big deal, I’ll come with you,” he replied with a shrug. “I could use a few things at the house anyway.”
With that settled, I packaged the final batch of cupcakes we’d just finished and placed them in the industrial fridge taking up most of my back hall. The wilting bouquet of lilies sat dejectedly on the windowsill, so I grabbed it to throw out on our way to the car. Theo frowned at the flowers when I walked back into the kitchen, waited until I tossed them down on the counter, then caught me around the waist and kissed me softly. When he drew back, he winked and swiped his thumb across my jaw.
“Had a bit of powdered sugar there,” he murmured, popping his thumb into his mouth.
I stood there, captivated by the sight of his lips closing around his knuckle. The memory of that mouth moving over my skin hit me like a fist to the stomach, knocking the breath right out of me. Curse the man, he seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, because he smiled as he slipped his thumb from his mouth.
He leaned down until his cheek brushed mine and whispered, “Not as delicious as you.”
A shudder ran through me. “We should go so we can get back here and…um. Put the groceries away.”
“And then we’re off the clock?”
I nodded, a little frantically. “Yes. Definitely.”
Theo winked as he took a step back, offering me his arm. “Then let’s get this over with, shall we?”
We donned our jackets, tossed the lilies into the trash can tucked behind the main house, and hopped into his truck. As we made the short drive to the nearest grocery store in town, my veins buzzed with nervous excitement. I didn’t realize my leg was jiggling with it until Theo pulled into a parking spot and laid his hand on my knee.
“Easy there,” he said playfully. “You’re going to vibrate right out of your skin. Are you nervous or excited?”
I jerked in surprise. “Are you kidding me? Excited. Very excited. I know what I want, Theo, and it involves both of us naked and having orgasms. Together, this time.”
He laughed, letting his fingers caress the inside of my thigh before he removed his hand to turn off the engine. “Then for Christ’s sake, let’s get what we need and get the hell home.”
The grocery store was not nearly as vacant as I expected for a weeknight, but as Theo pointed out, there were only a few days left before Thanksgiving. Despite his comment about needing some groceries of his own, he only grabbed a basket after I shot a pointed glare his way.
Unfortunately, it appeared that he was more of a novelty in Spruce Hill these days than I was. Half a dozen people stopped him in the aisles to say hello and attempt to catch up. While he was deflecting the increasingly probing questions about his years away, I wandered away into the produce section.
I felt guilty enough for knowing any of the details of his past when he hadn’t been the one to tell me. Eavesdropping on his answers felt a little too intrusive.
He managed to untangle himself from the grasp of Mrs. Hubbard, the freshman English teacher at the high school, and was winding his way through fruit displays toward me when a mocking voice said, “Why, as I live and breathe.”
Theo stiffened, turned, and inclined his head with measured coldness. “Alex.”
His brother sauntered slowly closer, cocky as ever, and I felt an odd wave of panic rising in my stomach. The two of them looked eerily similar side by side, but the harsh glint in Alex’s eyes shocked me as much as the chill in his voice, so unlike Theo’s glowing warmth.
“So, you finally deigned to come crawling back here, did you?” Alex asked. “You couldn’t just leave us all in peace?”
Theo turned to the display of apples and took his time picking out a few to add to his basket. “You should probably keep your voice down, little brother. We wouldn’t want the entire town to find out what a spineless asshole you are when you’ve worked so hard to hide that fact from everyone.”
Alex sneered and opened his mouth to reply, but on instinct, I made my way to Theo’s side and slipped my arm through his. For a heartbeat, Alex froze in place, his expression a picture of shock, then he forced his features in a semblance of a smile.
“Esther, nice to see you again,” he said smoothly.
A faint tremor slithered up my spine and I felt Theo’s arm tighten in response, but I gave a tiny smile. “Hello, Alex. Sorry to interrupt, but we have to get going. Happy holidays.”
With a look of surprise that would have been comical at any other moment, Alex blinked at us, ignored Theo’s smirk, and watched as we walked toward the checkout. I said nothing as I took the apples from his basket—the only thing he’d managed to grab—and added them to the conveyor belt with my own items.
Neither of us spoke as we got back into the truck, the paper bag of groceries nestled at my feet. Theo started the engine, but when he didn’t pull out of the parking lot, I glanced over at him. His grip was tight on the steering wheel, his body radiating tension.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly.
“Me?” He sounded incredulous. “You’re the one I’m worried about.”
