Page 56 of Run to Ground
He made a face but answered politely enough. “Yes, m-ma’am.”
“Jules!” The shout from upstairs had a hint of hysteria to it, so Jules hurried out of the kitchen, hoping she’d be able to solve whatever was wrong. Now it was a matter of pride.
A half-hour later, she proudly sailed back into the kitchen. Passing through the doorway, she opened her mouth to brag about how the toilet had been successfully unclogged—no duct tape necessary—when she stopped abruptly, the words catching in her throat.
Theo was sitting next to Sam, their heads bent over an opened textbook.
“If I c-can’tseeit, I j-just d-d-don’t g-get it.” Sam’s head was propped on one hand, the fingers working against his buzzed scalp.
Theo picked up a pencil and tugged Sam’s notebook closer. “Here’s a hydrogen atom. Here’s another one. They each have one electron.” Jules leaned against the wall, her heart filled to bursting at Theo’s patient explanation. “When they share those electrons, they form a covalent bond and become a hydrogen molecule.”
Sam’s rumpled forehead smoothed slightly, although he still looked confused. “Wh-what m-makes it a c-c-covalent bond?”
“Sharing the electrons, rather than just taking them.”
“I’ll n-never r-r-rememb-ber th-that.”
“Sure you will. Think of ‘co’ as in working together. Like ‘cooperating’ or ‘coexisting.’”
Jules’s brain instantly supplied a host of other options, such as “co-parenting” and “cohabitation.” Feeling warm, she cleared her throat to derail those thoughts, and both of the guys looked up at her. “Y’all hungry?” Her voice was huskier than normal. “Although the casserole is probably burnt to a crisp by now.”
“I turned off the oven,” Theo said, getting up and crossing the kitchen to turn it on again. “It’ll need heating up, but it should be okay.”
Of course he did. Because Theo is wonderful.
How was she supposed to resist him when he looked like he did and saved people’s lives and rescued dinner and helped Sam with his homework? It was impossible.
“Theo, could I see you in the hall for a second?”
Although he gave her a wary look, he followed her out of the kitchen. As soon as they were out of Sam’s line of sight, Jules shoved Theo against the wall. With both hands knotted in his shirtfront, she yanked him down until she could reach his mouth. Then she kissed him. Hard.
For a fraction of a second, he froze, his muscles tight and his lips unresponsive. Jules didn’t even have time to feel awkward, though, before Theo wrapped his strong arms around her, yanked her so close her front was plastered against his, and completely took over the kiss.
It was even better than she’d remembered from the night before, and she’d remembered it as feeling pretty darn good.
One of his hands cupped the back of her head, while the other arm was a steel band locked across her lower back. He turned, rotating them with dizzying speed, so Jules’s back was now the one pressed against the wall. As his tongue played with hers, it felt as if she was surrounded by him, like he was body armor protecting her from the world.
Being safe was the best feeling. No, the best feeling was his lips on hers, his teeth dragging gently over her lower lip, their bodies pressed against each other. Feeling safe was just a really, really nice bonus. His tongue slid against hers, sending a mix of heat and happy chills through her.
Jules released his shirt so she could move her hands to the back of his head, run her fingers through his short, short hair, and massage his scalp. She felt an almost-silent groan rumble through his chest, felt the vibrations in her body and against her lips, and Jules clutched him to her more tightly.
There was a clatter of footsteps on the stairs, and Jules wanted to whimper. How was she supposed to let go of Theo now, when she’d discovered how very, very nice it was to hold him? The thought of the kids seeing them kiss, of having to explain exactly what she and Theo were doing, gave Jules the strength to step back.
He resisted for a brief moment, but then released her, although his gaze remained fixed on her lips, and his eyes were so hungry she almost hurled herself back into his arms. The twins and Dee raced around the corner, putting an end to any thought of continuing the kiss. The kids didn’t ask why Jules and Theo were out in the hall, but just tore into the kitchen.
“Hi, Theo!” Dee called as she passed, although her attention was already fixed on the dog. After a final, heated look that warmed Jules from her toes to her eyebrows, Theo ushered her back into the kitchen. All three younger kids were clustered around Viggy. Once the initial round of petting was done, they moved toward the table, but Jules, still feeling flushed and spacey and extraordinarily happy, blocked them with her body. “Hands.”
Reversing direction, they stampeded to the bathroom to clean up. Theo and Sam, who’d cleared his homework while they’d been in the hall, helped her get everything on the table, and she felt a warm rush of contentment as she watched them. As unexpected as it was, Theo seemed to fit effortlessly into the family, as if they’d been holding a spot open with his name on it. Even Viggy, who’d stretched out across the ancient linoleum, had become one of them. Shoving away her fanciful thoughts, Jules headed for her chair, only to find Theo there, holding it out for her.
“Thank you,” she said as she sat, the gesture making her wonder what it would be like to go on a real date with Theo. The return of the youngest three distracted her from the pang of longing that hit her, a wish to be a normal, law-abiding woman, someone who could be with Theo without wondering when he was going to find out about her past. A memory of Hugh’s accusing words flashed through her mind, and stomach clenched, she looked down at her plate.
“Jules.” When she glanced up, Theo was watching her. “You okay?”
“Sure.” Painting on a smile, she brushed off his concern. “I’m great. How about y’all? What happened in school?”
“I got a job!” Dee bounced in her seat.
“A job?” Jules repeated, feeling her eyebrows climb toward her hairline. Was there a child-labor-based sweatshop in Monroe she didn’t know about? “Doing what?”
