Page 15 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
“You need boundaries with everyone, including yourself,” August says. “And if those boundaries cannot be respected, then you need to move away from the people who keep trying to break them. You can love people from afar.”
“Like how we love our father, from several states away,” Dominic adds with a dry chuckle.
I give them both a curious look. “I take it you have a complicated relationship with your parents?”
“Complicated is one way to describe it,” Dominic mutters.
Hayley stops by the table to clear our plates, moving smoothly and cautiously around us. “Hope you enjoyed your meals,” she says, turning away from the table.
“We’d like to order dessert,” I say.
“I’ll bet you do,” she mutters.
Speechless, I watch her walk away, wondering what possesses some people to be so gratuitously mean to complete strangers. I’d hoped Theo’s intervention humbled her, but the effect didn’t last too long.
“Some people are just really that small and frustrated,” Dominic says. “It will reflect in her tip, and she knows it.”
“I’ll have a word with the manager,” Theo adds.
“No,” I reply. “Don’t. She’s got it rough enough as it is, waiting tables for a living, dealing with all sorts of customers. It won’t make me feel any better. In fact, she doesn’t even matter tonight. You do.”
A smile blooms across Theo’s face. The lights are dimmed on the cocktail lounge’s outdoor terrace, a smooth love song pouring through the speakers, an inviting voice that has Theo standing and offering me his hand. “You matter, too,” he says.
I place my hand in his and he pulls me up from my seat. The move is a little too sudden with the wine swirling through my head. I lose my balance, but his arm snakes around my waist keeping me close, soft against his hard body as our eyes meet.
“Dance with me, Phoebe.”
“I find no reason to say no,” I reply.
Dominic and August sit back and watch us as we make our way to the terrace, where a few other couples are already swaying to the love song. I’m nervous and quivering, but Theo’s firm hold on my hip keeps me steady.
The more I fight it, the harder it’ll be, so I might as well just let go and let him lead. I relax in his arms and put mine around his neck, losing myself in his gaze as he leads us both across the terrace’s dark wooden floor. Above us, fairy lights flicker from the palm trees that offer relief from the sun during the day. Here and there, we catch glimpses of the sky with its plethora of diamonds.
This is as close to perfect as it’s ever going to get.
“You’re a natural,” Theo says, breaking the sweet silence between us.
“Think so?”
“I lead, you follow. We’ve yet to trip over each other,” he replies with a playful smile. “And your body… I like the way it responds to mine. The way it fits against mine.”
I glance down, breathless by how close we are. My chest is pressed against his, only two layers of fabric keeping skin from meeting skin. Shivers dance down my spine, the tension in my core tightening as I look into his eyes again. At the same time, his hand slips to the small of my back. His touch causes a subtle gasp to escape from my throat.
“Like putty in my hands,” Theo whispers, desire glazing over his eyes. “There’s so much more that you want, Phoebe. I can see it in your eyes. I’m sure I’ll taste it on your lips, too.”
“You sound quite sure of yourself,” I reply, barely able to breathe let alone stand my ground with this marvel of a man.
“You don’t want it?” He raises an eyebrow.
Why fight it?
“Yes, I do,” I whisper, melting in his arms.
Before I can muster the simplest thought, Theo’s lips find mine. It’s a short but intense kiss, and it unravels something deep within me as I taste the wine and the lust on the tip of his tongue. I breathe him in, moaning softly against his mouth as I welcome the deep kiss.
The world comes to a halt. Everything else disappears; only the sound of the ocean and the music remain, the two of us swaying together in one another’s arms, our tongues clashing and our hearts thundering as the kiss draws forth everything we’ve been thinking about.
“The night is young,” Theo says as he pulls back to look at me. “You decide where it leads.”
