Page 17 of Boyfriend Material
As soon as her lips touched his, their kiss caught fire. He needed Livie like he needed his next breath.
He tossed the laptop onto the bed and pulled her close, nipping her bottom lip until she parted for him. She melted into him, and his hands slid into her hair and grasped the back of her head to hold her in place. Lost in each other, they never heard the bedroom door open.
“Okay, enough of that. It’s time for breakfast.”
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Livie pulled out of his embrace so fast that she tripped on the vanity chair. Theo caught her before she fell and made sure she was steady before meeting Helen’s gaze.
“Knocking is always polite,” Theo said, as he quirked an eyebrow at her unwanted intrusion.
Helen’s expression told him she wasn’t used to being spoken to like that, and a sense of satisfaction hummed in his chest.
“My daughter has never had a man in her room. I didn’t think I’d be interrupting anything. We’re serving breakfast now. Don’t keep everyone else waiting.”
“We’ll be right there, Mom. If you don’t want to wait, start without us.”
“We’ll do no such thing. You know the rules. Everyone must be at the table before we eat. Have you forgotten since you were home last?”
Theo held back his growl—barely. The woman was already on his last nerve, after about one point five minutes. He didn’t know how Livie put up with it.
“We’ll be right down, Mrs. Anderson,” Theo responded.
Livie gazed at him through the mirror, as she finished her makeup and mouthed, “thank you.”
He waited until he heard Helen’s footsteps fade. “I’ve gotta say, I thought you might have exaggerated a bit about your parents. Are you sure you didn’t want to become a doctor so you could learn how poisoning her without being caught?”
Livie laughed so hard she bent almost in half and clutched her stomach. It took a few moments before she regained control. Tears ran down her cheeks, smearing the mascara she’d just applied. “Oh my god, Theo. Best. Plan. Ever. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I’m glad you thought it was funny, but I was serious.” Theo handed her a tissue.
“That’s why it’s so funny, you sexy beast. Because you meant it. Your alpha protective instincts can’t help but take over, can they?”
“Hey, if you think that’s bad, you should be thankful I’m not a SEAL. After last night, she’d already have disappeared.” He grinned, thinking about the ways his friends would have reacted to the rude woman.
Livie moaned when she saw her face in the mirror. As she wiped the trail of mascara from her face, she snickered. “If we don’t hurry, she’ll send dad up here. Trust me. We don’t want that. I’ll redo my makeup before dinner.”
“I’m ready when you are.” Theo shut down his laptop and shoved it into his backpack.
“All right. Let’s go.” Livie pulled her hair into her usual ponytail and nodded at him.
He wanted to tell her to leave it down, but it was probably better up if she was going to help with dinner. Theo took her hand and laced their fingers together and kissed her forehead. “You’re not entering the lion’s den alone. I’m with you, baby. You’ve got this.”
“I’m not sure I’ve said it yet, but thank you, Theo. You’ve already made this so much better.” Livie went up on her toes andkissed him. “C’mon. If you can ignore the company, the food will be excellent.”
Theo smiled. Livie was everything sweet and sassy, and hopefully soon all his.
CHAPTER NINE
Livie
Theo held Livie’s hand as they walked into the dining room for him to meet her family. Or maybe it was the entrance into the lion’s den. That’s what it felt like for Livie most of the time. Jean, her brother’s wife, was the first to notice as they walked in.
“Morning, Livie. Happy Thanksgiving.” Jean greeted them with a huge smile.
“Aunt Livie,” their two boys exclaimed. They jumped out of their chairs and ran for her. If Theo hadn’t braced her shoulders, the boys would have knocked her over as they crashed into her. She loved the kids. They were the best part of coming home. Her brother's boys were five and seven, and her sister's twins were three. Adorable and not as mouthy, thank goodness. Although you never knew what any of them would say.
“Theo, these two little beasts are my nephews, Georgie and Jeffie. This is my boyfriend, Theo.”
“Hi Theo. Do you love Aunt Livie? Are you going to make babies with her? That’s what Grandma said.” Georgie’s voice was loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear.
