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I could forget we’re in a parking lot, if not for Ian completely ruining the moment.
“Hey, guys!” He calls over as he heads across the pavement toward us, humor tinging his voice. “This is a public place, you know.”
Thea yanks away from me so quickly she almost falls over, her face turning bright red. I catch her hand and pull her back into my arms, tucking her head into my chest. Looking over her head at Ian, I pin him with a stern glare. “Subtle as always, Ian.”
He grins at me unapologetically. “Hey, you guys are the ones making out in the parking lot.”
But after a second, once Thea turns around to face him with her cheeks still flaming, he sobers his tone. “Sorry, Thea. I’m just messing with Ben. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
She gazes back at him, her blue eyes giving away nothing. A moment later, her lips twitch, then pull into a smile. “It’s okay. If you heard some of the questions the kids ask me at the library sometimes… and in front of their parents? That’s embarrassing.”
Ian’s gaze lights with interest. “Like what?”
Thea shakes her head, laughing. “Nope. I’m too sober for that.”
“Well.” Ian chuckles. “Let’s go inside and get you a beer, then.”
With Thea tucked into my side, my arm wrapped around her, we follow Ian into the pub. Grant and Willow are already at a table, an assortment of appetizers and pitchers of beer in front of them. Willow smiles at us, her cheeks slightly flushed, looking more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her.
“Thea!” She jumps up from her chair and gives Thea a hug. “I’m so happy to meet you. Every time I work with Ben, he says such wonderful things about you.”
“He does?” Thea flashes me a pleased glance, her eyes sparkling sapphire.
Grant nods. “All the time.” His usually hard features soften with amusement, and he catches my eye before looking back at her. “How smart and funny you are, and all the stuff you do at the library…”
I can’t even be mad that my friends are busting on me because Thea looks so happy. And it’s true. I have been dropping little mentions of her into my conversations. It’s not that I’m intentionally doing it, but she’s constantly on my mind.
Little things remind me of her—like Ian talking about his dog, which made me think of the Read with Roxy program. Or when Willow mentioned wanting to get back into reading, of course I volunteered to ask Thea for some recommendations.
As we sit down, I scoot my chair right next to Thea’s and rest my hand on her leg. A moment later, her hand slips into mine. And my heart gives a little leap of happiness.
It’s so simple, holding her hand under the table—nothing provocative about it. But it feels like so much more. Sitting with my friends, this incredible woman by my side, her fingers entwined with mine… this feels like what I’ve been waiting for.
I knew I’d have a good time tonight, but it’s even better than I imagined.
We sip our beers, snacking on soft pretzels and mozzarella sticks and nachos, everyone laughing and chatting easily. Thea fits right in with my friends—just like I thought she would—and each one of them gives me an approving glance and a nod when she’s not looking.
Our hand-holding evolves to something more. Eyes dancing with mischief, her hand gradually moves up my thigh, her fingers teasing at my growing arousal. When she cups the bulge in my pants, I have to bite back a hiss of pleasure while her lips tug up in satisfaction.
It’s a side I haven’t seen of Thea, but I like it. She seems so sweet, but there’s a sensual part of her, too.
I get even with her, though. Under the table, I move my hand to the apex of her thighs, brushing my fingers across her growing heat, pressing my thumb in that spot and rubbing until her legs fall open and her hips jolt against me.
Thea gives me a quick, heated glance before she leans close and whispers, “I hope you’re going to do that later. When we’re alone.”
“Absolutely,” I murmur. “More than once.”
Something else I learn about Thea is she’s really good at trivia. After she answers five questions correctly in a row, winning us the game, Ian stares at her in awe. “How in the world do you know all those random facts?”
“All the children’s books,” she answers, laughing. “The way they’re written, they have all the most important facts and all the other smaller details cut out. I actually read an interview from a Jeopardy champion, and he said he prepared by reading non-fiction children’s books for that reason.”
Grant clinks his glass with Thea’s, grinning at her. “That’s it. You’re our secret weapon. We’re going to kick ass every week.”
“Definitely,” Willow agrees, tapping her mug against theirs. “This is a winning team for sure.”
“We need to come up with a good name,” adds Ian, his brows pulling down thoughtfully. “Maybe Ian’s Incredible Team? Or Team Ian is Awesome?”
Grant swats Ian on the back of his head. “If anything, Thea should choose. She’s the one who won it for us.”
