Page 106 of Make Me Mean It

I forget about the ache between my legs, forget about the shower and the alley and every question I’ve been trying to force an answer out of him for since we got back.

Theo doesn’t give up control.

He fights when Marcus tries to drag him off someone. Laughs in people’s faces when they tell him what to do. Pushes and pushes until everyone around him either gives in or loses their mind. Even on his knees, there’s always been that challenge in his eyes, like he could take the control straight back whenever he wanted.

But he didn’t.

Not with me.

My fingers slide into the hair at the back of his head, pulling him away from my shoulder until I can see his face.

“Theo-”

“Don’t,” he breathes, eyes dropping away.

I tighten my grip, keeping his face tipped towards mine when he tries to turn away, and the broken little sound that catches in his throat sends heat tearing through me.

He just told me he wants something from me he’s never wanted from anyone else, and now he can’t even look at me.

“Fuck, Theo.” My eyes move over his face, searching for any sign that I’ve misunderstood him. “You don’t get to say that and then hide from me.”

What the hell am I supposed to do with this now?

I’ve spent all night trying to work out why he let me cross lines he’s never let anyone else near, and now I have my answer sitting right here in my lap.

Me.

It’s me.

The realisation punches through every other thought in my head, and I pull him into a kiss because I can’t sit here with it.

My hips drive up beneath him, Theo’s moan breaking into my mouth as he moves with me.

Because now I know.

Every time Theo gives instead of fights, every time his body follows mine, every time he looks at me and waits for what I’ll do next, I know.

He wants this from me.

My hand tightens in his hair, heat spreading possessively through my chest.

I want it too.

Fuck, I want it far more than I should.

I want to be the one Theo gives this to. The one who gets past all that swagger and defiance and makes him let go.

And when his eyes open against my mouth and find mine again, the thought that follows is so immediate I don’t even get the chance to shove it away.

I don’t want him looking at anyone else like this.

“Bed,” Theo gasps against my mouth.

I roll my hips into him again, swallowing the sound it pulls from him. “Yeah,” I breathe against his lips. “We’re in one.”

“No.”

His palm plants against my chest, stopping me there. Not shoving me away, or even trying to put space between us.