Page 74 of Broken Vows

But he didn’t. He lay there, cocooning me against his chest like he was scared I’d escape. Then I fell asleep, too, into one of those daytime naps where your entire body sinks into the mattress and you completely lose track of time. A few minutes ago, when the late afternoon sun woke me to a naked Theo intertwined with my body, it took several long moments for my disorientation to dissipate.

The air smells like sex and sweat, and I inhale, filling my lungs. I cannot believe that happened. I have so many questions. Him and Annabelle. My job. The wedding.

And what the fuck happens next?

Theo’s body stirs and I hold my breath. What if he wakes up and says this shouldn’t have happened? What if he slips out of here with a half-assed apology and look of regret? I slowly exhale, trying to elongate this moment as much as possible, when his lips meet the top of my head.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he says in a groggy, tone.

I lift my head to his warm eyes, relaxed face, and soft smile. “I hate to inform you that it’s actually late afternoon, and we’re going to have the worst case of self-induced jet-lag tomorrow.”

He slides his index and middle finger under my chin to tip up my head and places a gentle kiss on my mouth. “Totally worth it.”

This is exactly what I need to hear.

He lifts himself, bunches the sheets to his waist, and grabs my hand. “Come on.”

“Um… where are we going?”

“Shower. Then hydrate. Then take-out. And then we’re fucking doing that again.”

My smile grows. I follow him into my tiny shower. He guides me to stay under the heated stream and only dips himself under the water to quickly wash himself. Soft moans escape as he lathers soap in a warm rag and cleans himself off me with languid gentle strokes across my boneless body. My scalp tingles as his magical fingers massage shampoo through my hair, as his lips meet mine.

No one has ever done this to me before. I thought aftercare was a myth, or part of a BDSM lifestyle. I had no idea it’d be so heavenly.

He steps out of the shower first, wraps a towel around his waist, then holds out his hand to help me out. As if I haven’t gotten out of the shower by myself since I was a kid. He holds out the towel, wraps me up, then holds me, tight. My cheek presses against his warm chest and I sigh into his skin.

“Are you good?” he asks, still not letting me go. Maybe he was worried, too, that when he woke up the spell would be broken. “Are… we good?”

This is the most confident man I’ve ever met in my life. And the flicker of vulnerability in his voice nearly brings me to my knees. “We are so good.”

He kisses my head again, then steps back. “I’m starving. Let’s get some food.”

An hour later, after Theo made me come on the couch with his fingers, a delivery driver drops off enough sushi to feed my entire complex.

“So,” I say, tucking my legs under me on the couch, and dipping a sashimi in soy sauce. “You owe me an explanation.”

He swallows his tuna roll and reaches for a napkin. “Where do you want to start?”

“You got a fucking apartment next to me?”

The most sheepish grin crosses his face, and he reaches for another roll. “Yes.” He takes a swig of water, and holds it out for me. This man is obsessed with hydration. “What’s the next question?”

I groan at his deflection but decide it’s the lesser of two evils to let this one go. Theo does a lot of things that I’ll probably never understand.

This one, maybe, I don’t need to.

“I want to know everything that happened with Annabelle.” I reach for another sashimi. “Yesterday, you were marrying her. Today, you aren’t. What changed?”

He exhales. “You want the long version or the short version?”

I arch a brow.

“Fine. Shit. Where do I even start?” He dunks another roll in soy sauce, and chews. “Anna and I have been friends forever. I love her.”

Heat fills my face, and he reaches over and gives my leg a comforting squeeze.

“But I don’t love her the way you think. She’s my best friend. Has been since we were little. And we tried dating, off and on. She’s comfortable. We’re comfortable. But, it never felt right.” He takes a breath. “We haven’t slept together for years. Not since college, actually.”