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He deepened his groan until it became a growl. He had one arm draped over his eyes, not looking at her. Phoebe bit down on a smile.
“I was worried you were going to say that.”
She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his chest. He placed his hand there when she got up like he was holding on to the heat of her kiss. She was still reeling from the one he’d given her. That kiss was unlike any other she’d experienced.
It had made her feel simultaneously like she was coming apart and being pieced back together. Both extremely dangerous and utterly safe. Like Theo was her dearest friend, and also something entirely new.
She didn’t know what to do with it, with this kiss, this feeling that was unlike anything else.
So, she would start with breakfast.
And then maybe if Theo wanted to hold her hand later, she would let him.
Tonight she might let him do even more.
Because that kiss had put a crack in the dam and now everything she’d ever felt for Theo was thundering through, the current threatening to sweep her away.
He moved his arm and grinned up at her, his gaze so full of hope, Phoebe had to look away before she drowned in it.
“Come on. Let’s go eat.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The nymphs were gathered around Amethyst’s table again, cups of tea and plates of apple cake scattered in front of them. But this morning they looked decidedly less cheerful than they had the night before.
Maybe it had something to do with his brother hulking in the doorway and Ruby dabbing her tears at the table.
“What’s going on?” Theo asked, sliding into the chair next to Phoebe. He was trying to adjust his tone to the somber mood of the room, but he still had the image of Fee’s body in those tiny panties behind his eyelids and the feel of her straddling his lap imprinted on his soul, and he was having a really hard time keeping his facial expressions neutral.
He glanced at her and she raised an eyebrow like she could tell he was freaking out internally. But he couldn’t get a single clue from her if she felt the same way or not. Did she feel the unalterable consequences of that kiss, or was life moving on as usual for her?
“Ruby had another dream.”
Theo blinked.
“A dream?” It somehow didn’t make sense to him that anything else would be going on in the world when this enormous thing was happening inside him. Could no one else tell that EVERYTHING was different today?
“She has dreams. Premonitions,” Runa huffed. “Please try to keep up.”
“Mom,” Phoebe snapped.
Runa rolled her eyes. “What? He’s cute, Fifi, but clearly not that bright.”
“And what was it about?” Theo asked, not allowing himself to be pulled into Runa’s bullshit this morning.
Ruby sniffed. “About the grove. They were cutting it down.”
Every nymph in the room winced.
“But it won’t necessarily come true, right?” he asked. “I mean, it’s just like a possibility?”
“She’s had two dreams. They both came true,” Rafe said, his brow creased in worry.
“Shit.” A hundred percent success rate. Not great news for the grove.
“And there was a third attack on a human.”
Christ, his brother was just full of good news this morning.
