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“Bundle up,” I say.
Her eyes flick to meet mine. There it is, the heat I’ve come to know so well.
“I’m all right.”
I step closer. Lower my voice. “Come home with me, Nora. I’ve practically got the shakes at this point.”
Her lips twitch. “What if someone sees us?”
“No one’s going to see us. Look.” I step even closer, my shoes catching on the flinty sidewalk. My heart is suddenly pounding. “I know this is happening fast, and I know you’re not anywhere near ready to put a label on what we are. I understand. There’s a lot we need to figure out. But I want to see you, Nora. And I don’t want you sleeping with anyone else. I definitely don’t want you sleeping in any bed but mine. So come home with me, honey.”
Her eyes search mine for a full beat, then another. They’re liquid, the lights overhead reflected as tiny blue dots in her pupils. Our breath billows around us in a white cloud.
“But I need to get ready for work tomorrow,” she says. “Laundry, food . . .”
“You really think I’m not going to feed you? I’ll do your laundry too if that seals the deal.”
Her lips are twitching again. “Is there anything sexier than someone else doing your laundry?”
“No. Scientific fact. And considering how much I already turn you on . . .”
“You’re trouble.”
“I’m just a truth teller. I’ll order in some food, whatever you want. I’ll wash your clothes and fold them too. And then I’ll make sure you come so hard you fall right asleep so you wake up refreshed and ready to take over the world tomorrow.”
She reaches up to swipe a playful finger over the stubble on my chin. My blood jumps. “Your mama raised you right.”
“I may not be the total package, but I do wash my sheets and eat pussy like a champ. C’mon, I think our Uber’s here.”
“You already got an Uber?”
“Ordered it while we were still on the plane. You’re freezing, honey. Let’s go.”
She smiles. I bend down to grab her bag, and together we head for the Escalade idling at the curb.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nora
Walking into Theo’s place is an out-of-body experience.
I don’t know what I expected, but this was not it. It’s a three-story townhouse in a cute cedar-shake building just off South Boulevard. While nearby South End is crowded with sexy, brand new high-rises filled with pricey condos, Theo’s townhouse is understated, tucked away on a quiet residential street just far enough from the action to be family-friendly, but close enough to walk to everything the neighborhood has to offer: shopping, bars, restaurants.
I follow Theo inside and he flicks on the lights. The first thing I notice is how neat and clean everything is. The place smells like a combination of cleaning products and Theo’s aftershave. A cute kitchen is open to a living area furnished with real furniture—big, cushy pieces that invite a marathon reading and/or Netflix session. There are pillows and blankets galore, and there’s even a fireplace with real wood stacked neatly beside it.
The place looks like someone actually lives here. An adult, not a work-obsessed man-child who sleeps on a smelly futon and has a month’s worth of dishes stacked in the sink.
Theo’s empty stainless-steel sink literally shines. And I know—I just know—that if I opened the refrigerator, I’d find it filled with real food. Fruit. Milk. Veggies. Snacks.
“Wow.” I tap my fingertips on the pristine countertop. “You must have a really great cleaning service.”
Theo sets our bags down at the foot of the stairs. “I have a cleaning service come every other week, yeah. But I’m kind of a neat freak.” He scoffs. “My sisters are total slobs. I felt bad for my parents having to constantly clean up after us, so I pitched in whenever I could. Became a habit, I guess.”
I must black out from shock and happiness, because the next thing I know I’m wrapping my arms around Theo’s neck and I’m kissing him like the world is ending.
Fuck the total package. Theo is better. So much better than what I was told would make me happy.
“Does being a neat freak really make me that sexy?” he murmurs, biting the corner of my mouth.
“Taking care of your people does. The neat freak thing is just a bonus. Where the hell do you find the time?”
Slipping his hands inside my jacket, he shrugs. “I had a decent social life in Manhattan, but moving down here, I knew I’d be spending a lot more time with my family.”
“Explains the townhouse. And the furniture. And the blankets.”
One side of his mouth quirks up. “I’m hoping to host the Twilight marathon at my place this year.”
“Can I come?” I ask. “Please? Maybe we can add Hocus Pocus to the watch list.”
I’m only half-joking—the idea of snuggling up with Theo and his sisters on that cushy furniture while a fire roars and Edward and Jacob duke it out over Bella’s soul sounds like a ton of fun—but Theo tilts back his head and laughs. “I don’t know if you’ll ever be ready for that. Talk to me about dinner. What do you feel like?”
