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“Living how the regular people live.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He tipped his chin. “You know you don’t have to thank me. Not for looking out for you.”
A man who’ll burn down the world and rebuild it for you.
Theo was making light of what he’d done, but it didn’t feel light to me. He’d gone from holding me all night, to beating Daniel, to selling his car so he could pay my loan. That wasn’t light.
“Amir told me you have me, Theo.” I sucked in a deep breath, looking him square in the eye. “So, no, I don’t think you’re the bad guy. I’m incredibly wary of letting you in and ending up in the same place where I’m cracked open and you’re sucking up every drop of me while keeping yourself sealed tight. So, you, Theo Whitlock, need to decide, if I give you a chance, are you going to give me one too?”
“Yes.” He took my hand from his chest and pressed his mouth to my palm. “If you give me you, I’ll give you me. It’s a shitty bargain on your part, but I’m hoping you make it anyway.”
I almost laughed, but he was being real, so I held it back. “Why is it shitty?”
“Because, baby, I’ve got to deal with my dad, whether I want to or not. I might get kicked out of school and out of his life if he decides something I’ve done displeases him. I might be a mechanic for a while, or forever, if that happens. Your future’s so bright, and mine is so up in the air, I don’t know which way it’ll land. That’s why I’m a shitty bargain.”
“I have to tell you, Theodore, the whole mechanic thing is working for me in a mega big way. If your dad chooses to fulfill his asshole prophecy and you spend the rest of your days in coveralls with stained fingernails, I’ll be pleased I get to look at you and smell the oil on your skin.” Raising up on my toes, I ran my nose along the collar of his shirt. He was all sweat, oil, and Theo. He’d been delicious before, but this was another level.
Before I could spend another second sniffing him, he took my head in his hands and pulled me away, a fierce expression on his face.
“You called me Theodore.”
“I did.” I caught my lip in my teeth, suddenly nervous. I’d called him that on purpose, but I’d kind of hoped he’d let me slide it in there without making it into a big deal. Not Theo, though. He noticed everything.
He lowered his head slowly, and I prepared for the crash. It didn’t come. His lips found mine with a testing kiss, a caress that was so sweet, I had to squeeze my eyes shut to keep from bursting. I chased his mouth, needing more of what he was giving me. My fingers circled around his wrists, then stroked up his forearms.
There was something different about the way we were touching each other. I didn’t remember a time anyone had ever been tender with me, but I recognized that was what was happening here. There weren’t words in my vocabulary for how this felt, but I liked it. I liked it so much, I was going to keep chasing this tenderness between us and hover around it to protect it.
He spoke against my lips. “I missed you so fucking much, Tiger. The second you left my car that night, I wanted you back. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice with you.”
I nodded, my forehead rolling over his. “I really missed you too. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that underneath the bullshit and mistakes, you’re who I thought you were.”
Something clattered nearby, and voices approached. Theo and I drew apart, holding on to each other until the last possible second. He shot me a twinkly-eyed grin, and I was donezo.
“I have to go before I do illegal things to you in front of your coworkers.”
A deep, lovely laugh burst out of him. “Jesus, I would have put on coveralls weeks ago if I knew they were the ticket to your heart.”
I arched a brow. “No, dude, not my heart. She’s a tougher nut to crack. My pants will absolutely fall apart for a man who works with his hands.”
Theo’s grin wavered. “A man? Any man?”
“Don’t fish, Theodore. You know damn well my pants have only dissolved for you recently.” I hitched my bag higher on my shoulder. “I’m going now so you can do sexy things with engines and tools.”
That got me another laugh. “I’ll call you tonight. I have something else I need to take care of, but it should be resolved by tomorrow. Can you clear your weekend for me? I want to take you somewhere after we hang out with Luc.”
“We’rehanging out with Luc?”
He lowered his chin. “Yeah. I missed her too.”
Oh yeah, he was sliding right under the thick, nutty shell around my heart.
“All right. I’m yours, Theodore.” I blew him a kiss, then I sauntered out of the garage, giving my hips an extra sway so he’d be extra inspired to keep all his big, beautiful promises.
Elena jumped on my bed Friday morning, obviously forgetting about my bruised ribs and aching muscles. And sleep. She definitely forgot about my need to sleep.
“I’m dying, you have to wake up,” she cried, jumping all around my prone form.
