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Without another word, he slams the door shut behind him.
I stand there for a moment, still in my wedding dress, before sighing, plopping down on the couch, and pulling off my high heels. It’s all too much to take in at once, and even a coy text from Callie—How’s the wedding night going? ;)—isn’t enough to make me feel at home. At least I’ve been saved from the sex thing… for now, anyway.
God, what have I gotten myself into?
As promised, there’s a knock at the front door in just under twenty minutes. “Shit,” I mutter, nearly tripping over the hem of my gown as I rush to answer it and having a hell of a time undoing the multitude of locks. By the time I pull it open, I probably look like a frazzled mess, nearly colliding headfirst with Theo.
He’s standing in the hallway, full of the same swagger I remember from our first meeting, and he arches an eyebrow when he sees me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, kid,” he says.
“Well,” I reply, “I’m staring at one right now, so that tracks.”
“Small world, eh?” Theo grins, running a hand through his dark hair. “You gonna let me in?”
I sigh. “Do I have a choice?”
“Nope,” he replies. “Not at all.”
I wave him in, letting out heavy breath once he steps inside and then turning to face him, arms crossed over my chest. “So you’re my glorified babysitter, is that it?”
“Babysitter?” he laughs. “That’s funny. I seem to recall you saying you weren’t a kid.”
“You’rethe one who keeps calling me that,” I protest. “That was some stunt you pulled back at the reception, by the way. With the nickname. If Lucas had realized...”
“Realized what?” Theo asks, raising his eyebrows. “That I knew you?”
“Yeah, for starters,” I volley back, watching as he drifts over to the couch and takes a seat, and for the first time, I notice the holster at his hip. “You’re armed.”
“Of course I am,” Theo responds. “I’m a Emmerico.”
I move to stand across from him. Theo watches me, brazen as can be, and although I want to be angry, I feel something stir inside me. “Look,” I say, “just tell me this: did you know who I was that night at the Diamond Lounge? Did you know I was engaged to your brother?”
“Maybe,” he replies without hesitation, his gray eyes boring into mine, and then he abruptly looks away. “I’ve... been away for a long time.”
Is that all these guys seem to do?I wonder.Go away to indeterminate places for indeterminate amounts of time?
“And now you’re back,” I observe.
“And now I’m back,” Theo agrees. His eyes drift to the ring on my hand, raking silently over my body, and I can’t stop the goosebumps that erupt on my arms. He’s looking at me like he’s a predator, and I’m his prey... and I’m surprised to realize that I don’t mind.
“White’s not your color,” he says finally.
I snort, but I can’t keep the blush from my cheeks. “Gee, charming. You want to grade the rest of my outfits too, while you’re at it?” The words are out of my mouth before I realize they sound a bit like an invitation.
Theo chuckles. “I forgot how feisty you were, kid.”
“Only when people try to tell me what to do,” I fire back. “Or when they call me ‘kid.’” It’s amazing how easily we fall into the same banter as before, even after having known each other for such a short amount of time.
“This will be an interesting couple of weeks then, won’t it?” Theo replies, rising from the couch, and my breath hitches in my throat. He practically towers over me, and the playfulness has vanished from his face, replaced by that same dark, hungry longing.
“What is it?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper, my heart thundering in my chest.
“I told you once already, kid,” Theo reminds me in his husky voice. “I know what I want.”
For a brief moment, I wonder if he’s going to kiss me again, and I’m not sure I would be able to resist him if he did. He’s wearing the same cologne as last time, that heady, masculine scent, heat and desire radiating off his body. But then he takes a step back, crossing his muscular arms. “I’ll let you get settled in,” he says, throwing me a smile that makes my stomach turn to mush. Then he turns and strides off down the hallway, disappearing into a room I didn’t even know was there. By the time I can even process it all, there’s only one coherent thought left in my mind.
I’m in way over my head.
ChapterThree
