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“Better?” I asked.
She nodded, burrowing her face into my neck. Her grip tightened as her lips brushed against my neck, working their way down my jawline and finally on my lips. She tasted like honey, her plush lips leaving a tacky trace of lipstick with each kiss. I groaned, bracing her against the wall with one arm under her ass and the other pressed to her hip.
“If we keep going like this, we’ll definitely be late for dinner,” I murmured, not exactly hating the idea.
Thea pulled away, tilting her head back against the wall with a sigh. “They’d probably come over to figure out what’s going on, too.”
Probably. And they both had a key to Thea’s house.
“So, you still don’t want my parents to know?” I asked playfully.
She winced, answering the question without words. I exhaled, pushing back disappointment.
“Don’t worry about it. Mom would lose her mind and start talking about grandkids. It’d be a whole thing. Better to keep this between us for the time being.”
She dropped her legs from my waist and I set her down, taking a step backward to give her some space.
“Actually, I signed us up for something.” She straightened her skirt and smoothed out her hair.
I cupped her cheek with my palm and rubbed the smudged lipstick off the side of her mouth. “What’s that?”
She smiled tersely, turning toward the kitchen. “Just a singles’ ball. Sort of a late Valentine’s day thing. It’s in Concord so far enough out that we might not know everyone.”
My jaw dropped, eyes narrowing as she flitted into the kitchen. “Um…why?”
“We just really didn’t give it a shot last time.” She raised her voice an octave, blowing the words out in a single breath. Nervous. “And I stumbled across the ad and you know I love a ball. I have this really cute dress I’d love to wear out.”
“To a Singles Ball? To meet single men, presumably?” I asked, searching for clarification.
Thea opened the fridge, pulling out a covered bowl, her eyes glued to the contents. “They’re holding it at the Opera House. Have you ever been to the Opera House in Concord? It was built in the 1800s and has some really interesting architectural details. I went to a show there once, but didn’t have time to explore.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Are we going to check out the architecture or meet other people?”
She tilted her head, now captivated by the condiment shelves. “There’s even a live band. I haven’t heard of them, but I checked out their music and it’s not half bad. We’d at least get to dance.”
“Together? Or with other people?”
She grabbed two bottles of salad dressing, balancing them on the lid of the bowl, before turning to me with a sigh. “I don’t know. Just…what if I’m messing up your life?”
“Excuse me?”
Her lips twisted as she sat the salad down, the counter between us. “Did you ever wonder what would happen if I wasn’t around all the time? What if you had more space?”
“More space?” I shook my head. Where had that come from?
“If we weren’t so codependent?”
I winced. “I’m guessing you saw Emily the other day?”
“You knew she was in town?”
“She might have stopped by my parent’s house, just to say hi,” I admitted. “And maybe she called me to see if I was around.”
“Were you?” Thea set a fist on her hip.
“Nope. Busy.”
“She’s engaged, you know?” Thea said, searching my face for my reaction.
