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“There will be no funny business in this house.”
Tossing the mistletoe on the fire, he watched it crackle and hiss, shriveling in the flames. He grabbed the box of pop tarts and shoved it into my chest none-too-gently.
“Now, let’s all behave ourselves and watch some movies.”
Chapter Seven
Haley
With eleven people crammed into one cabin, there was bound to be a traffic jam for the two bathrooms available. Brenda and Johnny had their baths first since they had an earlier bedtime. I could hear them giggling and racing around upstairs.
I waited by the fire with a book propped open on my lap, the soft light of the Christmas tree lending the room a warm, cozy glow.
But I didn’t read very far before my mind wandered to the memory of Theo’s mouth against mine. I knew I shouldn’t have kissed him. And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Couldn’t stop wanting to kiss him again and again…
Do you really think a guy is not going to have some kind of…reaction…when a pretty girl kisses him?
I stifled a groan and slid deeper into the couch. The thought of Theo getting aroused because of a kiss, because of me, made everything a thousand times worse. A relentless throbbing burned between my thighs and I shifted, squeezing my legs together in an attempt to relieve the ache that was driving me crazy.
A cold shower. That’s what I needed. And tomorrow, I would get back on Fun & Flirty and I’d find someone else to take my mind off kissing Theo. It would be good to have a date lined up for the new year anyway. I could look forward to a fresh start, leaving the chaos of the past few days behind me.
I gathered up my book and climbed the stairs. After retrieving my toiletry bag and pajamas from my room, I headed for the shower.
As I rounded the corner, Theo emerged from the bathroom. A towel was draped around his wet shoulders, another towel wrapped around his hips. His hair was damp, curls tousled and clinging to his forehead in loose ringlets.
I froze. Theo tilted his head toward the bathroom, using the towel around his shoulders to dry his hair.
“It’s all yours.”
I nodded. There was no way I could speak. My tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. I’d never seen Theo so…bare before. A bead of water dripped from his hair and landed on his chest, gliding down his stomach, past the V-line of his hips, before disappearing into his towel.
“Haley?” Theo said, his eyebrows drawing together in concern. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head and hurried past him, slipping into the bathroom. The air was still humid from Theo’s shower and I dumped my armload of things onto the sink counter.
“Hey.” He moved over the threshold, using his shoulder to prevent the door from closing. “Are we good? I mean…we talked a little bit today but I was just…wondering if anything else might be bothering you.”
That was a loaded question I didn’t know how to answer. I fiddled with the door knob. It was hard to focus when Theo was so close and half-naked and…and…why was the room so damn hot?
“I think,” I finally managed to say. “I think I just need to get back onto the dating app and find a date for the new year. You know, get everything back to normal as soon as possible.”
Theo blinked once. His frown deepened, less concern this time and more frustration darkening his gaze. He didn’t say a word and he seemed to be seething which left me feeling very…confused. I thought he would agree with me about this. I thought he would see the logic behind it. When I finally had a relationship of my own, I wouldn’t be pining after Theo anymore. I wouldn’t try to kiss him. I wouldn’t make everything so damn awkward between us.
Theo shook his head.
“You can’t tell me you don’t notice it.”
I faltered. “…notice what?”
His gaze searched my face before he huffed a dry laugh of disbelief. Then he shifted closer, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. The bathroom seemed suddenly very small and very stifling with all of Theo’s presence, and his slick, damp skin on display. My fingers itched to reach out and trace the planes of muscles along his torso. I retreated a step until my back hit the counter.
“I don’t want you kissing anyone else, Haley,” Theo said quietly. “Only me.”
I swear my heart stopped before it lurched into a frantic rhythm.
“But I thought…”
I trailed off, confused and hopeful at the same time. Theo reached out and cupped my chin, tilting my head up to meet his gaze.
