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Theo chuckled as she leapt from the bed, belatedly aware of her state of undress.
Her face was suddenly hot, no doubt flushing beet red, as she tried to bend over to retrieve her jeans without flashing him a peek of her panties.
Twisting around, she narrowed her eyes when she saw that he’d pushed to a seated position, pillow propped against the headboard as he watched her awkwardly tug down the hem of his T-shirt while she half bent/half knelt to get her jeans.
“A gentleman would close his eyes,” she said.
“And a smart man would enjoy the show. I know which kind of man I want to be.”
She couldn’t help herself. She laughed. Because he was incorrigible and funny and so fucking sweet. With every word he spoke, it was as if her long-dead self-confidence was slowly being reincarnated.
Gretchen bit her lip after she managed to pull her jeans and shoes on, because Theo still hadn’t moved, and he was her ride.
“Um…”
Theo slowly climbed out of bed and, despite her better judgment, she let her eyes slip down to check out his ass in his boxer briefs when he bent over to grab his jeans off the floor. Unlike her, the smug man made no attempt to cover himself—and even went so far as to clench his butt cheeks when he caught her looking.
Gretchen tried to avert her eyes, but it was too late. The damage was done.
Because damn that man had one fine ass.
Once Theo was dressed, he reached for her hand. She started for the door, but he tugged her backward, encouraging her to sit with him on the edge of Levi’s unmade bed.
“Theo—”
“We’re going to be late for work, kitten, and it’s no big deal.”
“But—”
“I’m the boss, remember.”
She tilted her head. “Nora’s my boss.”
“No one will care if we show up late. Hell, given the way my family was tossing back pints last night, it’ll be a miracle if any of them start working before ten.”
She wasn’t sure she believed that—because she’d witnessed their work ethic—but then, there had been a lot of tipsy Storms at the party, so maybe he was right.
“I feel bad enough about ruining the party last night,” she said, her hands clenched in her lap. “I’m sorry for reacting like that.”
Theo reached over and covered her hands. “You had a panic attack, Gretchen. That’s nothing something you ever need to apologize for.”
“I feel like an idiot. It’s just… Brenda called, said Briggs knew where I was, and my flight-or-flight instinct when it comes to him kicked into high gear.”
Theo’s lips quirked up at her intentional rewording of the common phrase.
“Lately, I’ve woken up every day feeling stronger, ready to take on the world and Briggs. Then, Brenda said his name, and I felt the overwhelming need to run and never look back.”
Theo frowned at that. “You want to run?”
She shook her head. “No. When I lived in Harrisburg, all I could think about was getting out. I was fully prepared to live my life as a nomad if that was how I managed to stay one step ahead of Briggs. But then I came to Gracemont, and met you and Edith and your family, and I can’t imagine ever finding another town that feels like…” She sighed. “Like home. Not the shitty kind I grew up in but the good kind.”
He smiled, leaning his shoulder against hers. “I’m glad you’re happy here.” Then he reached over and took her chin between his finger and thumb. “But if you ever feel that need to run again, promise you’ll come find me first.”
“I promise,” she whispered.
Theo sealed that vow with a quick, firm kiss.
“Now, I think we should discuss next steps.”