Page 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

THEODORE

I don’t often find myself speechless. Talking is something that I’m very good at, whether it’s running my mouth, cutting a promo, or saying the wrong thing. In this situation, saying the wrong thing isn’t an option. Believe it or not, I have tact. I’m not going to say something out of pocket in response to Aurora opening up to me about her father.

“I’m sorry, baby doll,” I murmur, stroking her hair still. It feels like silk. She’s so damn soft.

I don’t mind this.

Ask Veronica—I’ve never been much of a cuddler. I’d do it because that’s what’s expected of me, but I’ve never really gotten it. It’s always felt like a way to overheat and have your arms fall asleep. Aurora on my chest makes me understand the appeal a little bit more.

“It’s, well…it’s not okay,” she says with a bitter laugh. “But it has to be because there’s nothing else I can do. I’m paying for the best rehab that I can afford. My plan is—”

I interrupt her. “You’re paying for it?”

She nods .

Aurora is funding her father’s care all by herself. That bothers me. I can’t exactly explain why, but it does. I don’t like the idea of her dealing with all the stress alone. It can’t be good for her. I want to help, but if I know anything about my favorite redhead, she won’t outright accept my help.

I’ll figure it out.

“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this,” I say and genuinely mean it.

We lay there together for a little bit longer. Every loud crash of thunder or crack of lightning has her body pressing closer to me. Her body’s half on top of mine, and I’m hoping my dick doesn’t poke her in the thigh. It’s a natural reaction to having the girl of all my fantasies lying on top of me, wiggling against me.

I left that damn bathroom earlier without blowing my load in Blondie’s mouth. She was very confused, and I didn’t have the time to assure her that there was nothing wrong with her oral skills; they were great. She wasn’t doing it for me because she wasn’t my Roo.

As much as I want to crack a joke about Aurora wiggling on top of me, I don’t. Now isn’t the time to tease her and get her rolling those pretty green eyes at me.

I clear my throat. “Do you want me to stay?”

“What?”

“Do you want me to stay here tonight? I don’t mind. We both have to get up early tomorrow anyway. I’m not going to feel you up in your sleep or anything.” A pause. “Unless you’re into that.”

“Theo—”

“It’s called a joke, Roo. Scouts honor. I won’t touch you. You won’t even know my dick exists. You’re still trembling. We’ve been lying here for what? An hour or two now? The storm’s probably going to rage all damn night. You need to sleep. I don’t want you calling me in two hours, crying about how you can’t. Or dealing with your grumpy ass first thing in the morning.”

Aurora chews on her bottom lip, and I so badly want to take that plump lip between my teeth and make her whine. Does she not understand what she does to me? She’s like catnip. Addictive. And I haven’t even had the chance to touch her yet.

Her head tilts to the side. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

She nods, unsure, but giving in to it. “Okay,” Aurora whispers.

Reaching down, I lift the covers and drape them over the two of us. My focus is on her. I want to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible. Her head settles against my chest, her body slipping off of mine to curl as closely into my side as possible. Slowly, she wraps an arm around my middle, and I kick the blanket over her feet.

That’s when her feet brush my ankles. I jump back, eyes wide. “Holy fuck. Why are you so cold?”

She laughs. Fuck. It’s a beautiful sound, too. It’s the first I’ve heard it all evening. I could listen to it again and again. “They’re not that cold,” she says, not removing the ice blocks she calls feet from my ankles.

“Not that cold, my ass. They’re fucking freezing,” I shoot back, trying to keep up the guise that I’m actually offended. I don’t try to push her away.

She’s still laughing, pressing her feet higher up my leg, pushing up the leg of my pants as she does so. It’s taking a lot to keep my dick under control right now. This is the most contact she’s chosen to have with me.

She’s light and playful and all of these things I couldn’t ever imagine her being.

As her cold feet brush the back of my knee, I growl. Before she can keep moving the offending appendages higher, I reach down and wrap my hand around her ankle, stopping her. She squeals, her face turning to meet mine.

A flash of lightning highlights her gorgeous face. She’s not wearing makeup. We’re close enough that I can see every freckle on her face. I can see her intense green eyes, her full lips, and the way her nose is just a little bit upturned.

I’m not sure how long I’m staring. Aurora’s giggles stop and she’s staring back. Everything between us feels thick. And then I have to open my mouth.

“You’re beautiful,” I whisper after the silence lingers on for what feels like forever.

Color rises to her cheeks. I want to touch her more than I already am. I want to kiss her. Fuck her through the thunderstorm and replace that fear with only thoughts of me. Make it so every time she thinks of storms, she thinks of the way I slammed into her tight cunt.

For a second, it feels like she’s going to kiss me. Yet she doesn’t. Aurora slowly pulls her feet away from me. “We should sleep,” she whispers.

I let her pull away, only to turn her body back into mine. I didn’t fuck things up completely. Her head is back on my chest, feet to herself.

The moment is lost, but the night isn’t.

I stroke her hair, my fingers running down her spine each time it completes a stroke through her silky locks. I feel her relax, except for the way her body shivers with every loud sound from the storm. I shush her gently.

Eventually, I feel her breathing slow.

She falls asleep in my arms, and I’ve never felt more whole.