Page 27 of Fake Dates and Home Plates (Way Off Base #1)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Theo

Henley packed a small bag of clothes while we were at her apartment earlier, so I drive us straight to my place.

“What the fuck!”

I’m brushing my teeth, listening to Henley curse out her duffel bag, and I can’t help the smile on my face.

She wanted to change into her pajamas, which is going to be difficult, considering I unpacked them when she went to the bathroom earlier. Then, I threw her bag over my shoulder and hurried her out of the house, as if I was worried about being late for dinner with her parents.

“What’s wrong?” I pop out of the bathroom, every bit the concerned boyfriend.

Henley huffs. “Can I borrow a shirt? I swear I packed a pair of pajamas, but I can’t find them anywhere.”

She’ll find them lying on her bed when she goes home, but for now, she has to wear another one of my shirts.

“Of course. Grab whatever you want.”

She tosses on a shirt and joins me in the bathroom, grabbing the toothbrush I have stored on the counter for her.

I let her have some time to herself in the bathroom as I climb into bed. Grabbing my newest book, I remove my bookmark and continue where I left off. A few minutes later, Henley joins me. She reads over my shoulder while she sinks in and out of consciousness.

It doesn’t take long before my eyes are drooping too, so I put the bookmark in its new place and get comfortable with her tucked into me.

I don’t turn off the light just yet, wanting to face her, but she’s not asleep yet.

“Hey, Theo?” she asks, her voice quiet and vulnerable.

“Yes, sweetheart?” I answer as I brush her hair away from her face, studying her green eyes.

She doesn’t say anything for a while. Her hand comes up to hold my wrist where it’s resting near the side of her head.

“How much do you like me?” Her question sounds silly, but the look on her face is serious. She’s nervous, and I think I understand why.

If she needs me to be the one to say first, I will. She can be first in everything else, always winning at everything we do.

But not this.

“Oh, sweetheart. It’s so much more than that. Looking at you makes me feel whole, as if my ability to breathe is contingent on the fact you exist,” I tell her honestly. “I love you, Henley Harkin.”

She smiles smugly. “I thought you might.”

Her leg swings over mine, and I adjust so she can straddle me.

“I love you too,” she tells me as she kisses me.

The words set a fire off inside me. My entire body feels warm.

She loves me too.

I’m not sure why we even put clothes on, but we remove them quickly.

Henley sinks onto my length, and I let her set the pace. Her hips grind down as I circle her clit, and she clenches around me within a minute.

“That’s it. Come for me, Henley,” I tell her.

Tonight is different than last night and what we did back at her apartment. This is about integrating what we’ve just shared with each other into the physical aspect of our relationship, combining all our feelings.

She continues to ride me, and I drag her down to kiss me.

“I love you,” I tell her again.

The words seem to send her over the edge a second time, and the way she scratches at my chest has me pumping my hips up into her until I’m coming too.

Henley Harkin is in love with me, and I’m beyond obsessed with her. I’m so fucking lucky.