Page 46 of Strange Seduction (Strange #2)

“Like what?”

“Really want me to say it out loud?”

He gave me a long, patient look. “Get in the car, baby.”

Ten minutes later, I was behind the wheel of a luxury coupe that probably cost more than my life, hands gripping the steering wheel like it might suddenly bite me. Theo leaned back in the passenger seat, far too relaxed for someone who’d just handed the keys to a lifelong pedestrian.

“Okay,” he said, voice low and even, “now gently tap the gas. We’re just pulling out, nothing crazy.”

I did as he said, jerking forward so fast, Theo’s hand flew to the dash.

“Gently, Carmen. Jesus.”

I snorted. “You said tap. I tapped.”

“You punched it.”

“Whatever. Do I reverse this, or—why are you grinning at me like that?”

He looked so damn smug. “‘Cause you’re so cute when you’re confused.”

I shot him a look. “Don’t patronize me.”

He held his hands up.

“I’m not! Look—” He reached for my camcorder, which I had resting in the cupholder after dinner, and turned it on. “I’ll record your reactions to things and we’ll watch it back later, so you can see how adorable you are for yourself.”

“Hm,” I turned my attention back to the road. “Make sure you get my good side.”

He chuckled and pointed the lens at me. “Yes ma’am.”

We wobbled through a quiet side street while he gave me pointers in that irritatingly calm voice of his, and to my surprise, I didn’t hate it.

Something about the way he talked me through every turn made me feel…

safe. Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t laugh when I panicked about parallel parking or that he didn’t lose patience when I stalled the car at a stop sign.

Or maybe it was because when I finally stopped the car and sat in silence for a moment, heart racing, I could feel how proud he was.

I glanced over at him. “Teddy?”

“Yeah?”

“This car is just for when I visit, right?” I asked it casually.

He didn’t look at me. “Yes. Just for when you visit.”

I exhaled slowly. “Okay.”

He was quiet for another second, then smiled. “Next time, we’re hitting the Autostrada .”

“Don’t push it.”

“Come on, Amore mio . I believe in you.”

“Blah, blah, blah. Take this damn car before I kill us.”

We switched seats which honestly was for the best because my palms were sweating like I’d just walked out of a courtroom.

He glanced at me as he adjusted the seat. “You okay?”

“I’m amazing,” I deadpanned, wiping my hands on my dress. “This car’s gonna need therapy, though.”

He laughed, and then we were moving again, gliding through the winding Roman streets like this had always been our life. It was my turn to record, and I captured the breathtaking views for my memories when I got back. But the main subject of my recording was Theo.

“Where are we going?” I asked, watching buildings blur past in golden hues.

“You’ll see.”

“My God, I hate those words.”

“You’ll like this,” he said, shooting me a quick sideways glance. “Promise.”

We drove for a while, farther than I expected. The city fell away slowly, replaced by quieter roads and sprawling green hills. The light changed too—softer now. He pulled onto a long, private drive lined with cypress trees, the gravel crunching softly beneath the tires.

I straightened in my seat. “Theo…”

He didn’t say a word as we pulled up to a house.

A house.

Not a rental or an apartment or a villa.

A home.

Newly built, by the look of it. White stucco walls, black iron railings on the balconies, and wide glass doors.

It looked like the model he asked my opinion on that one time in his office.

My mouth parted. “What is this?”

He turned off the engine, then looked at me.

“It’s ours.”

I blinked at him. “What?”

I stared at the house again, then back at him.

“Fuck, I wish I got that look on your face on camera,” he smiled. “Let me take over recording for now.”

He reached over and took the camcorder out of my hands while I looked at him dumbfounded.

“You built a house.”

He nodded and aimed the lens at me. “Yes.”

“For us.”

“Yes,” He pushed a button, and the car doors clicked open. “Let’s go look inside, okay?”

I stepped out of the car, legs shaky like I’d just run a marathon. My feet crunched over the gravel as I turned in slow circles, trying to take it all in. Theo came up behind me, his free hand sliding around my waist as he pulled me back against his chest.

The wind kicked up lightly, brushing hair across my face. I pressed my hands over his.

I turned to face him, tears threatening to well in my eyes—not just because of the house, but because of the way he looked at me.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” I said quietly. “Between us. With my life. But right now… this is the first time I’ve felt like I could breathe in weeks.”

Theo tilted his head, brushing his fingers along my cheek. “Then breathe, baby. That’s all I want for you.”

I leaned into his chest, grounding myself in the scent of him, the heat of his body, the sound of his heartbeat against mine. He felt so safe.

We stepped through the front door, and I immediately understood what Theo meant by permanent.

It wasn’t just beautiful. It was intentional.

The entryway opened into a warm, open living space with tall ceilings, pale wooden beams, and moonlight lingering through the high windows. Soft, earthy tones painted the walls, and the furniture—minimal but luxurious—looked like it had been handpicked for me.

“You did all this?” I asked quietly.

Theo kicked off his shoes. “I had help. But yeah.”

I wandered further inside, my fingers grazing over the back of the leather couch, past the modern kitchen with its hanging pendant lights and marble countertops, through the dining area where fresh-cut flowers sat in a vase—peonies, my favorite.

I turned to him, heart in my throat. “This place looks like it came out of my head.”

He smirked as he watched me from the camcorder’s screen. “Then I’ve done my job.”

We moved upstairs, and Theo’s hand pressed lightly against the small of my back. The hallway smelled faintly of cedar and lemon oil. Doors lined both sides—guest rooms, office, bathroom, until we reached the last one at the end of the hall.

Theo paused, then turned the knob.

He didn’t say anything as he pushed it open.

I stepped in—then stopped dead.

The master bedroom had been transformed.

The whole space glowed golden from flickering candles. Flowers—white and blush-toned—were scattered across the bed and floor. A few were suspended in glass orbs that hung from the ceiling, swaying gently like they were floating.

There was music playing faintly.

Sade.

Her voice flowed effortlessly through the space.

I turned toward him, startled, my eyes already wet. “Theo…”

He stepped in behind me, placed the still recording camcorder that he aimed at us on the nearest table, and took both my hands, brushing his thumbs softly over my knuckles.

“You’ve had the worst month of your life,” he murmured. “And you still manage to walk through the world like you’re not breaking in half.”

I looked down, throat tight. “You don’t have to do—”

“I want to do all this. I want to be the one who holds you up when everything falls apart.”

He released my hands and slowly reached into his jacket pocket.

“When I asked your dad about this—”

Tears welled in my eyes. “You asked my Dad?”

“Of course I did.” And just like that, he was down on one knee. “He said to take care of you out here. And I plan to do that for a very long time.”

My breath caught.

The velvet box opened with a soft click. Inside was a ring, princess-cut with a golden band shaped like a stem. It was at least twenty carats.

Theo looked up at me with steady, quiet eyes.

“Carmen Reyes,” he said, voice low but unshaking.

“You are the most brilliant, infuriating, beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

I swallowed hard, and my breath caught before I could steady it. His voice, the way he looked at me—it knocked the wind out of me.

He exhaled softly. “I’m not the best with words, but saying this is easy.

You drive me insane in the best way. You challenge me.

You make me want to be the kind of man I didn’t think I could be before I met you.

I crave you. I crave you so fucking bad.

I crave the sound of your voice. I worship the ground you walk on.

I’m addicted to the way you think. I love you so fucking much and I’ll be yours forever. ”

The flicker of candlelight caught the wetness in his eyes, and my knees nearly gave out.

“I’ve watched you walk through pain these past few days you never should’ve had to endure.

I’ve seen you scared, yet you still stand tall.

You love so hard, even when you’re hurting.

” He smiled a little, almost like it pained him.

“And I know I don’t always get it right.

I know I’ve hurt you. I hate that I ever did. ”

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

“But I’m yours. I’ve been yours. Long before I said it out loud.

I wake up wanting to protect your peace and fall asleep to dreams of earning your trust all over again.

” He paused, his voice shaking slightly.

“And I want to do that for the rest of my life. I want you. I want us. We’re in this together. ”

He opened the box, hands trembling now. “So if you’ll have me, I want to grow old with you. I want to be the arms you come home to. I want to be your person. Your home. Your partner.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible. “Please, baby. Marry me.”

I couldn’t speak. My whole chest was pulsing with a kind of ache I couldn’t name.

My father gave him his blessing before he died.

They never even met, and he asked because he knew that was important to me.

My dad would’ve loved him. That thought struck me so suddenly, I covered my mouth with my hand as a sob cracked out of me.

Theo started to rise, maybe to comfort me, maybe because he thought I wasn’t ready—but I dropped to my knees in front of him, grabbed his face, and kissed him like every second without him had been starving.

I pulled back just enough to whisper against his lips, “Yes, Teddy.”

“You sure?” he asked, finally letting the tears fall.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

He exhaled a shaky breath, forehead pressed to mine. “You said yes.”

I laughed through my tears. “You idiot. Of course, I said yes.”

His hands cupped my face, and when he slipped the ring onto my finger, I knew.

“I love you.”