Page 134 of The Fates We Tame

Theo raises his eyebrow. “An arranged marriage is looking more appealing to you now?”

“God, no,” I say, wrinkling my nose. “But it feels better to know I might have been okay with it than thinking my entire family was willing to hand me over like a sacrificial goat. And knowing the accident was most likely caused by me trying to escape my father than the clutches of strangers makes more sense too. It means my brothers weren’t complicit. At least, not all of them.”

“Leo and Luca have a lot to answer for.” Theo takes my hand and helps me stand before pulling me close.

The scent of him, his comforting warmth and reassuring strength settle me. “But even then, they were doing what my father told them, operating on twenty percent of the story. And I find myself trusting Alessio.”

Theo rubs his hands up and down my back. “I don’t know that Alessio and I will ever be the best of friends, but my trust in him is growing too. We need to get some rest. You’ve been working all day and look exhausted.”

“Oh no. We didn’t get our day,” I say. “I’m so sorry.”

Theo drags his lips along the side of my neck. “There will be lots of other days.”

“But we talked about playing with the pinwheel we were going to buy.” I tilt my neck to give him more access.

I was intrigued by the Wartenberg pinwheel with its little spikes that looked like a cross between a pastry chef tool and a medieval torture implement. Theo was excited by thoughts of how it would feel pressed into his skin.

“That was fourteen hours ago, before all this came to light, and you stared at your laptop screen without a break.”

“I ate the food you brought.”

He smiles, his eyes so incredibly kind. “Because I forced you. You have quite the degree of focus.”

“I was looking forward to focusing on your back with that wheel.”

Theo kisses me soundly. “And I look forward to that at a time when I’m not worried about you falling asleep standing up. We’ll get a pinwheel eventually. And it might do me good to have to wait for it.”

“That sounds a little like you are dominating yourself.”

He kisses the tip of my nose. “I’ve stopped trying to put a label on it. Just putting it all under the heading of Shit that Makes Me Feel Good.”

“Well, for the record, you always makemefeel good.”

Theo slips his hand around the back of my neck and grabs a fistful of hair firmly. “I know. Which is why you’re going to get naked while I send Alessio the details of the meet-up point. Go get ready for bed. We’ll sleep here at the clubhouse tonight.”

I do as he says. “Be nice.”

“Can I have a little bit of fun with him first?”

“No,” I say. As I reach the door to the bathroom, I pause and turn. “We’re not really a fake husband and wife anymore, are we?”

Theo grins. “No, Sparrow. We’re not.”

When I re-emerge, the text must have been sent as Theo is stripping his clothes.

I tug the sheets back and climb beneath them. “Do you remember when we slept here the first night? We barely knew each other.”

Theo slips beneath the covers and rolls me onto my side before pulling me close. “We’ve come a long way.”

“It’s been fun getting to know you.”

His hands roam my skin, the callouses on his palms tickling me. “You feel like letting me get to know you some more?” he asks.

His breath whispers across my ear, making me shiver. “Is that a euphemism for sex?”

Theo chuckles behind me. “If I need to speak more plainly, I’d really like to fuck you so we both sleep well.”

I tilt my head, giving him room to plant more delicious kisses along my neck. “In that case, yes, please.”