Page 20 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire (Heart & Soul #2)

Thirteen

From the upstairs bedroom window, Rose watched as Theo and Nikos made their way toward their SUV. Even from this distance, the stiff line of Theo’s shoulders was unmistakable.

She rubbed her palms against her thighs, restless. She hadn’t known Theo long, but she knew that jaw, that relentless focus—the way he decided something and then moved the world to make it happen. He’d been tenacious when he’d found her in New York, and he’d done it again here.

She didn’t know how he’d tracked her down—it had to be through Kerry somehow—but she knew one thing for certain: he wouldn’t give up easily.

The best way to keep a distance between them was to stay one step ahead. Which meant leaving. Tonight.

Her gaze lingered on the SUV longer than she intended. Theo opened the passenger door, but before getting in, he paused, his head turning slightly toward the farmhouse.

Her breath caught. Was he looking for her? Could he see her?

She stepped back from the window before she could find out, pressing her back to the wall. She had to move. Now.

She turned and began gathering the few things she’d unpacked, her movements brisk, efficient. Backpack first. Then the carry-on.

Keep moving. Keep breathing.

A quiet knock pulled her up short.

Robby leaned casually against the doorframe, his arms folded, his broad frame filling the space. But it was the look in his eyes—steady, possessive, tinged with something more—that made her chest tighten.

And just like that, she had another reason to leave tonight. Staying, even for one more night, would only complicate things—for both of them.

“You don’t have to run,” he said quietly. “I’ll keep you safe.”

A short, choked laugh escaped her, more brittle than she meant it to be. She shook her head. “I don’t need to be kept safe, Robby. If anything, Theo’s the one who needs a bodyguard.”

His eyebrows drew together, but she pressed on before he could answer.

“I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me.

More than I can say. But I… I need time to figure out who I am.

Where I fit. And I can’t do that if I’m…

” She gestured vaguely toward him, toward the house, toward everything warm and solid about him.

“…comfortable. I need to do this on my own.”

“Why can’t you do that here?” he asked, his voice quiet but weighted.

She met his eyes for a long moment. “I think you already know why.”

Something shifted in his expression—acceptance, maybe, mixed with disappointment. He straightened from the doorframe and crossed the room toward her. She tensed instinctively but didn’t pull away when he wrapped his arms around her.

“Kiss me goodbye, then?” he murmured.

She smiled sadly and nodded.

His kiss was warm, gentle, and comforting. But there was no spark. No breath-stealing rush. Not his fault—hers. Because deep down, she already belonged to a man she couldn’t forgive.

When she broke the kiss, she left her hand on his chest for a beat, her gaze lowered. She wished she could feel something—anything—but all she felt was the absence of Theo.

“Worth a try,” he said lightly, though she caught the flicker of something unguarded in his voice. “And if you ever think you’d like to try again, I’d be happy to volunteer.”

She gave a watery laugh and sniffed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He stepped back, slipping easily into a lighter tone. “Dad and I will give the van a once-over before you head out. Mom’s putting together a supply basket for you.”

Her protest was immediate. “Robby, you don’t have to?—”

“Don’t ruin her fun,” he cut in with a grin. “There’s fifty years’ worth of stuff in this house, and Dad’s been dying for an excuse to get rid of half of it. Consider it our contribution to your ‘find yourself’ adventure.”

Her throat tightened again, this time from gratitude instead of grief. “Okay,” she whispered.

She smiled, small but real, as he grabbed her backpack and carry-on. Together, they headed down the stairs. But as she reached the bottom, she glanced out the side window toward the long drive.

The SUV was gone.

Still, she had the uneasy feeling that Theo wasn’t finished with her—not by a long shot.

By the time the neon glow of Sioux Falls’ city lights shimmered ahead of her, Rose had driven through the night and half the morning, sustained by strong coffee, a few catnaps at rest stops, and the stubborn determination to put as much distance between herself and Theo Kallistratos as possible.

The atlas Belinda had insisted she bring lay in the passenger seat, its dog-eared pages soft from her study breaks. “You never know when your phone will lose signal,” Belinda had warned in that matter-of-fact Midwest mom voice. “Paper doesn’t glitch.”

She’d plotted a loose loop in bright pink highlighter: Badlands National Park, then up into Montana to see Glacier National Park.

Maybe even dip into Idaho and Wyoming, then meander back east through Colorado.

National forests, state campgrounds, stretches of BLM land.

She’d never left New York before—never had the time, the money, or the freedom. Now she had all three.

Somewhere, somehow, she’d find the place that felt like hers. Until then, she’d just… see everything.

She pulled into the grocery store lot with a mental checklist: bread, fruit, peanut butter, a few quick and easy meals she could prepare on the camp stove that came with the van, and maybe some cookies because adventure required cookies.

Her mood was lighter than it had been in days—until she rounded the corner of her van and jerked to a stop.

Theo was leaning against the passenger door like he’d been poured there, all dark suit and unreadable eyes.

Her disbelief lasted all of two seconds before it melted into flat-out exasperation. She didn’t even speak. Just unlocked the side door and pushed the grocery cart closer.

A couple of teenagers in a beat-up sedan cruised past, whistling out the window. “Love the van!” one yelled.

Heat climbed her neck. She grabbed two bags and climbed inside, setting them on the narrow counter space. When she turned around, Theo was holding another bag out to her as if this was perfectly normal.

They worked in silence, passing bags, arranging groceries. She shoved the cold items into the van’s tiny refrigerator, ignoring the way his presence seemed to take up more space than the van had.

By the time she shut the fridge, he was gone—returning the cart. She shut the side door and exhaled, but the relief was short-lived.

The passenger door clicked open.

Theo slid into the seat without a word.

Her eyebrows lifted. She said nothing, just walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and started the engine. If he wanted a ride, fine. But she wasn’t about to make this comfortable for him.

The first few minutes were quiet—if you ignored the squeal at a stop sign, the yellow-that-was-red, and the two near-collisions with locals who clearly didn’t appreciate her ‘creative’ lane choices.

She could feel him watching her, his hand clamped on the grab handle above the door, the other gripping the seat so tightly his knuckles were bone-white.

Finally, through clenched teeth, he asked, “Exactly how long have you had your driver’s license?”

She flashed him a bright smile. “Since I was sixteen.”

His eyes narrowed. “And how long have you actually been driving?”

Her smile widened. “Counting yesterday? Two days.”

If possible, his face went paler—with just a hint of green. “Perhaps,” he said in a carefully controlled voice, “it might be best if I took over from here.”

She made a show of thinking about it. “Hmm. Okay.”

At the next service station, she pulled over, put the van in park, and smiled sweetly. “Would you mind getting me a bottle of cold water? Oh, and you can pay for the gas while you’re at it—please.”

He gave her a look but got out. She started the pump, filled the tank, and as soon as the nozzle clicked, she hopped into the driver’s seat.

By the time Theo emerged from the store, water bottle in hand, she was already easing toward the road with the smug satisfaction of a woman making an exit. His look—half disbelief, half ‘did you just dump my ass?’—was worth every mile of him grinding his teeth and stomping an imaginary brake.

That’s how you teach an arrogant jerk a lesson for getting into your vehicle without asking.

The best part? The tiny thrill in her chest at the thought that he would absolutely come after her.

Her lips twitched. Then laughter burst out—hard, full-bodied, and bubbling—until she was giddy. The kind of laughter that made her forget, at least for a few minutes, why she’d been running at all.

If he hadn’t been hanging on to the seat so tightly, Theo was fairly certain he would’ve slid right onto the floor of that ridiculous van at least twice during the drive.

Now, he was standing in the middle of God-knows-where, holding two bottles of water and a cup of coffee that looked and smelled like it had been brewed over a wood-burning stove.

One sip of burnt bitterness and the whole cup went straight into the trash.

He was contemplating his next move when his phone buzzed. When he saw the caller ID, he chuckled.

“Nikos,” he greeted, lifting the phone to his ear. “Let me guess—you’re calling to ask if I need a lift?”

“How did you know?” came the amused reply—just as a familiar SUV rolled into the next lane and stopped at the gas pump.

Theo arched an eyebrow and walked over. He opened the passenger door as Nikos slid out.

“Be a friend and grab me a coffee while I fill up,” Nikos requested casually.

“No,” Theo replied flatly. “I’ve already done that once today and got left behind for my trouble. Besides, the coffee here is undrinkable.” He shut the door a little harder than necessary.

Nikos laughter rang out. If Nikos isn’t careful, he might just end up being the one stranded, Theo thought, before he leaned his head back against the headrest. Nikos leaned against the open window on the driver’s side, waiting for the pump to stop.

“How did you even know I needed rescuing?” Theo asked, buckling in.

Nikos chuckled again, looking far too pleased with himself. “Look in your coat pocket,” he said, nodding toward it. “I put an Air tag in it. I put one in Rose’s van, as well—just in case.”

Theo turned slowly, his lips twitching despite himself. “She’s going to kill you.”

“Probably. I figured it might be a good idea to tag along for a bit. You know, make sure everything was… cool… before I headed back to New York.” Nikos’s grin widened.

“When I got an alert that one air tag was moving and the other one wasn’t, I figured you were in trouble. It took longer than I expected.”

Theo snorted. “Trouble is a polite word for it.”

“So… what exactly did you do this time?” Nikos asked, smirking.

Theo chuckled under his breath. “I might have… mentioned something about her driving.”

There was a beat of silence—then Nikos burst out laughing, loud and unrestrained. “Oh, that explains it! You insulted a woman who just bought a psychedelic van. Of course she left you at a gas station!”

Theo laughed, deep and genuine, shaking off the last of his irritation. “She’s going to pay for that,” he said, his tone both fond and determined.

“Sure she is,” Nikos replied, still grinning. “Just as soon as you catch her—for what is this—oh yeah, the third time.”

Theo tore a candy bar in half and handed one piece over. “If we find a decent restaurant, stop. I’d kill for a proper cup of coffee.”

Nikos took the candy, still chuckling. “Coffee, huh? You might need something stronger by the time this is all over.”

Theo’s smile widened. “The only thing I need… is Rose.”

“So, is this what love feels like?” Nikos asked.

Theo looked out the window, warmth spreading through him. “Yeah,” he said softly. “This is love.”