Especially when it wasDaddy Theolying right there.
And it wasn’t like he was made of stone. He had to have some kind of sex drive, too, right?
Needs.
A pulse.
Thoughts he probably kept locked up behind that calm, responsible face.
I mean, I wasn’t delusional enough to think taking things all the way was on the table.
But making out?
Getting a little lost in kissing for a while?
After how close we’d come on the beach… it was hard to believe he wouldn’t be open to that, too.
“Goodnight, Nora,” Theo said, interrupting my thoughts before I could decide whether to act on them or not.
And so, deciding I had no other option but to be a good girl, I said, “Goodnight, Theo,” before sighing and settling deeper under the covers.
A beat passed.
Then another.
The room stayed quiet; the only sound the steady rhythm of our breathing and the ceiling fan.
I stared up at the ceiling, tracking the lazy spin of the fan like it could save me from looking at the very tempting outline of Theo Archibald lying inches away.
We lay like that for about ten seconds, completely still and silent, but then there was a soft rustle under the covers as he reached over to the nightstand.
The lamp clicked off and darkness filled the room, broken only by the faint glow from the window.
My pulse kicked up.
Because suddenly, not being able to see him made it worse.
I could hear him breathing.
Could feel the mattress subtly respond when he moved.
Could sense the exact distance between our bodies, as if my nerves had a ruler out.
I told myself to relax.
It was bedtime.
Normal people slept.
Normal people did not lie awake thinking about the way a man had touched them in front of a fire.
But the second my nerves began to settle, and I started to think that I might actually be able to fall asleep at some point, I felt the slightest brush of Theo’s pinky against mine.
Light. Careful.
Like he wasn’t sure if he should.
My breath caught.