“Okay,” I breathed, the word coming out like a protest anyway.
A soft chuckle rumbled out of him, like he heard it.
Then his mouth brushed mine again. Quick. Gentle. A kiss that felt less like an ending and more like a promise he was putting in my pocket.
“We’ve got time,” he murmured, lips still close.
“I suppose that’s true,” I whispered, my skin prickling at the way he said it. At the promise of more to come.
Theo rolled onto his back. I just lay there for a second, staring into the dark, heart racing, lips swollen, thoughts completely wiped clean.
Theo turned his head toward me again. And while I couldn’t see his eyes clearly in the dark, I could feel the weight of his focus as he watched me.
“What are you thinking?” he asked after a beat.
I let out a breathy laugh. “Do you really want to know?”
“Is it bad?”
“It depends on what you think.” I shrugged.
“Okay.”
And then, since we were all about being vulnerable and honest about our feelings tonight, I said, “I’m just thinking that it’s too bad that you have so much self-control.”
A low chuckle left him. “Believe me,” he said, voice rough, “it was almost nonexistent for a second there.”
“Mm.” I shifted under the covers, letting my tone turnplayful even though my pulse was still sprinting. “So maybe we should test it a little more?”
That earned another quiet, helpless chuckle from him.
But deciding to play nice since I knew his chivalry was his way of trying to protect me, I sighed dramatically and said, “Fine. I’ll turn away so I don’t tempt you anymore.”
Then I rolled onto my side, facing away—mostly because if I looked at him again, I was going to do something reckless.
The mattress dipped behind me. And even though I fully expected Theo to put a stack of pillows between us, instead of doing that, I felt his body slide closer to mine.
Then, without using words, he carefully slid his arm around my waist.
Not roaming or teasing. Just holding.
His chest pressed to my back, solid and steady, and somehow the simple gesture of holding me like this was the thing that made me feel the most undone.
“We’re just going to sleep now, okay?” he murmured, his breath brushing lightly against my ear.
And it wasn’t a command, but a promise. A boundary. A lifeline.
His hand found mine under the covers and laced our fingers together, squeezing once. And my throat tightened because this man was just too sweet.
Too good.
So wholesome.
And even though he was holding me lightly, like he was giving me the chance to pull away if I wanted, I tucked my hand tighter into his and let my body relax into his warmth.
For a while, we just lay there like that, the ocean somewhere beyond the walls, the ceiling fan turning slowly overhead, the night settling into the room.
His breathing started to even out first, deep and steady against my back.