“What do you want, Tess?” His voice is low and gravelly. He’s so close that I can feel his warm breath on my skin.

  “I-I don’t know.”

  “Don’t you?”

  “Theo…”

  We’re like magnets drawn to each other, and my eyes start to close on their own, my body tingling with excitement. Theo’s about to kiss me! And I will let him!

  The sudden blare of a horn from the car across the street shatters whatever spell is between us. We both jolt slightly at the jarring sound and the moment just … passes.

  Theo clears his throat and backs up, closes my door, runs to the other side, and gets in the driver’s seat.

  He slides the key in and starts the car, the rumble of the engine blessedly louder than my pounding heartbeat. Heat sweeps across my face, but the blast of air from the air conditioner pleasantly cools my flushed skin.

  God, can I get any more obvious?

  Theo is clearly comfortable with silence, but I’m not. So I twist at the waist and face him, trying to ease the thickness in the air between us. “So how did you meet him?”

  “Viktor?”

  I nod.

  He sucks the inside of his cheek and keeps his eyes on the road, hands sliding along the steering wheel. The way he does it makes my body react, and I clutch my purse. Everything he does affects me, and it’s driving me nuts.

  The inside of the car is dim, especially since we’re a little far from the next streetlight. The patches of darkness at least hide the fact that I look like a tomato, blushing furiously from head to toe.

  When I slide him a peek, my heart hammers in my throat. Theo cuts a sharp profile. Even in this view, he looks ruggedly handsome.

  “We met a few years ago. I stayed at their place. It was my … last foster home.”

  Unaware that I’m sucking in a sharp breath, Theo lets go of the steering wheel at the red light and leans against the backseat.

  “I was in the system for a couple of years after my father beat me up so badly I ended up in the hospital for two months. Hence, the scar on my face. Also a couple on my body. In hindsight, that was the best thing he ever did for me because, after three homes that didn’t work, I ended up at the Tate’s.”

  “Viktor’s your foster brother.”

  He nods slowly. “A brother in every sense of the word.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  A wave of tenderness washes over me, my heart clenching hard at the thought of a teenage Theo suffering alone in the hospital. Apparently, a shitty father is something we have in common. The only difference is he has physical scars while mine are emotional and mental.

  He lifts one corner of his mouth. “Don’t be. If it wasn’t for my father, I wouldn’t have met my family.”

  I smile at that. It’s a weird time for it, but I envy him. God knows how much I want to go home to people who actually value me and love me and don’t find every little thing about me annoying.

  “So, where do you live, Tess?”

  “I don’t wanna go home yet. I’ve only had one drink, and the night is still young.”

  “Hmm. I can make you another but…”

  “But what?”

  “My place is small.”

  The words hang heavy. I know what he means. I can blame it on the alcohol or my residual anger from my “birthday party”, but I really just want to spend time with him. I’ve already spent months glancing at him when I think no one’s looking.

  In fact, I started my senior year with grades that barely passed. I just didn’t care anymore. Then, I met Theo. He sat behind me in class, head down, earphones in, not paying any attention to anyone. His hair was still cropped close to his scalp. He even had a tattoo peeking from his collarbone.

  He intrigued me, so I kept staring. When he looked up, everything faded into the background. My heart rate picked up, sweat beading between my breasts, and I couldn’t breathe.

  His eyes were intense. He had a huge scar on his left cheek, but that wasn’t what drew me to him. It was his pull on me that I didn’t understand. I’d never felt anything that strong before.

  When I found out he was smart as hell, I doubled my efforts in class. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was nothing more than a stupid rich girl.

  If someone told me months ago I’d end up in Theo’s house for my 21st birthday, I would’ve laughed.

  It’s not so funny now because all I can think of is it’s just him and me.

  I pinch my palm, trying to make sure this isn’t a dream. “I don’t care. Take me there, Theo.”

  Good thing my voice doesn’t shake, but I’m nervous—as nervous as the day one of the professors called me in class.

  “You sure? You don’t even know me that well, Tess.”

  “Theo, I’m not in the habit of getting into strangers’ cars and going to their houses. I’m here because I know you and I know you won’t take advantage of me, hurt me, or intentionally put me in danger.”

  “Never,” he says with a steely determination that surprises me.

  “Then, what are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

  Theo wasn’t kidding when he said his place was small.

  He lives on the basement floor of a four-story brownstone. It’s a studio type, with no bedroom, one bathroom, and plenty of liquor.

  With my hands clasped behind my back, I eye the shelves full of half-empty bottles. “You drink a lot?”

  “No, but Viktor does. He enjoys a glass or two when he’s here. I like to experiment with mixing drinks, so he’s my unofficial taste tester.”

  “Hmm.”

  I’m still trying to read the labels in the bottles when Theo calls from his kitchen island. “What do you want to eat? I can throw in some grilled cheese to pair with the tomato soup.”

  I swivel and beam. “My favorite comfort foods.”

  He stares at me for a bit and sweeps his tongue across his bottom lip before sucking it between his teeth. Oh, Lord. He might as well have sucked the oxygen in the room.

  It’s stifling hot despite the air conditioner droning behind me. I should’ve expected this. I mean, I get turned on just watching him from afar. Of course, that’s going to be ten times worse when I’m alone with him. All those dreams of being with him have nothing on this.

  Theo has this raw, undiluted sex appeal. I don’t know if he’s aware, but the air changes when he’s around, which is why I always know when he’s in the classroom.

  I change course and head to a wooden bookshelf separating his bed and two-seater orange leather couch. He mostly has textbooks, some magazines about craft cocktail drinks and new techniques to mix them, and notebooks. I go to sit on the couch when something catches my eye.

  No way. No freaking way.

  On the third shelf, above his copy of Freakonomics, is a silk rainbow scrunchie.

  My scrunchie.

  The scrunchie I thought I lost at the gym.

  I take it and run my fingers along the cool, smooth fabric. With my heart in my throat, I turn to him.

  Theo dips a wooden spoon in the pan and scoops a bit of tomato soup, bringing it to his mouth for a taste. He seems satisfied because he turns off the stove and grabs a bowl from the overhead cabinets.

  “Theo?”

  He throws a cursory glance at me over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

  “Why do you have this?”

  He faces me fully and raises a brow. With a sigh, I lift my hand and dangle the scrunchie.

  In the span of ten seconds, Theo goes from horror to anxiety to discomfort and finally, acceptance.

  He leans against the sink, takes off his glasses, and pinches the bridge of his nose. This makes me realize that Theo isn’t the unfeeling guy some of our classmates think he is.

  No, he’s just guarded.

  Him letting that guard down around me is … well, it makes fuzzy feelings erupt in my chest.

  Theo breathes out slowly and holds my gaze. “I took it when you dropped it in class.”

  “Why?”

  “Isn’t it obvious by now, Tess?”

  “I need you to tell me. I need to hear it from you.”

  Tense silence fills the short distance between us. He lives in the city, so there’s no shortage of noise outside—cars honking, loud music, yelling neighbors. But everything is muted to a dull roar.

  Theo pushes himself off the sink and pads to me, his footsteps against the hardwood floor echoing. Lust pools in my belly, my heart drumming against my ribs. The need for him to fill me completely almost overwhelms me. I force myself to stay rooted on the spot, but every time he steps forward, I step back.

  Oh God.

  We do this little dance until my back hits the wall. A stray hair escapes his man bun and falls to his cheek. He ignores it and braces one hand above my head.

  God, he smells so good. Musky and woodsy. Nothing cloying or tickling my nostrils. It’s just … well, it smells addicting. Like something I want to smell on my sheets.

  Whoa. Stop right there. Take it easy, Tess.

  We’re so close I can see the light pink scar with puckering on the edges. I don’t stare at it, though, because it’s his eyes that pull me in.

  “Why did you come with me, Tess? I know it’s not because you want to spare my feelings when I asked you to. I’m also sure it’s not because of my Michelin star tomato soup.”

  Something comes over me. While I can be loud and hyper around people I’m comfortable with, I’m usually reserved and aloof with those I only recently started talking to.

  But not Theo.

  He brings out a side of me I didn’t even know existed. This girl who knows what she wants and goes after it. This girl who’s no longer obsessed with what her family thinks and how to please them.

  And right now, I’m the girl who wants Theo desperately. I know he wants me too, and I don’t know why but he’s reluctant to make the first move.

  Well, then.

  Guess I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.

  “I came with you because … because it’s my birthday and I deserve a little something.”

  His voice drops an octave. “I don’t really have a gift for you, kitten.”

  The pulsing and ache in my core intensify, and a rush of wetness makes my thighs sticky. “Oh, no. I think you do.”

  Without waiting for his response, I grab his collar and crush my mouth to his.

  3

  THEO

  I’ve lost count of how many times I imagined kissing, touching, and pleasing Tess.

  In my mind, she’s mine. All mine. She screams my name, writhes underneath me, and goes wild each time I pump into her.

  Whatever I thought our first kiss would be … this was not it.

  I almost spill my seed the moment our lips touch, and even as I mold my mouth to hers, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that she’s here in my apartment, pulling me down for a kiss.

  I’m kissing Tess Ward. The girl who’s way out of my league. The girl I’ve been loving from afar. The girl who occupies my head day in and day out. Even when I’m doing something—like bartending or studying—she’s there, lurking in the perimeters of my mind.

  “Tess…”

  She moans in response, and I swallow her sounds, plunging my tongue into her warm mouth. My hands slide down her body and cup her ass, kneading them roughly and pushing her against my raging erection.

  I summon all my willpower to pull back and rest my forehead on hers. We’re both breathing like we’ve just run a marathon.

  “Tess, is this too much for you?”

  She shakes her head, and I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, her pulse hammering under my fingertips.

  “G-give me my birthday gift.”

  “Sure, kitten. Tell me what you want.”

  My lips graze her jaw and I trail kisses along her earlobe and down the sensitive side of her neck, sucking the skin on her collarbone.

  Tess arches her back and tightens her fingers through my hair. “You. I want you, Theo.”

  With a growl, I lift her and toss her gently to the bed. This is yet another perk of having a small place—the bed is within easy reach.

  Tess lifts herself up on her elbows, eyes dark as she takes me in.

  Fire erupts in my body when she raises her dress and slides it up, giving me a full view of her thick thighs and pink lace panties. She rubs her thighs together and runs a red fingernail along one side, stopping just over her pussy.

  “Are you just gonna watch, Theo?”

  The spell breaks, and something primal, animalistic bellows in my chest. I have this one shot with Tess. One shot to make her as obsessed with me as I am with her. I’m gonna make her come so hard she’ll come back for more. And more. And more.

  Dropping to my knees, I don’t take my eyes off her as I unclasp her heels and drop them to the floor. Her chest rises and falls erratically, and her breath hitches when I take her foot, massage her arch, and kiss her ankle, then her calf, then the side of her knee, then lightly nip her inner thigh.

  I’m so close to her that I can see a tiny wet spot on her panties.

  Fuck.

  I can’t go slow anymore.

  I curl my fingers over the hem of her panties and slide it down her legs. I ball her underwear and shove it inside my pocket. She sees what I’m doing and bites her bottom lip.

  “Do you want me to take off my dress?”

  “No. Leave it.”

  The moment the words leave my mouth, I duck my head and kiss her pussy, swiping my lips along her velvet folds.

  “Oh God.”

  Her hands fly to my hair, and I let her. My hands grip her thighs and push them open, inhaling the smell of her arousal. She lifts her hips so I can bunch her dress around her waist.

  Good girl.

  She’s wet and dripping for me, and the juices coat my tongue, lips, and chin. I curl and flatten my tongue on her clit, loving her mewling sounds. But because I need to be inside her, I use my thumbs to part her and drag my tongue along her slit.

  Tess’ hips buck, and I sink my tongue into her inner walls.

  Oh fuck. She tastes so good. So divine. So mine.

  I let my tongue slide in and out of her while my finger lightly strokes her hard nub. I don’t stop or change my rhythm until I feel her body shake and she yanks my hair so hard I wince from the pain.

  “Theo!”

  When her trembling subsides, I hover over her. She’s slumped on my bed, flushed and sweaty. Damn. She really is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

  “Now, kitten. Time to take my cock like a good girl.”

  I move back up and stand, unbuckling my pants and letting it fall to the floor before kicking it away. Next, I unbutton my shirt and add it to the pile of clothes beside me. Last is my boxers, which I slide down my legs.

  When I stand to my full height, Tess’ eyes bulge out of their sockets.

  It’s all yours, kitten.

  I join her on the bed, my body starting to mold itself around her so easily, cup my hand around the back of her head, and pull her in for a kiss. A deep, hungry kiss.

  My other hand tugs her dress down until her tits spill out. She gasps for air when I let go, my mouth immediately finding one bud, sucking and sweeping my tongue until it turns taut.

  I want to take my time worshiping her body, marking every inch of her, giving her something to remind her who she belongs to.

  But I’m at the end of my rope.

  I sit on my haunches and fist my aching cock, hissing at the contact. She props herself on her elbow to watch me as I wedge the tip against her entrance. She tilts her head back, and I only manage to slide in the head, needing to breathe through my mouth because fuck.

  Tess is tight.

  I feed her inch by inch, and she suctions around me. A bolt of energy goes straight to my balls and down my spine.

  Jesus Christ. I have no idea how long I’ll last and I’m not even buried to the hilt yet. I need to drag this out.

  “Tess, fuck. You feel so good, kitten.”

  “Please don’t stop, Theo. I need more. Please!”

  Huffing and grunting, I feel the sweat slide down my back as I drive myself home.

  I try to take her with slow strokes, but the moment she raises her hips to meet me halfway, my tether snaps. And I lose it, burning through the last shreds of whatever self-control I have left.

  My hands tighten on her thighs, my hips ramming forward in fast, merciless thrusts.

  Tess digs her fingernails into my biceps as she gives as much as she gets. My God. This girl. My girl.

  My orgasm begins to crest, so I work double time to help her get closer to the edge. With my free hand, I knead her tit, pinching her nipple, while my mouth takes the other.

  “Theo, I’m coming!”

  Tess digs her heels into the mattress and lifts her hips. Heat licks through my veins and I drape her calves over my shoulders, letting me go deeper. I rock my hips forward, my balls drawing up and a tide of release rolling through me.

  I pull out just in time, spurts of come coating her thighs and lower stomach. A deep well of masculine pride blooms in me as I slide my hand along the expense of her skin and run a slow, deliberate glance over her body.

  Tess lies there, spent and sated, my seed all over her skin. A pang of tenderness crashes into me, catching me off-guard.

  I want more of this, more of her.

  There’s no way in hell I’m letting her go now that I’ve branded her as mine.

  I’m dreaming that Tess is riding my cock. She feels so good and so real, and I know I’m gonna wake up with my come all over my sheets … again.

  “Oh fuck, Theo. Yes!”

  The voice sounds real too as if she’s here in the same room as me.

  Her fingers press into my chest as she quickens her pace, grinding and rotating her hips so my rod can hit all her pleasure points. God, even this dream version of Tess is nothing but perfection.

 

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