Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Marley
Theo and I hit an impasse. Plain and simple, we got caught.
Lisa isn’t dumb. The second she walked in and saw us practically wrapped around each other, she knew something was up.
She questioned Theo first, but he kept his face blank and his mouth shut. I know because I was shamelessly eavesdropping through the crack of the door—purely for strategy, of course. If we were going to sell this, we needed to be on the same page.
He didn’t crack a bit. Not even when she pressed for details about what had me so upset. That alone made me melt. Even when he was on the line, he protected me.
By the time Lisa made her way to my desk, I admitted I was upset. That part wasn’t a lie. I told her about my personal connection to The Cobalt, explaining how the announcement of its sale had hit harder than I expected. Her skepticism softened and body language shifted to being more open.
Maybe I should feel guilty for my half-truth, but I don’t.
Because holy shit, Theo made me come better than I ever have before.
I want to tell myself it was all purely because of the thrill of doing something we shouldn’t. It’s more than that though. We have the kind of connection that only makes sense to the people in it. Like we speak a language no one else can understand.
After our eventful morning, Theo and I must have come to the same conclusion. During work hours, we don’t speak unless it’s related to business. But as five p.m. approaches on a Friday evening, I receive a text from him:
Theo
Are you busy after work?
Marley
Ugh, yes. I have rehearsal tonight.
Theo
Can I drive you? So we can talk about some things?
Marley
Sure you can. Sounds serious. Should I be worried?
Theo
It’s nothing bad. Unless you count getting caught earlier this week.
Marley
That was definitely a buzzkill.
Marley
By the way, I still think you’re lying about your sex hiatus.
Theo
And I think you’re lying and trying to make me get a big head.
Marley
I would never. Besides, you already have a big head…if you know what I mean. :)
Theo
Marley.
Marley
Yes?
Theo
You’re going to kill me.
Marley
Death by raging boner sounds like a lovely way to go though, doesn’t it?
Theo
I can think of better ways…
Marley
Ooh, tell me more.
Theo
You’re making it very difficult to be a responsible adult right now.
Marley
I’d apologize, but we both know I’m not sorry.
Theo
I wouldn’t expect anything less.
I try to leave the office with my dance bag slung over my shoulder and my best inconspicuous face on. The plan is simple: wait for the five o’clock crowd to clear out, then sneak down and meet Theo at his car.
Foolproof.
Unless, of course, you ride the elevator down and walk straight into your cousin.
“Marley!” Noah practically yells, stepping onto the elevator. His eyes go straight to the bun on my head and the bag on my shoulder. “You off to dance?”
“Yep,” I say, trying to sound casual. “Although they might kick me out the second they see me.”
“Oof. So, I’m guessing they’re mad? About The Cobalt sale?”
“Mad would be an understatement. Totally and utterly betrayed feels more accurate. They thought I’d give them a heads-up. And I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”
We step off the elevator together, heading through the empty lobby and out onto the sidewalk.
“Yeah, that’s a tough one.” He sighs. “Hopefully, your company can find a way to make it work without the theater though.”
“Thanks. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” I’d sling chocolate bars from a fundraiser table and run daily bikini car washes myself if that’s what it takes to keep that place open.
“So,” I say, shifting gears, “where are you headed off to?”
“Poker night. Speaking of which, tell your boss he needs to come one of these days.”
“Excuse me, rude. Where’s my invite?” I tease. Noah plays with real money, and I would never willingly give up real cash in exchange for the potential of nothing in return. It’d be like setting the bill right on fire.
He rolls his eyes. “Of course you’re invited too. Just know last time, someone brought cupcakes and left with a sprained ankle and three friendship bracelets.”
I give him a look. “What the hell kind of club is this again?”
“Poker,” he says, like I’m the one not making sense.
“Well, have fun.”
We high-five each other, usually parting ways in opposite directions at this point. When I begin to walk in the same direction, he stops in his tracks. “Wait. You’re going to the studio, right?”
“Yeah,” I reply slowly, attempting to piece together an excuse for heading this way that doesn’t make me a total liar, or give Theo and me away. Maybe I’ll tell Noah someday, but not right now.
“Then aren’t you heading the wrong way? The subway is in the opposite direction.”
“Oh, yeah. About that. I’m getting a ride from someone,” I mumble, pointing in a dozen different directions.
“Someone from the office?” His eyes light up like he’s caught me red-handed with the latest piece of office gossip.
“Yes, someone from the office. A friend.” Also, our boss.
Technically, everyone’s boss at Prescott Investment.
“Look at my cousin making friends,” he replies, like a proud big brother. “Come on, I’ll walk you over.”
From across the cement lot, I see Theo’s car, on and idling. Waiting for me. Besides a handful of cars, the parking structure is nearly empty.
What the hell am I supposed to do? There’s no way to avoid Noah seeing me get into Theo’s car.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I inch my way closer.
Prolonging the inevitable. Noah has no clue Theo and I have grown as close as we have.
It’s not that I think he’ll be upset about it.
Hell, I think he’ll be thrilled we’re on good terms. What looks bad is me sneaking around and getting a ride from Theo.
I’m fully hanging out by the car’s tailgate by the time he freezes, mid-sentence about the art of chivalry being lost. “You’re getting a ride from Theo?”
“Yep,” I squeak. “He’s been really nice.”
He narrows his eyes. “Okay, now I know something is up.”
I smack his arm. “Shut it, nothing is ‘up.’”
“Mhm, yeah, sure,” he replies, full of sarcasm. “That’s what everyone who’s up to something says. Theo just doesn’t give rides to people, Mar. You sure you know what you’re doing?”
I cross my arms. “It’s not what you think. We’re friends.”
A beat of silence, followed by an eyebrow raise from Noah, like we both know that’s bullshit.
Like he’s saying, you don’t even believe that.
Meanwhile, I’m silently thinking, I know.
I’m so, so screwed. Because I think I’m falling for him.
And he’s grumpy with everyone except me, and it makes me feel special.
Like I get to see these hidden parts of him no one else even knows exist. Like this whole thing is messed up but unstoppable, and maybe we’re already in too deep. We feel too much.
Obviously, Noah probably doesn’t get the full interpretation of that. Although at this point, I think the man could work for the FBI with the extent of his people-reading skills.
He sighs. “Look, you know I like Theo. He’s a good guy, and I don’t say that about just anyone.”
“You do,” I deadpan.
“Sue me,” he shoots back, flipping me off. “But seriously, I’d hate for you to risk it all for someone that might not be able to emotionally give you what you deserve. You’ve had half-ass love your entire life, and it’s about time you get the entire version of it.”
I know what half-love looks like. I’ve lived inside it, grown up around it, been burned by it, accepted it like it was the best I could get.
What if Theo isn’t different from that?
What if all this tenderness and tension between us is another version of love that doesn’t stay? What if his caution isn’t about being careful, it’s about holding back?
Noah is right. I have spent my whole life taking crumbs and calling it enough. And perhaps this could simply be another “almost.”
But when I think about the way Theo looks at me when he lets his guard slip. The quiet softness in his voice when he says my name. The way he’s guarded with the rest of the world, but with me, he lets down his walls.
I don’t know if he’s giving me the entire version quite yet. But it doesn’t feel like half.
It feels like the start of something that could finally be whole.
My conversation with Noah touches a nerve I’d planned on ignoring for the rest of my life: Half-ass love.
How do you even know if what you’re getting is half or whole? There’s no barometer. No checklist. Love doesn’t come with a scorecard, only how it leaves you feeling.
I carry that thought with me as I open Theo’s car door and slide into the passenger seat. He glances over, concern etched into his face. “Everything okay? I saw your cousin. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“He had some concerns,” I admit. “He’s like a big brother to me. He’s protective.”
Theo nods once, thoughtful, not offended. Like it’s something he respects.
He drives out of the parking garage, merging into traffic. “We don’t have a lot of time, but we should talk.”
I should probably let him say whatever serious thing is on his mind, but I can’t help myself. “Like how exceptionally you made me come the other day? Because yeah, that’s been stuck in my head too.”
His fingers curl around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. There’s nothing I love more than seeing what type of reaction I can get from him. At a traffic light, we come to a full stop, and he turns to face me directly, hand cupping my jaw. “You have no idea what you do to me, do you?”
We stare at each other, my eyes dropping to the outline of his dick, very clearly hard and straining against his dress pants.
Suddenly, I get the whole man -in-a-suit appeal.
I can see he’s big, really big. The only thing I can concentrate on now is how much I want to make him feel as good as I felt the other day in his office.