20. Theo
THEO
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Hu Gh: TO THE IDIOT WHO RODE MY ASS ON MAIN, HERE’S A PICTURE FOR NEXT TIME!!!
Comments:
Mollie Wilson: A REAL PICTURE OF IT? AGAIN?
Tammy Jane: WHY ARE YOU PUNISHING US?!? We know not to ride your ass!
Wren Hackett: Some things you can’t unsee.
Henry Connor: Your itchy spot from a few years ago healed up nicely.
Wren Hackett: So not the time, Henry . . .
Henry Connor: He never came for his follow-up! This is as good as it gets for me.
Piper’s touch lingered, even as I closed up the shop and drove home.
It took every ounce of my being not to touch her back. Not to pull her close and feel what her body was like against mine, using my mouth instead of my hands.
But that wasn’t what I was there for.
Her touches were friendly and explorative. She was innocently trying to get over a burden of her past.
She didn’t want me.
But dammit, I wanted her. And I wanted her in a way I couldn’t ignore.
The front door slammed shut and I tried to put her out of my mind, yet I could feel the ghost of her touch no matter what I did. I tried to brush her off, but she was always with me. Tempting me.
I even showered to try to wash her off, but the second I closed my eyes, I wondered what it would feel like if she were with me.
How was I supposed to be close to her when all I could think about was wanting to touch her? How could I let her do what she wanted when I needed more?
I scrubbed a hand over my face. I felt like an idiot for not being able to get her out of my mind. I felt pathetic for wanting her in the first place. Was I really the kind of man who couldn’t handle some light flirting from a beautiful woman?
Apparently not when it was her.
No one else had tempted me ever since I moved here. I barely jacked off, even.
But now that she was here, I woke up hard. I went to bed hard. Until now, I refused to touch myself because I was in control.
Now that I knew what her touch felt like, it was even harder.
My cock had been half hard when Piper’s fingers ghosted over my beard. Thinking about her in the shower brought it fully to life.
The goal was to ignore it.
I made it a few hours. I changed and found something to work on in the house. I organized my books, thought about putting up art, and even rearranged the garage.
Then I checked my phone.
Piper
By the way, you have a really nice beard. See you tomorrow!
“Fuck,” I muttered. “She can’t compliment me. That makes things worse.”
And now she was back on my mind. She wouldn’t leave. My cock was in a perpetual state of hardness from a text.
I really needed to get a grip.
Falling into bed, I clung to the thought I wasn’t going to touch myself. I clung to it as my cock ached for her touch.
I even clung to it as my hand slipped down my sweatpants.
Goddammit. My control evaporated at the thought of her.
There was no stopping me now.
As my hand rolled up and down my cock, I made rules for myself. I needed this. I wouldn’t think of her. I would release this pent-up urge and be normal by tomorrow.
The first movements felt good. I was sensitive, and I knew it was because I’d been too busy working. I tried to remember all of the times before I stopped having one-night stands early on in my newfound freedom.
And then I heard Piper’s voice.
Come on, Theo, it said. Think of me.
No, I wanted to tell it.
That word never seemed to go well with her.
And that was the thing about Piper: Once she was in my head, she wouldn’t leave. If I let her in, she was always with me.
I’d opened too many doors tonight, and I didn’t know how to shut them.
My hand moved up my cock again, and I slipped back into a world where she was in the room.
And my hand was no longer mine. It was softer and smaller.
She could use just her fingertips and I’d come. She could look at me with one of her smirks and that would do it too.
I was building up before I could stop myself. All I needed to picture was her blonde hair and her big, honey-brown eyes, and I was ready for her. I wanted her.
In my mind’s eye, she was hovering over me, her lips barely above mine as she jerked me off.
When I came, it was more powerful than with any of my one-night stands. Just a ghost of Piper made everything feel more intense. More alive.
I couldn’t let her get a whiff of this feeling. If she did and asked me for more, I’d give in and let her have anything she asked for.
I didn’t feel proud of myself the next day. I was quiet and more reserved than usual, to the point Kelsey shoved me away from the front and took over the register.
The only reason I let her was that I wasn’t sure if I could face Piper.
I didn’t have any work to do in the office, and it was busy, so I took over Kelsey’s station. It was easy to lose myself to making drinks. Grinding beans and frothing milk for lattes cleared my head for long enough that I felt more like myself by the afternoon.
I swore I felt her before I saw her.
“Changing things up today?” Piper asked Kelsey. I didn’t turn around. I refused to.
It didn’t help. My mind had conjured a voice far too close to Piper’s the night before. Just hearing it sent me back.
“A little bit. The boss is grumpy today. At this point, I’m sure you’re the only one who could cheer him up.”
Piper laughed, and the muscles of my back turned to stone. I needed space, not for Kelsey to tell her to try it with me.
Still, I kept my ear on their conversation, including making sure Kelsey put her order in just like I would.
“Theo will make that for you,” Kelsey said smugly. All I could do was slowly turn to glare before starting on Piper’s drink.
She was waiting for me at the pickup counter, head tilted. “You okay?”
I didn’t deserve her concern.
“Yeah, long day.”
Piper frowned and her eyes narrowed, but she slowly nodded.
I had a feeling she would be staying until after close, where she would ask again.
There was no way I could tell her.
“I need you to help me close tonight,” I told Kelsey two hours later.
“Wait, seriously? I have plans.”
“You have plans?”
She sighed. “Mom wants to have dinner. She’s closing the diner and everything.”
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered under my breath.
“Sorry, you can’t use me to avoid Piper. Which you shouldn’t do, by the way.”
“I-I’m not—”
“You are. What’s your deal with her anyway? Did something happen?”
“No.”
“Did she do something?”
“No.”
“Then she’s gonna freak out if you avoid her. Do you really want to be the reason she’s upset?”
“Dammit,” I said, scrubbing a hand over my face. “No. I don’t.”
“Then don’t be an idiot, and get over whatever the hell is going on.” She glanced at Piper. “Her coffee is empty, by the way. Go refill it and at least say hello.”
I eyed Piper, finally giving up on my quest to avoid her. She was typing frantically at her computer, a small frown on her face as she focused. It was the same expression she always had, but it made my chest warm. I liked her in many ways.
And if I managed to avoid her all day, I knew I’d miss her.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“You should say that more often.”
“Only when you’re actually right. It’s rare.”
“Rude,” she huffed, but then she made a shooing motion with her hand. I went to get Piper’s cup. She was locked in on whatever she was doing, and it didn’t feel right to disturb her.
Her cup was next to her hand, sitting empty on the edge of the table. I thought about saying hello, but I could get her coffee first so she could potentially finish whatever she was doing.
I reached for it, getting within an inch of her hand to grab it.
Piper reacted immediately, but not in the way I expected.
She let out the same yelp and jerked her hand away. Her entire body folded into the corner in a split second.
There was a beat of silence and our eyes met.
Hers were wide and it felt like she was looking through me, not at me.
I’d scared her. Me.
Dammit.
A moment passed where neither of us said anything. I had no idea what to do other than feel like an absolute asshole for scaring her like I did.
Why had I reached for anything? I should have asked first.
Piper blinked and seemed to finally recognize me. She was the first one to speak. “Oh, God. Theo. I’m so sorry.”
“No, I am.” I slowly shook my head. “I scared you, didn’t I?”
She opened her mouth and closed it. When she looked away, I knew the answer.
I made it back to my station before letting my frustration at myself show. The last thing I wanted to do was make her think I was upset at her. This was all on me.
Not only had I failed at not thinking of her the night before, I’d gone and scared her today.
I’d told her she was making a mistake by trusting me.
Maybe one day she’d believe it.