14. Selene
14
Selene
I stand in front of my closet, my arms crossed, glaring at the disaster zone I’ve created. Clothes are everywhere—draped over the bed, piled on the chair, half-folded, and then abandoned on the floor. Nothing feels right.
Celeste, who has been lying on my bed like a lounging cat, lets out a very dramatic sigh. “Selene, babe, you’re in hell. I can see it. I can feel it.” She gestures vaguely toward my pile of discarded clothes. “But it’s time to face facts: you’re never going to find the perfect outfit, because you’ll never think it’s perfect.”
I groan, grabbing another sweater off a hanger and holding it up against myself. “I just—ugh, I don’t know. I want to look cute but not like I’m trying to look cute, and I don’t want to seem like I care too much, even though I obviously care way too much.”
Celeste rolls onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. “Sel.” Her voice is light, and breezy, the same way she talks about eyeliner or expensive handbags. “He’s not coming over because of what you’re wearing. He’s coming over because he wants to be here with you. You could answer the door in a trash bag, and the man would still be wagging his metaphorical tail.”
I throw the sweater at her face. She doesn’t even flinch as it flops onto the bed beside her.
“But—” I rub my temples. “What if he thinks this is dumb? What if I say the wrong thing? Or worse, what if I accidentally poison him by undercooking dinner?”
Celeste snorts. “Okay, first of all, spiral much? Baking doesn’t have to be perfect, and you can’t poison someone with cookies. Besides, you’ve made cookies a hundred times before. Just focus on having fun with him.”
I drop onto the bed beside her, burying my face in my hands. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one trying to impress a guy who looks like he stepped out of an action movie.”
Celeste flops onto her back, staring at the ceiling like it personally offends her. “God, you’re so dramatic. Theo is a golden retriever in human form. He probably already thinks you’re the most amazing person he’s ever met. You could set the kitchen on fire, and he’d just be happy he got to spend time with you while it burned.”
I peek at her through my fingers. “That is not reassuring.”
She turns her head to look at me, her green eyes serious now. “You’ve got this. You’re smart, you’re funny, and you’ve got that natural charm that makes people love you. Trust me, he’s going to be so smitten he’ll forget his name.”
I exhale slowly, letting her words sink in.
“Fine.” I get up, pulling on a soft, oversized sweater and a pair of jeans. “But if I die of embarrassment tonight, I want you to tell my story.”
She places a hand over her heart. “With flair.”
Before I can roll my eyes, the doorbell rings.
My heart leaps into my throat. Oh God. He’s here.
Celeste grins and flicks a wrist. “Go get your man.”
I give myself exactly three seconds to panic before inhaling sharply, smoothing down my sweater, and heading for the door.
When I open it, Theo is standing there, all broad shoulders and easy confidence, a grocery bag in one hand, and wearing a grin that could melt panties.
“Hey,” he says, stepping forward slightly. “Thought I’d bring some backup supplies. I wasn’t sure if you’d have everything I needed for this little adventure.” He pauses, his grin widening. “Also, I thought you might like to see my baguette.”
Raising an eyebrow, it takes me a second to process that he is, in fact, holding an actual baguette.
I snort, my nerves easing just a bit. “Wow, straight for the bread innuendos. Bold.”
His grin only grows, “Bold is my middle name.”
I let my gaze drift down to the baguette, then back to him, deliberately slow. “And here I was, hoping you’d bring something a little more impressive. ”
Theo freezes .
For exactly half a second, his cocky expression flickers, and I swear I see his brain buffer.
Then—he throws his head back with a laugh, the kind that crinkles the corners of his eyes. “Damn,” he says, shaking his head as he steps inside. “I was not prepared for that.”
Smiling, I shut the door behind him. “You should learn to expect the unexpected.”
He turns slightly, catching my gaze as he leans against the counter, setting the groceries down. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m very, very good at adapting.”
I swallow, ignoring the way my stomach does a completely unnecessary flip.
Stepping around him I gesture toward the back of the house. “Right through there. Make yourself at home.”
He brushes past me, and I catch the faint scent of cedar and fresh air after a storm. My cheeks heat as I shut the door and follow him. Stupid, distracting Theo.
In the kitchen, Theo sets his things down and starts unpacking. “Alright,” he says, holding up a whisk, “time to show you more of my moves.”
I cross my arms, leaning against the counter. “Are we talking about actual baking moves, or are you just hoping I’ll be impressed by the way you hold that whisk?”
He twirls it between his fingers like a baton. “A little bit of both.”
Pretending to consider his words I lean against the counter trying not to look as excited as I feel about having him in my space. “Mm. Show me a proper wrist flick, and maybe I’ll be impressed.”
His eyebrows lift, and he flicks his wrist, sending the whisk flying out of his hand. It clatters to the floor, spinning in a sad little circle.
There’s a beat of silence.
Then I grin. Wide.
Theo’s cheeks redden as he runs a hand through his hair, looking comically sheepish. “You’re gonna hold that against me forever, aren’t you?”
I bend down to pick up the whisk, wiping it off with a paper towel before placing it back in his hand. “Oh, absolutely.”
Before he can respond, Celeste clears her throat.
“Oh wow, look at the time,” she says in a voice that is way too dramatic to be real.
I turn, suspicious. “Celeste—”
She gasps, spinning toward Orion—who has been standing in the doorway for god knows how long. He glares at us as he silently watches the disaster unfold. “Orion, we should go.”
He blinks. “Go where?”
She flounders for a second before snapping her fingers. “The… the thing. We have that thing to do.”
Orion frowns. “What thing?”
She elbows him. Hard.
“The very important thing,” she grits out between her teeth.
Orion looks at her. Then at me. Then at Theo.
Theo, bless him, just grins, like he’s in on some joke no one told me about.
Orion sighs through his nose and rubs a hand down his face. “Right. The very important thing.” His tone is so dry I could set it on fire.
Celeste spins back to me, her face way too innocent. “We’ll be gone for a few hours. Don’t wait up.”
I gape at her. “Celeste—”
But before I can call her out on her ridiculous excuse, she’s already dragging Orion toward the door, practically shoving him out like a mob boss disposing of a body.
The door shuts behind them, leaving me alone with Theo.
Turning back to him I notice he’s watching me with that infuriating smirk, leaning against the counter like he has all the time in the world.
“Subtle,” he says, nodding toward the door.
I rub my temples. “She’s not exactly known for her tact.”
He chuckles, rolling up his sleeves—his sleeves, which now expose forearms that should be illegal. “Guess that means it’s just you and me.”
Oh. Wow.
I let my gaze drift over him, slow and deliberate. Then, I grin.
“Guess so.”
He steps closer—just a fraction, just enough for the air to shift between us. “Think you can handle that?”
His voice is lower now, softer. Like a challenge.
My mouth goes dry.
I square my shoulders, refusing to let him see how deeply he’s affecting me. “I should be asking you that,” I say, reaching for the flour, trying desperately to focus on anything besides the way he’s looking at me.
Theo chuckles, slow and lazy. “Oh, I can handle it.”
And for some reason, I get the distinct feeling he’s no longer talking about baking.
As we mix ingredients and roll out the dough, Theo shows me how to properly roll out the dough for the perfect cookie thickness. His hands cover mine briefly, guiding my movements, and I swear the temperature in the room goes up ten degrees.
“You’re a natural,” he says, his voice low and teasing.
“Yeah, right,” I say, rolling my eyes. “You’re just trying to boost my ego.”
He leans in, his chest barely brushing my arm, and the heat from his body is distracting . “Maybe. But it’s also true.”
My fingers tighten in the roller, but it’s not from focus—it’s from the way his breath skims the side of my face. He’s doing this on purpose. Testing me.
Fine. Two can play this game.
I glance up at him, my lashes low. “You just like having your hands on me.”
Theo doesn’t flinch. Instead, his grin turns wicked. “I won’t deny it.” His fingers brush over mine again, his touch lingering. “You’re very… touchable . ”
A shiver runs down my spine. It’s ridiculous how easily he gets under my skin, how one look from him makes my stomach flip.
I hum, pretending to consider. “That’s an awfully smooth line for a baking lesson.”
He lifts a brow. “You asked for a hands-on experience.”
I bite my lip, trying not to laugh. “I don’t recall asking for that.”
“Ah.” He steps in closer until the space between us is almost nonexistent. “Must’ve been wishful thinking on my part, then.”
God, he’s too much. And I love it.
To ground myself, I focus on the dough, pressing down the cookie cutter the way he showed me. “Were you surprised when you found out it was me that texted you?” I ask, aiming for casual, but my voice comes out a little breathless.
Theo chuckles, stepping back to grab another bowl, but not far enough to break the tension. “Not really. Almost everyone here has my number, and Aunt Aubrey told me she gave it to you. Small town, remember? There aren’t many mysteries here.”
I glance at him, pointing the cookie cutter I was using at him accusingly, while my lips curve into a small smile. “So you knew it was me?”
“Of course,” he says, turning to face me again. Our faces are closer than I realized, only a few inches separating us “And I didn’t mind the mystery text, by the way. It was a nice surprise. I meant to give you my number anyway.”
The air between us is thick, and I realize just how close we are—only a few inches separate us. His gaze drops to my lips, and my pulse skyrockets.
Oh.
It’s one thing to trade innuendos, to flirt and tease. It’s another thing entirely to have him looking at me like that—like he’s already imagining what it would feel like to kiss me.
Slowly, deliberately, he leans in, his fingers skimming the side of my hand.
My breath catches. My mind is screaming at me to act—close the gap, say something witty, but I just stand there, completely at his mercy.
Theo’s lips part slightly, his body shifting just a fraction closer—
And then, the cookie cutter slips out of my hand and crashes to the floor.
The spell shatters.
I jerk back, mortified, as Theo blinks like he’s coming out of a trance. For a beat, we just stare at the sad, abandoned cookie cutter spinning in slow, mocking circles on the floor.
Then, Theo—beautiful, infuriating Theo—grins.
“Well,” he says, his voice thick with amusement, “I’d say you have very poor grip strength, I think you were… distracted.”
Heat floods my face, creeping up my neck like wildfire. Oh, great. Fantastic. Betrayed by my own traitorous skin. I scramble for a response—a sharp, clever, or even witty response—but my brain, the useless thing, short-circuits under the weight of his knowing smirk.
“Nuh-uhu,” I blurt out, the wittiest comeback my overheating brain can muster. Smooth. Real smooth.
He chuckles, rolling up his sleeves again—his sleeves, which should honestly be illegal. “You’re cute when you lie, Smith.”
The use of my last name sends another thrill through me, but I refuse to let him see it.
Instead, I roll my eyes and focus on pulling the excess dough away from what I just cut, hoping that maybe, just maybe, I can regain some of my composure.
But then Theo’s voice drops again, his tone dangerous.
“By the way,” he murmurs, leaning down slightly so his lips are just shy of my ear, “if I ever really put my hands on you, you wouldn’t be able to focus long enough to know you dropped anything.”
Oh.
My hands freeze. My entire soul short-circuiting again.
Theo pulls back, so smug, acting like he didn’t just obliterate my central nervous system.
I swallow, my brain scrambling for a response that won’t make me sound like I’m about to faint.
I glance at him, meeting his gaze head-on.
“Big words, Hot Shot,” I murmur, mirroring his tone. “Hope you can back them up.”
His eyes darken just slightly, his jaw ticking.
Oh.
Oh, I got him.
He exhales through his nose, a slow, deliberate smirk forming. “Careful, Selene,” he warns. “Keep teasing me, and I just might prove it.”
And now I’m the one malfunctioning again.
We stare at each other, the tension in the air so tangible it’s suffocating.
Then, as if nothing just happened, Theo grabs the baking sheet, completely unbothered.
“So,” he says, casually, “how’d you end up working for Umbra? Not exactly a typical gig since the band is a literal mystery.”
My brain lags, still recovering. It takes me a second to register the question.
I clear my throat, pretending like I’m not on the verge of spontaneous combustion. “A friend of a friend,” I say lightly, trying to focus on rolling out another batch of dough instead of the fact that Theo is now licking cookie dough off his thumb like he’s doing it just to torture me.
He raises an eyebrow. “Funny, I haven’t heard that phrase in a while. Except recently. Mo told me a big, hulking FBI agent came to her house the other night, calling himself a ‘friend of a friend.’”
My fingers hesitate over the rolling pin, and I look up, my stomach sinking slightly.
“There is a very good possibility that would be my brother, Orion,” I admit reluctantly.
Theo studies me for a moment, his expression unreadable. “Your brother’s an FBI agent?”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “And annoyingly good at his job.”
Theo lifts an eyebrow, waiting for me to explain.
I lean back against the counter, rubbing my hands over my face before letting them drop. “After what happened with my last boyfriend, Orion decided he wasn’t going to let me go out with anyone until he ran a full background check on them.” I shoot Theo a look. “Which, by the way, is why we met up in town the other day. He wanted to know who I was hanging around with.”
He lets out a low whistle, clearly entertained. “So what you’re saying is…I’ve already been vetted by the FBI?” His grin turns smug. “And here I thought you were just playing hard to get.”
I groan. “That’s what you got from that?”
“Well, that, and the fact that your brother is scary as hell.” Theo crosses his arms, watching me with interest. “What’d he find?”
I hesitate, my fingers pressing into the counter. “That’s the thing—I don’t know. He told me he found a lead that he needed to check up on, but he wouldn’t say what it was. Then, one night, he just left. He stormed out of the room and we couldn’t find him, he wouldn’t answer his damn phone—just full cloak-and-dagger mode.”
Theo’s playful expression shifts slightly, his gaze sharpening. “And you have no idea what it was about?”
I shake my head. “He said a few things about some mysterious deaths, but wouldn’t elaborate. Trust me, we tried to get answers out of him, but he just brushed it off and said he’d ‘handle it.’”
His fingers drum against the counter as he processes that. “That doesn’t sit right.”
“No shit.” I exhale, feeling that same coil of unease tighten in my chest. “But knowing Orion, he won’t say anything until he’s damn well ready. Which, let’s be honest, could be never.”
Theo hums, his gaze flickering over me. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Of course it bothers me.” I tilt my head, studying him right back. “But I’ve learned that pushing Orion doesn’t get me anywhere. He’s going to do what he thinks is best, whether someone likes it or not.”
He nods slowly, but his expression remains unreadable like he’s filing this information away.
Then, just like that, his grin returns. “Guess that means your brother approves and I can take you out again.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh? And you’re assuming I’d say yes?”
“Oh, I think you would.” Theo leans in just slightly, his voice dropping to that dangerous low tone again. “But tell me I’m wrong.”
I open my mouth—then shut it.
Because damn it, he’s not wrong.
And judging by the way his smirk deepens, he knows it.
He nods slowly, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. “But that also changes things.”
“How so?” I ask hesitantly, unsure if I even want to hear the answer.
His lips curl into a small, knowing smile, but there’s a flicker of seriousness beneath it, a calculating edge. “Because now I know we’re on the same side. And if your brother’s involved, maybe we’ve got a real chance at figuring this out.”
A chill skates down my spine. “Figure out what?”
He exhales, leaning against the counter, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by a heavier, more resolute presence. “We recently found out that some people in Shadow Grove didn’t die from accidents—they were murdered.” He pauses, letting the weight of his words settle. “I think your brother figured out the same thing we did.”
The air in the room turns thin, pressing against me like an invisible weight. My fingers tighten around the edge of the counter as I force myself to speak. “Murdered?” I echo, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nods, his gaze locked on mine. “Yeah. And if that’s true, there’s a hell of a lot more going on here than I think any of us realizes.”
My mind spins, piecing together the fragments: the late-night phone calls, Orion showing up out of nowhere, the way he refused to tell us what he was up to. I swallow hard. He knew. Or at least, he suspected. And now Theo is confirming my worst fear—there’s more happening than we realize.
Theo watches me carefully like he can see every thought flickering through my head. Then, in a tone far too casual for what we’re discussing, he grins. “So, what do you say? You, me, your FBI agent brother… we team up, pool our resources, and get to the bottom of this?” He strokes his chin dramatically. “Feels like we’re assembling a pretty solid squad here.”
Despite the knot of unease in my stomach, I huff out a laugh. “You make it sound like we’re forming a superhero task force.”
He snaps his fingers, eyes lighting up. “Exactly. Like, one of those elite crime-fighting teams—minus the spandex suits.” He tilts his head, reconsidering. “Unless you’re into that.”
I roll my eyes, but my lips twitch. “Pretty sure Orion wouldn’t approve of any team where you and I are in close proximity.”
Theo smirks, leaning in just a little. “Then I think we should do it.” His voice dips to a teasing note. “I love breaking the rules.”
I know I should be focused on the bigger issue here—the murders, the danger, the mystery that’s only getting deeper—but with Theo standing this close, looking at me like that, my pulse has completely different priorities.
His voice drops, low and deliberate. “What do you say, Selene? Are you up for a little adventure?”
I inhale sharply, trying to ignore the heat curling low in my stomach. “That depends.”
He raises a brow. “On what?”
I lean in just slightly, letting my voice go soft and teasing. “On whether or not you can keep up.”
For a second, he looks caught off guard. Then, his grin spreads slow and wicked, like I just issued the most irresistible challenge.
“Oh, Sweetheart,” Theo murmurs, his eyes darkening with dangerous intent. “You have no idea what you just started.”