Chapter 30 THEO #3
“Can you not…” She strokes me roughly as she pulls my cock out, and I groan, my eyes rolling back.
“Let me…just…I need to do it, okay?” I nod, kissing her neck as she hikes up her dress and slides her thong to the side, ignoring my hiss of discomfort as she plunges herself down onto me.
She’s too tight, wet but not quite ready, but she forces it over and over until I’m fully inside of her.
I open my mouth to say something, but she slams a hand over my mouth and tells me in a harsh voice to shut the fuck up, so I do.
Alex is rough with me in a way she usually isn’t.
She’s demanding, snapping out orders and telling me how and where to touch her.
She bites my lip hard when we kiss, bites my neck and shoulders as she rides me aggressively, pulls my hair, digs her nails into me until it hurts and drags them down my skin, leaving long red scratches.
It’s so fucking hot, but I can tell it’s mostly about control, so I do whatever she asks and take whatever she gives me.
I want her to know that I can give her what she needs, no matter what that looks like.
She starts picking up speed but losing her rhythm, and she makes that fucking whining noise that drives me crazy, and I can’t help gripping her hips and thrusting up into her hard.
She gasps, moaning out something unintelligible as she rides me faster.
Her leg starts tensing against me, and she’s getting closer, her eyes fixed on mine and her head nodding, her moans low and harsh.
My eyes stay locked on her flushed face and the way she’s looking at me with desire and something else, something new, something deeper and more vulnerable than I’ve ever seen from her.
We stare at each other, and I can feel an electric current of connection running between us.
From the slightly scared look that flits across her face, I know she can feel it, too.
“Theo,” she whispers, but it’s more of a question than anything else. I pull her closer, gripping her tightly.
“I’ve got you.” Her eyes widen, and she whimpers my name again and starts shaking in my arms. The second her muscles flutter around my cock, I come with her, spilling up into her without breaking eye contact.
She’s panting hard as she comes down, her hands carding through my hair, and I pull her so close that there’s no space left between us.
“I didn’t mean it,” she whispers as she strokes her hands down my neck. I watch her mouth closely, and when she doesn’t bite her lip, I feel like I can finally breathe again. I give her a reassuring smile as her eyes start tearing up.
“I know you didn’t.”
“I’m so sorry.” I push her hair behind her ears, shaking my head slightly.
“It’s okay.”
“I didn’t - with Ben, I didn’t -”
“I know, honey.”
“Thank you for showing up.” I gently cup her face in my hands, looking deep into her eyes.
“Alex, I’m always going to show up, I fucking promise.
You’re mine, and I’m never going anywhere, okay?
I’m never going to let anything bad happen to you.
” Her bottom lip quivers for a second before she starts sobbing and collapses in my arms. She buries her face in my neck, and I hold her close until she calms down, trying to help her slow her breathing.
We barely talk for the rest of the night, but something feels settled between us.
We’re totally unguarded with each other, and things feel right in a way they haven’t before.
I make her dinner, and she stays in the kitchen, sitting on the counter and watching me, smiling whenever I look at her.
We curl up on the couch after dinner, drinking tea and watching something I ignore because I’m focused on how Alex is leaning into me and shaking slightly, even though I don’t think she’s cold.
I pull her into my lap and wrap a blanket around us, which seems to help her relax.
I keep her locked tight in my arms and press my lips against her skin, telling her over and over that she’s okay.
When we go to bed, she curls into a much tighter ball than usual, and she digs her fingers into my skin when I wrap an arm around her waist.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” I whisper into her hair as I hold her tighter.
I revel in how she unfurls in my arms instantly, turning over and burying her face in my chest, her hands gripping my shirt tightly.
She starts shaking a little, and I can tell she’s crying, so I just hold her and try to soothe her.
She’s finally trusting me.
I knew we’d be able to work past her trust issues.
I knew she wanted this, wanted me. I know she understands that we’re connected somehow.
I know she can love me back, that she’s going to love me back.
I’m not stupid enough to think she won’t still be guarded and scared, or that she won’t still push me away, but this is massive progress.
I hate that it happened this way, but I think what she needed to start truly accepting our relationship was to see how much I love her.
I think I needed to see it, too.
I can’t believe she was able to stop me from killing Ben.
No one’s ever been able to get me to calm down when I get that angry. Melissa couldn’t do it with all her screaming and crying, and Ashley only stopped me because she cracked open my fucking head. All Alex had to do was ask.
I don’t think she realizes what would have happened if she hadn’t stopped me.
That’s probably for the best.
***
“You expect me to believe you got that black eye from running into a door?”
“That’s what I said.”
Dr. Mills looks unimpressed. “You realize you’re not even trying to lie, right?” Her tone almost sounds amused, and I can’t help but smile as I shrug at her. “Okay, I’ll bite. What happened to the door?” The smile slides off my face as I think about walking in on Alex and Ben.
“Oh, the door is fine, unfortunately. Broken nose, maybe a rib, but nothing serious.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Don’t you think that’s serious?”
“No, I think he deserved worse since he tried to fucking rape my girlfriend,” I spit, my tone venomous.
Dr. Mills’ eyes widen in horror, and she lifts her hand to cover her mouth, and it’s the most unfiltered emotion I’ve ever seen out of her.
She takes a moment to compose herself, letting out a sharp breath.
“How’s Alex?” She seems genuinely concerned, and I feel instantly warmer towards her.
“She’s fine.” It’s not this woman’s business that Alex is stressed and wants to be held constantly. She’s bordering on clingy lately, but I don’t mind that. “I got there in time, so nothing happened.” Dr. Mills stares out the window, her face tight.
“Theodore, I don’t condone violence, and with your history, it’s extremely concerning,” she says, looking back at me, “but I can’t criticize your motivation in this instance.
I’m glad nothing happened to Alex.” I blink, slightly shocked.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever liked Dr. Mills.
“Your heart was in the right place, but I still don’t think you should have started a fight. ” I scoff and roll my eyes.
“He started it when he fucking touched her. She didn’t even let me finish it,” I mutter, but I know it’s a mistake the second it slips out of my mouth.
“What does that mean?” Shit, fuck, goddammit.
“Nothing.” She blinks and purses her lips, humming slightly.
“Given the circumstances, I won’t speak to Officer Dent about this.” I look at her in surprise. “However, we should revisit some basic anger management skills today.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” She pointedly stares at my black eye and raises her eyebrows impatiently, and I roll my eyes. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, fine.”
Never mind. I still don’t like her.
***
“This is a one-time thing,” Alex hisses as we walk into the bar and towards her friends, her hand interlaced in mine. “Guys, this is my boyfriend, Theo. You met the other week, I think?”
My mind empties out for a second, but I can’t help the smug grin on my face as I greet her friends. The other guy at the table, Zach, is quiet and very stoned, Jessica is chatty and fun, and Anna is sweet like Alex, but much more open.
Ben doesn’t show up.
Once trivia starts, I realize I hate it and have no interest in participating.
I can’t tell if Alex actually likes it, but she seems to have a knack for remembering obscure bits of information, probably because she was a total overachiever as a kid.
She’s also highly competitive, constantly checking her team’s scores against the other teams, which is adorable.
She leans over in between rounds, her hand drifting up my thigh. “I shouldn’t have brought you,” she whispers. “You’re atrocious at this.” She grins at me, squeezing my leg gently.
“I’m very good at other, less trivial things,” I say quietly, smirking down at her. Alex blushes a deep pink and turns away, leaving her hand where it is, and she seems happier than she has all week.
During the short intermission, she goes to the bathroom while her other two friends go to the bar for another round of drinks, leaving Anna and I alone. We make an awkward attempt at small talk that neither of us seem interested in, and she gives my still-bruised eye a curious look.
“Do you know Ben?”
I shrug, taking a sip of my beer. “We’ve met.”
Anna’s eyebrows jump, looking back at my eye. “Did you know he got mugged last week?”
I snort. “Must have happened after he drove Alex home.” Anna’s face drops, and she frowns at her beer. I don’t know her, but I can tell the tightness around her mouth and eyes probably isn’t normal for her.
“He was really messed up,” she says quietly.
“He was asking for it,” I say, looking at her pointedly. Her mouth thins out until her lips are barely visible.
“Is she okay?” My eyes flick over to Alex joining her friends at the bar, her posture extremely straight and her shoulders slightly higher than normal.
A week later, she’s still more anxious than usual, but only if you know how to see it.
“Sorry, you don’t have to tell me anything,” Anna says quickly. “I just care about her.”
I give Anna a warm smile. “She’s fine. Nothing happened,” I say, and her face relaxes. “If Ben knows what’s good for him, though, he’ll listen to me and stay the fuck away from her.”
“He’s not big on listening to people,” Anna says quietly. I glance at her, immediately concerned, but she’s smiling at everyone as they return to the table, the tenseness from her face completely gone.
Alex sits closer to me than before, and I place my arm around the back of her chair, loving how she leans into me and the feeling of her hand gently pushing down on my knee to keep it from bouncing.
As much as I like finally getting access to this part of her life, I’m glad this is a one-time thing.
Her friends are boring, trivia is boring, and I don’t understand why they do this every week.
Still, I sit through it and participate and engage with her friends, and when it’s over, I drive her home and fuck her in the car because I can’t wait the two minutes it would take to get her inside.
She finally called me her fucking boyfriend.