Chapter 17 Maya
Maya
She heard him return from the kitchen, but she didn’t look up right away.
His couch was soft beneath her and her body was heavy with post-editing haze.
Maya had one leg tucked under her, one arm slung over a pillow, and printed proof pages resting across her stomach.
Her tank top had ridden up at some point, exposing a thin line of skin.
Her linen shorts were bunched high on her thighs, but she didn’t bother adjusting them.
The only thing that mattered was that her glasses weren’t slipping and her brain was quiet for once.
Except it wasn’t, not really.
Because she kept thinking about Julian. About Shayna. About how the girl had smiled with those wide, hopeful eyes and asked Maya about being published like it was a novelty.
And then Maya had watched Julian slip a hand around that girl’s waist like he owned her.
Like he’d earned her.
Her stomach had knotted after dropping Sammy off, and even now, a sliver of it lingered.
Theo was younger. Theo was intense. Theo looked at her like he wanted to swallow her whole. But how long would that last?
How long until someone less complicated came along?
She turned the page, not really reading.
Then he was there.
Closer. Heat pressed into her space before she even registered the movement. Her eyes lifted.
Theo didn’t say anything. Just reached down, slid the pages off her belly, and set them aside with a care that made her smile.
“I was—” she started, but he was already leaning in.
One hand braced beside her head. The other slid down, slow and possessive, curling around her hip like she belonged to him.
“You look a little tired, darling,” he murmured, his voice like honey. “And I need you to perk up for our next chapter.”
Her body stilled, but her heart kicked.
He bent lower, letting his mouth skim along her cheekbone, her jaw, the corner of her lips. She held her breath.
“Say you want me here.”
God, she did.
Even with her brain spinning. Even with her nerves buzzing and the ache of what if still gnawing at the back of her mind, she wanted him right there.
Maya inhaled sharply.
His strong thigh slid between hers, firm and steady, coaxing her legs apart. The pressure was immediate and intentional. A needy, helpless sound escaped her throat.
“That’s what I thought,” he whispered.
She shifted beneath him, chasing friction, but his hand landed at her waist, holding her still. “Easy,” he said.
She couldn’t help the grin that bloomed across her face. Her fingers curled into the hem of his shirt, dragging the fabric tight against his ribs. “What are you going to do to me, Theo?”
His eyes darkened. “Everything but.”
He pressed in, thigh between her legs, body curved over hers.
“You’ll take what I give you,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear, “through every layer of fabric. You’ll grind on me like you mean it. And you’ll come like this: panting, clothed, nowhere to run.”
Her whole body burned.
He started to move. But only enough to make her aware of every nerve ending between her legs. His thigh was thick, solid, angled perfectly to rub her clit through the thin material of her shorts and panties.
The teasing was unbearable.
Maya moaned, hips jerking on instinct.
He gritted his teeth, not moving faster, just deeper. His thigh flexed under her, dragging against her like he knew what she needed.
Her hips moved of their own accord, chasing him, chasing the relief her body needed since that run-in with Julian. Since she’d felt that whisper of insecurity: maybe I’m not what someone wants long-term.
But Theo was here.
Humping the negative thoughts right out of her head.
He stayed with her, bracing himself, but she could feel the tension in him. Like his control was a rope he was holding with both hands.
“Goddamn, you feel so good,” he said in a rough voice.
She gasped. “I didn’t know I was missing this…”
Her eyes flicked down between them, watching how tightly they pressed together, how little space there was left between want and ruin.
“…But I really, really like it.”
“New kink, perhaps?” he asked. “Clothes on. Friction. Using me to get off.”
Her gasp broke into a moan. Her hips rolled harder, chasing that rising crest. Her hands fisted in his shirt like she’d come apart without him ever kissing her.
“That’s it,” he rasped, lips close but still not kissing her. “Use me. Rub that pretty pussy on my thigh. Make yourself come for me.”
Her breath broke into jagged moans, legs trembling.
“Let go, Maya,” he whispered. “Come like you can’t help it.”
And she did.
Her body clenched, her spine arched, her mouth fell open with a cry she barely recognized as her own. It took her by surprise, how deep the pleasure hit. How fast. How needed. Like she’d been holding tension in her bones for years and finally let it burn off in Theo’s heat.
She shivered beneath him, breath ragged, legs quaking.
He held her through it.
Didn’t move. Didn’t thrust. Didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t hard as hell against her thigh.
“Still not fucking you,” he murmured.
Maya smiled, eyes heavy-lidded, voice slightly raspy. “Of course not.”
But she wanted to kiss him. Wanted to pull him close and ask, Are you really here? Do you want me like this? Not despite the baggage, but with it?
Instead, she closed her eyes and let herself feel held.
Just for now.
They lay there for a while, stretched out, catching their breath. And he was a heavy warmth beside her, propped on one elbow.
Theo brushed a stray curl from her cheek, then let the silence stretch. Not awkward. Not rushed. Just quiet.
Too quiet.
“You okay?” he asked gently.
Maya blinked. “Mmhmm.”
“Liar.”
Her gaze flicked up to his, sharp for a second, then dropped. “I’m fine, Theo.”
He tilted his head. “See, that’s the voice people use when they say they didn’t eat all day, or they only cried a little in the car.”
She snorted, just barely. “I said I’m fine. I didn’t say I was emotionally stable.”
“There she is,” he said, grinning.
Maya rolled her eyes, but didn’t pull away.
Theo let the smile linger, then softened. “You were different when I came out. Not bad. Just… somewhere else.”
She didn’t answer right away.
“Wanna tell me what got in your head?” he asked. “Or do I have to guess?”
Maya hesitated. “What if it’s stupid?”
“Then I’ll say, ‘Baby, that’s stupid,’” he murmured, dragging his knuckles gently along her arm. “But I’ll still listen. And I’ll still kiss you after.”
“That’s not fair,” she said quietly. “You’re too charming when you interrogate.”
“It’s not an interrogation,” he said, nudging his nose against her temple. “It’s… soft surveillance.”
That made her laugh, but the silence that followed was heavier.
“It’s just…” she finally said, exhaling. “I ran into my ex today.”
Theo’s body didn’t tense. He just nodded once. “Got it.”
“With a woman who looked… very young,” she added.
He paused.
And then, softly: “Ah.”
She looked at him then. “Don’t ah me.”
“I didn’t mean it like—”
“I know,” she said quickly, cutting him off. “I just… it got in my head.”
He stayed quiet, giving her space.
“I saw them together, and I was fine. I mean, I won, obviously. But… then I saw how young she was. And I thought of you. And—”
“You’re spiraling,” he said gently.
“I’m aware,” she snapped. Then softened added. “Sorry.”
Theo cupped her jaw, firm and grounding. “Look at me.”
She did.
“I don’t want someone younger. I don’t want someone easier. I actually want you, Maya.”
She swallowed hard.
“That slick mouth. That fast brain. That wicked little moan you make when you try not to lose control.”
“Okay, okay,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“And I’m not going anywhere,” he added. “So if you’re gonna spiral, you can do it in my arms. I’m not scared.”
Maya blinked once. Then she curled into his chest, seeking his warm embrace. It felt so good to finally rest in someone’s arms.
He let her linger there, one big hand tracing lazy circles on her back, until his mouth brushed her hair. “Let me take you out tomorrow night.”
Her response was knee-jerk: “I’ve got work to do.”
Theo’s chest shook with laughter. “I know you do. But I’m taking you out at night.”
“Where?”
“Your suspicion is adorable.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.” Theo angled his head to look at her, gaze steady, a little wicked. “Dress comfy and wear some walking shoes. Maybe a jacket.”
She narrowed her eyes, trying to read him. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s a hint. You like stories, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’m taking you somewhere very Chicago. With the city’s best storytelling... and a few ghosts.”
Maya made a face. “You mean like haunted stuff?”
“Exactly like haunted stuff.”
She tilted her head, skeptical but not dismissive. “Is this some horror podcaster rite of passage?”
“Maya Brooks,” he murmured, grinning now. “You’ve let me read your dirtiest scenes. I think you can handle a little dread.”
God, he was dangerous. Not just with that voice or that grin or the way his hand was still warm against her back, but with how easy it was to imagine saying yes.
She had things to do, but he’d managed to distract her with an orgasm just by using his voice and a little restraint. The least she could do was let him drag her into whatever horror-nerd fever dream he had planned.
One night wouldn’t kill her schedule.
One night might even remind her how it felt to be pursued.
“Okay,” she said, brushing her lips against his jaw before pulling back. “But if this ends up being one of those haunted doll museums, I’m firing you.”
“You’re gonna have fun,” he promised.
Somehow, that felt even scarier.
“Now,” he murmured, “as much as I enjoy being your emotional support thigh…” His lips curved against her temple. “You’ve got a chapter to record, darling.”
She groaned. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re on a deadline,” he said, squeezing her hip. “Come on. Before I decide the next scene needs… field research.”
Her brow lifted. “What kind of field research?”
“The kind where I sit you on my lap in that little booth,” he said in a lower voice, “and I make you come with my fingers.”
Her pulse jumped. “That’s… not in the script.”
Theo grinned. “Yet.”