Chapter 14 #2
“Say one more fucking word to her,” Theo said through gritted teeth. “I dare you.”
Briggs shot Theo a dirty look, one that he returned with interest. If Gretchen didn’t get Briggs out of here soon, this wasn’t going to end with just exchanged words. Theo looked ready to pummel Briggs into dust.
“For the first time in my life, I’m thinking clearly,” she said to Briggs, shifting to take Theo’s hand in hers. “I left you because that’s what was best for me, and you have to respect that.”
“Haven’t I always been there for you? When your mom and stepdad abandoned you.
When your brother left you to go live his own life.
I gave you a home, found you a job, took care of you.
” Briggs swallowed hard, something akin to desperation on his face.
She’d never seen him backed into a corner, that cramped space always reserved for her .
“You need to come back with me, Gretchen! I…I can’t live without you. ”
“Of course you can.”
“But—”
“I have nothing else to say to you, Briggs. It’s over. Your acceptance of that doesn’t impact my life one way or the other. I sincerely hope you are getting help, because you need it. God forbid you ever treat another woman the way you treated me.”
It would appear she’d finally pushed him too far because, eyes narrowed with fury, he pointed his finger at her threateningly. “You can’t talk to me like that, you fucking bitch!”
“It’s time for you to leave.” Theo released her hand as he placed himself completely in front of her.
Briggs stared Theo down as his mask slipped off completely. “Fuck you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Get out,” Theo said.
Briggs’s fists clenched, but he thought better of throwing a punch when Jace, Sam, and Levi appeared, standing next to Theo, building a wall of muscle in front of her.
Briggs took several steps away, aware he was outnumbered.
“You’re making a mistake, Gretchen. This guy’s gonna see what a mental case you are, and he’ll kick you to the curb. You’ll come crawling back to me soon enough, and if you’re lucky , I’ll take you back, you stupid, worthless cunt!”
Theo lunged forward, ready to charge, but Sam held him back. “Easy, bro,” Sam said.
His brother’s actions gave her time to step around him to place her hands on Theo’s chest. “Sam’s right. He’s not worth it.”
Briggs snarled. “ I’m not worth it?! Me?”
Gretchen twisted around in time to see Briggs move toward her, hand raised. The action one Gretchen had endured too many times in the past.
Mentally, she prepared herself for the blow, her eyes clenched tightly shut. But this time, it didn’t land—and when her eyelids lifted, she was shocked to see Briggs being physically dragged from the brewery by Theo, Jace, Levi, and Sam.
“I’m a fucking cop!” Briggs shouted, struggling against their relentless hold. “I’ll have you arrested for assault! Get your fucking hands off me!”
“Show up here again and I’ll get a real cop to arrest you for trespassing,” Theo threatened, as the four of them dragged him out of the brewery and to the parking lot.
Remi stepped next to Gretchen, gaping at her. “You are so fucking badass.”
“Holy shit,” Gretchen breathed. She’d been fired up in the midst of the confrontation, adrenaline taking over, but now…
Now, her hands were shaking, her heart racing, her insides quivering like they were made of Jell-O. Her knees went weak, and for a moment, she was afraid she might fall…but then she felt firm hands on her shoulders, lending her strength.
Theo had returned. He must have let his brothers finish taking out the trash so he could come back to her.
“You were incredible,” Theo said. “Jesus Christ, Gretchen. I’ve never been prouder of anyone in my life.”
Gretchen threw her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, clinging to him, his words the bolster she needed.
Or maybe bolster was the wrong word.
Because she felt something hard in his jeans, and suddenly, her body was aflame.
She pulled back at the same time Theo did, and saw the same thing reflected on his face.
“We’re heading out, Remi.” Theo didn’t bother to look at his cousin, who laughed knowingly as Gretchen lowered her legs. He wrapped a firm arm around her waist, guiding her out of the brewery.
She didn’t ask where they were going. Instead, she matched him step for rapid step, all the way along the path to the brewhouse. Theo led her to his office, pushing her inside before closing the door behind them.
Before she knew what was happening, he pressed her against the door as she gripped his shirt tightly, pulling him closer. Their lips clashed in a kiss that was almost brutal in its passion.
“I want you,” he panted.
“Then take me,” she demanded, a woman reborn. She’d never felt this powerful, this free.
Theo didn’t intend to take the scenic route, and she was perfectly fine with that. He unfastened her jeans with steady, quick fingers, shoving the denim and her panties down. Gretchen tried to kick them off, but they got stuck on her shoes.
“Dammit,” she muttered, fighting to free herself.
Theo brought his foot down on her jeans, holding them to the floor as he tugged her right knee up, managing to free that one leg.
Apparently, that was all he needed, because he didn’t bother to help her tug the left leg loose. Instead, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, dropped them to his knees, and gripped the back of her thighs.
“Wrap your legs around me and hold on,” he commanded.
The door at her back and Theo’s incredible strength held her up. He didn’t bother to touch her pussy to see if she was wet. He didn’t need to. She was so hot and ready there was probably steam rising.
“Put me inside you.” Theo’s fingers gripping her ass tightly.
Reaching between them, she guided his oh-so-hard and oh-so-fucking-huge dick to her pussy.
The first time she’d seen him naked, she genuinely worried he wouldn’t fit.
It had been a tiny stretch too much, but she loved feeling so full, and while she wasn’t a fan of pain, she found she didn’t mind Theo’s satisfying tastes of it.
Once the head of his dick slipped in, she released him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and prepared to hold on for dear life, because she’d never seen Theo look at her with so much hunger.
It was heady…and addictive.
“Do it,” she demanded.
Theo might have an alpha side, but for some reason, it turned him on when she was the one asking for what she wanted.
“As you wish,” he murmured in her ear.
And then, it was on. Theo slammed inside as Gretchen’s head reared back, banging against the door.
“God, yes,” she cried out, as he took her with a force and a need that matched her own. Gretchen’s ability to move was limited, but she still tried, using her grip around his neck to pull herself up during his withdrawals before slamming back down to meet him on the return.
Theo adjusted his grip on her ass, slanting her hips until he found that previously undiscovered spot inside her.
“Ahh!” she gasped when he stroked what she’d always considered romance novel fiction until their first time together.
Her G-spot.
Theo slammed in and out, their bodies slick with sweat. She was no fan of working out, but she could see herself becoming an exercise junkie if this counted. They came together in a flurry of fast, hard, rough, powerful thrusts.
“Touch your clit,” Theo demanded, his voice husky.
Gretchen did as he asked because she was so close, right there. She gasped as she stroked herself, and Theo pounded even harder.
“Theo!” she shouted.
“I’m there, kitten. With me.”
Gretchen’s entire body tensed, the orgasm so powerful it almost hurt. Her hands flew to Theo’s shoulders, riding out the storm as he came inside her.
She loved the way he called out her names as he climaxed. “Gretchen. Kitten!”
Once they landed, her legs dropped from his waist heavily, though she wasn’t sure they were strong enough to hold her up. Mercifully, somehow, Theo seemed to have an endless supply of strength, his hands gripping her waist, steadying her until she found her sea legs.
They remained there, leaning against the door for several minutes, simply clinging to each other.
Then Theo pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you.”
This was the second time Theo had said those words to her. And now, like the last time, she froze.
She’d said them once before to the wrong man, to a man who only wanted to possess her. She’d mistaken gratitude for love. Facing Briggs had been incredible, but it had also driven home how wrong she’d been.
“Theo—” she started.
He shook his head and pressed his thumb against her lips. “Don’t say it back.”
It was the second time she’d left him hanging. How long would it take until he decided she wasn’t worth it? Her shoulders tensed.
“I don’t know exactly what you’re thinking.” Theo cupped her cheeks. “But I know I don’t like it.”
She gave him a sad grin.
“This is a marathon, Gretchen, not a sprint.”
She raised one eyebrow, and he burst into that beautiful, boisterous, joyful Theo laugh of his.
“Fair enough,” he retorted, since she hadn’t needed to speak a word. “I’m obviously a sprinter. But you? You’re a long-distance runner, and there’s not a damn thing wrong with that.”
“I’ve said those words before and…” She gestured in the general direction of the brewery. He’d seen firsthand how that had turned out.
“I don’t want you to tell me you love me until you’re one hundred percent certain, and until you can do it without fear or without doubting yourself. Can you do that right now?”
She wished she could, but she didn’t want to lie to him. She shook her head.
“Then don’t say it. And don’t worry about not saying it. I’m a very patient man, remember?”
This time, she was the one who laughed. “So you keep saying.”
“Kitten, you are smart, brave, and beautiful. You’re worth the wait.”
Unbidden tears sprung to her eyes. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”
“Then I’ll have to say it every day until it finally sinks in.”
Gretchen wasn’t sure it ever would, but damn if she didn’t want him to try. She lifted her face, kissing him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and sinking into not only his strength but his belief and his optimism.
When they parted, she glanced down and giggled. “Look at us.” Her jeans were dangling off one foot, while his had dropped around his ankles.
Theo smirked. “We look like two people so desperate to be together, they couldn’t even take the time to undress.”
Gretchen didn’t look at him as he spoke because her gaze was locked on what was going on below his waist. “That’s some world-record recovery time,” she joked.
“What do you say to us doing a little more private celebrating here, badass, before we rejoin my family at the brewery?”
Gretchen tapped her chin, pretending to consider his offer, but it didn’t last long when he wiggled his fingers, threatening to tickle her.
“Yes,” she said.
“Good girl,” he praised. “Now go bend over my desk.”
Oh yes.