Nora #2
“Oh crap,” I whispered, my stomach instantly dropping.
Please tell me I didn’t just ruin Alisha’s dress.
Carefully, I tried tugging it again from a slightly different angle.
Nothing.
I pulled the zipper back up, hoping maybe it would reset itself somehow.
It didn’t budge.
“Come on…” I muttered under my breath, twisting slightly to see if I could reach the fabric better.
The zipper was definitely caught on something.
I tugged again, a little harder this time.
Still nothing.
Panic prickled up my spine.
Great. Just great.
I had managed to survive a house fire, lost almost everything I owned, and somehow the thing that was going to ruin my night was destroying one of Theo’s late wife’s dresses.
I carefully tried to work the zipper loose with my fingers, but the fabric refused to give. After another minute of struggling, I groaned quietly and dropped my hands.
I could not sleep in this dress.
And I definitely couldn’t live in it forever.
Which meant…
I had to ask Theo for help.
My stomach did a little nervous flip at the thought.
Still, I stepped out into the hallway. The lights were dim, but a soft glow spilled from beneath Theo’s bedroom door.
He must be in there now.
I hesitated outside the door for a moment, suddenly second-guessing the whole idea.
Maybe I could figure it out myself.
Maybe the zipper would magically free itself if I just… tried harder?
Yeah. That probably wouldn’t do anything.
With a quiet sigh, I knocked.
There was a pause. Then the door opened.
And my brain immediately forgot how to function because Theo stood right there, wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants.
His chest was bare and his broad shoulders were all lean muscle, the faint outline of his abs on full display, which made my brain momentarily short-circuit.
Oh.
Oh wow.
“Did you need something?” he asked.
Right.
Words.
I should probably use those.
“Uh… yes,” I said, feeling heat rush straight to my face. “I was trying to unzip this dress, but I think the zipper got caught on something because I can’t get it loose.”
He blinked.
“So, I was wondering if you could maybe… check it?” I gestured vaguely toward my back. “Just to see if you can get it unstuck.”
His expression shifted slightly, like he was trying very hard not to think about what I’d just asked.
Then, because my mouth apparently had no filter tonight, I added quickly, “I promise I’m not trying to seduce you or anything.”
Theo huffed out a quiet laugh. “Well, that’s reassuring.”
Mortified, I turned around before I could make things worse. “Just tell me if you see what it’s caught on.”
I felt him step closer behind me.
The air shifted instantly, and I could feel the warmth of his body even before he touched me.
Then his fingers brushed the back of my dress and every nerve ending in my body lit up.
“Looks like the zipper just caught on the lining,” he said quietly.
His fingers worked carefully at the fabric until the zipper slid down an inch.
Then another.
Unzipping all the way down until the dress loosened around my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I said, peeking over my shoulder at him, the fabric shifting with the movement enough to expose more of my back to the cool air.
“You’re welcome,” he said, his voice huskier than usual.
But instead of stepping away like I expected now that the problem was solved, his hand lingered. His fingertips traced lightly along my spine before drifting to the side, following a thin line I’d almost forgotten was there.
“What’s this from?” he asked, his voice sounding thicker than it had a moment ago.
I blinked, my brain taking a second to catch up. “Oh,” I said, my breath hitching in my chest. “That?”
“Yeah.” His finger followed the faint scar again.
“Dog bite,” I said, swallowing. “When I was thirteen.”
My mind flickered back to the summer after seventh grade. To Becca’s backyard.
To the moment her boyfriend gave the signal, and his dog came at me from behind.
Stop.
I shoved the memory away before it could go any further.
“That must’ve been a big dog,” Theo said quietly, his fingers moving slowly along the scar again, almost like he was tracing the shape of it.
“It was,” I murmured.
“How are you around dogs now?”
Was he stalling? Asking random questions to keep me here with him just a little longer?
He cleared his throat. “I’ve heard of people getting phobias after something like that.”
“I like little dogs,” I said, wanting to stall right along with him. “Like the pug Charlotte and I saw at the park last week. That one was really cute.”
Theo huffed out a soft laugh behind me. “But you don’t like big dogs?”
I shook my head. “Not really.”
Big dogs were scary.
The owners of certain big dogs were even worse.
The thought passed through my mind before I pushed it aside.
I wanted to focus on the present moment. This moment right here with Theo. Focus on the way his nearness made it impossible to breathe normally. The heat of him standing so close behind me.
What would it be like to kiss him? The thought slipped in before I could stop it.
His mouth moving with mine would feel so nice. I could almost imagine the exact way he would kiss me.
His lips would be warm. Firm.
Careful at first… like he was testing whether it was okay.
My stomach fluttered as the picture became more vivid.
Would he pull me closer?
Would his hands settle at my waist the way they had on the dance floor?
Would he tilt my chin up and deepen the kiss until it made my head spin?
Heat crept up my neck just at the thought of it. Pretty sure kissing Theo would be a life-altering experience.
“Nora,” Theo mumbled, his hand sliding up my back to rest lightly on my shoulder.
And just the way he said my name made my pulse jump.
His hand slid gently along my arm, turning me toward him.
When I faced him again, he was closer than I had expected. Close enough that I could see the conflict in his eyes.
Close enough that if either of us leaned forward, even an inch, our bodies would touch.
We stood there like that for a long moment, breathing the same air.
His eyes dropped briefly to my mouth before lifting back to my eyes, and the look there made my pulse stumble.
And suddenly, all I could hear was the soft rhythm of his breathing.
My gaze drifted down to his lips. And before I could stop myself, I was imagining it again—what it would be like to kiss him.
Because a kiss would be so nice.
But this was Theo.
The guy I’d spent the past year trying—and failing—not to like.
The man whose house I was now apparently going to be living in.
My boss.
If I leaned forward right now and tried to kiss him and he pulled away?
Yeah… I didn’t think I’d recover from that.
And I really did like my job.
Besides… hadn’t just dancing with me been a big step for him tonight? Doing anything more would probably feel like jumping ten steps ahead, and I didn’t want to scare him away.
Still…
He looked really good right now.
And the way he was looking at me… Well, it was hard to believe that I was the only one thinking about it.
Maybe we could have just a tiny kiss.
We didn’t have to go all crazy about it. If it only lasted for a few seconds, maybe we could keep things normal.
Maybe everything would be fine after that.
I mean, he was still standing here, wasn’t he? Standing here in just his sweatpants, looking all hot and sexy and like every fantasy I’d ever had come to life.
And I really doubted I was imagining the heat in his eyes. My imagination was good, but not that good.
The moment stretched.
One heartbeat.
Then two.
Three.
Theo’s hand lifted as if he meant to touch my face.
He hesitated halfway there, his fingers hovering near my cheek. And for a second, it seemed like he might actually close the distance. Like he might actually lean in.
But instead of caressing my cheek like I was hoping for, his hand slowly curled into a loose fist before dropping back to his side.
“Sorry.” He took a small step back, the expression in his eyes shifting. “I should probably let you get to bed,” he said, his voice rougher than before. “I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Exhausted?
Yeah… Pretty sure I had never been more alert in my life.
But he was right.
Staying here another second would be dangerous. Bring on consequences I wasn’t sure we could come back from.
So instead of finding an excuse to linger, I said, “You’re right. It’s been a long day, and I could use the sleep.”
You know… unless you change your mind in the next three seconds and invite me to stay.
And for a split second, it almost seemed like he might do just that.
But then, his hand came up, tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, and he said, “Goodnight, Nora,” his gorgeous green eyes searching mine. “Sleep well.”
“Goodnight, Theo.”
Then, before I could make a further spectacle of myself, I turned and walked down the hall toward my room.