NORA #2
But the second my nerves began to settle, and I started to think that I might actually be able to fall asleep at some point, I felt the slightest brush of Theo’s pinky against mine.
Light. Careful.
Like he wasn’t sure if he should.
My breath caught.
And then his fingers brushed against mine again. This time coaxing. Asking.
So, before I could stop myself, I let my fingers curl with his.
When his fingers tightened in response, strong and warm, a slow pulse of heat moved through me.
Because we were holding hands.
In a bed.
And it isn’t for anyone else to see.
His thumb swept over my knuckles once.
Then twice.
I swallowed hard, staring into the dark.
Did this mean what happened on the beach actually hadn’t all been for show?
Did it mean there was something behind it on Theo’s side, too?
Something real?
Because if everything down there had been for Diego’s sake, we wouldn’t be holding hands like this right now. Not in the dark. Not when there was no one here to convince.
I felt him shift closer, the mattress dipping slightly.
And when he murmured, “You okay with this?” his voice was low, close enough that I could feel it against my hair.
“Yes,” I breathed, my answer coming out too fast.
Too honest.
His thumb paused, and I worried my eagerness may have scared him off. But then he caressed my knuckles again, slower this time, like he was thinking.
Like he was deciding.
I turned my head just enough to face him. “What about you? Are you okay with this?”
A soft exhale left him, one that sounded almost like a laugh, before he said, “I think so?”
And that single sentence hit me hard.
Because for him, this wasn’t just flirting. This was more serious than that.
This was him letting down his carefully guarded walls and learning how to show affection for a woman again.
Allowing himself to want after two years of holding everything back.
I rolled over before I could talk myself out of it, moving slow, careful, like I was testing the world to see if it would let me have this.
While I couldn’t see much in the dark, I could make out the line of his face, the shape of his mouth.
I could see that he was watching me.
“You’re so beautiful, Nora,” he said, his voice rougher now.
And just the way he said that made my heart hammer.
But worried that the spell we were under might break if I said anything, I kept quiet. Instead, I just shifted closer.
Close enough that my knees brushed his under the covers.
Close enough that our breaths mingled.
His other hand came up slowly, his knuckles brushing along my cheek like he was making sure I was really there.
Like he needed to reassure himself I was real.
My throat tightened at the thought, because I understood why he might need that.
Because he’d probably had too many nights over the past two years where he’d slipped back in time, and for a few fleeting moments, he hadn’t been alone. He’d been able to go back to a time when his late wife was still beside him. Where the accident hadn’t happened.
Where the life he thought he’d have for decades hadn’t been taken from him in an instant.
He’d been back in the safety and security of having a chance to raise his sweet daughter with the woman who had given birth to her, only to wake up and feel the emptiness all over again.
Theo shifted even closer. But he didn’t close the distance completely.
He was leaving that choice to me. Because at the end of the day, Theo was still a gentleman.
“I really want to kiss you,” he murmured, his voice low. “I’m just trying to do this right. With you.”
Warmth and ache mixed together in my chest tightened. Because of course that would be his worry. Not himself. Not his ego.
But me.
“I don’t think you can do it wrong,” I whispered. “But we can take it slow, if that helps.”
“Okay…” he breathed, his gaze holding mine, steady and intent—like he was committing my face and everything about this moment to memory.
Then his hand came up slowly, his knuckles brushing my cheek first before his palm settled there, warm and firm in a way that made my stomach flip.
He paused again, his eyes searching mine.
Still checking.
Still making sure.
I didn’t say anything. I just leaned into his hand.
And then, just a few jittery heartbeats later, Theo leaned in even further, closing the last inch of space between us to kiss me.
His lips were soft.
Careful.
Like he was relearning something he’d forgotten he was allowed to want.
And even though it was one of the gentlest kisses I’d ever had, it hit me hard anyway.
Heat rushed through me so fast it felt like my body had been waiting for that exact touch, like everything in me had just snapped awake.
I kissed him back.
Slow at first, matching him, letting him choose the pace, letting him feel that I was right here and not going anywhere.
His breath shuddered against my lips.
Then his hand slid from my cheek to the side of my neck, thumb pressing lightly beneath my ear like he needed an anchor. Like he needed proof that this was real.
And since I didn’t want him to second-guess it, I moved closer. Closing the space between us fully, my fingers curling at his wrist, guiding him with a quiet yes.
And the second he felt that, the kiss changed. Becoming more wild. More reckless.
Deeper and more sure.
His mouth pressed against mine with a slow, steady hunger that made my entire body tighten. He kissed me like he was learning me, like he wanted to memorize the way I tasted, the way I softened for him, the way my breath hitched when he lingered.
My hand slid up into his hair, fingers sinking into the soft strands at the nape of his neck.
“Mmmmm,” Theo moaned, letting out a low, guttural growl slip past his throat. And I didn’t know what it was, but there was just something about the wild sound of it that sent a shock of need straight through me.
I kissed him again, a little more feverishly this time, and when his grip tightened at my neck, I knew that he, too, was slipping.
Which was a very heady thought. That I could have that effect on him.
That this kiss might be as good for him as it was for me.
I closed the last bit of space between us, my leg sliding over his hip beneath the covers.
And I didn’t know what I expected him to do, but I hadn’t anticipated his strong hand finding my waist in the dark and pulling me in like he needed me closer. Like he wasn’t willing to let me hover at the edge of this.
And, oh my heck, when his hips pressed up against mine, lining us up and grinding deliciously against me, a sharp pulse of heat shot through my body, turning my thoughts to static.
“That feels way too good,” he mumbled, pulling away briefly to look at me. Even in the darkness, I could sense the intensity in his focus. Like he wanted to learn everything about me.
He kissed me again. His tongue brushing against my lower lip as if he was asking a question.
And not about to turn him down, I immediately opened my mouth to him. Letting him explore.
Our tongues met and tangled, and for a long moment I forgot about everything else. The bed. The room. The fact that this night had started as pretending.
No, I didn’t want to think about any of that. All I wanted was to focus on the way he tasted. And how he was kissing me like he’d been starving.
His hand slipped under the bottom hem of my cami, palm spreading across my back. Warm skin to warm skin. He traced up along my ribs, fingers exploring like he wanted to learn the shape of me by touch alone.
And when his thumb grazed the delicate skin just beneath my breast, a sensation I hadn’t felt before shot straight through me.
“Oh, Theo,” I said, a small gasping sound escaping before I could stop it. I pulled back just a fraction, needing just a little space in order to draw in air like a normal person.
Because kissing Theo Archibald apparently caused my lungs to forget how to draw in a decent breath.
“Is this okay?” Theo asked, voice rough as he rested his forehead against mine. “Do you want me to stop?”
“No.” I shook my head, my answer coming out fast. “Please don’t stop.”
For the love of everything I’ve ever cared about in the world, just let this dream I seem to have slipped into keep going.
I drew in another shaky breath, my hands gripping his shirt like it was the only thing keeping me grounded.
“This is…” I exhaled, trying again. “This is amazing.” I took in another breath, deeper this time. “I just need to catch my breath,” I admitted, cheeks hot even though he couldn’t see them.
And like the gentleman he was, he didn’t laugh. He didn’t tease.
He just shifted, like he understood exactly what I needed, giving me space to breathe while he focused on something else.
His lips moved to my neck, pressing a firm kiss at the base of my throat.
I tipped my head back without thinking, giving him more room, and he took it like he was grateful for the permission—trailing slow kisses along the sensitive skin, making shivers of pleasure race from the back of my head all the way down my spine.
And while his mouth traveled toward the sensitive spot beneath my ear, his hand stayed at my ribs, gripping and smoothing. Holding me like he was fighting the urge to explore more.
But even though he was keeping things strictly PG-13, when his lips dragged across my collarbone, unhurried and sure, I knew I was in trouble.
Because if he kept kissing me like this, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to refrain from trying to take things further.
And when his hand flexed against my ribs, I had a feeling that he was having the same problem.
His mouth paused on my skin for one shaky beat, then he lifted his head and found my lips again, like he couldn’t help it. Like breathing without me was suddenly an inconvenience.
The kiss wasn’t gentle anymore.
It wasn’t messy, either. It was controlled in a way that made it even worse, like he was holding himself back with both hands while still giving me enough to make my knees go soft.
His palm slid up my back, and when his thumb traced the sensitive space along my ribs again, my whole body lit up.