Chapter 7
Heat rolled off Theo’s body. He was close. Too close.
Forced to be in his proximity like this, I had no choice but to endure these feelings. They were always there, bubbling under the surface, torturing me with their incessant appearance at the worst possible moments.
I was sure Theo could see my nipples harden when he came near me. I hadn’t thought about it when I’d left the house in this thin white silk dress, but now I desperately wished I’d brought a sweater.
I wondered if he could smell the scent of my desire for him. I wondered what he would do if he knew it was me he’d been playing with in the temple the last few weeks.
Tonight, my body did what it always did when he was within ten feet of me. My heart rate quickened, my blood rushed through my veins, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Nobody else had this effect on me, and it was incredibly frustrating that it was Theo, of all people, who did. My brother’s best friend.
I’ve often wondered if West could see it. Nobody I’ve dated has ever been good enough for my overprotective brother, and I guess nobody ever would be. I knew without a doubt if Theo ever laid a hand on me, West would lose his mind.
That didn’t keep Theo from flashing me those looks full of smoldering, forbidden desire when nobody else was watching, though.
With West and Kaylee lost in each other’s eyes, Theo took the opportunity to catch my gaze and hold it hostage. He had a way of doing that, like he knew I was powerless to look away.
He stared at me like he could see right through me. Could he see how much I wanted him? Was that my desire I saw reflected in his eyes? Or was it his own?
Did he know?
I’d never ask.
But sometimes, I liked to push the envelope, just a teeny tiny bit. It usually occurred when I had a little too much to drink. Like tonight. My resistance was low, I was weak and increasingly willing to throw caution to the wind. I was this close to giving in to the urge to press him up against the wall. I was ready to finally do all the things I’d imagined doing to him in my darkest fantasies, without my mask on.
With a slow smile, I closed the distance between us. Standing right in front of him, never breaking his gaze, I pressed my breasts against his folded arms and looked up at him innocently.
“Having a good night, Theo?”
He moved his arm away like I’d burned him, taking a step backwards to increase the distance between us. I flashed him a knowing smile, pleased to see his reaction. It felt good to know this was hard for him, too.
“Yeah,” he muttered.
“Those ladies seemed to be very enamored by you,” I whispered.
“Oh.” He shrugged, his eyes darting over to them and back to me quickly. “Whatever…”
I cocked my head, feeling mischievous and wanting to ruffle his feathers a little more, just because I could.
“Have you thought about taking them downstairs? I’d bet they’d be a lot of fun.”
“They aren’t members,” he said, wrinkling a brow. “Not everyone is into that, Everleigh.”
“No, not everyone is, are they?” I grabbed a lock of my hair. Twirling it around my finger, I bit my bottom lip. His gaze darted down to my lips and back up again, a storm developing in his eyes. “But some are, right, Theo? Like us?”
I longed to reach out and touch him. I wanted to feel his skin sliding under my fingertips. I wanted to feel the tight ripple of the abs that I knew resided under that expensive black button down he was wearing. But I couldn’t. All I could do was use my words.
Was I also torturing myself while I tortured and teased him? Sure. But it was a delicious price to pay to see the look in his eyes once he realized what I was doing.
“You’re impossible,” he said.
“Am I? I’m just stating the facts. We both like the same things. Is that so bad?”
“You and I both know what you’re doing, Everleigh. Stop it.”
“Oh, you’re no fun.”
“And you’re spoiled. Why do you have to make this worse?”
“How can I be spoiled, if I never get what I want?” I asked, biting my lip again. There were a lot of things I wanted. Challenging roles that paid well and access to Theo’s body were at the top of that list. If he and West weren’t best friends, I’d at least get one thing.
He groaned, low and slow, before slowly shaking his head at me. “You’re going to get us both killed, woman.”
He turned and walked away, leaving me alone with unmet desire pulsing through my body.
Frustrated, lonely, and angry, I set out through the club, looking for someone else, someone permissible, to take my frustrations out on. There was a club full of beautiful people to pursue. But somehow, they never enticed me as much as the forbidden fruit that I knew hung between Theo’s legs.
I couldn’t help but wonder if tonight would be the night that he finally fucked his anonymous partner in the temple. My pussy quivered in anticipation.