Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
sam
We danced in his living room, and I didn’t know if it was the wine, the weeks of tension, or the way he said I want you like it was a promise, but something cracked open in me. And when he carried me to the bed, something settled too.
He undressed me with care. There was no rush this time, no hunger.
He just seemed in awe of me. As if every inch of skin revealed were a secret, I was letting him keep it.
And when he kissed me, his hands framing my face, I swear the world disappeared.
“Are you okay?” he whispered, already inside the moment, but waiting for my yes.
I nodded, breath catching. “More than okay.”
We moved together as if it were always meant to be this way. No fight for control, no game to play, just warmth, trust. Skin on skin, heart to heart. I traced the lines of his shoulders, felt his muscles shift under my touch. He looked down at me like I was something sacred.
Like I was his.
And that’s when I felt him, pushing into me, slow, deep, almost grounding me. I gasped into his mouth. It wasn’t lust that stole my breath. We weren’t just having sex this time.
This was different. Something I’ve never felt with him until now. Now that I think about it, I haven’t felt this with anyone before him.
His body moved against mine with a rhythm that felt like music, slow, sure, and steady. I wrapped my arms around his back, fingers pressing into his skin like I could anchor myself to the moment. To him.
He kissed me again, as I rolled my hips to meet his moves.
And this time, it was less about wanting or desire.
It was more about being there, present in this exact moment.
His lips brushed mine, soft moans and hushed gasps escaping between us as our foreheads pressed together, our breath mingling in the space that had grown impossibly small between us.
“I don’t want to stop feeling like this,” I whispered, not even meaning the sex, though that was incredible, but the softness of it. The surrender. “You won’t,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “I’m here. I'll always be here. If you want me.”
I believed him. Not because he promised me anything, but because of the way he held me. Like I wasn’t a secret anymore or a mistake. Like I was something he’d been searching for. Which says a lot about an almost forty divorced man.
I cupped his jaw as his pace slowed, more a rocking now than thrusting, every movement drawing me deeper into the safety of him.
I felt the tremble in his shoulders when I whispered his name, felt the way he shuddered as I kissed his throat.
“I want you.” And when I came, it was quiet, trembling, overwhelmed by all the sensations.
He followed seconds later, burying his face in my neck as he gasped my name like a vow.
Something like… love?
“Are you tired?” he asked softly, fingers trailing down my arm. “Not really,” I murmured, shifting so my cheek rested against his chest. “I feel like if I fall asleep, I’ll miss it.”
“Miss what?”
“This,” I whispered. He hummed low in his throat. “I’m yours, Samantha. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know,” I said, even if a small part of me didn’t. But it felt right. He felt right. Theo turned his head slightly, resting his chin against the top of mine.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” I smiled against his skin. “I still don’t know how to fold a fitted sheet.” He chuckled. “No one does.”
“Your turn.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’m scared to ruin this.” My breath caught. “Why?”
“Because I haven’t been in a serious relationship for a while, and the last one, well, it didn’t end with a happily ever after.” I lifted my head to look at him. “First of all, that wasn’t your fault. And you have nothing to worry about with me. You haven’t ruined anything.”
“I hope I don’t,” he said, brushing a knuckle along my jaw. “It’s just that… You matter to me. Way more than I expected. And I don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize it.”
“You won’t,” I said, threading my fingers through his. “Just don’t stop showing up.” His eyes softened. “Deal.” We lay there for a long time after that, fingers laced, hearts slower, the weight of our honesty settling gently over the bed like a second blanket.
And when I finally closed my eyes, sleep came easily, for the first time in a very long time.
Sunlight spilled in through the curtains, brushing warm gold across the white sheets and the edge of Theo’s jaw.
I blinked slowly, letting the moment settle before moving.
His arm was draped over my waist, heavy with sleep, and his chest rose and fell in a rhythm that made me want to stay right where I was forever.
I turned onto my side carefully, watching him.
His hair was a little messy, his lips parted just slightly, the kind of peace you only ever get to see when someone trusts you enough to be vulnerable in their sleep.
I’d never seen him like this, soft. He stirred a little, and his eyes opened, slow and lazy.
“Morning,” he said, voice raspy and barely awake.
“Morning,” I whispered back, smiling. He tightened his arm around me, burying his face in my neck. “What time is it?” I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Not even seven. We’ve got time.”
“Mmm.” He kissed the curve of my shoulder. “Stay.” His thumb traced small circles against my hip under the blanket. My leg hooked over his. Every now and then, one of us would smile for no reason at all. Eventually, he whispered, “I like waking up like this.”
“Like what?”
“With you here. In my bed. In my arms.”
My heart fluttered. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Let’s make it a habit.” I laughed softly. “Careful, Mr. Jones, that sounds dangerously close to you wanting a long-term commitment.”
He smirked. “I’m not afraid of that. Not with you.
” He kissed my forehead, then my cheek, lingering for a breath longer than usual.
I felt the smile still on my lips, the warmth between us undisturbed, cocooned in sheets, and something more than comfort.
His voice was quiet when he said it, but steady. “Move in with me.”
My smile faltered, eyes blinking open. “What?” He propped himself up on one elbow, brushing a strand of hair away from my face.
“I’m serious, Sam.” I sat up slightly, heart skipping once, maybe twice.
“We just made this official like five minutes ago.”
“Well, that was you. I made it official when I saw you enter the building and figured out I had feelings for you,” he said so effortlessly.
“Last night wasn’t just about sex. Not for me. And this, waking up to you, it’s not something I want to keep doing part-time.” I stared at him, searching for the catch. The edge. The control. But there wasn’t any. Just honesty.
“I know it’s fast,” he added, softer now. “And I don’t expect an answer right this second. But I meant what I said last night, I’m not playing games. I want you here. In this bed. In this life. By my side.”
I reached out, fingers tangling gently in his. “I didn’t take you for a romantic man, but you have surprised me.” That earned a crooked grin.
“And you,” I whispered, pulling him in for a kiss, “are very good at ruining my plans for emotional detachment.”
He kissed me back, and we got ready for the day.
“Wait. Back up.” Rose dropped the half-folded sweater she was holding and turned toward me, eyes wide.
“He said what?” I flopped dramatically onto her bed. “Move in with me.”
“No. No, no, no. You don’t just drop that into conversation like it’s ‘pass the salt.’ Are you kidding me? He asked you to move in? As in… toothbrush in the same cup? Shared laundry baskets? Groceries together?”
“Okay, calm down,” I said, staring up at the ceiling like it might offer answers. “It wasn’t like a big, dramatic proposal. We were literally in bed, and he just kind of… said it.”
“Naked in bed after amazing sex the previous night is the worst time to make real estate decisions, Sam.” I laughed. “You sound like my subconscious.” She grabbed a throw pillow and smacked me with it. “I’m your subconscious. So? What did you say?”
“I didn’t say yes,” I admitted. “But I didn’t say no either.” Rose stared at me for a beat, then sat beside me, folding her legs up.
“Do you want to?” I sighed, tugging the pillow under my arm. “That’s the part that’s freaking me out. Because… yeah. I think I do.”
“Oh my god.”
“I know.”
“You are in love with him,” she said in a teasing singsong voice. I groaned. “That’s terrifying, but yeah, I think I am.”
“Samantha Hayes,” she said, holding up a finger. “You are in love with a man who cooks you dinner, makes you laugh, and makes you come so hard you forget your name.” I gave her a look. “Thanks for the poetic recap.”
“I’m just saying,” she added more gently, “sometimes the best decisions don’t come with a five-year plan.
Sometimes it’s just about the person. And if he’s the kind of man who makes you feel safe when everything else is not, maybe it’s worth saying yes.
” I blinked at her. “When did you get so wise?”
She shrugged. “Somewhere between tequila shots and dating emotionally unavailable DJs.” We both laughed, and I lay my head on her shoulder.
“You will say yes,” she said. “I can hear it in your voice.”
On Sunday night, I didn’t call or text him to ask if I could come over, because if I did, I might chicken out.
If I hesitated for even a second, I’d start thinking about how insane this was.
About how fast things were moving. About what it meant.
So instead, I went to his apartment and knocked on his door.
To my surprise, when I tried to open it, the door slid open.
Theo looked up from the kitchen island, where a half-empty glass of wine sat next to his open laptop.
He froze when he saw me. Then his eyes dropped to the suitcase in my hand.
To the overnight bag slung over my shoulder.
To me, standing there with a heartbeat so loud I could barely hear myself speak when I finally said… “Yes.”
He blinked. “What?” I set the bag down, hard.
“I also want my days with you, my mornings in your bed, and my coffee in your kitchen.” For a long, quiet moment, he didn’t move. He didn’t speak. Then, just like that, his face cracked into that boyish smile I’d fallen for a hundred times already.
He came toward me without hesitation, wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted me clean off the floor. “You’re really doing this?” he murmured into my neck, voice almost disbelieving.
“Yeah,” I whispered back. “I’m all in.”
He set me down, cupped my face in both hands, and kissed me like he already knew this was forever.