Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Livie
Traffic sucked, and Theo didn’t pull into Livie’s driveway until almost eleven. Theo grabbed their bags, and Livie mumbled, “Let the shit show being,”
“Whatever happens when we go inside, I’ve got your back, baby. I won’t let them treat you like crap. Not on my watch,” Theo said. Then he gave her one of his heart-stopping smiles.
“Thank you—for everything you’ve already done and are about to do. You’ll deserve a bronze star after this.”
He chuckled and shook his head, following her as she made her way to the front door. Squaring her shoulders, Livie turned the knob and walked in.
As they stepped inside, she heard the television from the other room. Her father loved his surround sound, and he played it loud. It was one of the few things her parents argued over.
“Mom, Dad, I’m home and I brought company,” Livie called as she closed the front door.
“You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone with you?—”
If Livie hadn’t been so stressed, she would have giggled at the comical look on her mom’s face as she came to greet them. Her jaw actually dropped, like one of the cartoon characters from her childhood.
“Yeah, well, surprise. I wasn’t sure he’d be able to make it with his work schedule. He got approval this morning, so it was a last-minute thing. Yay. Anyway, this is Theo Larson.” If they only knew how spur of the moment it was, her mother’s jaw wouldn’t be the only thing hitting the floor.
“Livie, glad you finally made it home. Well, well. Who’s this?” Her dad stopped short when he saw them in the entranceway. George Anderson asked as he stalked toward them.
“Hi Dad, this is Theo, my boyfriend.”
Theo held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Livie has told me so much about you.”
It took all her willpower to keep Livie from rolling her eyes. Theo was giving an Oscar-level performance.
“Really? That’s a surprise. She hasn’t mentioned you at all. But please come in. You must be tired. It’s late,” her mom said, as her gaze darted between Livie and Theo, before shaking his hand.
Livie could almost see the wheels turning in her mom’s head, trying to unravel any subterfuge.
Her dad yawned and squeezed her mom’s shoulder after shaking Theo’s hand. “I’m heading to bed. We can talk at breakfast. It’s nice to meet you, Theo.”
“Same here, Mr. Anderson. See you in the morning.”
Her dad nodded and headed up the stairs. The huge center hall colonial had three levels, if you counted the basement, and five bedrooms. Livie had shared her love of sliding down that banister as a child. It was the home she’d grown up in and still looked the same. With so much room, she’d told Theo her mom would put him in one of the guest rooms. So, color her surprised when she guessed wrong.
“Livie, Melissa put clean sheets on your bed this morning. It’s all ready for you.”
“What about Theo?” Livie asked
“He’ll stay with you,” her mom said, stopping to turn around to make sure they followed her. “Oh, and turn off that light, would you?”
Livie and Theo exchanged glances, and he shrugged. This was going to complicate things.
“Sure. Really?”
“Livie, you’re almost twenty-eight. I’m sure you sleep with Theo all the time. We’re all adults here.”
“It’s a twin bed. Have you looked at Theo?”
“Nothing wrong with a little cuddling. Right, Theo?” her mom asked.
Theo chuckled from behind Livie. This was a disaster. How was she supposed to share a bed with her fake boyfriend? Her extremely sexy, drool-worthy, not-real boyfriend.
“If you’re okay with it, I definitely won’t object. C’mon, baby, it’s late and you’re exhausted. You need some sleep.” Theo’s hand rested at the base of Livie’s spine, and she leaned against him without thinking.
“Fine. Good night, Mom. See you in the morning.”
Her mom saw everything, from the way Theo touched her, to his words. After a forced smile, she said, “Night, Olivia, Theo. See you at eight for breakfast.”
“Yup.” Livie rolled her eyes as her mom walked down the hall. Then she turned and looked up at Theo. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’ll be fine.”
“You haven’t seen my room yet. Just wait.” Livie grinned. Sure, he thought it was fine now. Wait until he stepped inside. It looked like someone had thrown Pepto Bismol on the walls. They’d decorated it when she was ten and it was still the same.
Livie led Theo in the opposite direction. Thankfully, her parents would be on the other side of the house. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said. Then she opened the door and reached inside to flip the light switch.
She winced as the bright pink color slapped her in the face. At the low whistle, she turned to see Theo’s expression.
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” Livie muttered as they stepped further into the room.
Theo grinned as he stepped inside and closed the door. “I think it’s um, very…” His hesitation made her giggle.
“Can’t come up with the right word, can you? Shocking? Nauseating? Revolting? Offensive? I could go on. Any of them would work. Maybe that’s why she put you in here instead of in the guest room—it’s an erection killer.”
Theo snorted. “Oh baby, it’ll take more than bubblegum walls to do that.”
Livie’s breath caught in her throat at his words. Did he mean what he was implying? He couldn’t have. This was all make believe, right?
“You can use the closet. There’s plenty of room. The bathroom is across the hall. Sorry no ensuite. My brother and sister will be here for breakfast, so be careful to be covered up in the morning. No walking around in your underwear. Uh, you wear it, right?” Livie’s cheeks heated for the fifty millionth time since he’d sat next to her on the plane.
“Yes, I do. Boxer briefs. In fact, you’ll be seeing them soon since I didn’t pack pajamas. I didn’t have to worry about that at my parent’s house.”
“No T-shirts, sweats, or gym shorts?” At his negative nod, Livie closed her eyes. Just thinking about him in tight boxer briefs, displaying all his assets, made her insides flutter. Holy crow, she was in trouble. "Oh my god, this just keeps getting worse. Look at that bed. We’ll practically have to sleep on top of each other. That won’t work. I’ll take the floor. Sleeping with me goes above and beyond your job description.”
Theo sighed. “You’re not sleeping on the floor. We’ll share the bed. We’re adults. It’ll be fine.”
Livie wanted to agree with him, but the thought of his muscular body stretched out against her made her panties wet. “You’ve got to be kidding
“No, I’m not. Besides, what if your mom or dad walked in to check and one of us was on the floor? How would that look?”
“Crap. You’re right. I can picture my mother doing that for sure. She looked suspicious tonight, and she’ll try to figure out if we’re up to something. I mean, we are, but the last thing I need is for them to figure it out.”
“Exactly.” Theo ran his hand through his short chestnut hair. “I’ll go brush my teeth so you can get ready for bed. I’ll leave my jeans on, don’t worry.” He grabbed his backpack and slipped through the door.
“Holy shit balls. How the hell did I get myself into this mess?” Livie whispered. They’d shared a lot about each other in the car, and the more she learned about him, the more she liked him. He was a manifestation of her dreams before. Now that she knew how amazing he was, it would be hard not to fall for him. She’d have to keep reminding herself this was all just a fantasy.
Livie unzipped her suitcase and dug out what she’d need to get ready for bed. She could deal with the rest in the morning. If she didn’t get sleep soon, she’d fall over. What was she going to wear to bed? After chewing on her thumbnail and contemplating the minimal choices, she chose her oversized Norfolk University T-shirt. It would work—nothing sexy about that. The silk pjs she usually slept in might give him the wrong idea.
Her phone buzzed, and seeing Patience’s name, she cringed. “Damn, I forgot to text.” With everything going on, she’d completely forgotten.
Patience: Did you get there yet?
Livie: Yeah. We got here about a half hour ago. I’m sorry I didn’t text.
Patience: We? Are you royal now?
Livie: Nope. I snagged a fake boyfriend.
Patience: You did what? Girl, I was kidding. What did you do? Pick up some random guy in the airport?
Livie: I know you were, but karma happened. It’s Theo.
Patience: WHAT?
Livie laughed. Patience probably really yelled that out.
Livie: Yeah. It’s like you can see the future. He sat next to me on the flight to Atlanta. Then his connecting flight got canceled, and he volunteered.
Patience: Holy shit. I need to know everything.
Livie: You’ll have to wait. He’ll be back any minute. And I need sleep.
Patience: Are you sleeping with him?
Livie rolled her eyes at the phone.
Livie: Yes, but not like you think. I’ll explain tomorrow. Maybe. *Sticking out tongue emoji* Night.
Patience: You can’t leave me hanging like this. *Crying emoji*
Livie: Love you. Talk tomorrow. Xo
It was kind of fun to torture Patience a little, but she really couldn’t explain it all now. It was too much to text. Plus, Theo would be back any minute from the bathroom.
Livie connected her phone to the charger and hurried to get changed. She just sat down on the edge of the bed when Theo opened the door.
“It’s all yours, baby.” Theo smiled as he made his way into her room.
He was shirtless, and it took her breath away. True to his word, he still had his jeans on. To say the man was fine would be the understatement of the century.
Livie dragged her gaze away from Theo’s yumminess and made her way to the bathroom. It looks like it was cold shower time.