Chapter 10 – Theo
10
THEO
I wake the next morning, my body warm and sated. I feel a foot slide up my calf, and it all comes flashing back in vivid technicolor. Making the treats, bringing them over to Allegra’s. The faint herbal scent I always associate with her fills my senses.
I look down. Her arms are wrapped around me, her head on my chest, and she has one leg slung over me. We are both still naked.
I took her another time last night, and lord knows I could have gone more, but I knew she was sore from it being her first time. I’m not that much of a cuddler usually. But I slept my best night of sleep in forever. It probably has to do with my sex drought. I think it has more to do with the woman now cuddled up next to me.
I kiss the top of her head. She looks up at me, a smile curving her lips.
“Good morning, Theodore.”
I don’t even twitch when she uses my full name. She can call me an inbreeding Sasquatch as long as she says it in that sexy morning voice.
“Morning, Allegra.”
“What time is it?”
I don’t want to look. I just want to stay in bed and make love all day. Then have her sit in the kitchen wearing my shirt while I cook her food.
“Too early.”
I grab my phone because I know both of us have a full day.
“It’s just after seven, which means we have time.”
She rises to her elbow and looks down at me. She has whisker burn on her neck and chest. Her hair is a mess from my hands last night.
She’s a damned queen. My queen.
Something in my chest warms, leaves me feeling slightly lightheaded.
I open my mouth to tell her exactly what I plan on doing to her body when there is a knock at the door.
“Ignore that,” she says. “Tell me what we can do.”
I know better because I have a feeling I know who is at the door.
“Come on, open up, Five,” Raine yells through the door.
She closes her eyes. “I’m going to kill him. Like dead.”
“Killing and dead usually go together.”
Allegra opens her eyes and smiles at me. There’s that feeling again, filling my chest, and I have to fight the need to rub my chest.
“I’ll get it and give you a second to get dressed.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod and cup her face to lean forward to brush my mouth over hers. “We’ll talk about all of those things later.”
She studies me for a long second, her gaze bouncing back and forth as if trying to figure out what that comment meant. If she figures it out, I hope she tells me because I never make plans with women. She slides out of bed, giving me a view of that perfect ass, and walks to the bathroom. No trying to cover herself up.
She’s amazing.
I slip out of bed, grab my pants and step into them. I zip and button them up, then walk to the door.
“You cannot break in there, Raine,” one of the other brothers say. I think it’s Tyler.
“I can if I think she’s in distress.”
“You know Mom will have your balls if you do that, and she’s in there with Theo,” Alyx says. He’s easy to pick out because he always sounds so put out by everything.
I roll my eyes and open the door. They are all standing there, Raine with his back to me.
“Morning, Sullivans.”
Raine looks over his shoulder and takes in my state of dress.
“What the hell, man?” He turns around and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Come on in,” I say, stepping back. It’s then I notice that Allegra has made it out of the bedroom, her hair up in a messy bun, with a sexy kimono robe on. She looks…well, damn, I want to spend every morning from this morning on seeing her like this.
That one thought should have me running for the hills. It doesn’t. In fact, the idea has warmth moving through me.
“I bet you losers didn’t even show up with food for me.”
“We thought we could go to breakfast. Without him,” Raine says.
“First, that’s rude, and Mom is going to be very unhappy when I tell her about it.” He opens up his mouth to respond, but Allegra has apparently had enough. “And two, I have a massive wedding today to handle. I don’t have time to have breakfast. I’m brewing coffee.”
“I think we need to talk about the guy in your house,” Alyx says,
“I think you need to mind your own business unless you want me to talk about the party all of you had when Mom and Dad went out of town that one weekend we were stationed at Quantico.”
There is a beat of silence.
“That was years ago.”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure Mom would not be happy to know that Raine lost his virginity in her bed.”
Damn, my woman knows how to bring it. She hits the start button on the coffee pot.
“Okay, I need a shower, so all of you be nice. Or leave, you know, because I have an insane day ahead of me.”
My smile dims. “I wish Bea had never signed Rachel’s wedding contract.”
“You and me both, but there isn’t much we can do about that now. We have less than eighteen hours, and then we will be free.”
She steps up to me, gives me a quick hard kiss that has me holding onto her and not ever wanting to let her go. Then, she’s slipping away so she can take a shower.
Just then, my phone goes off.
Nancy: 911! 911!
Me: What’s up?
Nancy: BFH is here, and she is hell-bent on attacking the staff. I think you need to get here.
Dammit. I sigh.
“Duty calls?” Sully asks.
“Yeah, this bride from hell is genuinely from the depths of hades. She’s terrorizing my kitchen staff right now. “
“We aren’t through talking about this,” Raine says.
“As long as Allegra says it’s okay, then I will be happy to discuss anything with you.”
“Are you saying you would wait for Allegra to give you permission?” Alyx asks.
I nod. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to grab the rest of my clothes.”
They say nothing else, but they do make themselves at home. They are all drinking coffee, talking in low murmurs when I head out of the house.
I really don’t know what is going on in my head, but something is holding onto me, making me think about future things with Allegra. I run home, take a quick shower, and I am walking out the door in less than thirty minutes. I sent a text to the manager and also to Allegra. She was on her way over to deal with things, but I need to be there to back her up.
I slip into my car and stare up at the four-bedroom craftsman house. It’s a massive house for one man. The kitchen is perfect—I redid it when I moved in—and there is a home office, a gym, and a room that would make the perfect nursery.
I sit there for a long minute and stare at the house. What the hell? When had I ever thought of babies and nurseries?
Before I can figure that out, my phone buzzes again.
Nancy: BFH is back and demanding your presence.
I shake my head and start up the car. I’ll worry about what all of that means later after Rachel is gone and things are back to normal.