13. Theo #2
The white siding contrasted with the black thin window frames.
There was a natural wood door centered on the house, flanked by large floor-to-ceiling window packages, with three matching window packages on the second-floor.
There was a covered front porch with the swing my mum loved on the right side mounted to the covering with chains.
The front had been landscaped and garden beds framed either side of the three-step raised porch.
“Theo…” She looked over at me and placed a hand on my arm as she smiled up at me. “This is beautiful. I’m sure your mom would have loved it.” Her words settled something in my chest.
“Let’s go inside.” I took her hand and led her up the steps to the door.
The top of the line security system that Jaxon installed blared as I unlocked the door and I quickly disarmed it. I flicked on the lights and turned to look back at Quinn who had stopped a few steps into the house.
Wide plank oak floors ran throughout the space. To our left there were stairs to the second floor and the basement. To our right was a coat closet and the sliding dark wood barn doors that lead to the office.
“This is incredible.” She looked around and then up at the chandelier above us.
“I didn’t pick that.” I pointed up at it, causing her to smile before she moved further into the space.
The tall ceilings were accented with thick dark wood beams, the open space was bright and inviting with the large windows at the back of the house.
On our left was a seating area with a long couch and two armchairs surrounding a wood burning fireplace and built-in-shelves on either side.
The middle of the room hosted a ten-person wood dining table set in front of floor to ceiling doors.
They slide open to lead out to the deck and two steps down from there was the large yard that had a fire pit, and backed onto a nature reserve that could never be developed on.
The kitchen took up the right side of the main floor, with a large island in an L shape.
Along the back wall were white upper cabinets, a large gas range and a dark wood hood vent that was stained the same as the beams. The white marble counters still sparkled since they had never been used.
The deep farmhouse sink sat along the back wall in front of windows, surrounded by wood shiplap on the wall.
I had made decisions about every single element in this room, my mum had talked about it. Even though I’d been young, she had ran through her dream interior so often I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was proud of how it turned out, and I did love it here.
“I can’t believe you don’t stay here all the time.” She ran her hands over the back of the couch. “This place is a dream.” I swelled with pride at her words. She looked out at the large yard. “You need a dog.”
“Do you want a dog?” I asked, watching as she turned to look at me. I’d already told her I was a dog person and she had agreed, but I was curious how she felt about having one.
“Absolutely, I’ve always wanted one, especially with a yard like this.”
I tucked that in my file of things I knew about her that I could use later.
“You’re the first woman I’ve ever brought here,” I spoke before I really thought about what I was saying. I wanted her to know she was special, I wanted her to know she was different.
“Really?” she asked skeptically. “That isn’t your move for all the girls?” I liked the jealousy that her tone couldn’t hide. I had moved into the kitchen, crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the island while she stayed near the couch.
“Why didn’t you come find me tonight? You knew I was there.” It had been bothering me that she had been there and I didn’t know. I was fine if she wanted to hang out with her friends, but she could have told me she was down there.
She looked down at her shoes and shrugged. “I had a rule.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “A rule?”
“Yes, well two actually. They were a result of…” She appeared to edit herself before she kept going.
“One was that I wasn’t going to look upstairs and the second was to get drunk.
The second rule I’d been doing quite well on.
Unfortunately, seeing my ex and then having him grab me was kind of sobering.
Plus, I was probably going to come find you anyway.
” She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, biting her lip.
I could tell she was holding something back from me. That she’s been about to blurt out something more, but she’d stopped herself. “What were your rules a result of?”
She winced. “I thought you might not have caught that.”
“Quinn.”
She let out a sigh. “I thought you would focus on something else I’d said.”
I smirked and crossed my arms. “I’m not derailed easily.”
“I’ve noticed.” She shook her head. “When I got there, I had glanced upstairs, I was thinking of maybe coming to find you but you looked occupied. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
She pulled the sleeves of my jacket over her hands. She looked like she was trying to decide something. My guess? She was trying to decide if she was going to give me the truth or not. I let her mull it over, hope rising in my chest when she looked back at me.
“I thought about coming upstairs but I saw you with a woman and I didn’t think you would want me to interrupt, and I didn’t like that I was jealous and then my ex showed up…” Her words dropped off as she took a breath and then shrugged.
I walked up to her. Stopping just out of reach, mostly because I wasn’t sure I could get closer and control myself enough not to touch her. I wanted to keep her talking and if I touched her there would be no talking.
“I like that you were jealous.”
She scoffed and waved me off. “You shouldn’t. We haven’t even gone on a date and there I was, bothered by that woman rubbing up on you. I don’t have a right to be upset. You don’t owe me anything, you’re a free man. It was silly.”
“If I recall correctly, I tried to get you to go out with me but you turned me down. I was already planning on asking again.” She pressed her lips together to stop her smile. “But let’s get one thing clear now.
“I want you to have a right to be upset, to feel jealous. Because seeing your idiot of an ex touching you, even before I knew you were in trouble, had me burning with jealousy. You are the only one I want. I can’t rationalize it but I want you.
” Her eyes lit up as she listened intently.
“I haven’t really done the relationship thing before nor cared much about exclusivity but I want that, with you. I don’t want anyone else.”
“Are you sure? Because—” I closed the distance between us in one short step, my hand moved to cradle her face, cutting her off.
“Better tell me to stop right now if you don’t want this.” My eyes went down to her lips before bouncing back to hers.
“I want this.”
It was all I needed to hear.
My lips crashed into hers as my free arm wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. Her smaller body pressed into mine, fitting against me perfectly.
She met me stroke for stroke, like we’d been kissing for years. Her hands moved up to my hair, letting me get even closer.
She moaned as my tongue met hers, the sound went straight to my cock as it swelled, rebelling against my zipper. I moved one hand to her throat, letting it linger there gently, as she leaned into me.
It fucking turned me on that she seemed to like that. I liked control in the bedroom, needed it really.
Before I could get too carried away, I forced myself back from her lips, both of us panting hard as I rested my forehead against hers. I locked on to her pretty green eyes.
“Woah,” she whispered as we both caught our breath, my lips still tingling from where she’d been.
I’d never had a first kiss like that.
Hell, I wasn’t sure I’d ever had a kiss like that, period.
I’m not one for believing in destiny or shit like that, but that kiss might have changed my mind.
“Fuck, Love, you taste better than I imagined.” I licked my lips, her taste all over me. My cock still pressing between us.
“I’m not having sex with you tonight,” she blurted out.
I pulled back to get a better look at her, my hand lingering on her waist. Her cheeks went red immediately as she looked down.
I moved and brushed a knuckle over her cheek softly.
“I like seeing you blush.” She looked back to meet my gaze.
“Of course we aren’t having sex tonight.
You’ve had one hell of a night and when we have sex for the first time, I don’t want anyone else to be on your mind, I don’t want those bruises on your arms.”
She looked up at me, her eyes glowing with what looked like gratitude. I’d just done the right thing, I hated that she was fucking grateful for it, it was the bare minimum of what she should expect.
It had been my plan since I pulled her into my car, no matter how much my dick didn’t want to be the good guy, I was going to show her how a man should treat her.
“Well, then I guess you should take me home.”
“No chance in hell,” I replied as her smile turned into a frown.
“But you just said—”
“You’re sleeping here with me. Just sleeping, I want to hold you.” It felt good having her around, I wasn’t ready to let her go. “If you aren’t comfortable I can set you up in a guest room, but I hope you don’t pick that option.”
“I don’t have anything with me,” she said looking down at herself in that sexy fucking top and my jacket.
“I have a spare toothbrush and a T-shirt you can wear.” I grabbed her wrist. “You should know that I’m not very good at asking.”
“I’ve noticed,” she muttered. I sent her a look that had her biting down a smile.
I continued, ignoring her little quip, “But please, stay here with me.”
There was a heaviness in my chest as I waited on her decision.
“Okay.”