Chapter 14
Elizabeth
When the taxi picks us up to take us home, we all stumble out of the club laughing, arms linked in a loose tangle of sisterhood.
I’m the first stop, so I kiss both girls goodbye.
I’m almost certain that I’m not going to be able to get the key in my front door.
With my shoes in one hand and my bag in the other, I drop my keys on the floor, and the clatter makes me jump.
“Let me get that.” His voice is like silk.
Theo is standing beside me like a mirage, his presence pressing on my body.
Am I so drunk that I am imagining him here?
He places his hand on my back, the electricity under his touch sobering me up as he unlocks the door with the other hand.
He moves through my door as he always does, unseen and untouchable, a storm ripping through my quiet cottage.
The moonlight catches the line of his jaw as he kisses me hard. Hungry.
Desperate.
My inhibitions melt away. He looks as if he is made to tempt me, in his pristine white shirt clinging to every devastating muscle, his grey suit trousers pulling tight across his thighs, the fabric stretching at his bulge already waiting for me.
My bag and shoes drop to the floor the moment I feel his lips touch mine.
My knees go weak, and the feeling of him caressing my body makes me feel alive.
He lifts me and I instinctively wrap my legs around him, begging for him.
He carries me into the bedroom, not once releasing his lips from mine.
We both undress in a frantic blur, and before my dress even hits the floor, his hand reaches into my panties, caressing me.
He moans into my mouth when he feels how wet I already am for him.
My body showing him exactly what his lips do to me.
I tremble beneath his touch, my arms winding around his neck, rubbing my hands through his hair.
My hands are shaking with something like need.
Reckless.
Familiar, somehow.
When I come close to the edge, my knees buckle.
Theo spins me around and bends me over the bed frame.
He presses his chest to my back, hand gliding down to my bum.
Taking his time, he enters me. Tonight, he feels so much deeper.
I push back against him, wanting more, unable to wait any longer.
The alcohol is making me bold, stripping away my caution.
My small push is all he needs. He picks up speed as I gasp and breathe his name.
“Theo.” His movements grow rougher, more desperate. His fingers wrap around my hair, and he tugs my head backwards. I encourage him. Beg him not to stop, and we both unravel together. I release his name, and he grips my shoulder, pulling me into him with one last, hard thrust.
“Fuck, Elizabeth… look what you do to me,” he smiles into my neck, small kisses trailing down my spine.
We collapse on the bed, hot, sweaty, and both out of breath.
The soft hum of the ocean outside is the only sound filling the space between us.
My body still aches. Not from pain, but from the depth of what has passed between us tonight.
Theo’s arm is resting loosely over my waist, his breath steady against the back of my neck.
I want to believe moments like this mean something. That I mean something. That he isn’t just here to escape whatever hell exists behind the closed doors of his home, but the silence feels heavier than the weight of his body behind me, and the words pressing at my lips are louder than my heartbeat.
“Theo,” I whisper.
“Hmm?” he moves towards me, stroking the top of my leg.
“Please stay,” I whisper. “I need you to stay.”
I turn to face him, and he kisses me softly on the tip of my nose. He stops his fingers moving against my leg and pulls me into his arms. They wrap around me tightly, my face buried into his chest. He doesn’t promise anything, but he falls asleep with me curled up against him.
At 3:52am he stirs.
By 3:57am, he is gone again.
I lay awake, eyes on the ceiling. I should feel wanted.
Chosen. I feel anything but. Something is shifting inside me without permission, ever so quietly.
Theo has a hold over me I just can’t seem to shake.
I don’t want to give my heart away; however, it feels like Theo already has half of it in his hands.
As the nights fly by, Theo returns every night.
I fall deeper in love with him, each visit connecting me to him more than the last. He sweeps in like a tornado.
We spend passionate nights together in each other’s arms, impossible to resist. We talk until 3:00am about everything and nothing.
I tell him about the girls and gush about Eden.
Some nights we sit curled up by the fireplace, and he listens to me talk about my day.
It almost feels real. Feels like he is becoming a steady piece in my life’s puzzle.
Then, every night when the clock gets closer to 4:00am, he reminds me of why that puzzle piece can’t be him.
He gets up and leaves.
He never stays.
As much as I ask, he simply can’t.
****
Theo
It tears me apart to leave her alone. As her cottage fades into the darkness, the thought drags through me that the only person she needs protecting from is me. Every drive home is agony. I fight the urge to turn the car around and go back to her every single night.
On the night of September 2nd, when I get home from another secret night with Elizabeth in my arms, I make a decision. She deserves more than this. More than me sneaking away into the dark every evening. I pull out my phone and scroll to her name.
Theo: I’ve planned something for you. I know it’s your 30th birthday tomorrow, and you deserve to be celebrated properly. Pack a bag for you and Bear. Nigel will pick you up at noon.
I know what this could cost me, but she needs my time. My presence. My courage to stay. Enough of these snatched moments that leave her wondering if it was all a dream.