Page 73 of Riverside Reverie

She glanced at me. “I could eat.”

Lux

My mind was whirling from an incredible day spent with Theo. I knew we were sexually compatible, but I wasn’t expecting being with him to feel so easy and right.

When Theo had suggested a day date earlier, I’d been skeptical. It’d been a long time since I’d gone on a date, and I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. But Theo made it all feel so effortless and smooth.

I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I had that much fun. Even when Theo insisted on making me take ridiculous photos with the Big Nickel, something I normally wouldn’t have done, I was laughing and had felt lighter than I had in years.

He pulled something out of me, something good. Something I liked.

Theo drove us to a beautiful bistro for dinner, where we ate authentic Indian food. The romantic atmosphere made me feel a little underdressed, but the waitstaff was incredible at making us feel welcome. I ordered the butter chicken and nearly had an orgasm right there, from the taste of it.

The way I’d moaned around my fork had Theo’s eyes darkening with heat, but he kept it together long enough for us to finish our meal and walk back to his car. Then he pulled me in for a kiss—a kiss that seared me straight to my core. It was brief, but full of promise and more than enough to get me primed.

When we finally got back to his place, it was nearly seven. Jasmine’s car was in the driveway, so she was back from work. She’d texted me earlier, wondering where we were and what we were doing. When I told her Theo took me on a day date, she sent a series of excited emojis and told me to enjoy it.

Theo turned off his car, and I faced him. “Thank you for today, I had an amazing time.”

“Me too,” he grinned at me. “Thanks for letting me nerd-out about minerals.”

“Anytime, you’re adorable when you’re in the middle of a tangent.”

“Ah, yes. Adorable, the word every guy hopes to hear from their date,” Theo teased, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Better than boring, or mediocre,” I pointed out, joking along with him. Theo was neither boring nor mediocre. He was anchored, smart, and always seemed to know exactly what to say and how to act.

“You’re right, I’ll take adorable over boring or mediocre any day,” Theo chuckled. He lifted his hand, cupping the side of my face. I leaned into his touch, my eyes raising to meet his. “I hope you’ll say yes to another date with me in the future.”

“I think the odds are definitely in your favour for that,” I told him, smiling.

Theo grinned back, then leaned forward to kiss me. His lips were soft at first, and it was me who urged him for more with the teasing swipe of my tongue.

The kiss deepened, and then we were making out in his car, the heat between us steaming up the windows. We made out for nearly ten minutes, until my hand dropped down to his lap, rubbing against the strained erection in his Chino shorts.

He broke the kiss, resting his forehead on mine and chuckling a little. “We should get inside, unless you’d rather visit with Jasmine tonight?”

I glanced over at the house, biting my lip, my hand still running over his erection. I’d had more sex in the past few days than I’d had in all the years I’d been with Scott, and yet I still wanted more. I craved Theo’s touch, the feel of his hands and his mouth on my body.

But I was afraid to be greedy, afraid to crave him as much as I already did. Things between us were so new—and yes, we’d had a wonderful date and intense sexual chemistry, but I didn’t want him to grow tired of me.

“I should spend some time with Jasmine.” Even as I spoke, my hand was rubbing and gripping Theo’s hard length through his shorts, teasing him. His hips lifted toward it, and he let out an affected sigh.

“As much as I want to drag you to my bed and not let you out of it for days, I did get to spend the whole day with you while she had to work. I understand if you want to hang out for a little bit, and we can always pick things up where we left off later, when you come back.”

“Bold of you to assume I’d be sleeping over again,” I said, turning back to him with a teasing smile.

“All your stuff is still at my place,” Theo reminded me. “Plus, my bed is very comfortable.”

“That’s true. Your bed is comfortable. I guess I could spend one more night in it.”

My stomach knotted at the thought of leaving tomorrow. It’s only temporary, I told myself, even though it felt like I was heading to the gallows. I knew the drama waiting for me back home would bring right back to the cold hard ground.

“Alright, so it’s decided then. Go hang out with Jasmine for a bit, tell her all about our incredible date and how I rock your world, then come back to me so we can finish what we started here.” Theo pressed a kiss to my forehead, the action making me swoon. I never realized the power a tender forehead kiss could have.

23

SHATTERED PEACE

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