Page 60 of Until I Have You

“Right, that’s why I kissed you.”

“I think I kissed you, Abigail.”

“Mmm, but it was my idea.”

Theo turns, eyes thin on me as he approaches with two whiskies.“You are incorrigible.”

“I think you like it.”I take the whisky from him.

Theo looks away with a grimace.“Yes, that’s the problem.”

I giggle into my whisky.“Why is it a problem?”

His eyes find mine as I drink.“You know why.”

Whisky heats my insides.

“Just once,” Theo says in a soft and smoky voice.“Just tonight.”

I nod.“To get it out of the way.”

“Something like that.”He carefully raises his hand to my cheek.His thumb follows the line of my cheekbone.

I bask in his admiration.

“It’s considerably less a chore to me than that phrase suggests, but yes.”

His touch is undeniable and electric.

I knew I wanted it, but I couldn’t have anticipated just how nice or right it would be.

Theo moves his hand to my chin, his thumb under my lip.“I’ll ask again.When?”

I tell him what’s true and only what’s true because I don’t know much more.“Seeing you with another woman…hearing about you with other women.Made me jealous.”

“Abigail Lyons, what do you have to be jealous of?You have your whole life ahead of you.Men will come and go, much younger than me.”

It’s only tonight and one night with an older man doesn’t mean anything to the trajectory of my life.However, I can’t deny, I don’t mind the thought of longer and more.“When did you?”

“I can’t tell you that,” he says.

I wrap my hand around his wrist and lean into him.“That’s not fair.”

“Life isn’t fair,” he says with a smile on his face.“I have learned that the hard way.”

I smile back.“You’ve liked me a long time, then?”

His cheeks redden.

Laughter pours out of me.I pull away from him and spin around.

“Your silence speaks volumes, Theo!”I sing out.

His footsteps are heavy behind me and before I can react, his arm slides around my front.

He drags me into his embrace, and I gasp.

His hand finds my jaw again, then jerks my mouth up toward his, and he kisses me.

---