Page 129 of Meet Me at the Metro

“I-it took me so long. It took me so long to find them, Nora. If I would’ve been there, I could’ve helped. I could have fucking helped. I hate that Connor was there. I hate that he was there and I wasn’t. I hate that he didn’t do anything. I hate that he just stood there. I wouldn’t have stood there. I would have done something. I would have—I would have—I would have—”

Unforgiving tremors wrack his entire body, pure unrestrained emotion taking hold of every muscle inside him. He’s shaking so fiercely that I can’t help but shudder.

“I know it’s not his fault. I know it isn’t, but if I blame him, I can pretend I don’t blame myself. I can pretend that I don’t fucking hate myself for not being there when everything happened. God, I hate that I wasn’t there. I should have been there, Nora. I should have—”

“Theo, look at me.”

He does, and it shatters me completely.

“I’m s-so fucked up. I am so damn messed up.”

“You aren’t,” I whisper, wiping away the relentless tears falling from his bloodshot eyes. I draw his forehead to mine and tell him, “You’re just as you should be.”

“You’re too good for me,” he exhales, his steady cries slowly reducing to frequent sniffles. “You don’t deserve to have to deal with this. You deserve someone better. You deserve the best in this world.”

“I want you.”

He laughs cynically. “You’re too fucking sweet for me.”

“And so, what if I am?” I straighten and obstinately face him, feeling a coolness hit the back of my legs as the wet ends of my dress stick to my skin. “I want you. I want all of you. The good. The bad. The fucking ugly, Theo. I want it all. Why can’t I have that? Why can I not want that?”

He splays his hand over the slick skin of my neck, stroking his thumb against my jaw as his eyes savor the features of my face.

“You should want more,” he mumbles, his words laced with such sincere disappointment. “You should want so much more, darling.”

I clutch his hand tightly, soaking in the feeling of his skin flush against mine—drowning myself in the haze of affection that comes over me as my eyes consume the features of his face just the same.

“I love you.”

The three words leave my mouth without even a flicker of doubt.

I love him.

I love everything about him.

His foul mouth. His quick temper. His thoughtful gestures. His tender touch. His beautiful gray-blue eyes that have a way of making me feel like I’m drenched in sunlight. His witty, smart-ass humor. His kind heart, despite his tough, outward demeanor. His passion for music and devotion to his father and friends—to me.

I love how vulnerable he’s allowed himself to become in just the short few months I’ve known him despite the horrors he’s endured—despite everything inside of him that told him he couldn’t be.

I love him.

“Nora.”

“Theo,“ I breathe, my heart hammering in my chest. “I love you.”

He pulls his back off the brick behind him, straightening as he swivels me around and presses me back against it. I’m breathing rapidly as he presses his body against mine and tilts my head up. There’s a raw, intense look in his eyes that I’ve never quite seen before as his fingers lace into my damp hair.

“My pretty, sweet thing,” Theo croons, so much sincerity breaking through the words they sound strangled. “I love you more.”

My body turns molten, my veins burning with a desire and warmth I never knew was possible.

“I love you so fucking much, Nora.”

We make it back to Theo’s flat in what I would assume could be a record-breaking time. The lights are off as we shuffle our dripping bodies inside, but Theo doesn’t bother to turn them on. His hands are too busy exploring the curves of my thighs—too busy bunching up the skirt of my dress around my waist. I shiver as he presses me back against the door and runs a gentle but authoritative palm over my most sensitive parts.

The pressure of his hand is taunting, teasing me of everything to come as it massages me through the mesh stockings still clung to my legs. I gasp when his mouth meets my neck, stifled with pleasure as his lips drag down my chest. Theo’s teeth graze my hardened nipples through the fabric of my dress, and I close my eyes and marinate in the gratifying sensation.

When he finally pulls himself back to look at me, there’s nothing but pure starvation in his eyes.

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