Page 29 of (Un)Planned

As we walked away from the rest of the group, Calla tilted her head toward me. “What exactly is this super important matter?”

“I wanted to spend some time with you without having to compete for your attention.”

She let out a little laugh. “Theo Ayad, are you jealous?”

“Desperately,” I answered honestly.

As she stared back at me in surprise, I led us out of the ballroom and into the museum's hallway. We walked down through the gallery until we approached a set of velvet ropes blocking off one of the minor exhibits. Calla scrunched her face as I ducked underneath, holding it up so she could join me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed as sheclimbed next to my side. “We’re not supposed to be back here.”

“Live a little, Calla,” I chuckled, taking her hand so I could lead her through the maze of artifacts. The lights were dimmed, but luckily, it was bright enough to see where we were going. Not that I had any clue where these halls led. All I could hope was that security would be at the party, guarding the most valuable exhibits and high-end clientele.

When I pulled her into an alcove, Calla tugged my hand, forcing me to stop. “Theo, wait. What is this?”

“I told you.” I stepped into her space. “I needed a moment alone with you—away from clients, away from the other employees, away from everything.” I sighed, lifting my fingers to brush her cheeks. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Calla.”

She sharply inhaled, her eyes widening at my admission. She slowly shook her head. “We can’t do this, Theo.”

“Then tell me you don’t want me. Tell me you don’t think about me.” I placed her hand over my heart. “Because all I can see is you, Calla. Every time I close my eyes, there you are, tempting me to the brink of insanity, and I’m so fucking tired of trying to pretend otherwise.”

She chewed on her lower lip, her eyes frantically searching mine. After the longest moment of my life, she shook her head. “You know how I feel about you, Theo. But the rules–”

“Fuck the rules.”

As soon as the words left my lips, I crashed them against Calla’s. She let out a little gasp when I kissed her but then instantly melted against me. Getting a taste of her was better than any drug, better than any high. Nothing else could ever compare. Calla’s hands reached up, pulling onthe short hairs at the back of my neck as if she needed me even closer.

I was all too happy to oblige, trailing my hands down her hips to her thighs, lifting her off the ground. Her back softly collided with the wall, and her legs wrapped tightly around my waist. Fuck, her mouth was heaven. It was probably a mistake, because this one kiss would never be enough. Now that I’d felt Calla’s lips on mine, there was no way I’d be letting her go.

As if she would feel the possessive turn my thoughts had taken, Calla pulled back slightly and let out a quiet laugh as she touched her fingertips to her lips. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“It was a matter of time.” I kissed her once again, and she sighed as my tongue brushed against hers, stirring up another wave of need. But when she tensed in my arms, I paused. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Not at all,” she sighed. “Not about you. It’s just…” Her bright eyes met mine. “Are you sure this is what you want? You’re not into relationships–”

“I wasn’t into relationships with anyone else, Calla.” I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Being with you is a different story. I know this is complicated, and we’re going to have to figure out what it looks like outside of this room.” I lifted my hand, brushing the hair away from her face. “But I don’t want to miss out on this, miss out onus, because of what might happen. So, for tonight, let’s stop worrying about tomorrow’s troubles and focus on what we both want. What we both need.”

She stared at me for a long moment, and my heart stilled in my chest. I meant what I said, but in truth, my feelings were already so much more profound. It had been a long time since I felt the pull to someone like I did withCalla. She was quickly becoming my reason for getting out of bed in the morning, the reason my smiles came easier. She’d brought joy back into my life, and I’d fight like hell to keep it.

After the longest pause of my life, she leaned forward, claiming my mouth once more. But before we could deepen it too much, she uncrossed her legs, dropping them back down to the ground. As she took a step away from me, she held out her hand. “My place or yours?”

SIXTEEN

After bidding a quick goodbye to Jack and Devyn, feigning some kind of headache, Theo and I ducked out of the party. He waved over his driver, helping me inside the car with a new sense of urgency. I’d never felt this level of need before, almost unable to inhale because of the mounting tension between us. The moment the door closed, Theo told the driver my address. As the car pulled into traffic, Theo pressed a button, lifting the partition between us and the front. With the rest of the city cloaked in darkness from the tinted windows, I turned, feeling the weight of Theo’s stare on me.

His eyes dropped down to my mouth as his hand reached out to tug me closer. When I nestled into Theo’s side, his lips found mine again. One brief touch, and I was lost. This powerful, intoxicating man had been burrowing under my skin for weeks. Kissing him felt as natural as breathing, like I would need it to survive. I never wanted it to stop, no matter the consequences.

Those could wait until tomorrow.

Theo pulled back, pressing his forehead against mine. “Fuck, if I knew it would be like this, I would have kissed you the moment we met.”

“You’ve seen nothing yet,” I teased before claiming his lips once more. As we moved together, Theo’s hand slid along the slit of my dress, softly caressing my thigh. I sucked in a sharp inhale as he moved closer to my core, brushing the soaked center of my thong with his finger. Now, it was his turn to curse, letting his finger drag lazily against me.

“Is this all for me, beautiful?” he asked, his voice several octaves lower than usual.

“Always for you,” I gasped as his fingers teased the lace edge of my thong.

“Right answer,” he groaned as he leaned forward, capturing my lips at the same time as he ripped the fabric off me. I yelped at how the strings nipped at my skin, all too aware of how exposed I was.

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