Page 87 of Not A Chance

I sucked in a much-needed breath, still just staring at him in shock.

“Rocky?” A little wrinkle appeared in his forehead. God, he had the audacity to be adorable by just being slightly uncertain aboutmy reaction.

Even being equal parts thrilled and scared out of my mind by the fact that he loved me, looking at him crystallized what I’d felt in all the little moments we’d spent together since we saw each other in the hallway of our apartments: I loved him.

“Theo, I love you too.” The words were out of my mouth before my mind caught up to my heart’s realization. “I love you,” I said again, high on the incredible intimacy of this quiet moment with him.

His eyes widened in shock, like he hadn’t expected me to reciprocate his feelings or say it back to him. Until this very moment, I wasn’t sure I could have either.

“You love me?” His lips broke out into the biggest grin I had ever seen him wear. It was wider than any photograph of him had ever captured—and I’d internet stalked him enough that I considered myself an expert on all Theo Yao-Miller expressions—the ones that sold millions of copies of magazines and whatever product he endorsed.

“Yes, Theo. I do. I love you.” My words seemed to sink in as he surged forward and captured my mouth with his. His kiss was a feral expression of how desperate we both were from this huge emotion between us. Our tongues rubbed against each other, and we mirrored their actions by pressing our pelvises together. Both of us let out low moans as we struggled to get close enough to express the multitude of feelings we’d just experienced.

I let out a totally out-of-character tiny whimper of need as his cock hardened in his sweatpants. The two layers of thin fabric between us did little to cushion my aroused center from the rock-hard length pressed as firmly as we could manage between us.

“I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I AM ABOUT TO WALK DOWN THE STAIRS,” a voice yelled from another part of the house. My money was on Chase, who would likely be the early risercompared to Liam and his love for sleep.

Though either twin would probably delight in scaring everyone awake.

“THAT’S RIGHT. I’M HOLDING A SMALL FUR CHILD, AND I DON’T WANT HER TO SEE ANYTHING SHE SHOULDN’T. THINK OF YOUR CHILD, FOR GOD’S SAKE!”

“FIRST STEP!”

“SECOND STEP!”

Theo dropped his hands from my face, gentling our kisses enough to pull back. His shoulders dropped in resignation.

“Can’t get a fucking moment’s peace in this house. Doesn’t even matter what time it is,” Theo muttered against my lips, drawing another uncharacteristic giggle from my mouth.

Did being in love make you high? Maybe all the endorphins had rushed to my head, making me stupid. Whatever it was, I couldn’t say I didn’t want to bask in this sensation for days.

Preferably naked. With Theo.

“Get your ass down here, Chase! It’s safe.” Theo’s gaze made a quick sweep of my body before he tugged his sleep shirt off and over my head, covering my sleep tank and shorts.

Chase came into the kitchen wearing pajamas and his Elf on the Shelf hat. In his arms, Giz was sporting her own smaller version with a chin strap keeping it on her head.

I arched a brow at Chase.

“What?” he said. “As if I’m going to leave out my new niece at Christmas time. I headed out to the pet store as soon as Emery told us you two were together. I’m not a monster.” He shifted my fur baby so that she was more secure in his arms, even as she became less tolerant of her new hat.

I grabbed my phone off the counter to snap a picture of them.

Before the rest of the family came down, Theo adjusted his shirt so it sat evenly on my shoulders. He nodded to himself in a satisfied kind of way before he looked back up into my eyes and gave a helpless shrug of his shoulders. And here I was, amused by his well-intentioned caveman behavior again. I couldn’t help as I basked in his protectiveness the same way the comforting warmth of his shirt settled over me.

I smiled at him as I rolled my eyes, letting him know he was ridiculous but that I didn’t mind.

“I can’t help it, baby. No one gets to see all that perfect skin but me,” he rumbled.

After the present-opening frenzy where she’d excused herself to the peace and quiet of the living room, Giz sat in Emery’s lap, being lavished with pats. She’d been rescued from the elf hat she’d been wearing earlier. It didn’t seem like I was going to get much time with my own dog until we left for Toronto tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Chase and Liam were arguing over whose gift cards were whose, despite getting the identical amount from various retailers. Joe watched them argue back and forth with amusement. Were they putting on a show just for him?

Surrounded by piles of crumpled wrapping paper, I leaned into Theo’s body as he thumbed through his phone. His expression was serious for the lighthearted Christmas morning we’d had so far.

“What are you looking for?” My voice was low with the din of sibling arguments in the background.

“I’m rechecking the game schedule, trying to figure out a way we could sneak back for another visit before the season ends in May, but hopefully June.” His eyes focused on the screen, his forehead creased inconcentration. “It’s just the way the games are laid out, the ones with a little more time in between the series seem to be all on the East Coast.”

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