Page 35 of Wilder at Heart
‘You’re hilarious. There are plenty of ways to have fun with only two people, NoraWilder. Spill it. What did we do?’
His habit of saying parts of my name like they’re dirty words is really irritating. ‘We kissed, Theo. We snogged.’
‘Outside, right?’
‘Yeah. You pushed me up against the wall of Plodge and you kind of… dived on me.’
I attempt nonchalance as I take a nibble of my still-too-hot crumpet.
‘I pushed you against a wall and dived on you. Is that right?’
His eyes are dancing with mischief and interest as he watches me eat.
‘Yep.’ The butter in this thing is oozing everywhere. I suck my fingertip before hurriedly removing it and wiping it on my napkin, conscious of Theo’s eyes on me.
‘That sounds like fun to me. And…’ he prompts.
I raise my chin defiantly. ‘And from what I remember, it was pretty heated. We kind of went for it. And you scratched all down my back, under my top. Hard. You left marks.’
‘Seriously?’ His face spreads into a huge grin. ‘Should I say sorry?’
‘No.’ I shrug. ‘It was hot.’
‘Was it now? What else?’
‘Not much else. You had a… you know.’ I gesture at his groin area, which is thankfully hidden by the counter.
‘I bet I was hard as rock, you little minx, if I had you up against a wall. What happened then?’
I pretend to think while willing my blushing habit not to give me away. ‘You boasted about your room allocation, told me you could have me, um, naked in minutes, I turned you down, we went our separate ways, and next time I saw you, you had your face surgically attached to that of a blonde on the dance floor.’
He wrinkles up his nose. ‘Wow. So I was a cocky little shit, basically.’
‘That wasn’t a surprise to me.’ I take a bite of my crumpet and chew. The cheese and butter and stodge is the most miraculous combination. This really is orgasmically good.
‘Why didn’t you let me whisk you off for a night to remember?’
There’s no way I’m telling this guy I was a virgin when I met him. Or that I’ve only slept with one person in my life.
‘No offence, but I was pretty sure you were a total tart. And I didn’t make a habit of drunkenly falling into bed with guys I’d just met. Still don’t.’
He brandishes the bottle. ‘So if I force feed you the rest of this bottle, it won’t make a difference? Pity.’
I cross my arms and glare at him.
‘I’m kidding; I’m kidding. Well, I have absolutely no recollection of who the blonde was that night.’
I smirk. ‘I’m sure you gavehera night to remember, though, right?’
He shakes his head at me. ‘Not sure what I’ve got myself into with you, Nora Wilder.’
CHAPTER 14
Theo
Isuspect Nora’s embarrassed to be having to stay with me, because it skews the power in my favour. (This is not my view. This is my perception of Nora’s view). She’s been reticent about our little arrangement since the start, and as far as I can tell, the only way she can get on board with it is if we keep things equal.Quid pro quo.
I manhandle her in front of Jonathan. She comes to my parents’ lunch party.
