by Amy Sparling
She makes this face as she types out a quick reply. “That boy is totally useless without someone telling him what to do,” she says. “I assume you two are going to go jump each other’s bones, right?”
I glance up at Theo and he winks at me. “Probably,” I say.
Riley rolls her eyes. “Then I guess I’m going to the mall. Call me when you two dorks are done looking longingly into each other’s eyes!”
We watch her until she disappears on the other side of the door. Theo grabs my belt loops and pulls me toward him. He’s so much taller than I am that I have to throw my head all way back and stand up on my toes to kiss him.
“You have a very understanding best friend,” he says between kisses.
I shrug. “She also enjoys dressing other people. Picking out stuff for Kyle is like her favorite hobby.”
Theo sways a little, then dips his lips down to my neck. I love these kinds of embraces. I close my eyes when his lips press against my flesh. I’ve missed this so much.
“Do you think he and Riley have a thing for each other?” Theo asks.
“Eh, I doubt it.”
“Would she tell you?”
“Totally,” I say, but it comes out all high pitched because he’s assaulting my neck in kisses now and it tickles. I push him away and he just holds on to my hips tighter, but at least he stops tickling me with the scruff of his chin.
“I don’t really see them being a couple,” Theo says. I love how he can hold a conversation with me right in the middle of a make out session. I try to keep up, but it’s hard to focus.
“I don’t either,” I say, my words distorted by his lips. “But they do seem to be good friends.”
“Kyle’s an okay guy. He joined the clan a few months before I did.”
“He seems nice enough,” I agree. I wish I could say more, like ask how old he is and how long he’s been immortal, but those kinds of questions are off limits here.
“Have you taken her for a ride yet?” Theo says, throwing me off.
“Huh?”
“The bike.”
“Oh,” I say. I’ve totally forgotten it was even here. I didn’t really remember we were standing the garage, to be honest. Everything around me disappears when I’m in his arms. I shake my head. “No, I don’t know how to ride one.”
“Got the keys?”
I fish in my pocket and hand it to him. He takes the key in one hand and then touches the bottom of my chin with the other. He brings my lips up to his. “Will you get the door, beautiful?”
I nod, unable to say anything because damn, that was sexy. On the wall, I hit the button that makes one of the garage doors roll up. Theo straddles my new bike, puts the key in and starts it. A low, and if I’m being honest, sexy growl of the engine fills the air.
This bike is so freaking cool.
“Hop on,” Theo says, motioning for me to join him.
“Do I need a helmet?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I won’t hurt you.”
I slide onto the back of my new bike, and hold onto his stomach. Theo puts the bike in gear and slowly rides out of the garage. Sunlight washes over us as we ride down the long winding driveway. We’re going slow enough that I can look around and enjoy the view of the sloping Texas hill country. At the end of the driveway, there’s a wrought iron gate and Theo pulls up to the keypad, putting one foot on the ground while he punches in the code to open the gate.
Then we’re free. Theo starts off slowly, probably for my benefit, and then soon we’re soaring over the empty county roads around our home. The wind whips my hair and the sun bites my skin, but I’ve never felt so free in my life.
I am terrified and thrilled. We lean in the corners and the bike glides over the streets, her shiny pink paint looking totally badass.
When we get back home, Theo stops while the gate slowly opens for us.
“What’d you think?” he asks.
“You have to teach me how to ride this thing,” I say. I’m panting and I don’t even know why. “It was amazing. I’ve never felt so…”
“Free?” Theo says.
I nod. “That’s exactly it. Will you teach me?”
“Of course,” he says, flashing me a sexy smile that makes my toes tingle. “But first, we have some lost time to make up for.”
Chapter 3
Theo’s fingers lace into mine. He leads the way through the service hallway and back into the house. When we reach the stairs, he starts to turn right. I stop.
“My room is this way,” I say, lifting an eyebrow. With our hands still linked, I tug him in the correct direction. He’s been gone two weeks, but did he really forget where I live?
The corners of Theo’s lips twist up in a grin. “My room has a better view.”
He starts walking again, in the wrong direction. It feels so weird going this way since all the girls in the house live on the left side of the massive hallway at the top of the stairs. This part of the mansion is technically off limits, but I guess it will be fine if I’m being escorted by the guy who lives here.
Of course, rules and propriety aren’t what’s got my stomach in a tightly wound knot.
I’ve never seen Theo’s bedroom before. It only occurs to me right now, as my flip flops patter across the thick hallway carpeting, that I’ve never been to Theo’s room. We’ve always gone to mine. I’ve never even thought of his room, which is kind of stupid of me because of course he has one. It’s weird feeling so unbelievably close to someone only to realize that we don’t really know much about each other.
My nerves tingle with anxiety as we pass each door and I wonder if it’s his room or not. What will it look like? Will there be forgotten hair ties on the nightstand from other women he’s had before me?
I recoil at the thought. Surely Theo is smart enough to remove anything like that before inviting me to his room.
We walk all the way to the end of the hallway before Theo stops at a door. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a key, shoving it in the deadbolt. We don’t have deadbolts in our rooms, but we can lock them from the inside.
“Am I allowed to be here?” I ask meekly.
“Of course.” He twists the key and the lock clicks open. Then he pushes open the door and grins. “Ladies first.”
My first thought is that Theo’s room is small. But that generalization only makes sense when comparing it to my room, because by all normal standards, his room is still pretty big.
The walls are wallpapered in an eggshell white, and the carpet is the same color, plush and unmarred with dirt or signs of wear. He has a king sized bed that’s so tall I’d have to jump to get onto it, and it’s covered in crisp white sheets that are tucked in perfectly. I venture in further, not wanting to look at the nightstands on either side of the bed because I am a jealous weirdo. There’s a large wooden wardrobe to the left, a curved wall to the right made of the same kind of stones that make up the outside of the house. The curved wall is parted only by a large wooden door that looks very heavy and old. The whole place reminds me of a modern castle, like how the outside of the mansion looks. Where Riley and my rooms have been made up into contemporary, and kind of girly, masterpieces, Theo’s room is very much a manly space.
At the back of the room, the corner walls open to large windows and a little seating area with three plush white lounge chairs. There’s a gorgeous and antique brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. I notice it matches the large one hanging over his bed. There are other wall mounted sconces with lights that look like candle flames on the walls. It gives the whole place a romantic glow, but the mid-morning sunshine pouring in from the windows keeps everything light.
I stop in front of the windows and gaze out at the sloping fields below. This is a completely different view from the one on my side of the house. You can’t even see the lake over here.
I feel Theo walk up behind me, his body so close to mine it makes the hairs on my arms stand up, as if they too are hoping to touch him. Just thi
nking about him gives me that tingly sensation in my stomach, but when he’s near me, it’s like a whole tsunami of emotions flood into me. It’s a miracle I can even stand up straight. “I thought you said your view was better,” I say, folding my arms over my chest. “You can’t even see the lake from here.”
His fingers brush my hair to the side. I feel his legs step closer, touching my butt, as he leans forward, his lips hovering just over my ear. “Wait for it,” he says. “Your room has a better view on most days. But not today.”
I look back and nearly bump into his face with my cheek. “Are you messing with me?” I ask accusingly.
“No ma’am. I’d never do such a thing.”
I give him a look and he just smirks like he’s got it all figured out. “Give it a minute,” he says, nodding back toward the window.
I roll my eyes, but I turn back around anyway, and gaze out the window. The mansion is on a hill so we can see everything down below. The grass is green and trees fill up the spaces between houses. There are also some cow pastures dotting the area, but we’re so far away the cows look like ants.
And then, I see it. To the left, mostly hidden behind a bunch of pine trees, are big bright colors. Like spheres or massive bounce houses or something.
“What is that?” I ask.
Theo’s hands slide up my hips, his chin resting on top of my head. “You’ll see.”
Another minute passes and the colors seem to get bigger. Or, more accurately, they get higher. Soon I realize exactly what they are. Hot air balloons, at least two dozen of them, all lifting up into the sky at once.
I am frozen in place, too captivated by the balloons and by Theo’s hands on my waist to move or say anything for a long while. Together, we watch the balloons rise and begin to glide across the sky, spreading out from each other at very slow speeds. My favorite ones are the rainbowed balloons with each color vibrantly filling the sky. There are a couple of branded ones with company names I’ve never heard of printed on the fabric.
I sigh and lean back into Theo’s chest. “I guess you win. Your view is better today.”
He chuckles and turns me around until I’m facing him. “It doesn’t have to be a competition. We can share the best of what we have with each other. That way we both get to experience it.”
I slide my hands up his chest. “You really are amazing, you know that?”
He actually looks bashful for a split second before that cocky grin comes back. “I don’t know about that.”
I shake my head. “Totally amazing. I don’t really deserve you at all, but I plan on keeping you as long as I can.”
It takes him a second to smile. In that second, I see a thousand emotions flicker across his eyes, and the reality of my words hits me like a jackhammer. I’m an idiot for saying them of course. Theo is immortal and I am dying and we can’t be together forever. A sickening feeling comes to me as I realize maybe that’s all he wants from me. A quick fun fling that he doesn’t have to commit to because I’ll be gone in a few months anyway. I wonder if he was even looking for a cure at all? Maybe it’s all just a lie to placate me.
A darkness settles over me in the very next second and I know Theo notices it.
“Talk to me, love.” He nudges my chin with his knuckles. “What’s wrong?”
“Besides the obvious?” My words are all choked up.
A fine line appears between his eyebrows. “Cara, love. Don’t think like that.”
I look down. “It’s impossible not to.”
“You’re doubting me.” The seriousness in his voice gives me chills. “Cara Blackwell, I swear to you I will—” He stutters when he realizes we can’t exactly say the right words here, where anyone could be listening. His eyes meet mine. “I will make this right,” he says in a low voice. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
My chest feels like I’ve been covered with ten of those radiation vests they make you wear at the dentist when you get an x-ray. It’s all too much to think about right now. This is the kind of deep shit that will drive you crazy if you don’t keep a tight rein on it.
“Let’s just make out,” I say, trying to be lighthearted.
Theo quirks an eyebrow and I hit him playfully on the chest. “Come on, you know you want to.”
“Of course I want to.” He runs a hand through his hair, making it more wild than normal. “I always want to.”
I push him backward until his legs hit the nearby lounge chair and he sinks into it. My heart starts pounding because I’m being flirtier than I have ever been with anyone, but I need this distraction from real life. I move forward and put my hands on the chair’s arms while I climb onto his lap, straddling him on the chair.
Theo leans back, sinking into the cushions. “Take your shirt off,” I say, surprised at the confidence in my voice.
In one quick movement, his black shirt is tossed to the floor and every gorgeous tanned muscle of his chest is on display. He leans back again, putting his hands behind his head, which makes his arm muscles tighten. “I like where this is going,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
I swallow. “Don’t make fun of me, or I’ll stop.”
He pushes my hair behind my ears. “I’d never do such a thing.”
His voice is deep and sexy and it stirs something inside me. I lean forward and kiss his neck, lightly at first because I have no idea what I’m doing. Then I move to his collar bone and kiss him the way he kisses me, hoping he’ll like it as much as I do. His hands loosen from behind his head and they go straight to my thighs which are pressed up against him. I’m wearing shorts so I feel every inch of his calloused hands sliding up my legs and back down them. His touch lights a fire inside me, but still, I keep on, running my tongue up Theo’s neck to his ear, grinning when that makes him groan in pleasure. I pull back and he turns toward me, and then I kiss him.
The stubble on his chin is prickly, but I don’t care. I love the feel of his lips on mine, his tongue flicking across my bottom lip.
He wraps one arm around my back, pulling me to him until my boobs are pressed so tightly to his chest that they kind of hurt. But it all hurts in a good way because I can’t seem to get enough of him. He holds me tightly while his other hand grips my thigh and we make out like we’ve been doing it our whole lives. A warm tingle starts in my lower belly and I rock my hips against him. A low growl rumbles in his chest and the next thing I know, my shirt is lifted over my head.
I grab onto his shoulders and kiss him, feeling the warmth of his hands traveling up my bare back and sending chills all throughout my body.
When his fingers slide under my bra strap, something brings me back to reality. I freeze. Theo breaks our kiss and slides his hand down to my waist.
“Sorry,” I stammer. The moment is ruined and I lean back a little, biting my lip as I look at him. “I’m not—I just—”
God, I’m a loser. Tears sting the back of my eyes. Theo gives me this small smile. “You’re not ready,” he says, his eyes focused on mine instead of my cleavage which feels so very exposed right now.
“I’m sorry,” I say again. Heat flushes my cheeks and I feel so freaking stupid. “I am ready. I just—I don’t know, let’s start over.”
I lean down to kiss him again but he stops me, pressing a finger to my lips instead. His eyes meet mine. “There’s no rush, Cara.”
I sigh. “But I feel bad.”
“Don’t,” he says. “I’m not going to rush you, love. We have plenty of time.”
When I don’t say anything, he grabs my shirt off the armrest and gently pulls it back over my head. “I am more than happy just being here next to you. Everything else will come with time.”
He’s being really romantic, so I just nod and sink down against his chest, letting him hold me and stroke his fingers through my hair. But what I wish I could say is that we don’t have time. We have money and luxuries and anything we could ever want.
Except time.
Chapter 4
&nbs
p; The Last Stop Café is a remnant of the past, a little preserved restaurant tucked into the countryside that’s otherwise been taken over by modern society. It’s narrow like a train car, and the outside is a shiny silver metal. There’s even the original sign out front, a big red circle with neon lights around it. The inside has been lovingly restored to look like it did when it was brand new. I know because there’s a black and white picture of the original restaurant on the wall when you walk in. Everything still looks essentially the same, only now the waitresses wear jeans and t-shirts instead of baby blue waitress dresses.
Theo and I slide into a shiny red booth at the far end of the café. He’s taken me here a few times for breakfast and also for milkshakes. He swears the milkshakes are almost as good as they were in the thirties when they used real ingredients without fake sugar and preservatives. It’s been a few days since he’s been home, and we’ve spent nearly every second together. Luckily, we haven’t had another awkward shirtless moment again, but Theo hasn’t pushed our make out sessions very far. I’m still pretty embarrassed about it, but he’s acting like everything is normal between us.
“Waffles are just sugar and carbs,” Theo says while looking through the laminated menu.
“But they’re so good,” I say.
He nods. “I think I’ll get them this time, even though there’s no protein or nutrition whatsoever in them. They might as well be putting a slice of birthday cake in front of us.”
“Are you tired of your scrambled eggs and bacon?” I ask. That’s what he always gets.
He peers at me through his eyelashes. “I would be perfectly happy with my normal breakfast if someone didn’t get waffles piled high with whipped cream every time we come here.” He pokes me with his menu, but his smile is playful.
“Am I throwing you off your rigorous diet?” I say, rolling my eyes. “Trust me, you and your god-like body can handle some carbs for one day.”
He grins and sips from his coffee. “Waffles weren’t really a thing for the first few decades of my life.”
