Chapter 11: Soft Like Thunder: Chapter 10

LOCK KNEW A RESTAURANT OFF THE BEATEN PATH NEAR SANTA MONICA. Theo grumbled, but he followed behind Lock’s truck to the divey biker bar slash restaurant because I’d asked him to. As delicious as the blueberries were, by the time the play ended, my stomach was audibly growling. I was past hungry, verging on hangry. The only thing stopping me from being pissy was Theo.

God, he had no idea what that had done to me. Throughout my life, I’d heard a lot of different responses to the word “no,” but none had been so easy.

Theo had said okay. Like it was natural. Like it didn’t mean the entire world.

And then he’d said okay again to having dinner with Lock because I asked, even though I could tell he was jealous. He didn’t enjoy me splitting my attention with another man. He’d said okay anyway.

Now, the three of us were seated in a gritty bar, drinks in hand, waiting for our burgers. The other tables were filled too, mostly with bikers. We stuck out, but no one was paying us any attention. Probably because Lock could crush heads with his bare hands.

“How’d you find this place?” Theo asked.

Lock lifted one of his massive shoulders. “I drive. Wander. Found it on one of my drives. Looked interesting, so I stopped in. Best burger of my life, so I come back whenever I’m around.”

“Looking forward to it,” Theo replied. “The good thing about no longer wrestling is I can actually eat burgers and not worry about making weight.”

I wrinkled my nose. “What a stupid sport. You have to wear a silly outfit, rub your faces on other guys’ dicks, and you can’t eat hamburgers. I’m glad you wised up, Theodore.”

Lock snorted. Theo’s mouth curved into a slow grin. He really didn’t give a shit when I messed with him.

“Again, I’ve never rubbed my face against a guy’s dick.”

My eyes leveled with his. “I notice you didn’t deny the other things I said.”

He canted his head. “I didn’t. Although, you missed out, baby. I looked fly as hell in my singlet, and now, you’ll never get the privilege of seeing it.”

Lock passed his phone to me, and I burst out laughing when I looked at the screen. He’d Googled and pulled up a picture of Theodore in his uniform. There wasn’t much funnier than a grown man in a spandex onesie, even when he was as hot as Theo.

Theo snatched the phone from me, saw what I was laughing at, and slid it back to Lock, face down. His brow pinched, but I couldn’t read him. I didn’t think he was mad, but it was impossible to tell.

“I bet it’s better in person,” I teased.

“You’re damn right it is,” he replied. “I might have it hanging in my closet.”

I tapped my chin. “I wonder what I’ll have to do for you to let me see you in it.”

His eyes locked on mine, the humor melting from both of us. Our waitress approached with our food, but he kept his gaze on me. Then his mouth tipped at the corners and his lips moved.

“

”

He wanted me to be soft. The crazy thing was, I imagined maybe I could be with him.

I mouthed back.

I wasn’t soft. That wasn’t me. Not because I wasn’t capable, but because it had never been safe for me to be that way.

But I could try.

I could try.

I gave Lock a hug by his truck. He was stiff, and so was I, but I was trying this being soft thing, and that seemed to be something people did. They hugged their friends hello and goodbye.

“Best burger ever,” I said.

Theo tugged me back to his side. “I agree. Fucking delicious.”

Lock nodded once. “Don’t spread it around. Some greedy asshole will swoop in and try to make some green off it.”

“Maybe the owners want to make some green,” I replied.

“Maybe.” Lock put his hand on the door of his truck. “And they might. I just don’t want any part in destroying the good that’s already there.”

Theo patted his heart. “Secret’s safe, man.”

My eyes bugged. “Who am I going to tell?”

Lock climbed into his truck without another word.

“I like him,” I said.

Theo grunted.

“You like him too.”

He could deny it, but Lock was quietly likable. He told us about his job, his major, the piece-of-shit house he lived in off campus, the small town he was from in Northern Cali. He did this all in as few words as possible, which I appreciated. I also liked watching him eat. He packed away the food, tucking it in the small, soft gut he carried—which only made him more of a teddy bear—but he looked like he truly enjoyed everything he put in his mouth. I could’ve seen him starring on one of those Food Network shows where they went around to divey restaurants to taste test massive portions of local fare. His groans of pleasure would get all the housewives in a tizzy.

So, maybe I had a tiny crush on Lock. Not kind of crush, but yeah. Lock was a thing.

“He’s fine, but he was in my way. Now, he’s out of my way, I don’t need to spend time talking about him.”

Theo took my hand, and we walked across the parking lot to his car, which he pinned me against. My breath stuttered at the intense sweep of his gaze over me, and I forgot Lock ever existed. It was just me and Theo now.

I tipped my head back, giving him the permission he was seeking. He wasted no time in taking my mouth, slipping his tongue between my lips to give me a deep, wet kiss.

My fingers fisted his T-shirt. He took handfuls of my ass, flattening me against him. He kept kissing me, groaning into my mouth, and I kissed him back. He tasted like mint and icy water. I licked the inside of his mouth, taking his flavor with me, mewling for more.

Theo could kiss. He kissed the hard out of me and found my soft. He lapped at it until I felt like I was going to fall apart and shatter into a thousand pieces in his arms. It wasn’t quite dark, we were in a public parking lot, but when his hand slid inside my shorts, I didn’t stop him. Then he pushed my underwear to the side, and I opened my legs a little wider, inviting him in.

“Tell me to stop, Tiger,” he murmured against my lips. “Tell me you don’t want me touching you.”

I grabbed his arm and held it tight to my belly. “If we get arrested, I expect you to bail me out.”

I felt his smile even as his fingers drew a line along my slit. “No one’s gonna see you. This is just for me, baby.”

My back was pressed against the car. His body shielded mine. I was clothed. So was he. And in that moment, I didn’t care about any of it. I could have been naked and on fire so long as Theo continued what he was doing to my clit. My hips rolled with the movement of his hand, chasing his retreat until he came back to me again and again.

Theo’s breath was hot on my lips. His eyes were on mine. My palms skated down his back to the slope of his muscular ass. I dug my hands into his back pockets, holding him against me.

My head fell back into the car, lips parting on a moan. Our gazes locked as he brought me over so quickly, I might have been embarrassed if I’d cared about anything but what we were doing. Because I was coming hard on the hand of a guy who drove me to see Shakespeare, had twinkly blue eyes, and kissed me like the sky was falling and I was his only shelter.

Theo leaned deeper into me, panting on my lips, watchful eyes keeping me in place almost as much as his body. His dick prodded my hip, but he didn’t thrust or rub it on me. It was just there, and it felt perfect.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured. “You’re so incredibly hot, Tiger. You make me crazy.”

I hooked my arm around his neck, steadying myself on him. “You just made me come in a parking lot, Theodore. I think I’m the one who’s out of my mind.”

His forehead dropped to mine. “Just made you come. Still have my fingers in your hot pussy. Think you can call me my name for a minute?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I can do that, Theo.”

“Shit.” He shifted his hips, but only slightly. “I need to back up a couple steps, baby. Then I’m going to need you to get in the car and give me a minute to get a handle on things.”

He didn’t move, and I laughed, rubbing the side of his neck. “Back up. We need to get on the road after you deal with your dick. I’ve got work tonight.”

That did it. He let me go, then walked around the hood of the car after he adjusted himself. I slipped inside, drawing in wobbly breaths. That wasn’t how I’d expected the day to go, but I couldn’t say I was mad about it.

I shifted in my seat to watch Theo circle the car, the ache between my thighs pulsing with aftershocks. No, I wasn’t mad about it at all.

Theo finally climbed in, and when he did, he leaned over the console, gripped my chin, and laid a long, hard kiss on my lips. Then he left me with a softer one.

“Did you get a handle on it?” I asked.

“Yeah.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “That was not expected.”

“I know. That’s why it’s okay it happened.”

His gaze narrowed as he inspected me. “You’re sure?”

“Mmhmm. I think you know me well enough to know I’d tell you if I was displeased.”

That brought out a sardonic grin. “I do know that.” He put the car in reverse, backing out of the parking spot, and pulled onto the road. “What time do you have to be at work?”

“Nine. We have time.”

Two hours. It would be close, but he could drop me at the dorm, I’d grab my skank clothes, change fast, and take the bus to the club. Almost not enough time, but I’d make it.

“That’s late, so I’m thinking you must work in a club.”

I tucked my foot under my leg so I could turn to him. “Why is that your guess? I could be a cleaner or a factory worker. Lots of night-shift jobs.”

He tapped the steering wheel. “Because you’re smart and know you’re beautiful. If I was an old married guy and you served me a drink, I’d give you a massive tip for existing and allowing me to breathe the same air.”

“Sweet.” I ran my fingers along his arm. “You’re saying , Theodosius Longbottom Whitlock, wouldn’t give me a massive tip for existing?”

He sputtered. “Theodosius now? Honestly, baby, I think you should be giving a tip for not complaining about you calling me by the wrong name.”

“You didn’t answer the question.”

His mouth tipped at the corners. “If you came at me, I didn’t know you at all, pouting those red lips, undoubtedly wearing something sexy as fuck, I would get your attention any way I could. Paying you for it? No, baby. I want your attention because you’re interested in what we can have with each other.”

His profile was a study in proportion. Strong jaw, jutting to just the right degree. Lips full, but still masculine. Straight, distinguished nose with the smallest bump that made it interesting. Even from the side, his eyes twinkled. Theo was so ridiculously beautiful, it was hard to comprehend.

“You have my attention, Theo.”

His head fell back on his seat while his eyes remained on the road in front of him. “Thank Christ for that.”

Laughing, I propped my feet up on the dashboard and turned on the radio. Now that we’d established we were into each other, it was music time.

We hit traffic, and I was pissed. Not at Theo, although he was feeling it. No, I was pissed at myself for basking in the day like I’d had any room to bask. That wasn’t my life. I needed to be on time for my job so I could make enough money to support my sister and pay back the loan my mother owed a violent criminal so he didn’t murder my family.

A year of working for Mads had made me soft. Before Madeline McGarvey came into my life, I never once would have allowed myself to be in a situation that would’ve threatened what little I had. She’d given me room to breathe, and I’d let myself get used to what it felt like not being squeezed all the time.

She was gone, and so was my breathing room. Now, when life squeezed me hard, I cracked.

“Shit, shit, shit.” My fingers dug into my legs. “I never should have agreed to dinner.”

“It’s okay, Helen. We’ll get there. If you’re a couple minutes late—”

“I’ll be fired, Theo. I know in your world, getting fired is no big deal, but I don’t live in that world. This job means a roof over my sister’s head. I don’t think Zadie and Elena would appreciate me bringing Luciana to live with me in our dorm.”

“Okay.” He took my hand in his, threading our fingers tight. “I’m gonna get you there.”

As soon as we passed the accident that had been slowing us down, Theo drove like a bat out of hell. The damage had already been done to our timeline, though. I had no time to go back to the dorm first—or ride the bus after.

“I need you to take me directly to work. I have clothes there I can change into.” And makeup in my purse I could apply while Theo drove.

“Anything. Give me the address.”

I spouted off the address to Savage Beauties while digging in my purse for mascara and my lipstick. Fortunately, the lights were low in the club, so I could get away with car makeup.

Theo kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye, silent, though his questions were screaming. He could keep screaming. I wasn’t up for giving out answers. Not when I was hanging on by the skin of my teeth.

“We’re making it. I’ll get you there.” His low, lovely voice was like an hour of meditation. If I was capable of being calmed at this point, that would have done it. At least my simmering anger fell away. It wasn’t Theo’s fault there was traffic, and I’d been all for having dinner with Lock. This was just bad luck, and yeah, maybe poor planning.

Theo skidded into the lot of Savage Beauties with ten minutes to spare. He didn’t say a word about where we were, but he didn’t have to. His body language said everything. The tightness of his shoulders told me he was judging me. The frown pulling at his mouth broadcasted his disappointment. His white knuckles around the steering wheel said he was .

I scrambled out of the car, and Theo followed, snagging my waist before I could make a dash across the parking lot.

“Thank you for getting me here. I need to run in and change at the speed of light.” I pressed on his chest. “You can’t come in, Theodore.”

“Why not?”

I swiped at my lashes, performing nonchalance. “I won’t be able to get my job done if you’re glaring at all my customers.”

He stared me down, nostrils flaring. “I’m not driving away and leaving you here.”

“You don’t have a choice.” My pulse quickened in my throat. “I need to go.”

“How are you getting home?”

“Bus.”

He practically shook. Savage Beauties wasn’t in the best neighborhood, but the bus stop was only a block away, and if I needed, one of the bouncers would wait with me. It wasn’t a huge deal.

“What time do you get off?”

“Two, but I’ll be fine.” I glanced over my shoulder at the door, then back to Theo. “I really have to get inside.”

He took my jaw in his hand and tipped my head back. “I’ll be here at two. Then we’re going to talk.”

I nodded, all out of time for arguments. “You don’t have to be here, but okay. I’ll see you if you are.” I blew him a kiss, then swiveled on my toes and ran.

He’d either be here at the end of my shift or he wouldn’t. I’d be disappointed if this was the thing that scared him off, but I also might be relieved if he didn’t come back for me.

I didn’t have the time to think about what my contradicting feelings meant. I shut my brain off, pushed my tits up, and plastered a smile on my face.

It was time to get the job done.