Chapter 13: Soft Like Thunder: Chapter 12

UP UNTIL THEO, Luciana was the only person I’d ever shared a bed with. I had to say, sleeping with a big, warm man who’d spent a considerable amount of time making me come was infinitely better than fighting for space and being elbowed all night by my little sister.

Which was why, as soon as I regained consciousness, I was out of bed and away from his too-comfy arms.

was not something I was going to allow myself to get used to.

The sex part, I could do that. At my bathroom door, I glanced back at Theo’s long, muscular body, taking up more than his fair share of my bed, and bit my lip. Yeah, I could definitely deal with a little more of that.

I did my thing in the bathroom, scrubbing the sleep from my face and brushing the slime from my teeth. Not awake enough to shower, I slapped on some deodorant, wove my hair into a loose braid, and I was done.

The sleeping boy in my bed was awake and sitting up when I came out. As soon as I opened the bathroom door, Theo was up, crossing the room in a few steps and swooping me into his arms. He shoved his face into my neck, pressing his lips firmly under my ear.

“I need to head out,” he murmured against my skin. “Want to feed me breakfast before I go?”

“You’re going to take up my entire bed all night, then mooch breakfast off me?”

He brought his head up, blue eyes already twinkling at full force. “Yeah, I am.”

I tilted my head, sweeping a look over all his Theo hotness. “That’s fair.” I smacked his butt, which I happened to know was deliciously round and rock hard, because I’d spent a good amount of time with my legs wrapped around it. “Come on, Theodore. It’s time for a gourmet dining hall meal.”

He kissed my forehead. “Give me a couple minutes, then it’s on.”

He disappeared into the bathroom. I threw a hoodie on over my pajamas, slipped my feet into a pair of rainbow-checkered Vans, then I went into the living room to wait.

Elena lounged on the couch reading a newspaper.

Yeah. She did that. Apparently, it was her Sunday ritual.

“Is Zadie still sleeping?” I asked.

She slowly lowered the paper. “I haven’t seen her this morning.”

“Cool. I just wanted to see if she’d like to get breakfast with me.”

Brow arched, lips pursed, bitch face activated. “With you and the random ass you brought back to your room in the middle of the night?”

“Wow, you’re really interested in my life. Are you miffed I didn’t invite you to breakfast?”

Her eyes rolled. “I’ve been up since seven, Helen. Actually, that was the second time I woke up. The first time was to the sounds of what I assumed was either you being murdered or taken to pound town. I see it was the latter.”

My eyes boggled in my head. “You thought I was being murdered, and you didn’t check on me?”

Her nose scrunched. “Clearly you weren’t being murdered because there you stand, but honestly, I didn’t want to chance it. If I’d seen that horror show, I’d need to bleach both my brain and my eyeballs, and I just don’t have time for that.”

I had nothing to say to that. Except if Theo came calling again, I’d be sure to throw a pillow over my face. The idea of Elena hearing what went down between us gave me the heebie-jeebies.

“Hey.” Theo came up behind me and slid his arm around my middle. His hand splayed on my stomach like he owned me, and I liked it. It wasn’t real, but I liked it. “Ready?”

I twisted my head to peer up at him. “Yes. Let’s go.”

The rustle of the newspaper attracted both our attention. “I know you,” Elena drawled. “Theo, right? You’re Abby’s.”

Theo stiffened behind me and pulled me even tighter against him. “Right and wrong. I am Theo, but I’m not Abby’s.”

Elena’s wicked mouth curled into a smirk, and she waved the facts Theo gave her away like a pesky fly. “Oh, I guess my info is outdated. This meeting would be crazy awkward if you were still with Abby, especially since I know what it sounds like when you’re coming.”

I had to laugh, because what the fuck? “You did not just say that.”

Theo’s chuckle vibrated my back. “She did. Jesus, am I that loud?”

Elena nodded with wide eyes. “Honestly, it was like you were in competition with each other. I had to hold my teddy bear, I was so frightened.”

I snorted again. This girl was out of her mind. “Okay, now I’m totally weirded out.”

“Holy fuck,” Theo mumbled against my hair.

With that, I grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the room. He laughed the entire way to the dining hall, repeating the line about Elena’s teddy bear and cracking himself up again.

Thankfully, he’d settled by the time we were seated with plates of pancakes and bacon. Theo had unapologetically mooched off my dining plan, but it was cool. I wasn’t rich, but my dining plan was rolling in it.

I tipped my chin to Theo’s rapidly emptying plate. “There’s more where that came from.”

“Oh yeah?” He grinned. “You’re saying you want to buy me dinner sometime?”

“If that dinner happens in this swanky as hell dining hall, then yep. My dining plan is the deluxe, baby.”

He waggled his brows at me. “You’re gonna be my sugar mama?”

“I’ll buy you mozzarella sticks for services rendered.”

Theo’s grin slowly faded, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. Then he reached for my hand, taking it in his. “This is good, right? I want to keep doing this, but I can’t make any kind of promises.”

I swallowed, fighting the urge to take my hand back. “Which part is good? The free breakfast or the fucking?”

He didn’t even flinch. “Both, Tiger. I can pay for breakfast, but I like sharing it with you because you make me laugh and you’re incredibly gorgeous to look at. The fucking…if you want that to happen again, I’m all in. Told you this morning that was the best I’ve ever had.”

Sliding my hand away from his, I propped my chin on it. “So, you want to fuck me, share a couple meals with me, but not be responsible for my feelings? Or is that not it? You could tell me what you want with me. That might make it easier.”

Sighing, he swiped his hand over his mouth. “I don’t want to be a jackass to you.”

“Got it. That’s an admirable goal.”

“Helen…I like you, but I was just with a girl for two years and I haven’t been with anyone else since. I’m not looking for something serious. That’s not where my head is right now.” He steepled his hands under his chin, pausing like he was waiting for me to speak. I wasn’t letting him off that easy. Not until he told me what I’d asked.

“I guess, yeah, I don’t want to be responsible for your feelings, even though I will always go out of my way to make sure I don’t screw you over. I don’t want complicated. The other thing I’m dealing with, beyond Abby and all that shit, is my father and his severe disappointment in me for quitting wrestling and losing Abby. The thought of introducing him to someone new and all that comes with it—” He shook his head hard. “No, I’m not there right now. If you need me to say what I don’t want, it’s this: a relationship with a future. Expectations to take certain steps. Promises.”

His words hit me harder than I thought they would, and that was no good. I wasn’t having feelings for this rich boy with twinkly eyes. No matter how hard he made me come, or how sweet he had been to my sister. He didn’t get to draw a line between us, because I’d drawn it before I’d ever met him, and no man, no matter how lovely his voice was, got beyond it.

Theo needed to understand who I was. He clearly had some fantasy of Helen Ortega being the marrying kind. Nope. Not gonna happen.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend, Theo. I’ve never wanted one, and I’m not looking for one. The sex was good, great even, but I don’t want to meet your dad. I don’t want to love you or for you to fall in love with me. My future involves me and Luciana getting out of this town. A man is not part of that. Maybe in a decade or two, but definitely not right now.”

His nostrils flared, and the hinge of his jaw worked as he gritted his teeth. Call me crazy, but I didn’t think Theo Whitlock seemed too pleased about me telling him I didn’t want him for more than his dick, even though he’d just told me basically the same.

“No boyfriend? And you’ve never had sex sober? Why hasn’t anyone treated you right?” He sounded like he was asking the universe instead of me, but I had an answer.

“I just told you I’ve never wanted a boyfriend. My best friends growing up were guys. They protected me from the big bads when I couldn’t fight my own battles. They skated with me, learned tricks with me, laughed at our wounds while we wrapped them up. My boys would drive me places when we got older, or fix shit in my house that absolutely needed to be fixed. And sometimes, when we partied, we fooled around. I got everything I needed and nothing I didn’t want.”

Theo reached forward, grabbed my chair, and jerked it so I was right beside him. Then he took my jaw in his hand. “Where are these boys now? Because I seem to be the only fucking one taking care of you, baby.”

“If I needed them, I’d call, and they’d come.” I pushed his hand from my face. He cupped the side of my neck instead. “My two closest guy friends are away at school. With their girlfriends. So, the sex part of our relationship is finished—and honestly, it was a small part anyway—but they’re still my boys. Ride or die. They treated me right.”

Gabe and Sebastian did, at least. Other boys, periphery friends, hadn’t been as good to me. They were history now.

“I’m glad you have that.” Theo tugged me close, his forehead resting on mine. “I feel like I’m messing this up with you, Helen. You’re cool, you’ve always been cool. I’m the one being stupid.”

“You are being stupid. We had sex one time and you think I want to meet your dad. Get a grip, dude.”

I did not want to meet Theo’s dad. Ever. But I also really hated everything about this conversation.

Theo exhaled heavily against my lips. “I’ve had one girlfriend. I don’t know how to do anything but be a boyfriend. So excuse me for being a jackass. That’s all I know.”

“You were doing fine up until about five minutes ago. I mean, the stalking was kind of heavy handed, but you’re cute, and you eat pussy like a champ, so I can look past that.”

His smiling lips touched mine. “Thanks for being such a goddamn awesome girl. There’s no one like you, baby.”

“I know that, dude. Count yourself lucky I’m allowing you in my presence.”

I didn’t really understand why there was a knot wrapped in barbed wire in my throat, but damn, it did not feel great to swallow.

Theo kissed me again, and I let him go deep, because that felt better than listening to the words that kept coming from his torturous mouth. It went on too long and got too hot for a Sunday morning in the dining hall, but we didn’t stop until someone, somewhere, dragged a chair across the tile floor, creating a long, loud screech.

He pulled back, but not far. “I have so much to do today.”

“Me too.”

“Are you working tonight?”

“No, not tonight. I’m going to hang out with Luc and take her to dinner.”

“Tell me when you’re working. I don’t want you on the bus. I’ll drive you.”

I sighed and slumped away from him. “That sounds like a boyfriend thing.”

He leveled a hard stare at me. “You’re telling me the guys, the ones you call your ride or dies, would let you take the bus at two in the morning?”

I chewed on the corner of my lip. It had never come up while they’d lived in town, so I wasn’t completely sure. Chances were, I’d do what I needed to do without letting them know.

“If they found out, they’d probably be pissed, but I do my own thing and don’t answer to anyone. That’s how I like it.”

“Our friendship is going to work a little differently, baby. I won’t allow you to do shit that endangers you. And before you get pissed at me using ‘allow,’ let me tell you what I mean.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear and ran his hand down my braid. “I like this.”

I rolled my eyes even though that little gesture sent a mini arrow straight through my chest.

“What I mean is I’m going to be there for you, so endangering yourself is not a choice. I don’t have anything going on at two in the morning, so you tell me the days you work, I’ll drive you home.”

“And end up in my bed?”

The look he gave me could have burned down the ocean. “That’s not why I’m doing it, but if you’re offering that sweet, tight little pussy, I’m never going to turn it down.”

“You know how to charm a girl, Theodore.”

He didn’t grin like I expected. His thumb stroked the center of my throat while his eyes swept over me, from lips to forehead.

“It’s not about charming you, Helen. I’m telling you like it is. This works between us because we don’t play games. We’re straight with each other. It’s a relief to have that with someone—with you. I think we get one another.”

I nodded. “I think you’re right, which is strange. You’re the last person I should get.”

His mouth tightened. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but you will. Then I think you’ll see.”

“Cryptic.”

“Yeah,” he breathed out. “I don’t mean to be. I really do have to run.”

“All right. Let’s hit it.”

We dumped our trays, then Theo took my hand. For a guy who didn’t want to be a boyfriend, he really had a bad habit of acting like one. But I guess that was his point. This in-between kind of thing was brand new to him. It was new to me too. I sure as hell had never held hands with Bash or Gabe. The idea made me shudder, and those boys would have probably died of laughter if I suggested it.

Not that I ever would. Ew.

Back at my dorm, Theo walked me backward into the same wall Amir had trapped me against just over a week ago. Hidden by a tree, Theo went at me, wrecking my mouth, grabbing my ass, my belly, my tits—everywhere he could get his hands. I attacked back, shoving my hands under his shirt, biting his lips, sucking his tongue, grinding my pussy against his dick.

Just two pals saying goodbye. Nothing special.

He groaned with my breast in his hand. “Gotta stop. I need to go. I don’t have time to take you upstairs.”

“’Kay. Then you’re going to have to get your hand out of my pants.” Yeah, his other hand was currently down the back of my pants, gripping a handful of my ass.

“You’re going to have to get hand out of my pants, Helen.”

Oh yeah. I was totally feeling up his butt too, but it was such a nice one, all bubbly and muscular.

We stepped away from each other, me zipping up my hoodie, Theo adjusting his dick. Watching him do that, I wanted to jump him again, so I stuffed my hands in my pockets and hurried out from behind the tree to the sidewalk.

It took Theo a minute, then he joined me. “I’m gonna go.”

I smirked. “You should.”

He stared me down. I stared right back. With a pained groan, he grabbed me by the back of my head and pulled me into his chest, kissing me hard and fast. Then he dropped his hands and walked away, shaking his head the entire way to his car. I had to clamp down on my bottom lip to keep the smile at bay.

Theo Whitlock wasn’t going to be my boyfriend. That was a fact. But whatever this was, it was nothing like my friendships from high school.

I swiveled on my toes, heading back to my dorm for a shower and study session. No need to analyze the hell out of anything. I’d let this ride while it was fun and hot. When it changed—which it inevitably would—I’d end it.

Theo had me on all fours. He was behind me, driving into me relentlessly.

“You can’t be loud,” I panted.

“That’s you being loud.”

“But you’re making me loud.”

He smacked my ass. “Shut up. No one’s home.”

I arched my back, and he went impossibly deeper. “They might come home. They’ll hear us.”

He smacked me again. “I don’t care,” he said, punctuating each word with a thrust.

“Oh god,” my neck arched when he hit something raw inside me, “who knew you’d be a bad influence?”

One more slap, then his arms banded around me, pulling me upright and onto his lap. My knees were on the outside of his, but he controlled my movements, bouncing me on his cock. Every time my butt slapped his thighs, breath knocked out of my lungs in frantic pants.

“No more talking unless you’re telling me what you need, baby.”

My head fell back on his shoulder. I turned to lick a line along his throat. “Need you to make me come.” He’d already done that with his tongue, but the fire in my core was burning so hot, if I didn’t find release, I’d combust.

He dipped down to cover my mouth at the same time he started working my clit with his fingers. Theo ate my moans, swallowed down my cries while he pounded into me from below.

I came hard, my entire body quaking. He rode me through it, never letting up on his savage rhythm. He was rough with me, gripping my flesh with a firmness just short of painful. He fucked me like he knew I wasn’t going to break but kissed me like I was a treasure. The sweetest dichotomy kept me coming and moaning until Theo emptied himself inside me with one more wild thrust, then he stilled, pulsing deep, holding me in place.

We fell sideways in a sweaty lump. My head hit my textbook, making me groan. Theo grunted and pushed the book off my bed, then he curled around my back and nuzzled my nape.

“That hurt,” I whined.

“Sorry, baby.” He rubbed the side of my head, making it better.

A paper crinkled under my boob. It was the syllabus from my art history class. The class I was supposed to be studying for. Instead, I was well fucked and ready for a nap.

“You really are a bad influence.” I patted Theo’s face, which was resting beside mine, and felt his grin. “You’re proud of yourself?”

“It was your idea to study in your dorm.”

“Study, Theodore.”

He cupped my tit. “We’ll study, but I’m not going to be on a bed with you and not need to be inside you. That’s just not possible. You need to know that now.”

“The time to tell me that was when I suggested studying here instead of the library.”

His teeth scraped my shoulder. “You don’t have to fight me. You were with me the whole way.”

I sighed. “I was. You’re hot and your dick is nice, so yeah, I was with you. That doesn’t mean it was a good choice. I still have to study, and now all I want to do is nap or sit on your face.”

His laughter shook me. “You’re telling me I didn’t take good enough care of you?” His hand drifted from my tit to cup between my thighs. “This pussy isn’t satisfied?”

“Satisfied? Yes. A greedy bitch? Also yes.” I rolled to my other side, so we were facing each other. “I’m ninety-seven percent joking. Not about the studying—about the face sitting.”

Because it was Thursday, we should have been in the library in Theo’s hidey spot. My intentions had been mostly pure, inviting him back to my room to study instead. After his big speech about not committing and not wanting a relationship or complications, I was the only one actually putting distance between us. Theo kept holding my hand after class, making out with me against walls and under trees, picking me up from work at two in the morning. So, I figured if he was going to go all in on this…thing, then it was time I relaxed and gave in to the pull that made me want to hang out with him all the time.

I’d been stupid to think we’d actually get any studying done with an empty dorm and a bed at our disposal. Because, like I said, Theo was hot and his dick was nice.

Theo patted my hip. “Get dressed. You study like a good girl, I’ll take care of your pussy again. You can sit on my face any time you want.”

I palmed his face. “Shush. Don’t call me a good girl in that voice when I’m trying to get my shit together. That’s not fair in any way.”

“What voice?” His expression was bemused. My entire face and chest heated.

“You know your voice. It’s all lovely and low and sounds like you’re about to recite sonnets about the way my hair catches the sun or my eyes glimmer in the moonlight.” I snarled. “You know the voice.”

He slowly shook his head. “No one’s ever said anything about my voice. I think that’s a you thing, Tiger.”

Needing out of this conversation, I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My T-shirt was on the other side of the room, but my underwear was on the ground. I slipped them on, then stalked to where my shirt had been flung. I felt Theo’s eyes on me—my ass—but I kept my back to him, tugging on my shirt, then disappeared into the bathroom.

I shouldn’t have said anything about his voice. What had I even been thinking? I wasn’t. He’d dicked me so well, part of my brain had fallen out. Obviously, I wasn’t in my right mind, waxing poetic about Theo’s voice.

I washed my hands, brushed my hair, and swiped on a thick coat of lipstick. The red brought me back to myself. I shook the orgasm haze out of my limbs, sucked in a breath, and opened the door.

My room was empty, my shorts folded neatly on the bed. I tugged them on, then I found Theo on the couch in the living room, his computer open in his lap, feet kicked up on the coffee table.

He looked me over with a slight quirk of his mouth but he didn’t say a peep. I fell down on the armchair with my textbook, opening it to a random page, knowing I wasn’t going to be able to study with him here.

A text on my phone saved me from having to pretend.

Sebastian Vega never wasted words. He’d been like that since we met our freshman year of high school. His girlie, Grace, had cracked him open, but she was the only one who got to see inside. We got along because he was solid, he skated, he put up with my attitude, and these days, he had a kick-ass girlfriend.

Sebastian was a graffiti artist while Grace sculpted metal. They were both incredible at what they did. I didn’t actually expect a piece of their art, but it was the first thing that had popped into my head. I hated asking for anything, even for my own birthday.

Tossing my phone aside, I lifted my eyes to find Theo’s on me. His brow was furrowed, the corners of his mouth turned down.

“Who’s making you smile like that?” he gritted out.

“A friend. Sebastian. A few of my high school friends are coming to town Saturday. We were making plans.”

His head cocked, that frown still in place. “You’re not working Saturday?”

“No. I took the night off.”

“Were you going to tell me?”

Leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees, I leveled a hard gaze on him. “I definitely would have told you I didn’t need a ride because I’m not inconsiderate. Was I going to tell you my plans? I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.”

His laptop closed with a loud snap. “Maybe not?”

“Do I owe you my Saturday nights, Theodore? That sounds like a boyfriend thing.”

In a flash, he was in front of me, scooping me out of my chair, taking my place with me on his lap. His hands threaded in the sides of my hair, tugging me into him, then his mouth covered mine in a deep, wet, possessive kiss. I tried to pull back, but not that hard. When he held my head and licked my mouth, I forgot everything but the feel of him.

Forehead to mine, his inhales were jagged. “I know I messed up with you and I have to pay for it. But we’re not playing games with each other. I don’t claim your Saturday nights, but if I ask you where you’re going, I expect a modicum of respect and for you to answer me. If you’re doing something you don’t want me to know about, then we need to have a whole other conversation.”

“You don’t have to pay for anything.” My fingers curled around his wrists. “No games. I’m hanging out with a group of high school friends Saturday night. We’re gonna go to a party at this guy Javi’s. If you want to come, I’ll text you the addy.”

His chin bumped mine. “You want me there?”

“If you want to be there. Warning, though, you’ll have to meet my boys, and you’ll have to be okay with that.”

“Boys you’ve fucked.” He said it flatly, but his displeasure was obvious.

“Yeah. And the girlfriends they’re gonna put a ring on as soon as possible.”

He stroked my bottom lip with his thumb, his eyes tracing the same line. “I’ll come.”

“And be decent?”

“And be decent,” he echoed.