I wipe my mouth but nothing is there. Theo chuckles.
Laughter—music to the soul.
“Cheeky bastard.” I glare at him, but my grin doesn’t give it much merit.
I offer a silent thank you to the creator of my universe for allowing me to see life in slow motion so I can appreciate the moments that have passed me by for so many years.
He continues to load everything, giving me an occasional glance that quickens my pulse. I don’tknowhim at all, but it’s impossible to share space with someone for this long and not feel attached to them in an inexplicable way. Familiarity via cohabitation osmosis—I’m labeling it a real thing.
“The leaf-cutter ant can carry fifty times its body weight. That’s like you or me carrying a small car above our head. Isn’t that amazing? Well, I can actually see you being able to do that. Me… not so much.”
“Get in.” He lifts the hem of his dirty shirt and wipes the sweat from his brow. “You’re drooling again.”
My gaze snaps from his abs to his eyes. “You’re being an arse again.” I grin and he does too. I’ve never seen so many of his teeth at once. Theodore Reed is truly a beautiful man.
Stop.
Stare.
Give thanks.
Let go …
*
“What did yousteal?” Theo breaks the silence as we cross the bridge to Tybee Island.
“I didn’t steal anything. You bought the windmill.”
He shakes his head. “In London.”
“Oh. This and that. Nothing too exciting. Mostly money.”
“So you’re rich?”
I chuckle. “No. I didn’t steal it for myself. Well, I kept a small percent to pay rent and food, but it was more of a recovery fee. A fair number of my clients were poor and unemployed. So, for example, when corporations downsized to make sure the rich bastards at the top didn’t have to take pay cuts or even worse, didn’t have to forego their raises, I made sure the unemployed wereproperly compensateduntil they found new employment.”
“Robin Hood.”
“Sometimes.” I smile.
“And other times?”
“And other times I was a weapon to the highest bidder. I got paid to expose certain people, provide information to blackmail others.”
“And you did this all from a computer?”
“Yes.”
“But you picked my pocket.”
“My grandfather and dad taught me survival skills at an early age.”
“Survival skills,” Theo says like he’s testing out the meaning of the words.
“No credit cards?”
“No.”
