And who knows what will happen then?
Chapter Twenty-One
EVIE
This is torture. It was easier before, but I’ve had a taste now, and forgetting about him is impossible. We crawl into our beds, and I miss his goodnight kisses. He won’t even spare me one. I was the one to set the boundary, and it’s a good sign that he’s holding it, but I miss him.
For two nights, my fingers itch, wanting to reach for my phone and ask him to join me.
Other than that, it almost feels like things are back to normal, even if we’ve taken a million steps backward. We still watch movies together; we do it with more space between us. We still walk through the woods together, but we don’t entertain thoughts of running away for a moment alone.
My feelings for him are solidifying, as much as I wish they wouldn’t. If I can still feel so much for him when we’re not tangled up in bed together, it’s real. Isn’t it?
The cabin is quiet. I shuffle around the kitchen as my cakes cool, desperate to keep myself busy. That’s all I’ve been doingthese last two days, and the kitchen is full—cookies, pastries, even a blueberry pie. Now, there’s a cake on top of it all. I was lucky to find a few cake pans at the local shop.
The others will be kind enough to take some of the pastries off our hands, but I need to stop. This is getting out of hand.
Theo is locked away in his bedroom—half bedroom, half office—stuck on calls until noon. He loves being outside, and that’s what this trip is for. He probably won’t be in the best of moods when he’s done.
If only I could do something to cheer him up…
I knock on the door and wait, hoping he’s off his call. This may be the only time we can sneak a moment together all day. Christine is off in the woods, he’s here, and I know he has an hour break between now and his next appointment…
“Come in,” he says.
My heart skips a beat. Will hearing his voice always make me feel this way? The idea of seeing him has me lit up from within. I’m giddy as I step inside, my cheeks flushed pink. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He lifts a brow. “What are you doing here? Do I have an appointment I forgot about?”
“You do.” I press forward, sliding onto his desk—a small way of demanding his attention. “You almost missed an appointment with a very important client.
He obliges to my every whim, moving his papers out of the way, his hands landing on my waist. “And which client is that?”
“Me.”
“You’re right. That is the most important appointment I’ll have all day.” He looks out of the window, peering through the tiny crack in the curtain. “But we shouldn’t. Not yet. We’ll have to reschedule.”
His touch is gentler than I’m used to. There’s no pressure of his fingers, and he doesn’t draw me closer. He’s holding himself back. I wish he didn’t have to.
“Just a kiss,” I whisper. “Please? I miss you.”
He swallows thickly. “Are you sure Christine isn’t here?”
“Positive. She’s been gone all morning.”
That only makes it more dangerous. If she left recently, we would have more time together, but there’s no saying when she’ll return. Theo leans in, and I meet him halfway, pushing the worries to the back of my mind.
He stands, hovering above me, his body fitting so perfectly between my thighs.
When his lips brush against mine, it’s soft—just a taste, fleeting, as if he’s afraid to take more. The gentle touch is enough for me. Goose bumps form up and down my arms, and I have shivers and tingles all over.
His breath becomes mine.
I part my lips, and he runs his tongue along my lower lip, taking his time. We need to be fast and hungry, but he isn’t.
He drags his teeth along my lower lip.
“I miss you, too.” He sighs into my mouth and finally crushes his lips against mine, claiming and harsh. “You don’t know how hard it is to be close to you without being able to take what I want.”
