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His thumb slides higher on my thigh.
For a second I forget how to breathe.
“What kind of business?” I manage.
“I don’t know yet.”
I swallow down a laugh. This whole conversation is so Theo. Stop start. Dancing around. Not that I mind. I like the way he thinks things through before he speaks.
His finger stops tracing circles and rests warm and steady on my upper thigh. I try not to squirm, because I’m already feeling like I want him to carry me inside over his shoulder like a caveman.
“But if I came to visit. Would that be welcome?” he asks.
“You would be very welcome,” I tell him, trying not to let myself get carried away. “I’d love to show you around.”
A faint smile curves his mouth, but his eyes are serious.
“I don’t want this to end when you get on that plane,” he says. His voice is steady, but it still feels like there’s more than what he’s saying.
“It doesn’t have to,” I reply, my chest tight.
His eyes search mine, like he’s looking for hesitation. But he doesn’t find it, because there’s no doubt in my mind that I want this to continue.
He leans across the console and kisses me softly, his lips moving against mine like he has so much more to say but doesn’t know how to say it. His hand cups my neck, his fingers warm on my skin.
When he pulls back, his gaze lingers on mine. “Georgia, I…”
But before he can finish, the front door of Ravensmere swings open. Light spills out across the gravel, and two silhouetted figures appear at the doorway as Theo lets out a groan.
“How lovely,” he says like it’s anything but that. “My parents arrived early.”
Then two more people appear next to them. I recognize his brother first. And next to him is a slim brunette. He slides his hands around her waist possessively, then pulls her against him.
Theo blinks.
It’s small. Almost imperceptible. But I still see it. He goes rigid and his fingers tighten on my leg.
The brunette tips her head back at something Alex says. She laughs. He bends to murmur into her ear, his mouth close to her skin, his hands still firm at her waist.
Just as Theo lets go of me and pulls open his door.
“Come on,” he says quietly. “Let’s go in.”
The warmth from the car vanishes the second he steps out. Cold air rushes in as he pulls open my door and I join him on the drive.
He squares his shoulders, walking beside me toward the steps. His expression is completely composed.
“At least you remembered where to park this time,” Alex calls out. “That’s what I like to see.”
The brunette turns to face us. And when the light hits her face, I feel Theo falter. For the slightest of moments, until the implacable expression takes back over.
He takes my hand, squeezing it too hard for comfort.
“Hello, Theo,” the brunette says softly, her eyes catching his. “It’s good to see you again.”
18
GEORGIA
