Chapter 15: Pigheaded

*Theo’s POV*

Each one calmed the twin beasts raging inside. My fear was dissipating and my rage was ebbing, she was the calm to my storm. I still didn’t know if it was good or bad, all I knew was I craved what she was. I craved her.

The more I kissed her the more I wanted, the more I needed to get her home. The sound of our lips was accentuated by the gentle drum of the rain on the window. My fingers were entangled in her hair, and the little moan she made when I pulled on it a little was sending tendrils of lust through me. I could taste the sweetener from her morning tea, still lingering on her lips. My fingers snaked from her hair and made their way down to her waist. Pulling her back and situating her so that she was straddling me as opposed to laying across my lap. I studied her face for a moment, her plump lips open and letting little gasps of air through. Her cheeks were pink and rosy, her eyes were shining brightly. I caught myself smiling at the strand of her hair that had always somehow made its way out of the bun she always wore in her hair. It hung down in her face and was moving a little every time she took a breath. I marveled at her simplistic beauty. I had never seen her in the light like this, it had always been dark when we’d been close like this. The light had never been as clear as it was at this moment. A small smile graced her face and her blush deepened. She was beautiful, not only in looks but in the way she held herself. I could barely control myself as I adjusted her hips so she was flush with my member, causing both of us to gasp out quiet little moans. My fingers caught in her hair once again, crushing our lips together.

*Evylynn’s POV:*

He was studying my face and it was making me a strange combination of self-conscious and satisfied. His eye’s were hungry and gorgeous in this light. He adjusted my hips and the friction coming off of our clothes made me moan quietly. His soft lips pushed tightly to mine while his fingers became entangled in my hair. Every once in a while I could feel his teeth catch and graze my lower lip in short tantalizing nips. My fingers laced through his soft hair with one hand and caught the front of his suit jacket with the other. We were too entwined with each other to hear the office door open. The only thing catching our attention was someone clearing their throat.

I could feel a heat rising in my face, but I couldn’t bare to turn around just yet. Theo’s eyes had turned cold once more. My curiosity was peaked, I shifted and was able to see two faces with two very different looks on them. One was that of Augustus James and his face bore a small, almost amused smirk. The other face was that of Margie. Her face as opposed to Gus’s, was a mixture of shock and anger.

“You couldn’t have waited to bed her until you got home?” Margie’s eyes flitted to mine for a moment, the irritation in her eyes migrating to curiosity at this point.

“I would have waited had I been allowed to take her home when I wanted,” Michael responded sarcastically returning his eyes to Gus, as he readjusted me on his lap so that I was sitting across it once more. I could feel his still hard length beneath me, and throbbing. I stared at the floor as my fingers fidgeted with the collar at the base of his neck.

He rubbed a soothing thumb up and down my side out of the other two’s line of sight.

I heard the door open and snap shut quietly and looked up, still seeing Gus and Margie standing opposite us but they had been joined by Henry and Andrew.

“What exactly are your intentions?” Margie asked with a strained voice.

“Margorie…” Gus's voice carried a bored warning as Henry tried, and failed to hide a snicker.

“What exactly do you mean?” Theo and I asked at the same time, my eyes flicking back to his.

“I was speaking to Miss Taylor.” Margie hissed my surname at Michael before turning back to face me. “If you only intend to fuck him, fuck him and get it over with. He doesn’t need any distractions, and you don’t need any further problems from us.” There was a long pause. A long moment of silence, while my anger boiled to the brim with impressive speed. My eye’s turned sharp and cold in a few seconds.

“I beg your pardon?” I heard my voice question. My hands were clenched into fists and I pulled away from Theo to stand. Henry let out a long low whistle, only to have stopped when he saw the look Margie had turned on him before her eye’s snapped back to me. The look in them daring me to take another step. I was much obliged, I stepped towards her and I could feel the anger in me continuing to boil over. After everything I’d been through to protect him and she does this, of all the damned pigheaded women I’ve ever met, she was the worst.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing little girl?” She asked as I took one more step, bringing myself flush with Theo’s desk, my hands gripped the top as I glared at her.

“How dare you... You may not like me Margorie James but I will not allow you to treat me as if I’m nothing or no one. Frankly, I don’t care if you don’t like me. The only person in this room that’s an opinion I care about is Theos.”

“Sit down killer.” Theo laughed while pulling me back into his lap. His lips brushed my temple as Henry and Andrew burst into laughter.

“If you hurt my boy, I’ll do worse to ya than those men did,” Margie said as she spat on the floor and left the room slamming the door hard behind her.

I was shaking so badly, what had I done? What was I thinking? She was going to kill me. I looked up at Theo, then at Gus, whose eyes studied me.

“Take her home before Marg finds somewhere to string her up,” Gus said, whose inquisitive eyes never left mine before he turned and vacated the room as well.

“You may have a bit more Black Coat in you than I thought. No one stands up to her like that.” Henry hooted with laughter as Andrew clutched his side tightly as he was hunched over silently laughing. A small smile broke over my face at the sight but I was quickly filled with terror again. My head whipped around to Theo. I started to apologize but his radiant smile made the words catch in my throat.

*Several Hours Later*

We were all gathered around the table for dinner at Gus’s house. Laughter filled the hall as I tried hard not to look around too much at the beautifully designed home in awe. Theo’s hand had a firm grip on my upper thigh and every once in a while he would scoot it slightly higher and further in. A small smile would play at the corners of his lips when I’d turn to glare at him.

“How was London?” Renee asked me from across the table, several of the family's eyes turned cold at the sound of her voice, but their eyes flitted to me out of curiosity.

“It was incredibly boring and lonely. The doctors and nurses wouldn’t say a word to me unless it was about my care and Artie and the other man didn’t speak to me until the car ride home.” It was a relief to have someone genuinely interested in me. There was a lot of tension radiating towards her from the other James’s though. The room always shifted to being uncomfortable when she was speaking.

“Artie?” Renee turned to Henry and asked.

“Short fat ‘ne,” Henry said through a mouth full of food.

“Oh yes, Artie is an interesting man….” Renee trailed off quietly, staring at Henry but receiving no return look. I didn’t get a chance to study them for long before Margie called out to me, “Careful of that one. The war changed him. He’s a good man but he has his days.” Her eyes took me in with a guarded look.

“I’ll remember that, thank you, Mrs. James.”

“Just Margie or Marge.” She said without returning her eyes to mine.

“Yes, ma’am.” I barely uttered before Theo’s hand scooted up further on my leg. I jumped a little, turning to glare at him but he was deep in conversation with a very drunk Andrew.

“Keep your hands to yourself at the dinner table, Theodore Bennett,” Margie said causing everyone’s eye’s to flit back to him and down to his arm. Theo’s eyes were full of smug mischief as he pulled his hand away from my leg and went about his conversation.

Only a few seconds passed before I could feel the toe of his shoe rubbing up and down the side of my calve, and eventually, I could feel his fingers tracing little circles on my knee and making their way up and back down slowly. By this point everyone was fairly well drunk, I could see a whispered but heated argument between Renee and Henry across the table. Alexander was talking with Andrew about some club fights a few years ago, Theo was discussing an account with Gus while torturing me under the table.

I looked at all the faces sitting around the table and smiled. Everyone had a place at this table. Could I find my place here? My eye’s fell on Gus who was watching Henry and Renee with a grim look. Augustus James the gypsy prince of Birmingham. His eyes turned to mine. They bore no emotion and were soulless. I didn’t fear him. I only found myself growing more and more accustomed to the look. Almost numb to it. What are you hiding behind those blue eyes, Gus? He held my eyes for a moment longer before I turned back towards the rest of the table.

*Theo's POV*

I was a little drunk, and by a little, I meant a lot. We all were, well. Except for Evylynn, but she laughed and joked along with us. It was interesting how she had seemingly inserted herself into the family without the blink of an eye. Mother was leery, but the rest of them were nearly as head over heels as I.

I could feel her leg brush against mine as laughed at Henry, who was now sitting alone across the table. Things between Renee and him had been bad, very bad, lately and he was a different person when she was around. I preferred him when she was gone, except for the small fact that he was extremely flirtatious. He was beginning to lay the flirting on Evy and it made me shift in my seat slightly. I could feel a small twinge of jealousy beginning to bud. My jealousy was an ugly beast that always seemed to linger when it came to her. A fact that was annoying in and of itself. I cleared my throat quietly and turned to whisper in her ear.

“I’m going to bed. You’re welcome to come.” The only one who noticed her disappearance of voice was Henry. His smug smile aimed at me before he interjected himself into Alex and Andrew's convo. Her face turned a beautiful shade of pink. I stood and waited for her to stand. I pocketed my hands as I turned a stony glare on Henry and made my way out of the room. When I didn’t immediately hear her feet moving behind me, I turned back “Evylynn?”

“If you’ll excuse me…” She said to the table before following me to the hall. I stood there studying her for a moment, waiting for the door to click closed, before I bent and picked her up tossing her up over my shoulder. A shrill shriek sounded through the hall followed by an exasperated giggle. “Theodore Bennett, what are you doing?”

“Reminding you that you’re mine.” I hummed before ascending the stairs. Her finger clung to my shirt tightly until I turned the handle for my bedroom door. I pulled her down slowly and carefully to where I could see her face as I made my way to the bedside. I dropped her down to where our faces were flush and kissed her with a quick peck before tossing her onto the bed.

“Are you Jealous Theo?” She asked when I crawled over her and situated myself between her legs.

“Not now that I have you to myself,” I whispered into her neck sending a shiver down her spine.