Chapter 86 In His Arms
ALICE
I was just starting to fall apart when Theo rang the bell downstairs.
I paced the living room floor while I waited for him to come up, and as soon as he was standing on the other side of my door, I threw myself at him. He wrapped his arms around me and kicked the door closed.
Sobs bubbled up my throat and I let them spill out.
"I'm sorry," he murmured against my hair. "I'm so sorry."
"My parents..."
"I know, baby. I know."
I felt a tight squeeze in my chest at his words. He carried me toward the bedroom and set me down on the bed. He removed his blazer and his tie, and I kicked my shoes off. I hadn't even had time to take my clothes off. Whatever. It could wait.
I was back in his arms with my left leg hooked over his hip. I was so damn glad that he was here. This day had been awful so far and I said so many things I didn't mean to my father because of all this. Well, no. That wasn't entirely true. I meant those things.
Saying them to his face hadn't been right. He stopped gambling a long time ago, so it was a low blow.
Theo's hand was caressing the underside of my thigh. I took deep breaths and tried to calm down because tears weren't going to resolve the situation. Instead, I focused on how his lips felt pressed against my forehead and how warm his skin was as I slid my hand up and down his chest.
"Thank you," I said after what felt like an eternity of silence.
"You don't have to thank me," he claimed before drawing back so we were looking into each other's eyes. "Tell me what happened. What did they say to you?"
I sniffled. "Just what I expected. They were pretty mad about the article. I lied to them and they just...I wish they'd listen to me for once, you know? I wish they'd just put their prejudices aside and pay attention to what I have to say. Maybe then, they wouldn't judge me so harshly."
Theo looked like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind and planted another kiss on my forehead.
I said, "This is a nightmare."
"No, it's not. Our business is our own and people really need to mind their fucking lives."
"What about Carmella?"
Theo didn't hesitate. "She's never mattered."
"How can you be so cold?"
"I'm being honest."
"You do recognize that there are moral implications to this, right? Did you have a chance to talk to her before all this?"
Again, he appeared contemplative, then said, "Well, she probably knows now. I didn't mean for things to happen this way—trust me. I wanted to do the right thing and I would have, but the truth is that I won't let honor stop me from doing what I have to do, Alice. You're who I want. I won't let anyone get in the way of us again. Do you want me?"
I nodded. "Of course."
"Then that's all that matters." His hand slid higher up my thigh until the tips of his fingers brushed against my panties. I shuddered. "Fuck what everyone else thinks. That includes your parents."
"Theo..."
"No." He pushed my panties aside just enough for his fingers to brush against my labia. I sucked in a breath and my lips remained parted as he inched closer to my clit. "You're a big girl. If you're grown enough to pay their bills, you should be grown enough to make your own choices."
"They're still my parents. I owe them respect."
"And what do they owe you?"
We made eye contact and I wasn't sure why, but his words did something strange to me. "What do you mean by that?"
"Let's not talk about it."
I tried sitting up, but he stopped me by rolling on top of me. "I'm being serious."
"So am I."
He kissed me before I could say another thing and it definitely distracted me from what we'd been discussing. His hand traveled down my body once more, settling right where I needed him. He massaged me through my panties and I moaned in his mouth.
"I missed you," he grumbled against my lips. "I won't waste another second on something that doesn't concern us, alright?”
I had no opportunity to protest. Theo pushed the hem of my shirt up my body and began kissing the tops of my breasts. He was settled right between my legs so I could feel his cock swelling in his boxers and it filled me with a hunger I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
I rolled my hips against his and we both groaned. He tugged the bra down, exposing just the nipples, and then he dragged his tongue lazily over each one. I bucked wildly beneath him, craving more of that delicious friction.
“Theo,” I moaned. “I need more.”
In response to my plea, he began kissing a path down my body until he reached the space between my legs. He removed all my clothes quickly and I helped by taking my top off.
A curse escaped his lips before he dragged his tongue along my wet slit. My right thigh was over his shoulder as he devoured me, alternating between sucking my throbbing clit and flicking it with his tongue. I squirmed in pleasure, crying out so loudly that the sounds I was making bounced off the walls of my bedroom.
“Yes! Oh, yeah! Just like that! Oh…”
I came apart and he kept eating me out until I was begging him to stop and my whole body was shaking uncontrollably.
Afterward, he held me while I tried to catch my breath. He rubbed and tugged my nipples between his fingers until they turned a dusky pink color.
“That was…” I had no words.
“Feeling better?”
I turned to face him with a lazy smile on my lips. “You don’t want to get undressed?”
“No.” He kissed me and I could taste myself on his lips. “This wasn’t about me—it was about you.”
“I thought it was about us.”
The corners of his lips twitched and his kiss deepened. His tongue slid along mine and my desire for him grew again.
I’d never stop wanting this man no matter how hard I tried.
“Well, I want it,” I whispered. “And I want you to tie me up this time.”
Theo stilled and drew back a little. “We'll talk about that later.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? You don’t want to? But I thought…”
He placed a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth. “It’s not that I don’t want to.”
“I mean, it’s all about consent right? Well, I want it. Whatever it is. I want to do it with you. I haven’t stopped thinking about that day in Helsinki.”
Theo drew circles on my cheek with his thumb. “You're sure of what you're asking me?”
“I'm sure.”
A dark gleam flickers in his eyes and I feel him twitch against my thigh. “Your wish is my command.”