The Love I Need

Chapter 39

Still sitting on the swing, Theo now has his head slightly tipped back to look up at me with his legs apart in that classic manspreading position—Maybe he needs some extra room there right now. "You ready to go inside?" he asks while he lightly brushes his thumb back and forth across my cheek.

I nod dumbly but what I really want to do is climb into his lap and take him right here on this porch swing.

Theo brings himself to his feet and slowly moves his fingers from my hair and his palm from my cheek. "After you."

There's barely an inch between us now that he's standing. I want to close that distance and press into him while reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck but just as I'm about to, Theo breaks eye contact and glances toward the door.

Right. We're outside. I have no doubts now that Theo wants this but he probably doesn't want to risk his neighbours seeing it happen.

I force myself to step back from him and cross the porch to walk into the house, adding a bit of an extra swing to my hips in case his eyes have found my backside.

Theo follows me inside without a word. When he closes the door behind us, I turn around to give him a sultry grin, but his eyes are on the staircase.

"Should I show you to your room?" he asks while gesturing to the stairs.

I can't help but to feel like he's stalling but maybe he's just the type of guy who likes to keep things in the bedroom. He does seem like the type.

I wait for him to finally look at me before I nod, and then he's quickly looking away and moving up the stairs.

Weird... But okay, maybe he's nervous.

I follow him up the stairs and down the hall to the last room.

Theo leans against the door frame once I've entered the bedroom. He points to my bag on the foot of the king-sized bed and lightly shrugs his shoulders. "I didn't want to go through your stuff so it's all still in there, but feel free to use the dresser and the closet."

I smile at him and nod, then sit down on the edge of the bed and pat the spot next to me. "Care to join me, big guy?"

He stands up a little straighter while a frown appears on his face. "I, uh... I don't think that's a good idea, Milia."

What?

"Really? Because you were sure acting like it was a great idea five minutes ago," I reply.

My annoyance must show because Theo sighs and runs a hand over his face uncomfortably. His eyes meet mine, but all the signs of flirting have left them now, and he quietly mumbles, "As I said earlier, I'm okay with you staying here, but I think we need to lay down some ground rules..."

"Sounds serious," I answer while trying to keep my disappointment from coming out as anger.

Theo shakes his head. "No, it's just... Well, I'll just go ahead and say it. I'm not going to have sex with you."

"Wow, Theo," I answer, not bothering to hide that I'm offended now. I flop back on the bed, feeling defeated as all my fantasies about getting in his pants are taken away.

"I'm sorry?" he apologizes as if it's a question, "It's just—"

"I'm your brother-in-law's ex-girlfriend. I get it," I mutter in reply. "You can go now."

"No, that's not even it," he denies. His voice sounds closer, telling me that he's chosen to finally step into the room. "It's not about you."

I roll my eyes, refusing to look at him. "Really, Theodore? The It's not you, it's me speech? Just save it."