Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“What, you mean you getting your knickers in a twist and being a right royal prick?”
He flinched.
“Pretty much,” I said. “If you’d just talked to me instead of getting yourself in a tizzy, all of this wouldn’t have happened. I was avoiding you yesterday, and it’s because you pissed me off. I thought I might smack you with something heavy if I had to speak to you too much. I came back to London for the party earlier than I’d intended because I needed to get away and clear my head. Right now, we’re living together, and there’s no room to breathe. That’s why I’m pissed off you showed up here, and without telling me, no less.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He wrapped his other arm around me and clutched me against him.
My arms moved almost reflexively to circle his waist and return the hug. “Keep going.”
“I’m sorry I let my childish feelings get the better of me and took it out on you,” he murmured with his lips close to my ear. “My jealousy isn’t your responsibility.”
“Good answer.” I patted his back. “Now, you can tell me exactly why you were jealous.”
“Don’t want to.”
“Then I guess you can let go of me and leave me alone for the rest of the night.”
“I didn’t like the idea of you seeing someone else,” he mumbled, spreading his fingers across my lower back. “And I don’t like it now.”
My heart thumped harshly in my chest. “I’m not seeing anyone else.”
“You were with that bastard for ages. Adam.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “His name is Alex.”
“Chloe. That doesn’t help.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “My aunt likes to introduce me to people—surely you know that. That’s all this is. Her trying to set me up with someone.”
Theo grunted. “You looked like you were getting along well with him.”
“Yeah? Well, you didn’t look too miserable about having Angelica Holland hanging off your arm, either.”
“It was horrific. I need to sanitise my arm.” He raised his arms and wrapped them around my shoulders, holding me so tightly I couldn’t breathe unless I turned my head to the side and rested my cheek against his chest. “But it’s good to know it bothered you.”
I stilled. “It didn’t bother me.”
“No? Well, seeing you with that Alex guy bothered me. I don’t want to let you go back down there because I know he’ll be right back by your side, and I don’t want to see it.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart was beating so crazily that there was no way he didn’t know. There wasn’t a chance in hell that he didn’t know what his words were doing to me right now.
“Why?” I whispered, sliding my hands around to grip his shirt at his waist.
“The same reason I don’t want to go back down there and have someone hang off my arm in an attempt to get my attention. I hate it.”
“They’re not even remotely the same.”
“If it’s not you, I don’t want it, Chloe.”
I swallowed, closing my eyes. “Theo…”
He released his tight hold on me and grabbed my wrist. As we parted, he unfurled my fingers and pressed my hand flat against his chest. It was right over his heart, and heat rose in my cheeks.
It was racing.
His heart was racing.
“Did it never occur to you?” he asked, his voice low and husky. “That maybe I harboured feelings for you that were more than just mere sexual attraction?”
Oh.
My stomach fluttered.
I shook my head, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. Theo flexed his fingers around my wrist and sighed, raising my hand from his chest. He pressed his lips against my palm, sending little tingles up my arm that made me shiver.
“It’s why I didn’t want to accept your resignation,” he continued, his voice still low. “I knew that if I did, you’d leave, and I wouldn’t be able to tell you. I wasn’t sure how to. I knew then that you hated me and would never believe me if I told you I had feelings for you. Aside from that, what I told you about not wanting to engage in an office relationship was true. I couldn’t imagine ever putting you in the position I was in a few years ago.”
“Wait.” I tilted my head back and looked up at him. “What do you mean, your feelings are why you wouldn’t accept my resignation?”
“It’s petty, I know, but—”
“I don’t mean that. I mean you’ve had feelings for me for that long?”
He nodded. “You might think I’m quite pitiful if you realised just how long I’ve felt this way.”
“I…” What on Earth was I supposed to say now?
He had feelings for me?
And had for at least two months?
“I wasn’t… going to tell you.” He took a step back, dropping my hand, and turned away. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Shit.”