15

Barely contained fury fuels my body as I burst through the door, the force causing it to slam against the wall and quiver on its hinges.

What fucking right does he think he has to be here? To come to Theo's home like this?

I knew I should've gutted the fucker when I had the chance.

Curled up against an older woman who works in the building, Theo has that fragile air about him again. Her hand glides over his shoulders as he hunches forward, staring at the floor. She's kind, always stopping to chat with Theo every time I've come through with him, and I'm relieved that he's with someone who can help keep him calm.

As soon as his eyes meet mine, his face crumples, and the fear in them hits me all the way in the gut. He runs over, crashing into me as I wrap my arms around him. "Why is this happening to me?" he whimpers against my shirt, and I rake my fingers through his hair and hold him to me.

"I don't know, but we're going to fix it. You trust me to protect you, right?" He nods, his cheek rubbing against me as he sniffles. "Good, baby, that's good."

My eyes dart around the lobby as my nose pushes into his hair, taking in his sweet scent. It's a struggle to prevent my anger from causing me to react impulsively, but I ground myself with his touch, knowing I have to keep my cool.

This is something I can control.

I take a deep inhale, filling my lungs until they ache, and then release it, counting to ten before I push the rest of the air out and breathe normally. My mind clears, and I glance down at the mop of thick brown hair pressed against my shoulder.

"Here's what we're going to do. We'll go upstairs together, and I'll check your apartment to make sure there is nothing to worry about…"

"Do you think he could be up there?" he interrupts.

Fuck, I hate how small he sounds. "No, I really don't, but when it comes to my favorite person, I refuse to gamble. We will pack you a bag, and you'll stay with me while we figure this out."

"You don't have to do that," he says in a rickety whisper, but I shake my head before he's even finished speaking.

My fingers dig into his hair and give a gentle tug, forcing him to look at me. "Nothing will happen to you, okay? We'll have a sleepover for a few nights, go into the police station and get a restraining order, and from there… we'll play it by ear."

"Can we wear cute pajamas and have a pillow fight at this sleepover?"

I smile down at him, trying to hide my anxiety so he feels safe. "You can even paint my nails."

The first genuine smile I've seen from him tonight spreads across his face. "Any color?"

"Whatever you want."

"Neon pink?"

I chuckle. "Absolutely."

"Glitter rainbows?" The happiness that he projects as he says those words washes away the remnants of anger left in my body. To keep him smiling, I'm ready to agree to anything.

Nail polish? Done. Need a kidney? An assassination? You got it.

"All the glitter," I say, and his smile fades as I run my hands over his back. "Are you ready to go up?"

He withdraws from me but slides his hand into mine, zippering our fingers. "As ready as I'm going to be." Together, we head up to his apartment and walk inside. It smells delicious, but everything is quiet. "My poor dinner," he says with a pout, staring longingly at the pan on his stovetop.

I turn around and bolt the door behind us. "You have time to eat. Can you think of any way he could have gotten in here?"

He chews on his fingernails again as he considers my question. "I have the spare key outside, but I haven't used it in months. I doubt he could have ever seen its location." Theo keeps the key well hidden, but I'm not willing to take any chances.

"Eat your dinner," I tell him as I walk around the room, twisting the blinds and pulling the curtains closed with a swish. Theo seems calmer as he plates his food and sits at his small dining table, and I gesture towards his hallway after checking the closet. "I'll close the windows and clear the rooms."

"Damn, listen to you, sounding like a sexy police officer. Are you going to pull out your baton now? Threaten to beat someone with your nightstick?"

"Do you want me to pull my baton out?" I raise my brow at him and pop a cocky smirk onto my face for his sake, lowering my voice. "The only one that's at risk of being beaten with my nightstick is you, pretty boy."

His fork clatters to his plate as he stares at me. "Oh, my fucking yes! " he cries, holding his hands out in front of him. "I've been such a bad boy, officer. Take me downtown and lock me up."

"Apologies, did I hear you say ‘take you to pound town'?"

He squeals—legitimately squeals, kicking his legs and everything—as he picks up his fork. "I've already forgotten what I was so upset about."

"Stalkers," I tease, now that he's in a better mental place.

"Stockings?"

"Stalkers." I make both syllables perfectly clear.

"Ball gags?"

"That doesn't even rhyme!"

"It all happened too fast!" he cries.

"That's what he said," I mumble, and he breaks into a splitting grin. "And on that note, let me finish checking the apartment. I'll be right back." I make quick work of the two bedrooms and the bathroom, pulling the window coverings shut and looking in the closets and under the beds.

When I return to the living area, Theo is washing the few dishes that he used for dinner. "All clear?"

"Not a thing out of place."

He nods and follows me back into his room, where I drop onto his bed while he pulls out a suitcase and packs. "Are you sure you don't mind me staying with you? I mean, if I lock the doors, it's probably safe for me to stay here." Even as he says it, his hands drift to his mouth, and he bites at his nails again.

"Come here," I say, and he walks over until he's standing in front of me. I gently pull his fingers from his mouth. "Of course I don't mind. Nothing would make me happier than you letting me take care of you."

"Fuck, why are you so perfect?" he mumbles, licking his lips as he stares at mine. He gives me a tiny smile before he backs away from me and returns to packing his suitcase. Once he gets a few days' worth of clothes, his laptop, and a few books packed, he grabs a smaller bag and walks into his bathroom. After a few minutes, he nods at me.

I roll his enormous suitcase and he carries the small one, locking his door tight behind us. As we walk through the lobby, we make a quick stop at the concierge desk where Brenda sits, looking anxious.

"Thank you for helping him," I say quietly as Theo tucks himself under my arm. "We're going to be filing a restraining order against the guy that's been bothering him, and once we do, I'll bring a copy by for you to keep on file."

"I won't be here for a few days," he tells Brenda. "But you have my number if you need me for anything."

She smiles, her eyes darting back and forth between us, until they finally land on me. "Theo is lucky to have someone who loves him so much. Take care of my sweet boy." My arm squeezes him tighter as he looks up at me like I hung the damn moon.

Take care of him? It's laughable that she thinks she'd have to make that demand. What do you even say to that?

On my honor, like some medieval knight?

I'll protect him with my last dying breath, because that's not dramatic as fuck?

They're both staring as I turn my lips up into a tense smile. "Of course," I say, before taking his hand and leading him to my SUV.

Of course.

"We'll get your car tomorrow. It's late, and I can drive you anywhere you need to go." What I leave out is my concern that Jesse may have put some sort of tracking device on his car. Yeah, it sounds paranoid, but I'm not sitting here in a tinfoil hat. It's valid.

Modern technology makes it as simple as an Amazon order to have a GPS tracker that could stick underneath his car. Gone are the days that stalking took effort. A single click is all it takes to buy shit that used to be limited to law enforcement and military, and I suspect he's already advanced beyond Creeper 101.

If he's done his homework, he might know where I live, but it's doubtful.

As close as Theo and I are, we don't spend much time at each other's places. Being alone with him has always felt too tempting. I glance at our entwined hands, realizing that it will be nearly impossible to stay away from him when there's only a wall between us.

I make a few extra turns, checking the headlights behind me to make sure I'm not being followed. "Good God," Theo teases, and I peek over to find him watching me with a small smile. "It really is a police fantasy coming to life. Is anyone tailing us, officer?"

"Would you like someone to be tailing you, young man?" I glance over at him, both of us with matching grins. "I'm just being cautious. No reason to be alarmed."

After a few more rogue turns with no signs of anyone following us, we swing into my townhouse's garage, watching as the door shuts behind us. "When we get your car, we'll put it in here and I'll park outside. That way, on the off chance he knows where I live, he won't see you parked here."

When Theo says nothing, I turn towards him, only to be met with a flurry of movement as he launches himself at me and climbs into my lap, hugging me against him. "You are the very best thing that ever happened to me. I could never ask for more than you," he whispers, and I hug him tighter. "Why am I so weak?"

I pull back, gripping his cheeks as fresh tears well in his eyes. "You're the strongest person I know."

"At the party, I couldn't do anything. I tried , Dante, I really fucking tried to get away, and it took him no effort to pin me in place."

I wait until his eyes find mine and settle, needing to get through the chaos in his head. "Theo, I understand better than anyone else in this world. Do you know how helpless I felt every time Trent knocked me down? Every time he scarred my skin, and I just sat there? Took it because I didn't know what else to do?"

A single tear leaks from his eye, and I swipe it away with my thumb. "You aren't weak. This isn't weak. Don't let him into your head. It's what he wants, baby, so don't let him win. Don't let him take all that beautiful confidence away from you."

His exhale is shaky, his lip wobbling in a tiny tremor. "If you hadn't been there…"

"I will always be there," I say with insistence, but it's a promise I can't keep. As much as I want to wrap him in a protective bubble and never leave his side, it's not possible. My mind spins, and I realize there's something I might be able to do.

Theo's eyes are exhausted, and I decide schemes and conversations can wait until tomorrow. "Come on, let's get you inside." He gives me a sly smile as he burrows in deeper, and when I open the door to my SUV, he doesn't budge. "Are you making me cart you around again?"

"You admitted I'm a princess," he reminds me.

"I'm pretty certain that you referred to yourself as a princess."

"Hmm… but are you sure? I remember that conversation differently."

"Positive," I say, still attempting to scoot out of the car with him in my lap.

"Alright, fine, but you're a little slow on the uptake sometimes and needed a reminder." One hand supports him while I climb out and walk around to the trunk, trying not to let my thoughts drift to the last time we were in this position. My body is staticky and on edge as I fight my desire to move my hand by a few inches and test his reaction.

A deep breath gets my mind back on track, and I chastise myself for thinking about it after his traumatic day. When the hatch opens, I grab his small bag and pass it to him. "Carry that and I'll get the other."

He puts a dramatic hand over his chest. "You're making me haul my own things? The horror! How on earth will I cope?"

"Listen here, princess, you'll either carry it or I'll strap you to the suitcase and roll your ass inside. Your choice."

"Kinky," he says while wiggling his eyebrows, but he takes the small bag from me. "I suppose I can tolerate the inconvenience this once. Just don't ever ask me to do something so extreme again."

I chuckle as I grab the bigger bag and close the trunk. "Noted."

It's a struggle to balance his weight along with the bags, but there's no way in hell I'm putting him down until it's necessary. We climb the stairs into my living room, and I walk straight into my guest bedroom. The small bag slides off his shoulder with a plop as I click the light on, and he surveys the room as I place the suitcase beside the bed.

I notice his anxious eyes darting to the window, and I don't say a word as I close the blinds. His arms and legs are still tight around my body, so I give him a gentle shake. "You know I have to put you down, eventually."

"Says who?"

"Well, unless you want to shower and sleep on my chest…" Those vivid blue eyes connect with mine, brimming with unfiltered emotion that nearly breaks me right then and there. "Theo..." I murmur, and he lets out a quiet sigh, nestling his head back into my neck before wriggling in my arms.

I guide his feet to the floor and remind him where everything is, even though he's familiar with the place. Glancing at the clock tells me it's after ten, but Theo is a night owl. "Are you tired yet?"

"I should probably try to sleep, but I brought a few books if I can't doze off."

"Still into the monster smut?"

His face lights up in another sweet smile as he nods. "I'll pass this one along when I'm done, and you can practice for our reenactment."

A laugh huffs from my nose as I shake my head and say, "Our reenactment, huh? I'm afraid I'm lacking the proper tentacles."

"Mmm, nice try, but no tentacles in this book. Although, I will warn you—the monster has a twelve-inch cock and I've already had to tell my little guy to go easy on the penis envy. Literal penis envy."

Heat blasts through my system as Theo pats his crotch before giving me a devilish smile. "You're too much," I mumble as I pull him in for a hug, keeping my hips away from his body for… reasons. "Let me know if you need anything, okay? I'm right across the hall."