6. Theo

6

THEO

I'm floored when Francesca invites me to stay for dinner. Wasn't expecting that at all. Her dark hair and eyes mesmerize me. My pants have been at half salute since I was invited to sit down on her couch. She's wearing a tight sweater dress. Navy blue.

That dress just screams to be unzipped.

Although I'd love to strip her down and make that body mine, gotta respect her wishes to be friends.

Yeah, she's friend-zoned me.

Bummer. Probably for the best anyway since I've been warned to keep it in my pants.

With my luck, one little taste of temptation would somehow go wrong, and I'd end up losing my spot on the team. I can't risk it. Gotta be on my best behavior.

We order the food and Francesca excuses herself to go change clothes.

Please come back naked. Please come back naked.

Even a silky robe with a sexy teddy underneath would be like a dream come true.

"I'm back."

My mouth falls open and I do a double take. "Yes, yes you are."

I groan internally. She's got that dark hair loose around her shoulders and she's wearing jeans that show off every curve. She's got on a pink sweater that looks so soft I want to run my hands up and down her front.

Full salute.

I slide the pillow my arm had been resting on into my lap.

The sweater falls off her shoulder which reveals a thin, white, lacy strap— some sort of undergarment. A teddy, a peek-a-boo bra. My imagination goes wild as I imagine what's under that sweater.

What the hell is a peek-a-boo bra? Is there even such a thing? If there isn't, there should be.

She studies me and grins. "Everything okay?"

I nod vigorously. "All's good."

"Did you call the food order in? How long?"

I look at my watch. "Probably thirty minutes or so."

She bends over and gives me a view of her perfect little ass and grabs one of the boxes.

She wrinkles her nose. "I'm dying to know what's in all the boxes. Do you mind?"

"Of course not."

I stare at her ass as she moves to the kitchen and comes back with a pair of scissors. I take the scissors from her. "Allow me."

Our hands bump and an electric shock travels down my spine. She's so close to me, I get a whiff of her hair.

I cut through the tape and hand her the box. She reaches inside, removes the packing material, and lifts out a white sweater.

She gasps and holds the garment to her face. "Cashmere," she squeaks. "My sister." Her eyes fill with tears. "It's so beautiful," she whispers as she runs her fingers softly down the front of the sweater. She rises from the couch and turns to face me. I swallow hard.

She's so beautiful.

"I just have to try this on."

I stare as her hands lift the pink sweater she's wearing over her head, and she lays it next to me.

Pillow. In place. Not moving.

She stands facing me in a skintight white lacy top of some sort.

Did I mention she's braless?

Her perfect tits are held in place by the lacy top and I practically drool as she stands stick still. Facing me.

"You're beautiful," I whisper.

I set the pillow aside and stand. She holds her hands out to me, and I take them. We move in closer to one another and I grip her tight little ass in my hands and pull her toward me.

She lets out a soft little moan.

All my blood is headed south.

Our lips touch lightly, tentatively. Cautiously.

I deepen the kiss and quickly take control, running my hand on the nape of her neck.

As our tongues are making their acquaintance, the doorbell sounds.

We pull apart. She lets out a gasp and I want to grab her and forget all about the food.

She grabs both sweaters and scurries down the hallway. The doorbell sounds again.

I blink a few times and when the doorbell sounds a third time, I open it. I pay for the food and bring it to her kitchen countertop.

Should I wait here? Should I go to her room? Maybe she's waiting in there for me.

Oh, a man can dream. I wonder if she knows anything about peek-a-boo bras.

"Oh, I was going to pay for the food." She enters the kitchen. Same skintight jeans, but she has on the new cashmere sweater, a button-down. She has it buttoned only halfway, and I can get a perfect view of her tits and it's already been established. She's braless.

She wants to be friends? Let's try to convince of my dick of that.

Francesca

I have no idea what got into me. I'd barely let him help me bring my boxes up to the apartment, and the next thing you know, I'm standing in front of him practically doing a strip tease.

What would've happened if we hadn't been interrupted by the doorbell?

I'm not going to lie. Being away from my family —being away from living what I thought was the perfect life— makes my heart lonely. Turns out, I've escaped the perfect lie . The absolute betrayal.

"Francesca?" Theo brings me back to reality. "Everything okay? Looks like I lost you there for a minute." Theo takes a drink of wine and sets his glass on my dining room table.

I shake my head. "Sorry. I was thinking about something else." I dab at my mouth with a napkin.

"How's your food," he asks and points to my plate. "I think they have the best breadsticks. You like it?"

My face heats. I point toward the living room. "About in there, I?—"

Theo lifts his hand to stop me. "Hey, there's no denying the chemistry between us. I think you're beautiful and sexy. From the first moment I saw you at the bar, I knew I wanted to take you home to bed."

My eyes well up with tears.

When was the last time someone told me I was sexy?

Theo's brow furls. "Hey," he says softly. "What's with the tears?"

I blink hard and dab at the corner of my eye. "Living here. . . working here. . . it's been a huge adjustment. I left a lot behind me and I'm trying to start a new life."

He reaches across the table and pats my hand. His touch sends a shiver down my neck.

He smiles. "Well, I think you're off to a great start." He moves his hand away and I want him to keep touching me.

I chuckle. "Thank you. I'm trying."

"You said you're from Florida. Maybe it's none of my business, but did something happen there? What brought you here?"

I swirl the spaghetti around on my fork. "A former relationship." I shake my head. "Messy. Very messy."

He sets his wine glass down. "That sucks. I'm sorry." He shakes his head.

I give a half smile. "Thanks." I appreciate his care. "The situation kinda did a number on me."

I trust him and I want to share, but I don't want anyone to know about Jesse.

"A boyfriend?"

I nod. "Fiancé, actually." I lift the wineglass to my lips.

Theo cringes. "Ouch." He leans in closer to me. "You're not in any danger, are you?" He puts his hand lightly on my knee under the table. "I hope you didn't have to move here to hide from him."

"No, nothing like that." I take a bite of spaghetti, chew, and swallow. I take a sip of wine as Theo awaits more of my story, his warm hand on my knee. "He was cheating."

He draws his hand back. "What?" Theo's lip curls. "That's disgusting."

I bow my head and nod. "That's not the worst of it." I look into his dark eyes. "He was cheating with a woman who I thought was my friend."

"How'd you find out? Did they eventually come clean?" He takes a bite of his breadstick.

"Of course not." I let out a puff of breath. "I was at a conference out of state for a week and was able to catch an earlier flight home. I wanted to surprise him, so I grabbed an Uber and got to our place close to midnight. I opened the front door, and all the lights were off. I figured he was in bed. I set down my suitcase, slipped off my shoes and tip-toed down the hallway. Unfortunately, the surprise was on me. They were in bed together."

"In your bed?" Theo throws his napkin on the table. "The bed you share with your fiancé?"

I nod.

"What'd you do?"

I shrug. "What could I do? I guess I stood staring for a moment— not believing it. It was like a nightmare coming to life, you know?" I take a drink of my wine and gently set the glass on the table. "They were right in the middle of the act. I cleared my throat, and I obviously scared them. They jumped apart and both had excuses for what was happening."

"You didn't deserve that," Theo grumbles.

"Thank you." I wipe my hands on my napkin and set it gently beside my dinner plate. "They both chased me out to the living room. My fiancé insisted he still wanted to get married, and that Whitney meant nothing to him."

"Whitney. Your so-called friend."

"Yeah." I tilt my head back and take a deep breath. "I could see the hurt on her face. I'm sure she thought she did mean something to him. I grabbed my suitcase that I'd just set down and headed out the front door to my sister's house." I smile. "My sister is everything to me. She's gotten me through all of this."

"And you miss her." It's not a question.

I hold my napkin to my mouth. "So much."

Theo rubs the back of his neck. "Obviously it would be awkward with. . . what's his name?"

"Jay." The name slides off my tongue without hesitation. Giving Theo his real name, Jesse, would open a part of my heart that I'm not ready to share. My embarrassing secret is hidden away. Safely. Not only was I a fool to not figure out what was going on between the two of them, I was also hurt. Seeing my name plastered across the tabloids only poisoned my already broken self. I can't let anyone put the pieces together of what happened in Miami. I already feel like I've told Theo too much.

"But did you really have to leave the job, your family, and the town you loved?"

This is the part that gets complicated. This is the part I'm not ready to share with Theo. I'm not ready to let him— or anyone know that I want to stay Francesca Messina as long as possible. I'm not ready to admit I'm Fran Russo from the tabloids.

There's something so warm and gentle about Theo. He makes me feel comfortable. I haven't been able to discuss this with anyone. I was barely able to share the story with Lucia and she's not only my sister, but she's also my best friend.

Theo makes me feel wanted. I feel like the wings that were clipped from me in Miami could grow back. Slowly. Maybe I could make a full recovery in his arms.

If I'm going to be in his arms, I have to be there as Francesca Messina. I'm not ready to be with him as Fran Russo. It's going to take trust —and time— before I can be my true self with him.