7. Theo

For the millionth time today, I stare at her, my eyes zoning in on her lips.

Fuck! Why did I decide to be such a gentleman?

But then I remind myself that she"s never dated before, and I don"t want to pressure her to do anything she might not be ready for. Just last time, she confessed that she"s never kissed anyone before.

The thought of being her first, in every way possible, fills me with such possessiveness that I never want to let her go. I already have enough trouble letting her go when our dates come to an end.

I want nothing more than to kidnap her and have my way with her.

God!

I groan internally, shocked at the direction of my thoughts. I can"t let my baser instincts ruin this for me. I don"t want to scare her with my desires, especially when she"s barely become comfortable being alone with me outside her house. I need to push everything down, and just focus on the present — on her.

"Have you decided?" I ask when she puts down the menu.

After our first date, I"d tried my best not to overwhelm her, but I just couldn"t stay away. I"d dropped by her house the next day and I"d invited her to breakfast. And so a routine had developed. I could not get enough of her. She was like a breath of fresh air with her artless manner and her sunny disposition . And when I looked into those huge, gorgeous eyes of hers, I felt at home.

Especially after a long week at work, these Saturdays together were all I could think of.

"I"ll have the omelet," she replies, giving me one of those sweet smiles I"ve come to crave more than anything.

Who would have thought I would ever find myself in this position? I"d never imagined I would one day consider a future with someone, not with my promise to my parents still fresh in my mind.

But I find that I can"t choose one. I"ll get my revenge, eventually. But Bianca . . . I want her by my side when that happens.

"I"ll have the same," I add.

"I"ll quickly go to the restroom before our orders come." She gets up and heads to the back of the restaurant.

I pull up my phone and go through some messages when suddenly a noise gets my attention. People gasping around, I look up to see Bianca slowly approaching, shoulders slumped, gaze alarmed. Behind her is a man ordering directives as he waves a knife around, settling on her neck.

For a second, I stiffen, panic unlike anything I"d experienced before settling deep in my gut. But realizing the seriousness of the matter, I force myself to focus.

I stand, putting my hands up to show I"m unarmed.

"Easy," I start, taking a step forward. "That"s my girlfriend you"re holding." I catch Bianca"s eye and I can see she is terrified but trying to hold it together. "Let her go, please."

"No!" he shouts, the hand holding the knife trembling slightly and digging into her flesh. God, I think I see some red. "It"s all your fault! All of you!"

Alarmed at the possibility that he might actually harm her, I take a deep breath and decide to de-escalate.

"Easy. Maybe I can help you. What"s your name?"

His eyes move swiftly from side to side, and for a moment I contemplate he might be on narcotics — that would make the situation even more unpredictable.

"Jacob . . ." he mumbles, looking anywhere but at me.

"Jacob, tell me what I can do to help you," I slow my words, trying to make him see me as inoffensive.

"You can"t! No one can!" He flails his arm around, his knife now pointing toward me. Seeing that it"s no longer at Bianca"s throat, I release a relieved sigh.

"Maybe I can. Why don"t you tell me about it?" I continue, while signaling to Bianca to make a run for it if she has the chance.

"It"s all your fault, fucking elitists. If it weren"t for you, I wouldn"t have lost my job or ended up on the streets. My wife left me." He sniffles a sob. "She took the kids."

"She made a mistake. You can always turn your life around. Then you can get your wife and kids back," I say and watch the emotions play on his face. Just when I think I've gotten through to him, he tightens his hold on Bianca, placing the knife at her neck again.

"Look, man, there"s still a chance to make this right. But if you continue with this . . ." I shake my head. "Then there"s no returning, do you get me?" My eyes are fixed on Bianca the whole time, and I think of all the ways I can get her out of harm's way.

"But you don"t get me. You don"t know what it"s like to be me!" His voice is even louder now, and I can tell he"s becoming more agitated. Not good.

"Look, why don"t you take me instead of her? I work for the police, I"m of more value to you." I hope he"ll buy that. He looks at me with an angry expression, but he seems to consider it.

"Fine! But come slowly, or she gets hurt." I do as he says, and he pushes Bianca to the floor just as I am one foot away. Seeing that she"s out of his reach, I act. I go straight for the hand that holds the knife, knocking the weapon out and twisting his hand behind his back.

Using my knee, I kick his leg and hold him down on the ground, immobilized. He"s thrashing in my hold, but he won"t be able to escape anytime soon.

The police soon make their appearance and they take Jacob into custody. As soon as I am able to, I rush to Bianca"s side. She"s being treated by the paramedics for her cut.

"Are you ok?" I take her face in my hands, trying to gauge what she"s feeling. God, she must have been so scared. "I"m so sorry." I tug her to me and hug her tightly, mad with myself that I put her in danger"s way.

"Y-y-yes," she stammers, her small body trembling with residual fear.

"Shh, I got you." I kiss the top of her head, and I stroke her hair. Her hands come around my waist and she holds onto me.

"Thank you," she whispers, burrowing her face deeper in my chest.

When we get back to her house a while later, I feel reluctant leaving her alone, the sight of her so vulnerable, a knife digging in her neck still engraved in my mind.

I hold on to her hand, wanting to feel her warmth, her physical presence.

"You scared me, little one," I admit. She raises her enormous eyes to look at me and my restraint snaps.

Tugging her chin up, I lower my head and brush my lips across hers in the softest caress. She seems surprised, and a sigh escapes her. I part my lips slightly, and she follows my lead, her mouth opening under mine, her tongue probing hesitantly. The first contact sends shivers down my spine, the connection instantaneous.

I growl low in my throat as I deepen the kiss, holding her closer. Her hands brush over my arms, before settling on my face, trailing soft touches all over.

Suddenly, I take a step back, breaking the kiss. I need to put a stop to this before it goes too far — before I scare her with my passion.

Her eyes are glazed with desire, her hair mussed, her mouth oh-so-very well-kissed.

My thumb grazes her swollen lips, and satisfaction fills me to the brim.

She"s mine!

"Good night, B," I tell her, turning around and leaving.

God, I really need to learn some self-restraint.

***

After the hostage incident, things change, and not for the better. I can barely stand being apart from her, and I"m afraid my overprotectiveness may stifle her. Wherever she goes, I go. It"s as simple as that. I might have even gone a little overboard, as I"d taken advantage of my vacation days to shadow her.

I must have it bad if even work doesn"t matter anymore.

Her classes? I"m in the back.

Her internship? I"m waiting around.

Her home? I"m a constant visitor.

Luckily, Martin isn"t around all that much or that would have been awkward. But Bianca hasn"t said anything. She seems to enjoy my presence as much as I do hers.

It"s only after one month that she pulls me aside and tells me she"s worried for me.

"Don"t get me wrong," she starts, her eyes darting around, "I love having you with me everywhere I go, but I don"t think your boss is going to be impressed with your absences."

I purse my lips, realizing where this is going. I"d been entirely too wrapped up in her that my job has come second.

"I know . . ." She puts a hand up to stop me.

"Please don"t jeopardize your career because of me. I"m fine, I"m safe, I"m not in danger."

I nod reluctantly.

"I"m sorry I"ve been crowding you this past month," I apologize, hoping she isn"t thinking of breaking up because of my overbearing ways. Because that is simply something that I will not allow.

"You don"t have to apologize, Theo. I was just as scared as you, but the danger"s already gone." She takes a deep breath, and I brace myself, mentally preparing all the arguments for why she should continue to date me. "I"m just worried they will fire you if you keep this up."

"Don"t worry about that. I"ve never used my vacation days before, so I had plenty." I assure her. "But I hear you. I"ll try to be more moderate. But for my peace of mind," I pause, thinking how to say this so she won"t think I"m too controlling, "I"d like you to update me often throughout the day." I refrain from saying what I"d actually like — hourly updates. God, what am I turning into?

She gives me a smile. "Deal." On her tiptoes, she jumps up to kiss my cheek.

Damn! And that"s exactly what I live for.