The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date, #3)(19)

Theo ran his fingers through her hair, and she closed her eyes. That felt so good, she wanted him to go on forever.

She forced herself to open her eyes.

“What happened to ‘We can’t do this again’?” she asked him.

He didn’t stop touching her.

“That was a very stupid thing for me to say,” he said.

She shook her head.

“No, it wasn’t.” Now both of his hands were in her hair, and he was bending down toward her. “We both know this is a bad idea. We shouldn’t do this.”

He paused, his lips just inches from hers.

“Tell me to stop, then.”

He waited, his fingers brushing across her cheek. She opened her mouth, but she couldn’t say it.

“That’s what I thought,” he said.

He kissed her, and at the touch of his lips, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. He smiled against her lips and kissed her hard. It had been months since they’d touched each other, but it was like no time at all had passed. Their lips fit together, their bodies fit together, like they were lost puzzle pieces just waiting for each other.

He pushed her up against the wall, and she moaned into his mouth. His hand traced up her body, from her knee to her hip to her waist to her breast. She couldn’t believe how good it felt.

“Come home with me,” he said in her ear. “You know how good it’ll be.”

She nodded as she kissed his jaw, his neck.

“I know. But . . . there’s Alexa. We can’t . . .”

He put his finger under her chin.

“We won’t. She won’t know anything. Don’t worry about it.”

He kissed her again, and she was lost in the kiss for a long time before she pulled back.

“But, Theo, this doesn’t make sense. We don’t even like each other.”

He laughed as he traced her ear with his finger.

“What does that matter? Did it matter the last time? Or the time before that?”

He had a point there.

“Okay.” She pulled away and smoothed her hair and dress. “Let me go back out there and, um, get my jacket and bag.”

He nodded.

“I’ll meet you in the living room in a few minutes.”

Maddie knew if she let herself think about how stupid this was, she wouldn’t let herself do it. So she just wasn’t going to think about it.

She plucked her bag and jacket up from the pile on the guest room bed, checked herself in the mirror to make sure it wasn’t obvious that she’d just been making out with someone in a closet, and went out into the living room.

“More champagne, Mads?” Alexa asked. “Or one of the last pigs in a blanket?”

Maddie scooped up a pig in a blanket but shook her head to the champagne.

“I think I’ve hit my limit for the night. Unless you need anything else, I should probably take off.”

Alexa jumped up to give her a hug.

“Thanks for everything! Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”

Alexa didn’t notice anything when she hugged her, did she? No, she was way too tipsy and happy to think anything was off now. This was fine.

“Oh, I got a ride from Lisa, but to get home I was just going to call a . . .”

“I can give you a ride home, Maddie. I owe you one.”

She knew if she tried to meet Theo’s eyes her face would betray her, so she looked somewhere over his shoulder.

“Oh, it’s late, Theo. You don’t have to do that.”

He took her coat from her.

“I insist. Good night, Alexa. Congratulations again.”

Theo hugged Alexa and they both waved to Drew before they escaped from the house.





Chapter Five




THEO HELD HIS BREATH AS HE WALKED WITH MADDIE DOWN THE street to his car. He couldn’t believe his luck. It felt like at any moment she’d run back to the house, get a ride from someone else, flag down a passing car—anything to not go home with him. But she walked next to him, so close, but not quite touching him, until they got to his car.

Once they got in his car, they looked at each other and laughed.

“You don’t think she noticed anything, do you?” Maddie asked him.

Theo shook his head. Alexa’d had way too much champagne, and had been too excited about everything else going on, to pay attention to the two of them.

“No chance. You know Alexa; she just wants to make sure everyone gets home safely.”

He turned on the car and made a left turn onto Alcatraz Avenue on the way to his place. My God, she looked incredible in that dress. He couldn’t wait to get it off her. Thank goodness his apartment was just a few minutes away.

As they walked up his front steps, he took her arm. He couldn’t wait to touch her, but reaching for her hand felt too intimate for what they were.

“Oh, look at you being gallant,” Maddie said.

Theo shrugged.

“Those heels you’re wearing are very high. I didn’t want you to trip. Just think of what would happen if you fell and broke something outside of my building. That would be a public relations nightmare, and my whole job is to prevent those.”

Maddie laughed and leaned against him.

He unlocked the door and ushered her in, and shut the door behind her.