Well Suited (Red Lipstick Coalition #4)(38)

Theo

The kitchen was lively, the room full of congruent noise—music playing, Amelia and Ma chatting, the pan in front of me sizzling.

Tommy leaned against the counter next to the stove, facing me with a smirk and his arms folded across his chest. “I cannot fucking believe you got her to move in.”

I huffed a laugh. “I cannot fucking believe you ever doubted me. It’s like you’ve never seen me go after something I want.”

He shook his head, amused. “Katherine Lawson and my brother. It’s both baffling and perfect. How’s she doing with the actual move-in? Amelia’s been trying to give her space, but she’s been crawling out of her skin all day about it.”

“She seems fine. I was prepared for some grumping around or maybe an argument. But earlier, she laughed out loud at a stupid joke I made and smiled. With teeth.”

“Only you could have that effect on her. Amelia can barely get her to smile, and they’ve been best friends for almost a decade.”

I shrugged, pushing the chicken and sauce around the skillet. “What can I say? I speak fluent Katherine.”

“I don’t know how you do it, man. There’s no way I could just sit and wait. Once I figured out it was Amelia, there was nothing I could do but go after her.”

“That’s because you’re a doer, and I’m a thinker. You charge in, and I strategize. Truth is, if I’d gone after her hard, she would have shut down.”

“Oh, come on. You know you want to lock her down.”

“Maybe I do. Slow and steady and all that.”

The curl of his lips was my first warning. “You bust out your wedding scrapbook yet?”

I glared at him, flicking a look over my shoulder toward the stairs. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Pick out any fancy centerpieces?”

“Do you want to eat teeth for dinner? Because that can be arranged.”

He laughed, saying too loud, “You had that stack of wedding magazines under your bed like they were Playboys. I swear, you looked less guilty when I caught you jacking off than you did when I caught you looking at flower arrangements in Modern Bride.”

“I was twelve, asshole.”

He shrugged. “No twelve-year-old boy should know what pound paper he wants for his wedding invitations.”

“Listen, I’ve got the end game in mind, but I can’t run in, guns blazing. I’ve got to come at her sideways. The entire operation is dependent on my ability to be still and quiet while I wait. One sudden move, and she’ll bolt. The rules are the only thing keeping us together, and even at that, I’ve only got her once a week for a few hours. The rest of the time, we’re…well, we’re just friends, I guess. I’ve gotta survive the in-between without touching her. It’s maddening.”

“How long you think she’ll hold out now that she’s living here? Think she’ll be able to keep it to once a week when you’re in each other’s space like this?”

“Katherine has the willpower of a honey badger. Once she decides something, no cobra or wasp hive could deter her. I’ll assume nothing.”

His eyes flicked to the stairs, and whatever he saw there made his smirk climb on one side. “Oh, I dunno. I think you could maybe assume a thing or two.”

My brows quirked at him, and I turned to follow his line of sight.

Katherine had just reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes down and hand on the rail. When she looked up, it was straight at me.

She was gorgeous. Her skin was luminous, pale and glowing, her dark hair twisted up in a neat knot on top of her head. Her eyes were framed by the line of her bangs, long enough to cover parts of her brows. And those eyes were amalgamated, a blend of colors, wide and bright and sparking with energy and wit.

Her lips, smiling in sensual challenge, were red as a stoplight. My heart skidded to a halt at their command.

It was my own fault, I realized as she ignored me, heading for the table to sit with Amelia and Ma.

I’d teased her this afternoon, all afternoon. She’d been begging me to touch her, kiss her, without saying a word. And I’d made sure to push her to the edge of the line she’d drawn just to leave her there, panting.

The ball was firmly in her court. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t use whatever methods of coercion were at my disposal to lure it back into mine.

It had been a long week, and judging by Katherine’s current display, it seemed we were both at the end of our leashes.

Goddamn, she was so beautiful. And she’d pulled out all the stops. She never wore her hair up, and the sight of her neck, the column long and creamy white, felt almost pornographic. I wanted to bury my face there and a few other places, like in the V of her dress, which was, by all standards, modest. I wanted to undo the row of tiny buttons down the front and make it immodest. I wanted her shamelessly naked and at my disposal.

Immediately.

But she’d planned this. She had known when she put on a pretty black dress and twisted up her hair and put that damnable lipstick on it would drive me crazy. And that I’d have to endure the sight all through a dinner with my mother.

Clever, clever Katherine.

But two could play at that game.

I cleared my throat and turned back to the skillet, cursing myself when the sauce stuck to the pan.

Tommy just laughed. “Oh, man. Have you got it bad.”