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“There’s no way in hell I’m fighting a kangaroo, especially not if you’re already dead,” I interrupted. “There’s no reason for both of us to die by kangaroo.”
“Touché,” he agreed, grabbing another paper. I loved watching how he cracked up every time he read it first. “Would you rather have every baby you pass start crying uncontrollably, or have every boner you get make the sound of a clown horn?”
He was wheezing by the end of his question.
“Baby, no contest,” I answered quickly. “There’s no way in hell my dick is making clown sounds.”
“Honk.” He made the sound loud enough to catch the attention of the tables around us.
“Never,” I reiterated, leaning in closer as I picked another piece. “Not a fucking chance because, knowing you, you’d do everything in your power to turn me on when there were people around.”
“It’d be really funny,” Theo said with a giant smile.
“And that’s why you’re a brat.” I glanced at the paper. “Would you rather only be able to listen to Christmas songs all year round, or only be able to watch nothing but horror movies?”
“Christmas songs all day every day,” he answered quickly.
“You’re a Hallmark kind of guy, aren’t you?”
“I love Hallmark movies. They’re the pinnacle of Christmas entertainment. Don’t tell me you’re a Grinch.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m a Grinch,” I began slowly. “I tend to be a quieter Christmas kind of person.”
I didn’t quite know how to explain that the holidays were hard for me. On one hand, my mom loved them. She went all out—though Theo knew that. My dad was harder to please. Holidays were ramped up with stress, anger, and a lot of frustration as a result. I kept my own holiday celebrations relatively small because I needed the peace and quiet. I decorated, put up a tree, and spent time with my friends, but that was it. I didn’t feel any need to go all out.
“Quiet is good too,” Theo told me with a smile. He made a show of digging through the slips of paper until he found the most crumpled one. “Would you rather get a tattoo on your ass, or pierce your nipples?”
He stared at me expectantly, lips pressed together tightly as he did his best not to burst out laughing again.
“There’s no way in hell I’d pierce my nipples,” I said.
“I think you’d look sexy with your nipples pierced,” he commented while I found another paper.
“Maybe we’ll pierce your nipples instead,” I countered. His expression gave away how he actually considered it—he would look hot with a little metal on him. “Would you rather be a high school teacher, or be a clown—what is the goddamn obsession with clowns?”
“I could have fun as a clown. I’m not sure I’d be any good at it, but it sure beats being a high school teacher. Though, I’m not much older than them, so maybe I’d be good at being a teacher. I could be the gym teacher.”
I cringed at the comment about his age and tried not to think about how much closer he was to a bunch of high school kids than to me. That was a reminder I didn’t need.
“Would you rather be someone’s pet goldfish, or be a wild lizard?” he asked with a giggle. “This one is so stupid.”
“They’re all… something all right,” I replied, but I didn’t mind. I was enjoying myself, and he was too. “I’ve seen how some people treat goldfish, and if I can’t guarantee I’d get a good person as my supposed owner, I’d rather be a wild lizard.”
“I love how you logic your way through every answer.” Theo smiled, and the expression warmed my chest.
“It’s just how my brain works,” I dismissed and fished out another piece of paper.
The pile of questions asked between us grew. Some made us laugh, others caught us off guard. We shared stories and disagreed over random things—pineapple on pizza, dogs over cats, whether cereal counted as soup. Talking to him was as easy as breathing, even when the conversation turned heavy. My worries and fears faded with every hour as I lost myself in Theo.
CHAPTER 47
Theo
The minute we walked through the door to his house, Rhodes’ arm wrapped around my waist, and he pulled my back flush against his chest. His teeth sank into the curve of my neck hard enough to make me moan, the sound filling the quiet of the kitchen. His hand slid up my stomach, his fingers digging in, and I felt how hard he already was against the small of my back.
My head fell back on his shoulders, my eyes sliding shut as my nerves sparked from the sensation of his teeth in my skin. He ran the flat of his tongue over the bite, and his breath was warm over the wet spot he’d left. His body shifted behind me, and he pushed me forward until I hit the counter.
“Don’t move, little wolf,” Rhodes ordered, and I braced my hands on the counter. My dick thickened with anticipation. I didn’t have a clue what he was planning, but that didn’t matter. All he had to do was boss me around, and my whole body thrummed in response.
