Page 96 of Here We Go Again

My cheeks heat the slightest bit. “I mean, I know it’s early. I don’t mean to imply⁠—”

“Please imply,” Theo says, cutting me off. He looks at me, blue eyes sparkling, his gaze so warm and sincere I might melt right where I’m standing. “Make all the assumptions, Bec. Whatever you think you might be feeling, I promise I’m already there.”

I lift my hands to his chest, and suddenly, I’m keenly aware of just how little I’m wearing, how much of our skin is in contact. “So basically, you’re saying you’re obsessed with me?” I tease.

He shifts his hands to my hips, guiding me back until I’m pressed against the wall, his big body hovering over me in the most delicious way. “Obsessed is an understatement,” he says, his voice low and gravelly, then he kisses me like it’s his job, like he was put on this earth to explore my mouth.

I slide my hands up his chest, over the curve of his shoulders and down to his biceps. His muscles flex under my touch, and my grip tightens. I love the strength of him, the reminder that he uses this body to do something amazing. He isn’t just an athlete; he is elite. Disciplined. Focused. Among the best in his field.

And he’s kissing me.

I’m not here for the playoff jacket. But it’s still a heady thought to think of how truly exceptional he is. And how hard he’s worked to be that way.

“I don’t see them,” Kim says from somewhere on the patio. “They must still be at the beach.”

Theo and I freeze, our mouths finally breaking apart. The outdoor shower is on the side of the house, so our mothers won’t see us from the patio. Not unless they walk around the corner to look for us.

“I guess they’re back,” Theo says, his lips lifting in a grin. “Should we let them catch us?” He steals another quick kiss. “They’d probably throw us a party.”

“We absolutely should not,” I say. “I don’t want to deal with their gloating.”

“You didn’t mention anything to them this morning?” he asks. “About how the date went?”

“I didn’t see them,” I say. “They left before I was awake.” An idea pops into my mind, one that’s completely ridiculous and a lot more characteristic of Theo than it is me. But I think I want to do it anyway. “You know, it might be nice to mess with our mothers a bit. Give them a taste of their own medicine.”

His eyebrows lift. “Yeah? What do you have in mind?”

I bite my lip, sliding my hands up his chest to hook around his neck. “What if we tell them we’ve decided to just be friends?” I say. “That we gave it a go and the date was fine, but we’ve ultimately decided we don’t really have any chemistry.”

He chuckles and nuzzles his nose into my neck. “That’s going to be a hard sell. I think I’d rather deal with the gloating just so we can do more of this.”

“We wouldn’t be doing this if our mothers were watching,” I say.

His lips brush against my earlobe, and I let out a little moan, my fingers pressing more firmly into his skin. “Just today, then,” I say, my voice faint, breathy. “We can tell them the truth tonight.”

He finds my mouth one more time. “Deal,” he says against my lips. “But I’m kissing you every time they aren’t looking.”

Theo and I take turns in the bathroom to shower and clean up, then we sit down with our mothers for a late lunch. “So how was your morning?” Kim asks. “Do anything fun?”

Theo and I exchange a glance. “I saw some dolphins,” I say as I pick up my sandwich. “Atlantic bottlenose.”

Kim’s face brightens. “Oh, that’s fun.” She looks over at me then tilts her head toward Theo. “This little nerd over here used to steal my phone after every snorkeling expedition so he could search and figure out exactly what he’d seen when he was out there.”

“He told me,” I say. “And he pointed out all kinds of things when we snorkeled on Monday. A spider crab. Some kind of ray?”

“A spotted eagle ray,” Theo says. He takes a bite of his sandwich, then clears his throat, making eye contact with me before saying, “So, uh, Becca and I also went a nice long walk this morning.”

Both our mothers perk up. “Did you?” my mom asks.

“We did,” I say. “We had a great conversation, and we decided…” My words trail off. Under the table, Theo stretches out his stupidly long leg and rubs his foot up the inside of my calf. I press my lips together, fighting a laugh, and he gives me a smug smile. Like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.

The jerk.

“We’ve decided that we just want to be friends,” I finally finish.

My mother’s expression falls, and I suddenly regret our little ruse. I don’t want her to worry about me. And this is definitely going to make her worry.

“Friends,” Kim repeats. “Even after your date last night?”