Page 7 of Make Me Mean It

My eyes flick briefly towards the lamp before returning to Theo, and it takes me a second to register how much closer he’s gotten. He keeps walking, steadily closing the space between us, but backing away would feel ridiculous when there’s absolutely no reason for me to.

Theo doesn’t stop until he’s directly in front of me, leaving barely any space between us. I can feel the warmth coming off him now, smell the faint trace of cologne beneath the sweat from carrying boxes all afternoon, details I have absolutely no reason to be noticing.

I tip my chin slightly to meet his eyes, finding Theo already watching me, his head tilting while he studies my face.

“Anything else, princess?”

My entire body tenses at the nickname, the word getting under my skin instantly. “Don’t call me that,” I grit out.

The nickname gets beneath my skin far too easily. I already know I care about details other people barely notice, that things Marcus can shrug off without a second thought can stay with me until I have no choice but to fix them. Princess makes all of that sound precious and difficult, turning a part of myself I already struggle to explain into one stupid word Theo can tease me with, and I hate how easily he found it.

Theo watches me, his eyes searching my face while the corner of his mouth slowly pulls up.

“Anything you say.”

Before I can decide whether I believe him, he leans in, closing what little space is left between us until his mouth hovers beside my ear. My breath catches at the sudden closeness, warmth brushing across my skin when he speaks.

“Princess.”

My palm catches his shoulder, shoving hard, an offended sound catching in my throat when all that solid muscle barely gives beneath my hand.

Theo rocks back a single step, rolling the shoulder I shoved, his brows lifting at the force behind it. The surprise doesn’t last long, his mouth already beginning to curve by the time his eyes find mine again.

“You’re stronger than you look.”

His eyes sweep over me again, slower this time, and my pulse kicks harder against my ribs as his tongue flicks out to catch his lip ring, tugging it briefly between his teeth.

I glare at him, pressing my lips together and pulling myself back under control before he can get another reaction out of me.

“Marcus,” I call across the flat, keeping my eyes fixed on Theo. “Please get your Neanderthal out of my flat.”

Theo laughs, the sound warm and entirely too pleased with himself.

“So polite.”

He finally turns away, and I’m more than happy to let the interaction end there, shifting my attention back towards the boxes only for him to stop at the threshold.

His knuckles drum idly against the doorframe as he glances back over his shoulder, catching my eye.

“I like the way you say please.”

His eyes hold mine before lowering to my mouth, making me aware of my own lips, of the way they part beneath his attention and the warmth spreading steadily across my cheeks. By the time his eyes lift to mine again, I can only stare at him, completely unprepared for how blatant the flirtation is.

Marcus rounds the corner before I can decide what to say, slowing when he catches sight of us, his brows pulling together while his eyes move between me and Theo.

“Why does my brother look like he’s seen a ghost, Knox?”

The question only makes the warmth in my cheeks worse. I turn away, reaching for the nearest box and pulling at the tape across the top, determined to look occupied rather than acknowledge either of them.

“No idea,” Theo says.

There’s enough amusement in his voice that I don’t have to turn around to know he’s pleased with himself, which is irritating in itself considering I’ve known him for less than an hour.

Marcus scoffs. “Yeah, right. Just get out and stop traumatising him.”

Theo chuckles somewhere behind me, and I hear the faint shuffle of movement as he finally heads for the door.

I should be relieved he’s finally leaving, yet my hands slow over the box while his footsteps cross the room behind me, each one registering far more clearly than they have any reason to.

Marcus says something too low for me to make out, and Theo’s answering laugh carries back through the flat, remaining clear even when their footsteps begin to fade.

I drop down beside the nearest box, catching the edge of the tape with my thumbnail and peeling it carefully away from the cardboard, focusing on the clean line it leaves behind instead of the laugh still carrying through the flat.

Theo is irritating, deliberately so, and that’s the only reason he’s managed to get under my skin this quickly.

I yank the cardboard open and start unpacking, focusing on placing everything exactly where it belongs instead of the sound of Theo’s voice disappearing down the hall.