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“Thank you,” I whispered, even though it wasn’t enough.

“You don’t have to thank me, Theo,” Rhodes said. With a little tug, he drew me closer, and his free arm circled my waist. The sound of the waves faded as I got lost in the varying blues in his irises. My heart beat a little faster, and my breath caught slightly at his overwhelming presence. Would there ever be a day when he didn’t affect me?

I didn’t have a chance to contemplate it as his lips brushed against mine. It was soft and almost questioning, as if giving me a chance to pull away—like that was even an option. I stepped closer until there was no space between us and tangled my fingers in his silky hair. His mouth was warm and soft against mine as his lips parted, his tongue seeking out mine. I savored the taste of sea salt and peppermint clinging to him. The weight of his hands on my body was comforting as he wrapped his arms around me.

When we finally broke apart, it was barely a separation. My forehead tipped against his, and his mouth lingered over mine. I knew what this was: a first real kiss that had no expectations of more. It was wonderful and exhilarating. My body tingled head to toe with anticipation, clearly not getting the message.

“Does this kissing outside of sex thing mean I don’t get laid after a great first date?” I asked, breaking the building silence with the only thought in my head. It made him chuckle, and he nipped at my lower jaw.

“Brat,” Rhodes said. “I might not fuck you tonight on principle.”

“I can be less of a brat,” I volunteered immediately, even though that was a lie. Being a brat and pushing back with him came as naturally as breathing to me. I didn’t know how to give that up any more than he knew how to give up being bossy.

“Mmm,” he hummed. “I don’t believe that for a moment, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

He kissed me again, a brief and heated gesture that ended with him dragging his teeth over my lower lip. I groaned. This man made behaving so goddamn difficult.

CHAPTER 46

Rhodes

Ididn’t want a date where we didn’t talk and get to know each other. We’d done a lot of that over the past year. But I also wanted a date that would stick with him—something that he’d look back on fondly after everything else I’d put him through. Low Tide was the only coffee bar in Bracken Harbor. Every wooden table had a small slot built into the center with a handwritten sign beside it: unplug, stay a while, make a memory. Most phones had disappeared into the slots, forgotten in favor of the people sitting across from each other. Both mine and Theo’s sat in the slot as we focused on our date.

The place was mismatched chaos, with exposed beams overhead, hanging plants dangling from them, and local art covering every inch of free space. Paintings, photographs, pottery, and stained-glass pieces lined the walls, each one marked with a small tag if someone wanted to take it home. No two chairs matched, every mug looked homemade, and the entire staff was up for impromptu—and often experimental—coffee creations if you were brave enough to ask.

A bookshelf stretched along one wall, and every shelf was filled with games. Board games, card games, trivia decks, conversation starters, and half-finished puzzles stacked the shelves. There was even a shelf labeled Made By Our Community with games created by patrons over the years.

Which was exactly how Theo and I ended up in the most obscure game of Would You Rather. He sat across from me, laughing so hard he was in tears, but not a single sound came out.

“I’m going to hate this, aren’t I?” I asked.

“Probably.” He blew out a short breath as he tried to calm down. “Would you rather…”

He didn’t get the chance to finish as he broke down laughing again, the wheezing noise making me grin.

“Sorry,” Theo huffed out. “Would you rather… be the alien from E.T., or one of the aliens from Space Jam?”

He barely managed to finish before he was laughing all over again.

“Why is it always fucking aliens?” I demanded, which only made him lose it more. I waited him out, mostly because I didn’t know how to answer. How long had it been since I’d seen either?

“Okay, okay,” he said breathlessly. “I’m good, I swear.”

“I would say… the aliens from Space Jam,” I told him. “Bonus is I’d get to fight the Looney Tunes… Road Runner.”

“Is this like a… sexy role-play fighting fantasy?” he asked, barely holding his composure. “Meep-meep.”

“And you’re done! Give me that,” I retorted, grabbing the jar from him while he lost it once more. The amount of laughter from him on this date made me happy—more than I knew how to express. It eased the worries I had about how we’d do when sex and football were off the table. I plucked out another piece of paper and opened it. “Would you rather have to fight a goat every time you enter a bathroom, or have to fight a kangaroo every morning before breakfast? Jesus fuck. Who thinks of this shit?”

“It’s a good question!” Theo exclaimed. He cracked his knuckles and rubbed his hands together as he weighed his options. “I feel like, even though I’d only have to fight a kangaroo once, I’d lose every time. I could, however, make friends with a goat.”

“The goat is guaranteed to fight you.”

“I’m taller than a goat.”

“It’s a determined goat,” I countered, grinning.

“A kangaroo would still kill me,” he said. “And then you’d have to avenge my death—”