The girlfriend ruse Alex had made up sounded like a precursor to the kind of union from which Theda had escaped. Regardless, she had no reputation to uphold in this land. And literally speaking, she was a girl who was a friend—albeit a new friend—so it wasn’t a lie.
Unlike in Tirnan, Theda could date as many men as she chose, just as the woman did on the show she and Alex had watched hours ago. But Theda didn’t think she’d enjoy kissing multiple men. Only one man piqued her interest, and she was already his unofficial girlfriend.
Did she truly find herself attracted to a human? She imagined Alex’s lips and what it would be like to kiss him and her face grew warm, her belly tightening.
It seemed she did.
There was no one here to stop her from enjoying intimacies with a man. She was her own woman in the Earth realm, and she could kiss whom she pleased. Even the handsome human she was living with.
What harm could it do? If anything, it would give her perspective after the water-serpent kisses Adelmar had subjected her to.
Theda rose from the bed with the moon still up, unable to relax. It had been hours since she returned to the bedroom. Alex was surely asleep. There was no need to worry he’d see her in only the white shirt he’d lent her if she snuck out to use the bathroom.
She opened the door quietly, careful not to wake him.
No sound or movement came from the direction of the living room. Confident Alex was asleep, she quickly stepped across the hall and leaned her hip into the bathroom door that seemed to be stuck closed. Until the door swung open.
Theda stumbled forward—and crashed into Alex.
Her hands gripped the thick muscles of his bared arms as she tried to regain her balance. And then she froze.
Alex wore nothing over his chest. He was all smooth skin, and the scent of soap and clean man hit her. She stared at the muscles that rippled down his chest, creating defined ridges and valleys. Her stomach hitched in the odd way it had earlier when she’d thought of kissing him, and her breaths came out short and gasping.
There was a time she’d glimpsed a Fae soldier bared to his waist. A portal had been breached, and the man had been wounded in the abdomen. Alex’s chest and arms were more defined than those of the soldier whose job it had been to fight and protect her.
How did a human man grow so muscular?
She forced her eyes up. “I was going to get water.”
Alex’s eyes lingered on her lips, his hand still supporting her lower back, where it had landed when she’d fallen into him. He seemed to shake his head lightly. “Of course.”
He lowered his hand and stepped aside—wider than he needed to—as though he was afraid to touch her again. He stared at her in a strange way.
Did she look that terrible in the middle of the night? Was her hair a fright?
Probably.
She walked into the bathroom and closed the door, sinking her back against it. She’d wanted to lean forward and press her lips to his bare chest. What was wrong with her? She’d made a fool of herself, leaving her room without wearing her day clothes.
Grabbing one of the small paper cups stacked neatly on the sink, she quickly filled it with water and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Her hair was definitely a fright.
She tried to smooth down the strands, but it looked like she’d been in a windstorm. No use attempting to compose herself when she was only going back to bed.
Theda exited the bathroom and glanced toward the living room. Alex’s bare foot hung over the edge of the couch. That couldn’t be comfortable.
He’d given up so much in order to help her. At some point, he’d insist on knowing more than she was willing to tell him, and she didn’t know what she would do.
She scrambled into the bedroom and attempted to sleep, though all she could think about was the man in the other room.
Still shaken the next morning after running into Theda in the middle of the night wearing nothing but his T-shirt, Alex poured himself an extra-strong cup of coffee. It had taken hours before he’d fallen asleep after that unexpected encounter. With her beautiful hair tousled and her face flushed, it had required all of his self-control to walk away.
His primary focus these last two years had been work, but he remembered a thing or two about what to do when a gorgeous woman crossed his path. He’d had to reel in every instinct so he didn’t pull her into his arms. He couldn’t take advantage of the beautiful woman he was supposed to protect.
Which was why he’d risen early, set out cereal for her, and done what any sane man would—raced out the door before she woke.
Now he was back home and showering, and realizing his plan to pretend Theda was his girlfriend in order to get his landlord-boss off his back might not be so brilliant. Not only was he thinking about her in a romantic way—which, if he was honest, had crossed his mind a time or two before then—but he’d lied to Leti and Tony too. He’d stopped off at Tony’s to ask Leti to swing by and check on Theda later, and they’d asked if she was his girlfriend. He’d simply nodded and turned toward his Jeep before they could pester him for more details. But not before Tony had shouted, “Double date at your place tonight. We’ll bring the Chinese food.”
Alex had groaned, but he’d walked on and raised his hand in silent agreement. What else could he do? He wanted to protect Theda, and the best way to do that was for her to have a legitimate reason to live with him.
But all day Alex had fought off thoughts of her gorgeous eyes and the mile of smooth, pale skin he’d glimpsed below her nightshirt last night. It was a good thing he was a decent multitasker, or he could have lopped off an arm while showing one of the new employees how to properly operate the farm equipment.
So he’d run from her this morning and spared himself an awkward confrontation. He couldn’t run every time he found himself attracted to her—which seemed to be constantly.
Theda wasn’t trying to seduce him. She appeared innocent, actually, based on their conversation last night about the woman dating more than one guy.
All the better. He didn’t want to envision her with other men.
He liked her loyalty. But it also impressed on him the need to keep his distance. Too close and he might do something they’d both regret. He never wanted Theda to feel uncomfortable around him. And using their proximity to try and kiss her when she needed a safe place to live would be wrong.
He rubbed his damp hair one last time with the towel and pulled on a clean shirt. Theda wasn’t home yet from Leti’s, so he’d taken the opportunity to get cleaned up. He wore a button-down for his “double date,” which was what he would do if it were an actual date. Better for keeping up appearances and all that.
Alex entered the living room and turned on low music before striding into the kitchen to open the bottle of red wine he’d picked up on his way home from work. He preferred beer, but he thought Theda might like wine.
The front door creaked open as he was setting out glasses, and Theda walked in, wearing the outfit she’d borrowed yesterday from Leti. Lucho, Leti’s dog, trailed at her feet.
He smiled. “How was your day?”
Her gaze scanned down his chest, setting off sparks and heat. His body jerked. How was he supposed to keep it together when she looked at him like that?
She closed the door behind her, seemingly unaware of what her lingering stare did to him. “My day went very well, thank you. I had a wonderful time with Mateo, Leti, and Lucho, of course.” She grinned down at the calm puppy at her side.
Which wasn’t like Lucho at all. That dog had no manners, and more energy than ten puppies combined.
Alex nodded at the dog. “Did you sedate him? Why’s he so well behaved?”
Theda’s faced scrunched. “Lucho is a perfect gentleman. Aren’t you, Lucho?”
The puppy looked up at her and woofed.
Alex shook his head. “Whatever you say. I think he likes you, though.” She tried to hide what looked to be a secret smile. Had he said something funny? “Did Leti tell you about tonight?”
He’d told Theda he might need to hold her hand at times, but he hadn’t expected to begin the charade this soon.
She smiled. “Yes, our date. What will we do on this date?”
Alex poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her.
She held up the glass in the light, lifting it near her nose, and then took a sip. Her eyebrows rose. “This is wonderful.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were a red or white person…” He left the comment dangling, desperate for anything about her, but she didn’t take the bait.
She dropped to pet Lucho, avoiding an answer.
“Tonight we’ll mostly hang out. Maybe watch a movie after we eat the takeout Chinese food Tony and Leti are bringing over. Does that sound okay?”
“Yes, but…” She glanced at her clothes. “I should change. Come on, Lucho. Let’s get dressed.” Theda took another sip of the wine as she walked away, smiling shyly when he caught her glancing back at him.
When she closed the door to the bedroom, Alex let out a deep breath. Everything would be fine. His boss believed she was his girlfriend, which left him room to help her. She was okay with the date, and she seemed to be making friends with Leti. Even the damn dog loved her.
A few minutes later, she stepped out, wearing a short green sundress that matched her eyes. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail and her lips had a sheen to them, as though she’d applied lip gloss.
Theda’s eyes twinkled at Alex as he blatantly stared, unable to take his gaze off her, and perfectly aware he might be drooling.
He was in trouble. Big trouble.
