Longing for You (Touched by Magic Book 1) (22 page)

“
That’s enough.
” She struggled to separate them again. By the time she forced their shoulders apart, Jimmy rushed over.

“Dude, come on. What the hell are you doing?” He gripped Mike’s shoulders and tugged him backwards. “When Evan hears about this, you’re going to be in a shit ton of trouble. You fight him, you can kiss your job good-bye.”

Still struggling against Jimmy’s grip, Mike glowered at Theo. He was hell-bent on defending his imaginary relationship with her. That’s exactly what it was. Make-believe.

It was Theo who finally relaxed his body and eased away. He sized up Mike once more, then snorted. “You’re not worth the trouble. Neither of you.”

He glared in her direction then brushed past her, avoiding her hand when she reached for him. His stride was quick, and before she realized he was heading for the door, he disappeared into the crowd.

She refaced Mike as Jimmy released his shoulders. He didn’t do so until Mike assured his friend he was okay. He glanced her way and raised his brows, but she waved him onward.

Once Jimmy returned to the bar, the simple fact of knowing she was alone with Mike made her squirm. When the heat of his hands warmed her arm, she recoiled.

“Cass…”

She pointed her finger in his face. “Don’t you dare speak to me.”

He clamped his mouth shut, but his gaze burned through her. He could stare at her all he wanted. She wouldn’t change her mind. This conversation was over.

As she lowered her hand and pivoted toward the door, she didn’t bother apologizing to the onlookers she brushed past. She had to find Theo, make sure he was okay, and apologize for Mike’s behavior.

There was no excuse for the scene he made. What the hell was he even doing here? It was his night off. Was he stalking the bar to see if she would show up? He knew her routine well enough.

Son of a bitch…

She should have convinced Theo to go elsewhere, but he was so insistent on hearing tonight’s band. Turns out he wanted to show JP his support while hanging out with her. They’d been accomplishing both until Mike’s jealousy got the best of him.

Hell, they’d been doing more than hanging out. They’d practically made out on the dance floor. The way they worked their bodies together had her ready to go back to her house or his hotel. Getting him to either one was the reason she suggested they go out in the first place.

Once she found the edge of the dance floor, she rushed out the door, past people waiting to go inside. She searched both sides of the street before spotting Theo at the end of the block, waiting for the light to change.

Sprinting in his direction, her heels clicked against the concrete. She was a couple of yards away when the pedestrian signal flashed the word
WALK.

Theo was off again. His legs were way longer than hers. For every step he made, she took two. She’d never catch him unless he stopped.

“Theo,” she shouted. “Theo, wait.”

A car horn blew in the distance, drowning out the last of her plea. At least there was another intersection ahead. As fast as they were approaching, they would have to stop when they reached it. The light changed and the cars awaiting it were blocking the crosswalk.

Of course, nothing ever went the way she wanted. As Theo passed the last building on the block, he didn’t slow his stride. He made a right, and continued down the other street.

Great… If she didn’t hurry, she’d lose track of him. This conversation couldn’t wait until tomorrow. She owed it to Ally and Jonah to make things right. She owed it to Theo too. If he’d just let her explain things…

A wave of relief filled her when she rounded the corner. He came into view once more, but only for a second. He made another right under a large canopy and entered a building.
 

It wasn’t until she was halfway down the street when she noticed a hotel sign above the canopy. It had to be the one where he was staying. He’d mentioned his hotel being close by when they walked from the studio to Midnight Blues. If she wanted to catch him before he went to his room, she had to keep moving.

A burst of cold air soothed her clammy skin when she entered the building. The lobby caught the overflow of people from the lounge, but she swept past them and pursued Theo.
 

She finally caught a glimpse of him near the elevators. He was waiting for a couple to exit so he could enter. As soon as they passed him, he darted inside.

But so did she.

He was so preoccupied with pressing the button for his floor that he didn’t glance her way. When he did, his nostrils flared. He moved toward the doors just as they closed.
 

“Shit,” he grumbled.

“Theo, look at me.”

He ignored her. His back straightened and he gazed toward the top of the door where the floor numbers lit up. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed hard. She was just as breathless, if not more. Her feet ached so much that she slipped off her heels and held them. Then she crept closer.

“Theo, please look at me.”

Still nothing. He didn’t budge a muscle until the elevator slowed to the seventh floor and the doors opened. Then he shot into the hallway. His gait didn’t slow. Neither did hers.

She passed the door to the vending area when he stopped a few doors down and pulled out his key card. As he waved it above the handle, the distinct clicking signaled the lock disengaging. He pushed the door open as she passed another room, desperate to reach him before he went inside.

No such luck. She was less than a foot away when he slammed the door in her face.
 

Staring at the varnished wood, she debated on whether to knock. The seconds ticked by as she did her best to process what just happened. He was angry, probably even embarrassed after the confrontation with Mike. She wasn’t denying him the right to be, but didn’t she have a right to speak her mind?
 

The least he could do is yell at her. She hated being ignored. Hated it as much as feeling like a fool. She’d chased him over two city blocks…in heels. The least he could do was talk to her. But if he wouldn’t, she refused to beg.
 

The elevators came back into view as she turned from the door. Two steps into her departure, the knob clicked. She peered in the same direction, but the door was open. Theo stood in front of it, glaring at her.

“Why the fuck are you following me to my room? You don’t know how dangerous it is for you to be here right now.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Theo. I know you’re angry, but you’d never hurt a woman. What other danger could there be?”

He growled under his breath before returning to the room, but left the door ajar. Cassie wasted no time following in pursuit. It might be her only chance to diffuse the situation, and it wouldn’t be easy, not with his current mood.

Once she closed the door and dropped her heels on the floor, she watched him grab several bottles of liquor from the mini fridge. He opened one and poured it into a nearby glass then downed half before walking to the window. As he faced it, he finished the rest of his drink.

She crept further into the room, keeping him in her view. Regardless of whether he wanted to, they were going to discuss what happened. Now that she was inside his room, there was no way in hell she was leaving until he heard her out. She grabbed the extra glass and then another bottle before pouring herself a drink.

A few sips later, she’d had enough of his silence. “You can ignore me all you want. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’ve noticed.” He left the spot near the window and trudged across the floor toward the mini bar. When he stopped a foot away from where she stood, he grabbed another bottle and poured a second drink.
 

The fact that he spoke was enough to keep her frozen in place. Maybe he was calming down, thanks to the tequila. She remained quiet and surveyed the room to see who might be staying with him. Nothing else was visible except his guitar, some clothes, and the furniture. Considering the room had a king size bed, she doubted he had a roommate.

“Did you get a private room?”

“Yeah. Jesse is staying with his parents.” He took another swig of tequila then placed the glass down. “They invited Allen to stay too. Jeff’s girlfriend is here, so they’re sharing a room. That leaves me.”

“Good. Now no one will see me kick your ass. What the hell is wrong with you? Why won’t you talk to me?”

Theo gripped the counter. His muscles rippled underneath his shirt and he grumbled something she couldn’t discern. Then he turned to face her. “I specifically asked if you had a boyfriend.”

“Mike’s not my boyfriend.”

“Then what is he, your
fuck buddy
?”

She winced at his sarcasm but lifted her head higher and stood her ground, even when he grew closer. His callous words stung, but not because she was ashamed of the truth. It was the disgust she saw on his face, disgust that he’d misplaced. He’d left with two girls last weekend. Why was it okay for him and not her?

“That’s as blunt as you can put it, but yeah. We have sex on occasion. Nothing more. At no point did I enter into a relationship with him.”

“He said you’re his girl.”

Hearing Mike say those words made her stomach knot. Hearing Theo repeat them made it roll. “I’m not his anything.”

“And what about me? What am I to you?”

It felt like a trick question, but in reality, it was two. What he’d always been to her, and what she wanted him to be. She had an answer for the former.

“You’re my friend, Theo. We are friends, aren’t we?”

He nodded then lowered his head. “But you were my everything.”

“What did you just say?”

“Nothing.” He grabbed the glass, chugged the rest of the tequila, then slammed it back to the counter. “I drank too much tonight. I’m saying things that make no sense.” Icy eyes landed on her. “But don’t worry. I promise what happened tonight will not affect our date tomorrow. I owe my brother that much.”

He backed away and spun toward the bed. He didn’t make his first step toward it before she grabbed his upper arm.

“Theo, wait. I’m sorry for Mike’s behavior. I don’t know why he’s acting this way. I swear to you, he and I are not in a relationship. When we agreed to hook up, it was for fun. That’s it.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me. We’re not dating.” He peered over his shoulder. “You can fuck whoever you want.”

Her lower lip twitched. She took a deep breath, refusing to let him see how much his words hurt. “That’s not the point. He has no claim to me and no reason to start a fight.”

“It’s not the first time I’ve fought for you.”
 

“Beg your pardon?”

Theo shook his head. He brushed off her question and plodded toward the bed. She darted around and cut him off. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It’s nothing.” When he tried to pass her again, she forced him back to the wall. His brows knitted in a glare. “What the fuck?”

“Don’t brush me off, Theo.” She fisted his shirt like Mike had. “You said this isn’t the first time you’ve fought for me. What are you implying?”

“I’m not implying anything. I’m telling the truth. This isn’t the first time I’ve defended you, Cassie.” He gave one last effort to move away without touching her, but she pressed her arm to his chest and knocked him back. A moment later, his shoulders slumped. “Why do you think I beat Parker’s ass?”

His question caught her off guard. She’d thought about the same fight not long after he stormed out of Midnight Blues. Guess he had too. “I thought he was picking on you again.”

He shook his head, accentuating each twist as he clenched his jaw. His face grew closer to hers, then he chuckled. “I didn’t give a shit what he said about me. I was used to it. It was the fact that he shoved you against the wall when you told him to piss off.”

Cassie’s stomach flipped. She removed her arm from his chest and loosened her grip on his shirt. “You witnessed that?”

“Yeah…and I wanted to kill him. I was making my way across the corridor when he left. You were so rattled. You took off in the other direction and ran right into me.”

“That was you?” When he nodded again, she lowered her hand and glanced at his chest. “I was so upset I didn’t know who I’d bumped into.”

“I know…and I was so pissed at Parker that I couldn’t ask if you were okay. I passed Jonah afterwards. He told me not to do anything until after school. I would have waited too, but I ran into Parker and his crew on my way to my locker. As soon as he opened his mouth, it was on.”

“That much I do remember.”

She brushed the wrinkles out of his shirt, where she’d held it. Memories of his and Parker’s fight played through her mind. From the first punch thrown, to the one that sent Parker on his ass, she watched the fight unfold. She never knew why they were fighting or what they were saying to each other, but she knew how much trouble the fight would cause him.

“Why’d you do it, Theo? You were already in so much trouble. You knew what would happen if you…” Her breath caught when he gripped her arms and spun her. She was trapped between his body and the wall, but she made no effort to push him away.

“I couldn’t stand by and let him treat you the way he did. He had no right touching you.”

“He wasn’t the first asshole I’d dealt with. You didn’t have to defend my honor. Your whole life was turned upside down…because of me.”

He pressed his hand on the wall as he leaned closer. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’d do anything for you, Cassie.”

His hand warmed her thigh. The delicate caress of his fingers stopped when he reached her hip. The heat of his lips brushed hers, but he eased away when she touched his chest.

“Tonight, you told me I wasn’t worth it.”

“I was angry.”

“And now?”

His mouth lifted in a lazy smile, then he touched her cheek. The warmth of his fingertips trailed to her mouth, over her lips, and down her neck. When he reached her breasts, her breathing increased.

“Now I just gotta know.”

“Know what?”

He crossed his arms and gripped the sides of his shirt, pulling it off. When it hit the floor, he leaned closer. Both hands went under her skirt. He cupped her ass and swept her lips again.