Run to Ground(55)

Something about the scene of the sleeping man and reading girl and relaxed dog niggled at her, though. It wasn’t just Jules who was getting too attached. Somehow, the idea of leaving Monroe had become infinitely harder. They were all settling in—to the house, to the town, to a local cop who’d saved her more than once and fixed their porch and protected them from flying bullets and answered Dee’s childish questions with utmost seriousness and respect.

There wouldn’t be anything simple about leaving anymore.

Jules managed to make it almost forty-five minutes before she found herself next to Theo again. Dee and Viggy were gone, and Jules could see them through the window, playing in the front yard. Theo had turned onto his side, and the thin blanket Jules had draped over him earlier had slipped off and lay puddled on the floor. Secretly glad of an excuse to get near him, Jules crept into the room, snagging the blanket off the floor. As close as she was, Jules could see the dark stubble shading his olive skin, and her gaze locked on his mouth. When he was awake, his lips were thin, just a slash on his hard face, but sleep softened them. They were surprisingly full, and Jules had a hard time tearing her gaze away.

She managed, though, and covered him. Although she was tempted to smooth the fuzzy fabric, to feel his hard contours beneath the layers of blanket and clothing, Jules resisted. It would be too creepy, worse even than just peeking at him while he was sleeping. As she tucked the blanket over his shoulder, she allowed her hand to smooth it over his upper arm—just once.

Her gaze slid over his strong neck and along his jaw, pausing at that tempting mouth and to his eyes…his wide-open, completely awake eyes.

Heat flared in her face, sweeping over her skin, as she realized he’d been awake, that he’d seen her actually groping him. Sure, it’d just been his arm, and just the tiniest of pats, but still. She’d stroked him while she’d thought he was asleep. Theo was going to think she was all sorts of stalker-y.

At least he didn’t look angry, or creeped out, or any other expression that would make Jules think he minded. He just seemed a little bemused and hungry—really hungry.

Jules’s breath caught, and she leaned in. It was as if Theo had a gravitational pull that was tugging her closer and closer against her better judgment. Her stomach warmed, and her skin buzzed, arousal and attraction and affection all layered together, drawing her toward Theo and erasing all the reasons she shouldn’t be doing this. She felt the hot breeze of his exhale against her lips, and it made her realize she was almost kissing him. Jerking back, she stood on unsteady legs so suddenly that she had to take a step back to catch her balance.

As she was pulling away, Theo sat up and turned so his feet found the floor. With a huge yawn, he stretched and stood, making Jules take another step back to put some more space between them. After what had just happened, she didn’t trust herself not to hurl her kiss-starved self at him.

The silence felt thick as they stared at each other. It was too much. Jules had to do something, and since kissing was out, she went with babbling. “Did you have a good nap? It’s been a few hours, so you must’ve been tired. I mean, I know you were up for a long time to make sure your friend was going to be okay, but…” In the middle of the sentence, Jules realized she had no way to finish it, so she let her words trail off and waited for his reaction. She fully expected him to run away, since she was acting like a freak.

To her surprise, Theo gave her a tiny grin, more of a twitch of his lips than a smile, but it still warmed her from the inside out. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome?” Her voice rose in surprise at the end. “I mean, you’re welcome to sleep here anytime.” Her blush, which had been fading, flooded back with a vengeance. Although she was tempted to run off at the mouth again, to try to verbally take back the unintended innuendo, Jules knew it would just make it a million times more embarrassing. Instead, she changed the subject. “So…Dee is out front playing with Viggy.”

“I see that.” He tipped his head toward the window, which framed the little girl and the dog. Theo stretched, and as his muscles popped and shifted, Jules’s throat went suddenly very, very dry. “I should go.”

She so wanted to protest, but he didn’t need some criminal perving on him, especially when she knew she should stay far away. Instead of chaining him to the couch like she wanted to do, Jules trailed Theo to the front door.

He opened it and then paused, turning to look at her. Jules waited, her muscles tight in anticipation of what he was going to say.

“Thank you again.”