I press my face against the hot skin of his chest. “Promise?” I ask quietly.
“Of course.” I can hear the smile in his voice before he presses his lips into my hair. I feel myself relax instantly. It’s the strangest thing, as though all the weight has just been taken from me. Theo has this way of just shouldering all my troubles for me, even when I don’t want him to. That’s the essence of true love, is it not? When you love someone you share in their sorrows and their hardships, the good times and the bad. I feel like Theo and I have shared in each other’s ups and downs, although lately there seem to be more downs than ups. Either way, I feel like everything will be okay with him by my side. He makes the burden a little easier to bare. I also trust him. If he says it will be okay, then it will. I’ve seen Theo pull off some pretty impressive feats, and despite our turbulent roller coaster of a relationship, he’s never lied to me or failed me. So if he says he won’t let Harry go down, then he won’t.
I lay there quietly trailing my fingers over his smooth skin and tracing the lines of ink across his chest. I listen quietly as his breaths deepen and he falls back into sleep. Theo is not a morning person. Hell, neither am I normally.
My mind starts to go into over drive again. God, this is ridiculous. I’m up and down like a yoyo. I manage to extricate myself from his iron grip and get out of bed.
I find one of his t-shirts and a pair of boxers.
I love Theo’s open plan living space. The dull grey morning light spills through the enormous windows into the kitchen. I make coffee from his hideously expensive coffee machine. Expensive, but so bloody good.
I take my coffee out onto the patio and sit on one of the sun loungers next to the pool. The morning air is fresh, and bites against my bare legs. I love London at this time in the morning. The patio is on the floor, and is more of an enormous balcony really. It allows a limited view of the city. There are no car horns, no distant hum of traffic. It’s quiet, and peaceful. I lay back and clasp my coffee in my hands. I take a sip and smile. Small things can make you so happy.
I can’t stop my mind from sprinting at a hundred miles an hour. What if they charge Harry? I will have to tell them the truth. I can’t risk him going to prison. What if they find out about Shaun? Can they even find out about him? Fuck! All I know is that I will not let Harry go to prison for helping me. Part of my mind says that I can’t survive without him, whilst a small voice whispers to me that I can, because I have Theo. I stamp that voice out. No, if he gets charged today, then I will say and do whatever I have to, to get him out. He deserves more from me. I owe him everything.
I let out a frustrated breath as my mind wages war with itself.
A few golden leaves have blown across the pool, disrupting the perfect clear water. For some reason it really bothers me. I get up and find the little net thingy that’s tucked in the corner of the patio. I start scooping leaves out of the water. I don’t know why, but it’s something to do. Before I know it I’m sweeping the bloody patio, and watering the plants.
I’m cleaning the outside of the folding French doors when I hear a throat clear beside me. I turn to find Theo leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed across a bare chest, and a raised eyebrow.
“Should I be concerned?”
I blow a loose strand of hair out of my face, which has fallen out of the messy bun on top of my head. “I just thought I would clean up a bit.”
He presses his lips together and nods his head slowly. “Are you having some sort of mental breakdown?” He asks carefully.
I huff out a breath. “I just need a distraction.” I grumble.
A sensual smile pulls at his lips. “Well, sugar, if it was a distraction you needed why didn’t you wake me up? I have a morning present just for you.”
I flick my eyes down to the boner currently tenting his trackies. I roll my eyes. “Really? God, you are such a bloke.”
He smirks. “I’m all man sugar.” He steps close to me, everything about him oozing swagger and pure masculine sex appeal.
I place my hands on my hips and stare him down. “You do realise that not everything can be fixed with sex, my brothers pending imprisonment included.”
He mimics my pose with his hands on his hips. The pose show-cases that beautiful body perfectly. He throws his head back in exasperation and exhales loudly. “I told you, I have taken care of it.”
“Define taken care of.”
He meets my gaze. His blue eyes become serious, the sexual tension of moments ago replaced by the steely determination of the businessman that is Theodore Ellis. “Just trust me?”