Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction

Chapter Six Caught Up in the Moment

There was no greater sound in the world than Lucy screaming Theo’s name, nor was there a better image than her naked body stretched out in front of him. Theo looked up the length of her, still marveling at the fact that she was underneath him.

He started to kiss his way up her body, over her belly, and across her chest. He lingered at her breasts, running his tongue over her nipples. She squirmed underneath him, letting out another gasp.

“Theo.” She moaned his name as her hands moved to his head, her fingers delving into his hair as she tugged. “Come here.”

Trailing his mouth up her neck, he nipped at her skin until finally landing on her mouth. She parted her lips, letting him in with no hesitation, her tongue twisting with his. Her hands were still in his hair, and she raked her nails across his scalp, making him groan.

“I need you inside of me,” she told him as she began to move her hips, rocking them into him. Thank god he was still wearing his boxer briefs and there was a thin layer of cotton between them.

It took a force of will stronger than he knew he possessed to pull back from her. “I think you’re forgetting something. Let me grab a condom from my wallet.” Theo wasn’t typically the kind of guy who had one-night stands, but he was always prepared.

He was an Eagle Scout, after all.

“No need.” Lucy shook her head. “I have a box in my nightstand.”

Theo’s only comment was to raise his eyebrows in question. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who liked to be prepared . . . he just wanted to know who she’d been preparing for.

“They’re unopened. I just bought them.”

That answer could’ve been satisfactory enough . . . but he wanted more. “For me?”

“Don’t get too cocky.” Lucy reached for him, tracing his erection with her fingertips. That challenge in her eyes only intensified when she moved down to his balls.

Theo grabbed her hand, his nostrils flaring as he pulled in another unsteady breath. He was pretty sure he hadn’t taken a normal breath all night . . . ever since he’d leaned closer to her at the game to whisper in her ear.

Twining their fingers together, he stretched her hand above her head, pinning her to the bed. “Did you buy them for me?” he repeated, wanting to hear her say it.

“Tell me why you want to know.” She clearly wasn’t going to let him win so easily. But she never did.

“Because”—he started to move his hips, pressing his erection into her—“I want to know that it’s my cock you’ve been thinking about. And only my cock.”

“Yes.” Lucy closed her eyes, her body arching under his. The movement caused her neck to stretch, and Theo took full advantage of the perfect access, burying his face in the spot and placing open-mouthed kisses across her throat. “Theo, please,” she begged. “I need to feel you inside of me.”

Yes, well, he needed to be inside of her, so there really was no need to prolong the torture any longer. Letting go of her, Theo sat up, reaching over to the nightstand. He pulled at the top drawer a little too exuberantly, causing the entire thing to shake. Her journal and pen, Chapstick, and alarm clock all flew off the top and clattered to the floor. He was only able to grab the lamp in time to save it from falling.

“Shit.” He slid off the bed, bending over to pick everything up.

“Just leave it.” She laughed, grabbing on to his boxers, her fingers twisting in the fabric as she pulled down.

“No problem.” Theo nodded, pushing his boxers the rest of the way off and kicking them to the side. He then reached for the box at the back of the drawer, pulling at the cardboard flap and ripping it in the process. Once he tore a condom open and rolled it down his cock, he tossed everything back into the open drawer.

Moving back to the bed, he knelt on the mattress, his hands going to her knees to push them farther apart. But the second he touched her again, something in him stilled. There was a need to pause for a moment to take everything in. To take her in.

Her hair was spread out across the pillow, the satiny chestnut brown somehow even more beautiful against the white. Her skin was glowing in the amber light, her perfect breasts moving as she breathed. And then he let his gaze move down to the thatch of curls between her legs. Fuck, she was perfect.

He wasn’t the only one looking their fill either. Lucy’s eyes moved down his body, lingering on his erection, before slowly coming back up to his face. “What are you waiting for?”

“I just . . . I need a second.” It had been seven years, seven years that he’d been waiting to be in this exact same position again. It felt like a lifetime; he had to take a couple moments to appreciate what was happening.

“Come here.” She held her hand up in the air, and when he leaned forward her palm landed on his chest. As he moved over her it slid up and to his shoulder.

“Hi,” he said as he settled over her.

“Hey, you.” She bit her bottom lip, her top teeth sinking into the plump flesh.

It didn’t take much for him to get distracted by her mouth, and he noticed that he had indeed kissed off every last bit of her lipstick. Well, except for the little bit on the left corner. He dipped his head, pressing his mouth to hers, kissing her slowly as he notched his cock to her entrance. She tilted her hips up and he slid inside of her.

Theo was immediately lost, consumed with everything that was Lucy Buchanan. He was wrapped up in her in every possible way. Her arms were around his shoulders, her thighs bracketed his waist, their mouths consuming each other, all while he sunk inside of her sweet body. It took only a few thrusts of his hips before they found their rhythm, Lucy matching him move for move.

But she’d always matched him . . . been the only one who could ever match him in this way. Time ceased to exist, everything ceased to exist except for her and him. He felt his own release building, but he wanted to feel her come around him. Wanted her to come apart in his arms just like this.

He slowed his thrusts, hooking one of her legs in the crook of his arm and spreading her wider as he began to grind against her.

“Oh, god. Yes, just like that, Theo. Just. Like. That.”

Theo pressed his face to Lucy’s throat—his current favorite place in the world to be—and just focused on pleasing her. Focused on the feel of her, the taste of her, the scent of her skin, the moans and gasps that kept escaping her sweet mouth, the sight of her beautiful face in total bliss.

It was a complete sensory experience, and he was in control right up until Lucy sunk her teeth into the skin at his shoulder, her body tightening around him as an orgasm rolled through her. And just that quickly, Theo was gone, all of his self-control disappearing in a snap as he started to pump his hips again, his own release coursing through him.

It took everything in him not to collapse on top of her, and he tried to brace himself, but Lucy tightened her grip on him, giving him permission. “Let me feel you,” she whispered into his ear before she nipped at his earlobe.

The last bit of strength left his body, but he rolled just slightly to the side, continuing to hold her close and enjoying the feel of her pressed against him. Lucy’s hands moved up and down his back while they each caught their breath, him more than her.

“I’ll be right back,” he said before he kissed her, their mouths lingering for a good long moment. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was let go, but he forced himself to pull away, and out of her body.

Snatching his boxers from the floor, he headed for the bathroom. It took him just a minute or two to get situated, and as he washed his hands in the sink, he spotted something bright blue and satiny sticking out from the top drawer of the vanity. Pulling it open, he discovered a wide variety of lingerie shoved into the drawer.

He was pretty sure she didn’t usually keep this stuff stored next to her hair dryer and brush and had the distinct feeling she’d shoved it in there when she’d gone to the bathroom earlier. It was then that he spotted something red and lacy among the pile. He looped his finger in the strap, holding it up in the air.

A grin split his mouth, and he stepped outside of the bathroom, continuing to display the lingerie prominently in front of him. “My vote is for you to wear this next time.”

Lucy sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. “Who said there’s going to be a next time?”

Theo leaned against the doorjamb, the red teddy continuing to swing in the air. “Are you telling me you don’t want to do that again?”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “No, I’m not saying that.”

“So, we are going to do that again.” The grin continued to spread across his mouth.

“You tell me.” She leaned back against the pillows, letting the sheet fall to her waist and exposing her breasts.

Theo’s mouth started to water; he needed her nipples in his mouth again. He tossed the teddy onto her dresser before crossing to the bed. His knees sunk into the mattress as he knelt down, placing his fists on either side of Lucy as he crawled up to her. He hovered over her, his mouth barely an inch above hers.

“If I have any say in the situation, we will be doing that again. Tonight, as a matter of fact. Many, many times.” He barely brushed his lips over hers before he dipped his head, his mouth landing on her breast.

This round Theo took his time getting her to fall apart underneath him.

* * *

A muffled beeping pulled Lucy from sleep, but it took her brain a good couple of seconds to catch up with consciousness. She was so comfortable, her body sinking into the soft mattress . . . and something less soft and very warm.

Theo.

He had his arm under her pillow, cradling her head close to his chest. His other arm was wrapped around her, his hand slipped under the fabric of her shirt and resting on her lower back.

Lucy blinked her eyes open, the soft morning glow helping the room slowly come into focus. She tilted her head and could just make out his throat and chin. Her fingertips itched to touch him and she reached up, tracing his beard.

“Hmmm,” Theo hummed as he rolled closer to her, his hand sliding up her back and pressing her to him. “What’s that noise?” he murmured.

“The alarm clock.”

“How do we make it stop?”

Lucy laughed as she made to pull away but didn’t get very far as Theo’s arm tightened around her, holding her close.

“I can’t make it stop unless you let go.”

“Then we have a problem.” He pressed his face to her neck and started kissing her, his beard rasping against her skin and tickling her.

“Theo.” She laughed again, managing to pull herself away as she rolled over to the nightstand and found it empty. It took a second for her to realize the alarm clock was still on the floor. She slid out of bed, and Theo groaned as his hands left her body.

“Hey, it’s not my fault. You’re the one who knocked this over last night.”

“Sorry, I forgot to clean up my mess.” He sat up slightly, leaning against his elbows as he watched her. “We literally made time fly, though.”

They both paused for a second, looking at each other before she called out “It’s mine!” and he yelled “Dibs!”

“I think we both get that one,” Lucy said as she grabbed the alarm clock, the beep becoming increasingly louder as it was no longer muffled against the rug. She silenced it before setting it down and finding the other things that had fallen.

Theo stared at the clock for a second before looking back up at her in confusion. “Why is your alarm set for seven? Isn’t that a little late for you to get up when you use it on a school day?” He pulled the covers back—careful not to disturb Estee, who was curled up at the foot of the bed—holding them in the air as she slid back in and settled into his chest again.

“I usually use my phone for an alarm. I’ve experienced too many power surges to take a chance on it not going off in the morning. The alarm on the clock must’ve gotten set when it fell on the floor. Probably for the best as I need to be at a yoga class in an hour and then I’m helping with the hot drinks stand for the school’s drama department fundraiser. Are you working at the bakery today?”

“Yeah, I’m supposed to be there at nine.” His hand moved under the hem of her shirt before it started to trail up, his fingers moving over her spine. “Though I’d much rather linger here with you.”

Lucy shivered into him, burrowing closer. “I think we can plan a date for lingering. Maybe tonight or tomorrow . . .”

“I’ll have to look at my schedule, but I’m pretty sure I can fit you in.”

Lucy pulled back, her eyebrows raised as she looked up at him. “I think if anyone would be seeing if they could fit the other in, it would be me with you.”

“You had no issues last night.” He grinned.

Lucy shook her head, trying so hard not to smile back at him. She knew he was clearly joking, but two could play at this game. “Yes, well, I think there might not be enough space now with that big head of yours. Nor is there enough space in my shower.”

Theo’s grin slipped. “What do you mean?”

“I was going to ask if you wanted to shower here, but since you’re so busy, I guess you don’t have time.” She patted his chest before slipping out of bed.

“Hey”—he sat up, that grin now completely gone—“I was just kidding!”

“Well, if you want an invitation to be there again”—she pointed to her bed—“or here again”—she waved a hand in front of the apex of her thighs—“you’re going to have to earn it.”

“How?”

“I guess you’ll figure it out.” Lucy took a few steps back, her hands going to the hem of her shirt before she turned around, pulling it off in one fluid motion. She started walking toward the bathroom, hearing him groan over the sound of the door shutting behind her.

* * *

Theo stared at the shut door, unable to figure out if he was amused or pissed. Well, that was par for the course when it came to Lucy. Apparently, she’d decided to up the game of their taunting each other, and now that sex was involved, the stakes were higher.

Much, much higher.

Theo got out of bed as he heard the shower turn on, inwardly cursing himself. He’d been playing checkers that morning when Lucy was clearly playing chess. He was just going to have to figure out how to get her back. Luckily for him he had some time.

His clothes were scattered all over the floor, and he snatched them up, pulling them on one piece at a time. Sparing one more glance at the bathroom, he shook his head before crossing her apartment and opening the front door. He was about halfway down the stairs when he heard someone say his name.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Theo Taylor.”

Theo looked over to the house to find Lucy’s father walking down the path. His feet faltered, his eyes going wide in horror. “Mr. Buchanan.”

“Now, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Wes? Whatcha doing here, son?” he asked, clearly amused.

“I . . . um . . . I was just . . . um . . .” The very last thing he wanted to do was lie to the man. But he couldn’t exactly tell him the truth. “We were at Quigley’s last night and I walked Lucy home.”

“And stayed the night, I see.”

Theo reached up, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. It couldn’t be more than thirty degrees outside and he was sweating.

“Don’t worry.” Wes laughed. “My shotgun is in the house, so you’re perfectly safe.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart.” He made the motion over his chest. “Where’s your truck?”

“At the bakery. I parked it there after the game last night.”

“I’m heading that way. Want a ride?”

“So you can torture me a little bit more?”

Wes smiled behind his bushy beard, his hazel eyes crinkling. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Theo rounded to the passenger side of Wes’s red truck. Yup, this was what he got for messing with Lucy that morning, no sex and an awkward car ride with her father.

When Wes started the engine, the stereo flared to life and “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival filled the cab. Well, that was fitting.

Wes put the truck in reverse and the locks all clicked into place ominously. He backed out of the drive, getting to the end of the block and rolling to a stop at the sign before saying anything. “So,” he started as he turned left. “What are your intentions with my daughter?”

“Um . . . I . . . it’s not . . .”

Wes started to laugh again. “Relax. I’m not as naive as you may think. I’ve noticed you and Lucy dancing around each other for months.”

Theo let out a breath, his shoulders sagging in relief.

“However, if you hurt her, you can go back to calling me Mr. Buchanan.”

“You’re having too much fun with this.” Theo shook his head.

“It’s my right as her father. Don’t act like you haven’t messed with the guys your sisters have dated.”

It was true; before his little sister Naomi had gone off to college a couple of years ago, he’d been pretty ruthless with the unfortunate souls she’d brought home. She’d yet to bring any of her college boyfriends home for a weekend visit.

“Well, Naomi has terrible taste in guys, so it’s justified. And thank god Gia hasn’t started dating yet.”

“You sure about that?”

Theo looked over at Wes. “What do you know?”

“Nothing.” He laughed. “I’ve just raised three kids, and they know how to sneak around. Well”—he glanced over at Theo, his mouth twitching—“apparently not as well these days. Or in yours and Lucy’s case, not seven years ago either.”

“You knew?”

“Yeah, I knew.” Wes laughed again.

“Great, so how long can I expect the hazing to last?” Theo asked.

“From me? A while. But you know it isn’t just me you have to contend with. There’s Jeremy, Lilah, Caro, Max, Sasha”—he made another turn as he continued to list off the names—“Oscar, Gavin, your mom, your dad, your sisters, your brother, your grandparents. Pretty much anyone who knows you and Lucy. I could keep going if I need to.”

“No.” Theo shook his head. “I think I’m good. And I already got a taste of that last night at Quigley’s.”

“Good, so you know what to expect.” The buildings of downtown came into view and Wes slowed the truck as they drove along the cobblestoned streets. “I have one piece of advice for you, Theo. Well, one piece of advice for you this morning.”

“And what’s that?”

“All of those people I just mentioned? They’ve got nothing on what Lucy is going to throw at you.”

“Of that I am beyond aware.” This morning was proof of that.

Wes pulled to a stop in front of the bakery. “Good,” he said as he clapped Theo on the shoulder, squeezing affectionately before letting go. “Then you’ll do just fine. I guess I’ll be seeing you around my backyard.”

Theo coughed uncomfortably before nodding. “Thanks for the ride, Mr. Bu—”

Wes’s bushy eyebrows rose high.

“Wes,” Theo corrected.

“You’re welcome, Theo.”

Theo jumped out of the truck, hesitating for just a moment before opening the door to the bakery. Shit. He hadn’t thought this through, his pre-coffee brain not firing on all cylinders. The last thing he needed was for someone in his family to see him getting dropped off by Wes Buchanan.

It wasn’t like he was trying to keep what had happened with Lucy a secret. It was just that he didn’t really want to explain that it was just sex.

Luckily for him, there was a pretty long line at the registers, people grabbing their morning pastries before heading over to the Cruickshank Saturday Market. It usually ended in early fall, but with the demand it had begun to garner, it was extended until Christmas this year. Vendors set up their booths and tables all around Sweeny Park. They sold their art, crafts, wares, and locally grown produce.

As it was close to seven thirty—and the market opened at nine—the people at the bakery were mostly the vendors, wanting to get something good to eat before the busy day. There was enough of them to mostly block him from view as he sidestepped the line and headed for the hallway at the back. The bathrooms were to the left, while a door locked with a keypad was to the right. Theo punched in the code and slipped inside, heading up the stairs.

Way back when his great-grandparents—Cornelius and Betty—had started the bakery, they’d used the second and third floors as their home. It was where they’d raised their family and where they’d continued to live long after everyone had moved out. It was where they’d lived until the end of their lives.

It had been his great-grandparents who’d instilled that love of baking in Theo’s bones. Some of his fondest memories growing up had been coming to Browned Butter after school and baking cookies and cakes. He’d gotten a good twelve years with them before they’d passed away. But they’d never be totally gone, not when their little bakery had become an institution in Cruickshank.

Browned Butter was an entire-family affair these days. His grandparents were usually there to start things up at five o’clock in the morning, still the same early birds that they’d always been. Marjorie and Albert Taylor were in their early seventies and were still going strong. Their idea of retiring had been going from working ten-hour days six days a week, to six-hour days five days a week.

Theo’s parents, Isaac and Juliet, were part of the second shift, one of them coming in to open up at seven, while the other got there after getting Gia off to school. Theo was more of the nine-to-five shift, coming in after the crazy rush in the morning and when the kitchens were slightly less chaotic, and staying until closing.

He was the only one of his siblings who’d joined the family business, and odds were he’d be the only one.

His younger brother, Declan, had joined the air force and was currently stationed over in Germany with his wife, Natalie. His sister Naomi was a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill, getting a computer science degree. And then there was Gia, who might work at the bakery after school and on weekends but had found her real love acting stuff out onstage or being behind the camera.

Baking wasn’t everyone’s passion, but for Theo, it was part of him.

These days, the floors above the bakery were no longer used as a place of residence, though a lot of his great-grandparents’ belongings still occupied the space. The desk in the second-floor office had been built by his great-grandfather’s own hands, and there were a number of framed cross-stitches on the wall from his great-grandmother.

Theo rounded the banister as he made his way up to the third floor. It was still set up as a little apartment, a cozy little kitchen in one corner with yellow and blue tiles, and an old leather sofa in the other with a TV mounted to the wall. Down the hall there was a bedroom and a bathroom. When family from out of town would visit, they’d usually stay up there for the weekend, enjoying their mornings woken up by the smell of freshly baked bread.

But Theo probably used the area more than anyone else. He sometimes needed his own space to work on his cakes that was away from the chaos. The kitchen in the bakery was always crazy, everyone coming and going as they made their specialties throughout the day.

It took Theo a good fifteen minutes to get showered and changed—he always kept clothes there in case of a powdered sugar or flour explosion. As he got ready, his mind was still replaying the night before and how everything had happened. A perfect chain of events. Well, it had been perfect up until that morning.

He grinned, shaking his head as he looked at himself in the mirror, combing his wet hair back. Lucy didn’t make things easy, but she never had. And as much as he’d wanted to get another round in with her before work—and he’d really wanted to—he enjoyed this game with her. He just needed to figure out how to win the next round.

Pulling on a brown, white, and black flannel shirt, he worked on the buttons as he made his way back downstairs. When he pushed the door open, it was to see that the line had doubled. He rounded the counter to where his mother and father were filling orders while Kylie—one of their part-timers—manned the register.

“Morning.” He grabbed an apron, tying the strings around his back.

“You’re here early.” His mother stretched up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before pulling back and looking into his face.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head, her eyes narrowing.

But she didn’t get to study too much longer as Theo turned to his father, reaching for one of the boxes in his hand.

“Order forty-two is cookies. Half a dozen chocolate chip, the other half butterscotch.” Isaac pointed to the little screen where they tracked orders before moving on to the Danishes. “I saw your truck around back this morning and figured you’d stayed at the apartment. Late night at Quigley’s?” There was something leading in his tone . . . like he was going somewhere with the question.

Theo took a moment before answering, hesitating as he pulled on a pair of gloves. He was trying to figure out how to answer his father and not lie. “Yeah, decided not to drive home last night.”

A true statement. Theo had indeed decided not to drive home last night, and it had partly been because of the bourbon. As for the assumption that Theo had stayed at the bakery apartment, he chose not to correct it. At least not for the moment . . . and not when there were about twenty people within earshot.

When Theo stood from the cookie display and turned, he found his father studying him.

“What?” he asked for the second time.

“Nothing.” A small smirk played at Isaac’s mouth that clearly said there was something.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here early,” his mother told him as she grabbed a chocolate croissant and a cinnamon-raisin bagel. “It’s been a busy morning. Your grandparents are manning the kitchen by themselves at the moment.”

“Where are Daisy and Blake?” Theo asked of two of their other part-time employees.

“Daisy got sick, and Blake had a flat tire. He said he’d be in as soon as he got it changed. And Gia and Chloe are volunteering at the hot drinks stand to raise money for the drama department.”

“Lucy’s working that booth this morning too,” Theo said before he could stop himself.

Both of his parents looked over at him, his father’s knowing smirk getting bigger while his mother gave him that look that said she clearly knew he was hiding something. “You want to tell us what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“You never offer up information about Lucy. Not freely.”

Shit.

“Sure, I do.”

“No, you don’t.” His mother shook her head.

“Could that name drop have anything to do with the fact that your mother and I saw Wes drive you to work this morning?” Isaac asked.

Double shit.

“You aren’t as sneaky as you think you are, son.” Juliet patted Theo’s chest. “You work out here with your father while I finish the cookies that I promised to make for the hot drinks stand. You can bring them down there when I’m finished.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Good boy.” She grinned before heading to the kitchen.

Well, that took absolutely no time at all for them to figure out. And how was it that he’d gotten busted by both Lucy’s father and his parents? Just another thing he was going to have to get Lucy back for. She was no doubt having a much easier morning than him.