Page 39 of Until The Lights Go Out

“My savior,” Maisey giggled again, and I felt heat rush through me at the blush on her cheeks.

“Alright, Red. Let’s get you back to your room,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

“No! You go back to the pretty girl! I’m good, I’ll just take the elevator to floor…three. No, that’s not it. Four?” She started counting on her fingers, trying to remember our floor level. Everyone on the team was on floor six. I let a hand at the small of her back gently led her toward the main elevators.

“Come on, I’ve got you,” I said, soaking in this moment, knowing this was something she wouldn’t remember come morning and something I would need to forget. But for now, I let my hand rest between the slip of open skin at the hem of her camisole. I dragged my thumb over the texture of the fabric back and forth.

13

MAISEY | PRESENT

Theo’s thumb was rhythmically moving up and down on my back as he led me to the elevator post-successful-cheesy-puff-adventure. My feet were dragging in my hotel slippers as we walked, and I was trying to focus on opening one of the bags and not letting it explode, but Theo’s touch was mesmerizing. My brain was all jumbled between his proximity, the hints of a cologne he probably put on hours before, and his touch. The damn thumb swiped back and forth, making me feel like I was about to melt into a damn puddle on the floor of this elevator. Chills ran up my back at each swipe.

“Thank you,” I finally said as the click of each floor went by.

“Sure thing, Maise,” Theo replied back, staring straight ahead. I took a moment to really look at him. Adult Theo was hot. It was plain and simple. I tried to ignore it when I saw him for the first time back in the paddock, I really did try. But the old Theo, the young, slightly awkward, gangly Theo was long gone. His hair no longer swished in front, long all over, now it was shaved close on the sides and long down the middle. He had a little scruff growing along his jaw, leaving a five o’clock shadow. His hand alone felt huge on my back. Then there was the fact that, not only had Theo grown taller, he was also fit. Like real, proper fit. I mean for God’s sake, the man needed a bigger shirt. It should’ve been illegal how his sleeves stretched over his biceps. It was far too distracting for him to be out and about wearing something like that.

“Like the view?” Theo asked, side-eying me with a smirk. I could feel the blush take over, slowly spreading across my cheeks and down my neck. Good God, Theo flirting? I was not sober enough for this.

“Yep,” I squeaked back before clamping my mouth shut and deciding to never speak again. I could feel Theo’s shoulders shake next to me rather than hear a laugh, and I decided I could just die of mortification right there. I should give up drinking forever. This would do it. No drinking ever again.

“Ever feels rather finite, Andrews,” Theo replied to the thoughts in my head, making me jump in alarm and rub my hands over my eyes, blinking at him.

How the fuck did he do that?

“You’re talking out loud.” He rolled his eyes. His hand had dropped from my back at some point, and my skin felt like it was on fire. I wanted his hand back, fingers spreading over to my waist because somehow in a decade, the man turned into a behemoth. And who was I to not notice giant veiny hands and forearms? My eyes tracked back to said forearm, and I remembered the ink I saw peeking out.

“You got tattoos?” I asked sheepishly, trying to not look up at him, training my eyes on the closed elevator doors instead, working on getting the stupid bad open.

“Yeah,” he replied. His voice sounded more gravelly, like some deep emotion lay there under an uncleared throat, taking the bag from my hands and opening it easily before handing it back.

“How many?” I pushed, but silence followed while the floors ticked by.

“A few,” he finally said as the elevator doors dinged open to our shared floor.

“Let me see,” I said, turning to him and ignoring the opened doors. He turned to look down at me with a pointed look and nodded his head toward the doors.

“It’s late, let’s go.”

“I want to see,” I said between bites of cheesy puffs. He shook his head in reply and pushed the hold door open button without looking.

“I wanna see,” I repeated, keeping a tight hold on my snack bag while crossing my arms over my chest. Theo moved to hold open the door now, half his huge frame between the elevator and the floor as he looked down to me again.

“Just as stubborn as ever, I see.”

I kept my arms crossed and held my ground, further proving his point by scrunching my eyebrows together. “Then show me.”

“Get out of the elevator, Red.”

“Nope,” I said, popping the ‘P’ at the end just to annoy him.

“I will pick you up if I have to.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” I glared harder.

“Try me.”

“Show me.”