The Real Deal

Like he doesn’t want to stop. Like he missed me with the same heavy, raw ache inside him. Like it hasn’t been merely six hours. He’s kissing me as though being without me has been hell. I kiss him back the same way.

I’ve always been the daring one. The one who takes chances. Right now, every chance I’ve ever wanted to take, every risk I’ve been tempted to try points in one direction. Jump in headfirst with Theo. I want this man in my life with a bone-deep certainty. This man who came back to me, climbed a tree, and threw acorns at the window.

We kiss more, soft and hard and greedy and full of a profound need for each other. I know we should talk, but I want to do other things with mouths right now.

Eventually, we stop, and he climbs inside, then shuts the window. We sit on the couch. “There’s a snarling leopard outside.”

My brow pinches and my brain tries to grab on to what he might mean. Then I remember. “Your bike?”

He nods, looking pleased. “I rode it back from New York. We had to go there to settle the debt. I asked my brother what to do next, and he said, ‘Go to her.’ I was going to wait to hear from you, but I couldn’t wait. I had to come to you.”

I can’t stop grinning. “I’m glad you couldn’t wait. I’m glad you came before you were even called.”

“I don’t usually fire early,” he says with a knowing wink.

I curl my hand around his shoulder. “I’m glad you were already on your way, but please tell me you didn’t text and ride.”

He laughs. “I had to stop for gas, and that’s when I saw your note. It made me so happy.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. Then I run my hands through his hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry, April. I’m sorry I didn’t say something earlier. I’m sorry I didn’t know how to broach it. I’m sorry you ever thought I was scamming you. I’m not,” he says, running the backs of his fingers along my cheek. His lips curve into a grin. “But you know, I think you pulled the big con on me.”

I wrench back, shooting him a what are you talking about? look. “What does that even mean?”

“Do you know what a long con is? Or a big con?”

“Not really.”

He takes my hand and draws lazy lines on my palm. “It’s a con that unfolds over several days or weeks. You have to lay the foundation. Maybe on a train ride. Then there’s a buildup, like late-night, hushed conversations that bring you closer. Often, there’s a small payoff along the way—a kiss, a touch, more.” He closes his eyes and presses the softest kiss to my forehead. It ignites fireworks inside me. “Then there’s a sudden crisis. Something unexpected. Everything moves quickly. People are frantic. Worry sets in that this new love will all go belly-up.” My chest pinches, remembering our fight. His eyes stay on me, and he swallows. “Then the mark goes home to get his dough. Time to go all in.”

I’m breathless, waiting for the rest of the story. “And?”

“He bets it all on the girl. He doesn’t look back. Because he was never conning her. She pulled one over on him, and she didn’t even know it. She didn’t even have to try. Just by being herself, she got him to fall madly in love with her. That’s the big con.”

My eyes float closed for a moment, and my skin warms everywhere. This is what it feels like to fall in love. This is what it feels like to break your dating diet in spectacular fashion. No more carrot sticks, no more celery. I dig into a rich, decadent piece of chocolate cake.

When I open my eyes, Theo’s still looking at me. I point at him. “So you’re my mark, then? And I pulled a fast one on you?”

He smiles and nods. “I’m the mark, and you pulled it off, cupcake. I’m in mad, crazy love with you.”

I run my thumb over his top lip. “I’m madly in love with you, too. But you need to know something,” I say, taking a breath.

“What?”

“It’s not a trick. It’s not a con. It’s real.”

“I know.” He scoops me up, drops me on the bed, and strips off his jacket.

I sit up and hold up a hand as a stop sign. There’s something else I need to say. “I want you to know I don’t care about your past. I’m not afraid of it. I’m not ashamed of it. I admire your drive. I truly do. The only thing that bothered me was whether you were honest with me. If we’re doing this for real, I need you to be honest.”

He nods, a contrite look in his eyes. “I know. I will. I promise. And I want you to know where I was tonight. I went into the city with Heath. He paid off Addison, and we had a heart-to-heart. He told me I didn’t have to take it on for him, but I was worried he’d fall back into old habits. He says he’s on the straight and narrow now, and I choose to believe him. And I want you to know that I’m done being a boyfriend-for-hire.”

“You are?”

“Duh. I have a girlfriend. That’s so not cool to keep it up.”

I smile like a crazy person. “What will you do? Just tend bar?”

“It’s not a bad living. It’s an honest living. I know I’m not as established as you are. But I’ll figure something out.”

“I always thought you’d sound sexy just reading the phone book. Let’s find you a job doing that.”

He smiles. “The only thing I know for certain is I don’t want to do any of it without you.”

“Then don’t be without me,” I say, reaching forward to tug off his shirt. I tap my chin. “Now, if memory serves, wasn’t there some climbing that needed to happen tonight?”

Soon, we’re naked under the covers.

I explore his torso, running my hands over his sunburst ink. “Do you remember that time we met and fell in love in just four days?”

His hands find their way to my back, and he runs his fingertips down my spine. “It seemed crazy that we could fall in love so fast.”

My entire body longs for him. Gooseflesh climbs up my limbs, and I am bursting with lust and want and desire. “But that’s exactly how it all went down. The funny thing is, it was kind of inevitable.”

He reaches for my hip, pulls me on top of him. “How so?”

“Everything came true. Don’t you think that’s bizarre? Even the last part.” I recite from his ad. “‘Break up with you and then engage in a huge makeup lovefest involving (a) a ladder, (b) a megaphone, or (c) an announcement during a parade in your hometown. (Note: Public scenes aren’t new to me. I know the drill.)’”

“I didn’t use a megaphone or announce it during a parade. But I must confess, I did break out a ladder to climb the tree. Turns out it’s easier to jump down from a ten-foot-high branch than to jump up into it.”

I laugh—then my laughter fades as he slides his hands up my sides, over my ribs, to my breasts.

I draw a sharp breath. He cups my breasts, and I tremble. My breathing turns ragged. “Please,” I beg, and he stretches his arm to the side, reaching into the pocket of his jeans.

Quickly, he opens a condom and covers himself.

He positions me over his erection. “Get on me and ride me,” he says, his voice husky, smoky. “Do it nice and slow and quiet.”

I slide onto him, taking him deep inside me. We both groan. It feels so good. It feels so right. I drop my lips to his, kissing him so we can swallow all the sounds we want to make.

Then, under the covers, with shadows falling over the bed, I take my time. I roll my hips, moving up and down. I let every second linger. The expression on his face is delicious. His lips are parted; his eyes stay on me. His hands squeeze my ass, and he clutches my flesh as I move.

I lower myself, my breasts brushing against his strong chest, my hands sliding up into his hair. We lose track of time. I bury my face in his neck. I kiss his ear, and he runs his hands down my spine. Every sound I make is tiny, as quiet as can be. At one point, I take him so deep, and stay like that, that he nearly growls. I bite his lip, and he moans into my mouth.