Chapter 39: In Which He Deletes the Blackmail Message

"You have to stop punishing yourself, babe."

Aurora lifted her gaze in surprise. After hearing all that, why did he still call her that? She'd just lied to him again! Worst, she'd just confessed to committing a crime! Shouldn't he hate her?

The gentleness in his voice triggered her emotions. She doesn't deserve him. Her view started to blur.

Theo grabbed those small shoulders and turned her around, but she looked away.

"I understand if you want to end this," her defeated voice muttered. She remembered how furious he had been the last time. He'd probably never forgive her this time.

Theo sighed, "Babe, you've got to be fair to me and stop deciding on everything in our relationship."

Her moistened eyes flew to his striking face. She blinked to clear her view and searched his features with a puzzled look.

"Aren't you mad at me?"

"Yes, I am," Theo breathed. He was frustrated.

"Then we should break up."

Theo gritted his teeth, "You want to break up with me?"

Aurora shook her head at the floor.

Theo tipped her chin and looked into her eyes as he muttered angrily, "Then stop suggesting it."

Her eyes sparkled with tears of regret. "Don't you despise me? I did what your uncle did."

Theo pulled her in and crushed his lips onto hers. She let out a gasp of surprise, but quickly opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss.

It ended as abruptly as it started. Breathless, Aurora opened her eyes and Theo was glaring at her.

"You are not him," he stated firmly in a hoarse voice, in between shallow breaths. "If you were, you wouldn't be at that fortune-telling shop, and I wouldn't have met you there."

That was the most romantic thing she has heard. Finally, her tears poured down uncontrollably.

He hugged her close.


******


“You have been sending them money all this while!” Theo was almost shouting in his girlfriend’s ears.

Aurora winced, “Ouch! D*mn it, Theo. You’re hurting my ears. Your voice gets three times louder in here. How else can they continue to live in that house?”

Theo shook her head in disbelief, “This is the worst I’ve heard. Is it not enough that you have a huge debt from a loan shark on your back?” No wonder this woman needs to take three jobs. God!

“I owe them this much, Theo. Let’s just leave it as that.”

Theo sighed, "Okay, then what other secrets do you have?"

Aurora held up the giant-sized hand, wiped the bubbles off it and brought it to her lips. A muscle twitched under her touch and she smiled against his skin.

Removing his hand and dropping it back into the bathtub, she leaned backwards on his hard chest and sighed, "That's enough trading for today."

They were back at Theo's apartment.

Once she stepped out of the elevator, he took her hand and pulled her upstairs, with the notion of taking a bubble bath together.

As usual, Aurora couldn't resist the temptation.

"You mean you have more secrets?" Theo groaned.

Aurora chuckled, "They may not be secrets. Just the bits of my life that you don't know about."

She turned around to face him and cradled his damp jaw as he settled his arms around her hips.

"We've only known each other for less than two months," she whispered, getting aroused by his gaze, which was lingering on her mouth.

He brought his arms together so that her body crushed against his.

"But it feels like I've known you all my life," he growled.

A giggle escaped her lips, "What a sweet talker, you are."

"Not as sweet as your lips," he leaned in and sucked on her lips, pulling them in for an enticing kiss.

He dragged his mouth downwards, nibbling and sucking the beads of water on her skin, as he lifted her body up until her breasts came to his face.

She exhaled a satisfied moan as he took a pink bud into his mouth. When he tasted her other breast, her knees started to weaken. She fell forward and propped two hands on the wall behind him, one on each side of his head, to support herself as he continued to drive her crazy with his tongue.

He couldn't stop touching her. Her hastened moans made him more anxious and he tore his lips from her soft mounts and entered her smoothly. They sat still in each other's arms for a while, savoring the feel of each other's bare skin.

Then, he moved. Slowly at first, then harder and faster. She hugged his neck and pressed closer against him so he could drive deeper into her and hit that tantalizing spot.

Twice she climaxed before he found his release and let out a loud grunt of bliss before he hugged her again.

He couldn't get enough of her.


******


Theo had never thought of doing it before - but he wanted to blow-dry Aurora's hair.

"What? No!" Aurora protested and tried to snatch the hairdryer from him. "Theo! Give me that!"

"I'm drying your hair whether you like it or not. Sit here, Aurora," he tapped his toes at the chair in front of the mirror.

Aurora folded her arms and looked away, "No."

In her blindspot, he reached out an arm to grab her by the waist. Ignoring her cries, he pulled her onto the chair.

Grinning at her reflection in the mirror, which was glaring back at him, he switched on the hairdryer and tended to her luscious red curls.

Once he was done, he dragged her onto bed, wound himself around her and cuddled her to sleep.

"I'm supposed to clean the apartment, Theo," she yawned.

Theo rolled his eyes and patted her shoulder, "Since you've already paid that a*shole, take a break for now. Sleep."

"You're bossy," she murmured sleepily.

"It's one of the privileges of being a boyfriend."

"Sure…," her voice trailed off.

In an instant, he heard her soft breathing and smiled.

As he waited for sleep to come, he kept thinking about what she said earlier.

Something sounded amiss.

He'd seen Aurora's eyes lit up whenever she was at Liv's shop or when she talked about fashion. He thought that her passion was there.

Not investment.

Why would she steal money for something she clearly has no interest in?

Could there be more to the story that she didn't reveal?

Theo exhaled lightly. God, this woman is driving him crazy. She is full of wonders, yet full of mysteries.

She's right. He should be mad. But he wasn't ready to let her go yet. Everyday his desire for her kept getting stronger and stronger.

You're mad.

Yes, he is.

But more so, he's madly in love with her.

The realization stunned him. Is this what it's all about? All the roller coaster of emotions he’s been going through with her.

He kneaded between his brows, chuckling softly, then halted instantly when she flinched. He waited silently as she tightened her arms and snuggled deeper into his warmth. When she stopped moving again, he broke into a pleased smile.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar buzz on the bedside table.

That d*mn phone! He grumbled silently. It was like an elite soldier. He had thrown it to the floor that day and it could still function as well as before.

With the slightest movement, he reached over to grab the phone and try to silence it, when he caught a text from an unknown sender.

Unknown sender: Last 30k. And you won't hear from me again.

His expression went grim.

Another 30k? Who the f*ck does he think Aurora is?

He solved the password in no time and pulled up the blackmailer's text. Then, he saw the photo of him kissing Aurora at the retreat.

From the angle that the photo was taken, it seemed to be taken from… where Kate was seated.

Audrey.

She must know something about the blackmailer.

Theo closed his fuming eyes and inhaled sharply to cool his head.