She waved the pizza slice at him.

“Speaking of being civilized, what were you thinking sending me those texts when you knew Alexa was right there?”

He had to grin.

“I couldn’t resist. It was funny, you have to admit.”

Was she trying to hold back a grin? He couldn’t tell, but he thought so.

“It was not funny! Alexa and I were talking about work and wedding stuff, and I kept getting distracted by you.”

Hmm, that was a very good sign.

“What distracted you the most?” he asked, as he brushed her hair back from her face. “Was it just my texts? Was it remembering what we did last weekend?” He put his hand on her knee. “Or was it thinking about what we could do later on tonight?”

He kissed her earlobe, then trailed kisses down her neck as he pushed her back onto the couch. She dropped her slice of pizza back into the box.

“No option for all the above?” she asked him, and pulled him down against her.

Their kiss was hot and fast and needy. Was it obvious that he’d been thinking about her all week? Right now he didn’t care.

He pushed up her shirt and rolled her nipples between his fingers, the way he knew she liked it. She moaned and tossed her head back against his couch cushions. That sound sparked something in him. He wanted to hear it more. Longer. Louder. He slipped his hand under her skirt. She opened her knees for him and he leaned over to kiss her lips.

“You were so ready for me, weren’t you?” he said against her mouth. She nodded and opened wider. He slid one finger inside, and then two. “Were you ready like this, when you were sitting there at the bar, getting my texts? Tell me the truth.”

She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

“Why do you think I got here so fast?”

He pulled her panties off and pushed up her skirt.

“Let’s see if we can get you somewhere else fast, too.”

He ducked his head under her skirt, and from her cries and moans a few moments later, he determined that he’d accomplished his goal.

He stood up, pulled a condom out of his pocket, and let his sweatpants drop to the floor.

“Do you normally carry condoms around in your pockets while you’re alone in your house?” she asked him, with a very contented smile on her face.

He looked at the condom in his hand with pretend shock on his face.

“Well, I never! How did this get in my pocket? It must have been the condom fairy.”

She rolled her eyes and shimmied her skirt off.

“The condom fairy? Is that like the tooth fairy, but for condoms?”

He nodded.

“Exactly! I’ve heard people talk about the condom fairy, but I always thought she was a myth. I guess everyone was right when they said that if I just needed a condom enough, she would come to me.” He ripped open the wrapper. “Since she blessed us with her presence today, it would be an insult to not make use of her gift, don’t you think?”

He watched her watch him roll the condom on. He liked it when she stared at him like that.

“I, for one, could never spit in the face of the condom fairy like that,” she said, as he knelt above her on the couch.

“Mmm, me neither,” he said.

They didn’t talk for a while after that.

Finally, Maddie sat up and reached for her half-eaten piece of pizza.

“Well. I didn’t expect my Thursday to end like that, but I can’t pretend I’m not glad it did.”

She definitely couldn’t pretend she didn’t know what was going to happen as soon as she walked into his apartment. If she was being honest with herself, she knew what was going to happen as soon as she saw his first text.

She didn’t have to tell him that, though.

Theo rolled off the couch and stood up.

“Save me some pizza, rule breaker.”

He walked down the hallway to the bathroom. Maddie sat up straight as she finished the slice.

Fuck. He was right. She was the one who had listed their rules in the first place, and not a week into this agreement, here she was at his place on a Thursday night, a night when the two of them had very much not just been with Alexa.

Technically, they’d both broken the rule, but a) she’d been the one to make the damn rule in the first place, and b) she’d also been the one to come over on a very thin excuse.

Just as he walked back into the room with a glass of water in each hand, she had a brain wave.

“We didn’t break the rule!” She took the water he handed to her and set it down on top of a magazine. “I was with Alexa tonight, wasn’t I? There we go, no rule breaking.”

Theo narrowed his eyes at her.

“Hmm.” He took a sip of water and set his own glass down. “I seem to remember that when you came up with this rule, the point was . . .” He shook his head. “What am I saying? I take it back. Sure, you’re right, you’re absolutely right.”

She frowned as he leaned back against the couch cushions with a big grin on his face. Wait, why was he so ready to tell her she was right? That didn’t seem like the Theo she’d known and loathed for years.

“Are you making fun of me?” She stood up and pulled her skirt back on.

“Absolutely not.” He shook his head. “I think what you say makes a lot of sense. I submit to your superior reading of the rule. After all, you were the one who made up the rules in the first place, so your word is law here.”

She stood with her hands on her hips staring at him, but he just smiled back at her.

“I’ll be right back.” She went to the bathroom, still puzzling over why he looked like he’d just gotten an advantage over her. Maybe that was how he always looked after sex? No, she remembered the other times. That definitely wasn’t it.

It was only when she was washing her hands that she realized.

“You think . . . you think that because you work with Alexa and see her every day . . . you think that means . . .” She yelled her way back into the living room. His smile was even more smug now.

“I knew you’d get there eventually,” he said. “Look, you’re the one who made the rule. I bow to your interpretation of it, that’s all.”

She shook her head.

“That’s not what I meant! I just meant that I, personally, didn’t break the rule tonight! But that doesn’t mean that . . .” Yeah, no. She couldn’t even finish that sentence with a straight face. She didn’t even try.

“Okay, fine, I guess it means that.” She sat back down on the couch and grabbed another slice of pizza. “But this isn’t booty call central here. I have a busy few months coming up, and I might be in the running for a new job. I can’t have you texting me at all hours of the day and night.”

Theo laughed and picked up his beer.

“Yes, ma’am. What’s the new job? I thought you were set on working for yourself.”

She nodded and tucked her feet up on the couch.

“I am. I’m not giving that up, don’t worry.” She regretted bringing this up. She didn’t really want to hear what he had to say about the show, but now she’d brought it up, she had to tell him. “One of my clients works for channel seven, and this week she told me about a new show they’re thinking about doing, a kind of update-your-fashion show for people who have been through a lot, and they need a host. She thought of me.”

He sat up straight.

“That’s awesome! You’d be great at that.”

Huh. She hadn’t thought that would be his reaction.

“Thanks, I think. That’s what Alexa said, too. I’m worried it’ll take a lot of time away from my business, which will always be my priority.”

He nodded.

“I can see that, but I also think that this kind of thing can be a great advertisement for you and your work. I’m not saying I know anything about fashion or this kind of work—”

Theo? Admitting he didn’t know something? That was a first.

“I see that look on your face. I know, me, admitting ignorance, you never thought you’d see the day, et cetera. Anyway, what I do know is P.R., and this is the kind of thing that will send you a ton of clients. Especially if you’re great at it, which you would be.”

Maddie reached for another slice of pizza and mulled over what Theo had just said. Had he . . . complimented her? About something that wasn’t sex? He probably hadn’t done it on purpose.

“That’s a good point. I’m waiting to hear the details from the station manager, so . . .” She was going to say,I’ll keep you posted, but that sounded weird. Why would she keep Theo posted about something like this? No matter how interested he’d seemed tonight, he didn’t really care about this. She just let her sentence trail off instead.

He reached out, and for a second she thought he was going to put his arm around her, but he dropped it on the cushion between them.

“Great. Well, I hope you get good news soon.”

They looked at each other and smiled. This felt weird. Why were they being so nice to each other? She looked away and reached for her phone.

“Actually, I should go. It’s getting late, and I have a client coming early tomorrow morning, so . . .”

He stood up when she did.