Still sitting on the swing, Theo now has his head slightly tipped back to look up at me with his legs apart in that classic manspreading position—Maybe he needs some extra room there right now. "You ready to go inside?" he asks while he lightly brushes his thumb back and forth across my cheek.

I nod dumbly but what I really want to do is climb into his lap and take him right here on this porch swing.

Theo brings himself to his feet and slowly moves his fingers from my hair and his palm from my cheek. "After you."

There's barely an inch between us now that he's standing. I want to close that distance and press into him while reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck but just as I'm about to, Theo breaks eye contact and glances toward the door.

Right. We're outside. I have no doubts now that Theo wants this but he probably doesn't want to risk his neighbours seeing it happen.

I force myself to step back from him and cross the porch to walk into the house, adding a bit of an extra swing to my hips in case his eyes have found my backside.

Theo follows me inside without a word. When he closes the door behind us, I turn around to give him a sultry grin, but his eyes are on the staircase.

"Should I show you to your room?" he asks while gesturing to the stairs.

I can't help but to feel like he's stalling but maybe he's just the type of guy who likes to keep things in the bedroom. He does seem like the type.

I wait for him to finally look at me before I nod, and then he's quickly looking away and moving up the stairs.

Weird... But okay, maybe he's nervous.

I follow him up the stairs and down the hall to the last room.

Theo leans against the door frame once I've entered the bedroom. He points to my bag on the foot of the king-sized bed and lightly shrugs his shoulders. "I didn't want to go through your stuff so it's all still in there, but feel free to use the dresser and the closet."

I smile at him and nod, then sit down on the edge of the bed and pat the spot next to me. "Care to join me, big guy?"

He stands up a little straighter while a frown appears on his face. "I, uh... I don't think that's a good idea, Milia."

What?

"Really? Because you were sure acting like it was a great idea five minutes ago," I reply.

My annoyance must show because Theo sighs and runs a hand over his face uncomfortably. His eyes meet mine, but all the signs of flirting have left them now, and he quietly mumbles, "As I said earlier, I'm okay with you staying here, but I think we need to lay down some ground rules..."

"Sounds serious," I answer while trying to keep my disappointment from coming out as anger.

Theo shakes his head. "No, it's just... Well, I'll just go ahead and say it. I'm not going to have sex with you."

"Wow, Theo," I answer, not bothering to hide that I'm offended now. I flop back on the bed, feeling defeated as all my fantasies about getting in his pants are taken away.

"I'm sorry?" he apologizes as if it's a question, "It's just—"

"I'm your brother-in-law's ex-girlfriend. I get it," I mutter in reply. "You can go now."

"No, that's not even it," he denies. His voice sounds closer, telling me that he's chosen to finally step into the room. "It's not about you."

I roll my eyes, refusing to look at him. "Really, Theodore? The It's not you, it's me speech? Just save it."

Theo sighs, and the mattress shifts as he sits on the bed a couple of feet away from where I'm laying. "But it is me," he insists. When I don't reply, he continues. "I don't really... Well, I don't at all have, uh, sexual relations... with anyone."

That gets my attention. I turn my head to look at him and find him staring back at me with an almost pleading expression.

"So what, you've sworn a life of celibacy?" I ask skeptically.

"No." He shakes his head. "I just want to keep that part of me for my future wife."

Now I'm really confused.

"You have a girlfriend?" I ask slowly.

"No," he replies. He runs a hand over his face again, and I can't tell if it's because he's annoyed or embarrassed.

"A girl that you want to be your girlfriend?" I try next, still trying to piece together what the hell he's telling me.

"No," he answers again, then sighs. "I just mean it in the sense that if I ever get married... That future wife."

"So..." I speak slowly while I try to make sense of what he's telling me. "You won't have sex with me—"

"Anyone."

"Okay, fine. You won't have sex with anyone because you want to keep your virginity intact for your maybe future wife, in case you maybe someday get married? That's what you're telling me?"

He starts to frown and opens his mouth, then shrugs his shoulders and slowly nods. "Uh, yeah, I guess. That's basically it. Yeah..."

I stare at him, searching for any hint that this is all a joke, but his expression remains serious and unmoved.

"This is some religious thing, isn't it?" I ask next.

Theo nods again. "Partly, I guess, but... I don't know. It's more than that."

I frown and sit up to run my hands through my hair. "How? I don't get it at all. I mean, I know it's your decision and by all means you're allowed to make it, but fuck, why? Sex is fucking amazing, Theo! And fuck, I bet you'd be really, really good at it."

He chuckles awkwardly and I'm sure I see a blush creeping into the parts of his cheeks that are not hidden by his beard. "I guess that's why... I want it to mean something, you know?"

"Theo, I can guarantee that you could fuck me right now and your maybe future wife will still be blown away with meaning when you get your dick inside of her."

He laughs but it sounds awkward, and he stands up from the bed while running a hand over his face again. "But what's it going to mean to her if I couldn't wait? That command isn't there just to ruin our fun. It's there so that when you are married, you know that what happens in your bedroom is special between just the two of you and that you can trust that your spouse isn't going to betray you if an urge strikes when they're with someone else."

I stare at him, trying to work out what he all said, and then a laugh bursts out of me. "That's a load of shit, Saint Theodore! You're telling me, that if you sleep with me now, your future wife, who you haven't even met yet, won't be able to trust you to not cheat on her?"

He frowns at me. "Well, not exactly, but kind of... If I don't think sex is for marriage before I get married, then who's to say that I'll change my mind once I tie the knot?"

"Because, hopefully, when you get married you'll love that person and be committed to them!" I point out, thinking the answer is obvious.

"But what will that matter? I can tell her that I love her but if she knows I didn't care about sleeping around with other women without a commitment, then why will my commitment to her mean anything?"

"So don't tell her that you had sex with other women?" I suggest with a shrug, earning me a blank stare from Theo.

"'Cause who needs honesty in a relationship, right?" he asks sarcastically. He looks tired and walks toward the door with a slight frown on his face. "I don't expect you to get it, Emilia, but I just wanted you to understand that..."

"That you won't fuck me," I finish for him. "Got it."

He nods slightly and gives me an awkward, small smile. "I'll, uh, get out of here now. Have a good sleep, eh?"

"Yup." I begin to unbutton my jeans and just as I predicted, Theo quickly vacates the room and closes the door behind him.

"What a crazy excuse to hide the fact that you have a small penis," I mutter loudly, hoping that he can still hear me.

Though, I'm fairly certain that the size of his dick has nothing to do with it...

Saint Theodore just doesn't want to slum it with the trashy likes of me. And I can't even blame him.

Author's Note: Don't hate me! Or Theo! 😅

Should we take a vote on who thinks Theo is going to stick to his convictions?