“Yes.”
“I carried your heavy ass up to your room and you were perfectly fine?”
“Yes.”
I don't know what came over me but I bit him. He'd only nipped at me before, but I flat-out bit him. My face was already pressed up against his chest and his skin was right there in front of me, asking for it. I didn't bite hard enough to draw blood or anything—the skin over his chest muscles was way too taut for that—but hard enough to get his attention. And boy, did it ever. That impulsive act started a tickle war. One that I lost. One that ended with Leo on top of me, pinning my wrists above my head and pressing little kisses all over my face.
“Say you're sorry, killer.”
“Never.”
“Fine.” I thought he was going to continue messing around, but instead he pressed his lips to mine in the most soft and tender way possible. His tongue met mine in a light dance that was all about touch and sensation. Between his sweet-as-hell kiss, the way he had my arms above my head, and the faint amount of moonlight outlining his shirtless body, I was practically convulsing underneath him—I’d never been so turned on in my life.
But once again, Leo cut things short. He shifted off my body, muttering a string of curse words under his breath. He moved back so that he lay beside me rather than on top of me.
“We should go to sleep before I break all the boundaries I'm trying to keep with you.”
“One more thing,” I whispered. “Tell me why you fake it. Please.”
He sighed, but proceeded to tell me without filter. “I used to get shitfaced like it was my job. In high school mostly. Then I stopped because drinking would always take me down a very dark rabbit hole. I did a lot of stuff I'm not proud of. Stuff that would make your skin crawl. Stuff that's hard to live with now. I hated myself and I guess I needed an alternative...” He paused for a moment, as if trying to think over his next words. “People still expect me to act a certain way, and I keep up the act because it's easier to pretend. Or maybe I just like messing with people. I don't know.”
I bit my lip. What the hell did all that mean? I knew Leo was far from perfect and I knew he had a darker side. But, seriously, what did that mean?
“Does Maggie know this?”
“She doesn't.”
“I won't tell...” I had no reason to tell Maggie anything. “But Leo...why did you just tell me? You didn't have to.”
“You asked.” One of his hands moved to cup my face. “You always ask all the hard questions. I don't know why, but I have to be honest with you. It's a very scary but liberating feeling. There's no pressure to be anyone but myself when I'm with you. And getting to spend so much time with you over the last couple days...well, I've never felt so free in my life. I’ll tell you anything you want to know, Clara. Just tell me we won't ever go back to where we were three days ago.”
I gulped down a strange lump that had formed in my throat. “We won't.”
“Good. We can talk more tomorrow. Let's go to sleep now, killer.”
So I did.
SOMETHING POKED MY SHOULDER. I woke up from a dead sleep to find Steph staring down at me. She looked adorable dressed in her work clothes, all prim and proper in black and white. And for some reason, she had this big, cheesy grin plastered on her face.
“Nice,” she mouthed.
It took me a second to process where I was and who I was with. Two strong legs and two extremely defined man-arms were tangled around my body, covering me better than a Snuggie. Leo. He'd stayed the night and hadn't moved an inch since we fell asleep together, unless you counted his slow and steady breaths. I didn't want to move. I'd never been so comfortable in my whole life, and I'd certainly never spent the night in anyone's arms before. Could I freeze this moment and live in it forever?
The night before...Leo had been so freaking sweet to me. I'd heard people call Leo Maddox many different names—none of them nice enough to repeat—but no one in their right mind would have ever accused him of being ‘sweet.’ Those annoying, pesky butterfly friends of mine started fluttering around in my stomach again. If Leo woke up acting anything less than the way he was with me last night, I didn’t know what I'd do.
“I told you,” Steph whispered, still hovering over us. “I told you he wouldn't be able to stay away from you long. I knew he was crazy about you. Now you owe me twenty bucks.”
I rolled my eyes. When I'd showed up at Steph's place last night, she'd tried to convince me that Leo and I were “made for each other” or some bullshit like that. I guess the little traitor was still sporting her Team Leo t-shirt.
“I need to finish getting ready. You should get up soon unless you want my roommates drooling all over Leo,” she whispered, giving me a quick wink. “And who knew he was so religious? It's hot.”
What? Before I could ask what the heck she was talking about, she turned and left me all by my lonesome.
“I'm not that religious.” Leo's voice came out rough and scratchy, totally taking me by surprise. His eyes were pinned shut, but he blinked them open to look at me. Oh man…totally not fair. His eyes had a smokiness to them and his still shirtless body wasn't for the faint of heart. Dammit! He was sexy as hell in the morning, while I'm pretty sure I looked like something the cat dragged in.
“Um, you look good,” I mumbled like a complete moron, and my cheeks instantly flamed. Did I really just say that? Um, you look good? Really? Someone shoot me now, please. I buried my face into the couch.
Leo cupped my face in his hands and forced me to look at him. He had the biggest, most out-of-character smile on his face. “Don't get shy on me.” He rocked his hips into mine, showing me how very not shy he was at that moment.
The muscles low in my belly clenched. I guess Leo didn't give a rat's ass about how bad I looked in the morning because—morning breath and all—he pressed his lips to mine and stole a kiss. And then another. Then another. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled on it like breakfast was served. His fingers moved to my waist, tracing along the edge of my panty line, tempting and teasing me.
“Why is there a naked man on my couch?” came a voice from across the room.
Can you say awkward? I pulled out of Leo's grip at hyper-speed and scrambled off the couch. Lydia—the roommate I’d given the Yankees hat to—had her eyes narrowed at me. Seriously? If Leo wasn't here right now, I would totally give her a piece of my mind. This might be her place, but it's not like I screwed him on her couch. Besides, the way her eyes kept darting over to Leo, I could tell the only person she was annoyed with was me.
“This is Leo,” I said. “I hope it's okay that he stayed over. We're gonna leave as soon as Steph is ready for work.”
Her lips pursed for a short moment. “Whatever.” She shrugged and went for the coffeemaker in the kitchen, mumbling, “You could at least put some pants on and stop showing off your boyfriend.”
I turned back to Leo, hoping he hadn't heard Lydia use the ‘b-word.’ I think he might have, because that crazy-big grin was back on his face. He stood up and yanked on his shirt in one quick motion. For a fraction of second, I got my first view of his chest in daylight. He was cut and lean, and his abs made me want to go buy a damn gym membership. Not to mention the other tattoos he had going on. I had noticed the angel wings before on his back, but I never would have guessed he had more. His chest boasted three or four, but he covered up before I could get a good look at any of them.
Truth be told, I'd never cared for tattoos. I didn't understand why a person would mark up their body permanently. I loved changing my hair and was basically obsessed with purple at the moment, but it's not like I wanted to keep my purple hair forever. However, in three seconds flat my whole viewpoint on the matter changed. Tattoos—specifically, tattoos on Leo—were hot as sin. And here's the deal...all my old perceptions of Leo went flying out the window too. The only thing left lingering was the need to know more about him. Why had I never bothered to notice him—the real him—before?
He
walked toward me and very casually planted a kiss on my forehead. My ability to speak failed me, and like a totally dweeb I stood there staring up at him. I was still caught up in all the things running through my head—all the ways I had judged him in the past and all the ways I seemed to be wrong about those judgments. I felt guilty. And clueless. And upset at myself for being so close-minded.
“I'm sorry I never noticed you before,” I blurted out, my voice shaky. “I'm sorry I was mean to you over the years. Because I was. You were meaner, but...I could have been nicer. And I'm sorry I ran away from you on the subway. That was just rude. And in high school—even when we only saw each other over holidays and summers—I knew you were in a dark place. I knew something was wrong with you and that all your fucked-up-ness was really just some giant plea for help.” Tears formed in my eyes. “I'm sorry because I knew and I looked the other way and—”
He stopped my words with a kiss.
I kept trying to talk. “Leo—”
“Stop it.” He circled his arms around my shoulders and squeezed me tight against the solid wall of his chest. He buried his face between my neck and shoulder and took a deep breath. “None of it matters. I'm better and you're here now. None of it matters.” He held onto me like no one ever had before. I heard clinking noises from the kitchen so I knew Lydia was still present and maybe someone else now, but I didn't care.
“Where are your pants?” he whispered after a few moments. “As much as I like you without them, I need you dressed so we can get out of here. Where's Stephany?”
“I'm here,” Steph said. “Sorry I keep barging in on your moments, but I really need to leave for work now or I'm going to be late."
I broke out of Leo's grip, nodding briefly in Steph's direction before hurrying from the living room. My heart thumped like a rabbit as I dashed into Steph's room, yanked on yesterday's clothes, gathered up my purse and shoes, and rushed back to the living room. Leo handed me my cell phone, and then the three of us left the apartment.
“I guess this is goodbye again,” Steph muttered. She eyed Leo's black town car parked on the street and then turned to catch me in a quick hug. “No tears today,” she whispered into my ear so Leo couldn't hear. “He's a great guy and it's obvious he likes you. Don't think too hard about what that means. Just go with it and see where it leads you. Remember, life's no fun without the risks. And text me as soon as your plane lands.”
Too afraid I might burst into tears all over again, I only nodded my goodbye. Steph let go of me, surprised Leo with a giant hug, and then hurried off down the street toward the subway.
Left alone with Leo again. But while I was nervous about it yesterday, today I was okay—I even welcomed it. Leo took my hand in his and, without a single word, led me over to his town car, held the door for me, and followed me into the vehicle.
“JFK,” he told his driver. The poor guy probably had to sleep out here all night. Leo must have been exhausted too because he slumped way down and rested his head on the back of the leather seat. He motioned for me to come to him so I scooted over and snuggled in close to his chest. Then I turned his right arm over and traced my fingers over his little scar that he said reminded him of me.
“I'm flying home commercially.” Leo tensed as I said the words, and I knew instantly that Maggie hadn't delivered my message. It didn't shock me that she hadn't told him. She probably hated the idea of me and Leo together, but I wanted to change her mind about that. “I booked the ticket yesterday when I wasn’t so sure about us. You came over and everything's different, but I still want to go home on my own. Maggie already agreed to pick me up from Roanoke, and I need the two-hour car ride with my sister to try to smooth things over with her. Or at least attempt to. For this thing—whatever is happening between us—to even have a shot at working out, then I need to be on better terms with your best friend. You get what I'm saying?”
His body relaxed. “You'd do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then. Can I at least walk you to your gate when we get to JFK?”
“Okay then,” I joked, repeating the phrase he so frequently liked to use. Then I shifted in his arms to get a better look at him. “Um, how exactly are you going to get through security without a ticket?”
A sly grin spread over his lips. “I'm Leo Maddox. I'm pretty sure I can handle it.”
I laughed. “Whatever, you ass.”
He smiled wider.
We reached the airport and the driver dropped us off at the crib. Leo popped open the trunk and pulled out the bag that I had sent back to the hotel with his driver yesterday. I had completely forgotten about it. It had my bathroom supplies and extra clothes that I bought in Greenwich Village. I tried to take the bag from Leo, but he insisted on carrying it. We entered the airport and while I printed my ticket, Leo waited patiently, doing something on his phone. After I finished, he caught me staring not-so-subtly at him. He smiled, grabbed my hand, and we walked in silence, hand in hand, toward security.
Crazy. Was this how couples acted together? I'd never experienced any form of a relationship before, unless you counted whatever I had last week with Andrew. Which I didn't. And I guess I really liked the simplicity of this moment.
We reached security, and after I showed the TSA person my ticket and driver’s license, Leo handed over his license and then his phone. We made it through security and to my gate, where they had already begun boarding my flight.
“Did you just buy a ticket so you could walk me to my gate?” I didn't need to ask. I knew he had. “You shouldn't have done that. I would have been perfectly fine alone.”
“I know, but I wanted to walk you.”
“You're ridiculous. Kind of sweet, but still ridiculous.”
His face became very serious. “I'd buy a thousand tickets for the chance to spend a few extra minutes with you. To be honest, I'm a little worried that at any moment I'm going to wake up and this will have all been a dream—you’ll hate me again, and I'll still be stuck trying to figure out how to change that. So, yeah, of course I'm going to try to prolong the moment.”
A rush of warmth flooded my chest. I didn't know what to say so I stood up on my tiptoes, grabbed his neck, and pulled his lips to mine. His mouth was partially open and I caught him by surprise. He sucked in a sharp breath and instantly gave into my kiss, which was passionate, tender, and mixed with lots of emotions. It also held a promise—as least on my end—that this wasn't a last kiss, but a first of sorts. We were together now and going back to Blue Creek wouldn't change that.
Final boarding call for USA Air Flight 833 to Roanoke. Final boarding call.
Damn, I had to go. I quickly pulled out of Leo's grip—I was a ripping-off-the-Band-Aid kind of girl—and rushed for my gate. But I still couldn't bring myself to get on that plane. I turned back around and raced back to him. Being dramatic and totally not caring, I leaped up into his arms. My legs locked around his waist and I kissed him like this was Armageddon and I was Bruce Willis, leaving to save the planet from a giant meteor.
“Fuck, Clara,” he growled into my mouth. His hands tangled into my hair and he met my kiss with equal intensity. “You're making me want to strip you naked and have my way with you right here on the airport floor.” He set me down, my feet hitting solid ground. “Now get your sexy ass on that plane. Please.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just so you know...if you're dreaming, then I'm dreaming too. And I'm gonna make sure you never wake up,” I promised. Then I hurried for my gate and boarded the plane.
CHAPTER 15
MAGGIE
A pink haze lit up the sky, the cool grass held a dewy shine, and the birds seemed to sing just for me. I walked out my front door feeling more alive today than I had in a long time and found myself actually looking forward to the two-hour drive that loomed ahead of me. I hated to admit it but Clara was right when she said I would love driving through the mountains, watching the sunrise.
Heading for our garage, I found my Porsche missin
g from its usual parking spot. Where was my beautiful Baby? I had a mini-stroke until I remembered leaving my car with the valet yesterday.
By the time I walked the mile and a half to the clubhouse, I was running late and had sweated off my makeup but was still in a halfway decent mood. I hopped in my car and set out on my trip. Something about the open road had a magical way of clearing my head—it was better than therapy. Some of my best thinking happened behind the wheel.
And I certainly had a lot to think about. Yesterday, Leo had been talking nonsense about love and hate. But there was no hate whatsoever in my relationship with Leo. We simply had friendship, trust, loyalty, and tons of history. Clara didn't have any of that with him, and she would never be able to take care of him like I could. What Leo really needed was someone to calm him, someone who could deal with his different moods and whatever darkness festered inside of him, and someone to always be there for him—someone like me. Whatever he had with Clara would probably self-destruct soon enough anyway.
Then there was Robby to think about, but I avoided thoughts of him completely—or at least I tried to—because he was about eighteen times more confusing than Leo so I found it was safer to focus on Leo.
I reached the airport, ready to face Clara and take charge of my life. I'd checked the flight arrival times and knew Clara's plane was due to land on time. I'd factored in the time it would take the plane to taxi and the time a normal person might need to walk through the airport. All things considered, I expected Clara to be waiting outside on the sidewalk for me as I arrived. But naturally, even with the late start I had getting on the road this morning, Clara wasn't waiting for me. It took an additional ten minutes and three circles around the airport before I spotted her wild purple hair.
Oh. My. God. The monster sitting on top of her head was hideous. Did she murder a Care Bear and make it into a hat? And her outfit was worse. She wore skinny jeans, a pumpkin-orange t-shirt that clashed horribly with her hair, and dollar-store sunglasses. Her only saving grace was the studded vintage leather jacket she wore over her orange shirt—something I would never actually wear, but that I secretly wished I could pull off. Still, between her hair and the rest of her clothes, who would purposely choose to look like that? If I wanted, stealing back Leo would be way easier than I thought.
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