He cared.
And I wanted him to.
“Why'd you run out on me, Lissa?”
My heart clenched at his quietly spoken words, my eyes skittering around the near empty room. Most people were in the kitchen or out by the pool now. I’d inadvertently set up a private Q&A with the one person whose questions I’d spent months avoiding. And yet, I’d instigated the whole conversation.
Lips suddenly bone dry, I dipped my tongue out to wet them and gave a small shrug. “It was a one-time thing.”
Leon’s head tipped to the side, eyes darkening. “Don’t remember agreeing to that.”
My heart broke into a gallop at his words, that, and the hungry way his eyes scoured my face. My black fingernails curled into the coarse fabric covering his thighs, and I had to forcibly slow my breaths as I tried to formulate a response. But the unbridled hunger and raw intensity burning from him killed my thoughts dead.
Swallowing thickly, I eased back from him. “It shouldn't have happened in the first place, Bradshaw. We don't even like each other.” My gaze travelled back to his face before I could stop it. “Right?”
The tentative hope in that one unplanned word speared me right through the middle, splitting me open and baring my soul in ways I never intended.
Leon pushed up from the table, moving until he towered over me and my back bumped against the wall, scant inches of space separating us. “That right, Snow Queen? You don't like me?”
His low rasp sent tingles floating across the surface of my skin, that cobalt stare producing a rush of heat that fled directly to my core. Gazes locked, I kept my lips tightly sealed, but I couldn’t break out of the hold he had on me.
“Well, if it isn’t our very own Elsa, back from sunny Florida.”
I blinked at the same time Leon did, our heads swinging simultaneously to the owner of the high-pitched voice.
“Ash,” Leon muttered, head dipping. “What do you want?”
Cold hazel eyes assessed us, swaying from Leon’s face to mine, and back again. “You two look cosy.”
I sighed. Ashley Turner. Second in command of the toxic bitch society back in high school. If she was over here, you’d better believe she had a reason to be. And unless she’d undergone the same personality transplant as her former leader, Raya Mitchell, and defected, which was unlikely, you’d better believe that reason was shady as fuck.
“Did you come over here solely to point out the obvious, or was there another reason for the visit?” I asked.
Her squinted gaze landed on my face before she shifted her attention to Leon. Tucking a section of tousled, light brown hair behind her ear, she fluttered her eyelashes. Damn, this is what normal girls did?
“I had fun the other weekend, Leon.”
It was the simpering tone of her voice that had nausea rising—not her words, or the way Leon avoided my gaze and confirmed the truth in them.
The stab of jealousy—hurt, even—that sliced through me couldn’t be more misplaced. I’d run out on him, ignored his calls. Shut him down like a rat-infested fast-food joint. Yet my fingernails stabbed the skin on my palms like little daggers, and I itched with the urge to yank the hair from her head.
“Ashley,” Leon grated.
“You know what?” I interrupted, stepping around him. “Sounds like you two have some catching up to do. I’ll leave you to it.”
Blood rushed past my ears, almost drowning Leon’s shout as I rounded the stairway and headed toward the bathroom, tears of frustration pricking my eyes. My fists tightened.
“Snow Queen, wait a fucking minute.”
“What?” I halted, cutting my gaze to where his hand caught my arm as he spun me to face him.
“You’re pissed,” he murmured, satisfaction crawling through his words and over his face.
I barked a laugh, hating that I’d allowed him to see through me. “Are you high?”
“Not in the slightest.” His jaw ticked. “Why’re you so worked up, Lissa?” Those probing eyes roved between mine.
“Ashley’s a class A bitch.”
His head tilted. “She is… but that’s not why. You ever gonna say it?”
His grip on my arm tightened in sync with the noose around my neck. Fuck! Why couldn’t he just leave it alone?
Why did he have to make me feel? Why did he have to make me fucking acknowledge it? Why did he have to become so much more?
Shutting down, I directed my gaze over his shoulder and dipped my head. “She’s coming over here.”
When his head swung round, I twisted out of his grip and ran.
TWENTY-FIVE
LISS
“You’re ditching me for a guy?” I said with a mock gasp.
Riley’s laugh floated through the phone. “No. He cooked dinner, but I’ll eat it and come straight over when I’m done.”
“Yeah, yeah, so much for hoes before bros,” I muttered, turning on the faucet and rinsing out the coffee-stained mug. “Dinner will lead to dessert; dessert will lead to… more dessert. And I don’t want you rocking up at my place freshly fucked and… ew… oozing.”
“Jesus, Liss!” Riley muttered. “Still just say whatever comes into your head, huh?”
I grinned. “Not always.”
“I dread to think what you don’t say.”
I laughed, wiping the mug dry. “Okay. Don’t let me keep you. I’m sure you’re dying to—”
“You know what, I’ll stop you right there. Not sure my tender ears can take anymore.”
“Whatever you say, Wiley Riley. Have fun.”
Placing the phone down on the counter, I set the mug on the drainer and walked to the fridge. Bree had left pre-prepared meals for the week while they were visiting my mom’s hometown in West Virginia. Nothing stood out, but I snagged a glad-wrapped bowl of what looked to be chilli and plonked it down on the bench.
My head drew up when the doorbell sounded, and I shifted my gaze to the wall clock. Seven minutes past eight. Well, that was outside of acceptable sociable hours. Even if Riley changed her mind, she wouldn’t get here that quick. Not the way she drove. Narrowed it down to the police or a serial killer. The latter probably wouldn’t knock, but I brought the bowl of chilli to smash over their head, just in case.
My soles slapped against the surface of the wood as I traipsed to the door, ceramic defense weapon firmly in hand, and peered through the narrow pane of glass.
The bowl almost slid from my grasp.
Swinging the door back to reveal him in all his wide shouldered, angled faced glory, I leaned my side against the frame and raised a brow. “Three times in two days. Thought we’d gotten over the stalking problem?”
I’d calmed down a little since my little meltdown at the party. I was cool now. I just had to hope no more skanks crept out of the woodwork to test that theory.
Eyes twinkling in the fading light, Leon raised his arm and my gaze fell to the thin plastic bag in his hand.
“I brought takeout. You like Chinese food, right?”
“What?” My mouth fell open as he edged past me and strode down the hall. “Leon!” I shook my head, grinding my teeth as I sprang into action and stormed after him. “Bradshaw, get your ass out of my house.”
He smiled over his shoulder, and the sight was so fucking arresting, I almost hurtled over my own two feet. I followed him into the kitchen and planted my hands on my hips.
Setting the bags down, he glanced up with a grin, hiking a brow. “Am I safe in here? Where’s the baby-faced assassin tonight?”
Fighting a smirk I had no intention of letting him see, I said, “She went with my mom to West Virginia.”
“Thank fuck. I might not survive another round with your mini-me.”
I stopped by the table, curling my hands around the back of the chair. “You’ve had years of practice.”
“Yeah, but she actually looks like she might set my flammable ass on fire.”
“And I don’t?”
He paused what he was doing a
nd turned to lean against the counter. “You set me on fire in other ways, Snow Queen.”
A burst of heat raced through me, my heart tripping over itself. Glancing down to cover my expression, I muttered, “She’s sure got a way with words.”
“All learned from the Dictionary of Lissa, huh?”
“I plead the fifth.” I drew in an unsteady breath. “Now, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Bringing you dinner.” He turned back to the food and dug his thumbs into the bag, tearing it open.
My blood heated. Don’t fucking think it, Liss. Do not imagine those fingers tearing through something else.
Shaking my head to clear the inappropriate thoughts, I held up the bowl in my hand. “That’s presumptuous of you. And as you can see, I have dinner.”
Those adept fingers paused as he lifted a brow. “Fuck that. Stick your pot roast back in the fridge and save it for another night.”
“It’s chilli, and I’m super excited to eat it.” Lie. “Besides, I have plans tonight.” Another lie.
Smirking like he knew I was bullshitting him, he pivoted and settled back against the counter, crossing his ankles. “Yeah?” His chin tipped up. “Who with?”
I rolled my lips over each other. “Riley.”
He folded his arms across his chest, the fabric of his soft blue shirt stretching around his biceps. “Try again.”
Storming toward the fridge with an eye roll, I yanked it open and tossed the bowl back inside, then spun to face him. Fucking Riley had clearly sold me out. Scheming wench. “Shouldn’t you be balls deep in Ashley’s riddled pussy right about now?” I muttered, tone dripping with disdain.
I didn’t know what kind of reaction I’d expected. But it wasn’t the smile that eased out over his face as he lowered his arms and slid his hands into the pockets of his grey sweats, his eyes intent on me. “I’m exactly where I want to be, Lissa,” he murmured.
His words crept inside my chest and twined around my heart.
Flustered by them, by his presence, his face, his body, his… him, I fisted my hands and threw them out. “Why are you doing this?”
“What? Bringing you dinner?”
My head shook, teeth snatching at my bottom lip. “All of it. Buying cakes. Coming here tonight. Being nice.”
His head dipped, but his gaze held fast to mine. “Because I want to.” Those carved shoulders lifted. “Because I think you need it.”
I froze.
Lifting from the counter, Leon took a step toward me, then another. And then he was right in front of me, encroaching on my space, sharing the air I needed to fucking breathe but couldn’t catch a lungful of.
“Well, fucking stop it,” I snapped, my blood pressure spiking. “Everything’s weird enough around here without you acting like a fucking reformed version of your former self. I’ve got a mother who can’t fucking remember how to bake shit, a sister who’s constantly acting out and pushing me to my limits, Mary Poppins for an aunt, my uncle camping out in the spare room every other weekend, it’s all fucking weird and I need it to stop, and you’re just fucking adding to it, and I—”
My words cut off, a sharp gasp leaving my mouth and my eyes flying wide as Leon’s hands closed around my wrists and he backed me into the fridge door. He pressed his weight lightly into me as my chest heaved in and out from exertion, and stared down at me with blazing eyes, his face unreadable. Shifting slightly, he positioned my arms up against the fridge door and slid his fingers up, twining them with mine.
My heart crashed against my ribs.
“You don’t want nice.” His eyes flashed, voice husky and raw, crawling over every inch of me. “So, what do you want?”
Time suspended, thought and reason fled. My pulse throbbed under my skin, and the muscles in my thighs clenched, trying to ease the aching need his proximity sparked.
Jaw pulsing, Leon lowered his head and shifted until his thick leg wedged between both of mine, nudging them apart then pressing directly against me. My head fell back, colliding softly with the hard surface on a low moan I couldn’t have contained if someone ordered it with a gun pressed to my head.
“God,” I breathed, eyes tight, my head sliding back further.
“Wanna talk about it? Tell me what’s going on?”
No. No, I didn’t want to fucking talk. I shook my head.
The scruff of Leon’s jaw grazed the column of my throat as he traced his lips down. It was the barest of touches, but it struck like a bolt of lightning, and my stomach flipped.
“Want me to take your mind off it all, Lissa? Is that what you want?” he asked, his voice rough, hot breath scorching my skin.
Drawing my arms above my head, he slid his mouth up my jaw then hovered over my lips. “Open your eyes, Snow Queen.”
I blinked them open, my heavy-lidded gaze clashing with his, and lust—raw and urgent—raged through me.
“Is that what you want, Lissa?”
With his steel-blue eyes locked on me and his strong hands holding mine captive above my head, I buckled. The physical onslaught was too much, the depth of desire burning in his eyes too strong. And I was so fucking crazy with need for him, I didn’t want to stop and consider just how deep it ran. I just wanted to fucking feel it for a minute.
“What are you waiting for, Pretty Boy?” I breathed.
His eyes flared. “That’ll do.”
And then his mouth smashed against mine, hands dropping to grip the sides of my head as he drove his thigh up and ground it into me.
Reaching round, I dropped my hands to his waist, sliding them under the band of his sweats and spreading my palms out over the firm ass cheeks I couldn’t get out of my head. His growl was almost feral when I sank my fingernails into him and squeezed.
Nothing but a tangle of limbs, tongues, and teeth, I bit at his lips and arched my body into his, dragging my hands up until they found the bottom of his shirt. With rushed movements, I yanked until Leon pulled back, panting, and tugged the shirt over his head. Tossing it behind him, he clutched handfuls of my black tank and slid it up over my torso, dragging it up my arms, raising them higher as he worked the fabric off, until both of my arms were stretched above my head, and the top fell to the floor from my fingertips.
He captured my wrists in one hand, then trailed his other tortuously slowly back down, the pads of his fingers stroking over the sensitive flesh of my throat and collarbone, the sides of my breasts, waist, stomach. My eyes fluttered open, landing on his, and we both drew in a staggered breath when his fingers breached the hem of my panties and stroked through my wet flesh. A low groan rumbled from his chest as he fought to keep his eyes on mine. And failed.
“Fuck.” His forehead fell down on mine, eyes shutting as he sank a finger inside of me. “You’re so fucking wet,” he breathed, his lips brushing against the bridge of my nose.
Lids shuttered, I gasped as he worked a second finger inside. He shifted, dropping a kiss on the end of my nose, then my cheek, before his lips found mine again, and his tongue slipped between them.
I gripped on tight as he drove his fingers in and out of my body, the rhythm building, gaining momentum. Releasing my lips, hand still pinning my wrists to the fridge door, he lowered his head and sucked my nipple through the thin lace of my bra as his thumb found my clit. And it was enough to catapult me into oblivion, to leave me writhing between him and the fridge as I rode out the surging waves of ecstasy until my body gave out and sagged against him. He pulled his fingers from me and wrapped me up in his arms, holding me tight against his chest.
“You okay?” he murmured, his lips rustling my hair as our chests banged out a chaotic symphony between us.
I nodded into his shoulder, sliding a hand over the slick surface of his back.
He eased away a little, tugging my chin up, those sparkling blues working over my face. Emotion lashed at my chest, slicing away at my defenses until there were too many lesions to close. I couldn’t keep him out right now. I felt too much.
<
br /> And if I were honest, I knew I’d felt too much for a really long fucking time.
“You hungry?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“What do you want?” His words echoed around the room.
All in. For one night. And then I’d remind myself why I had to keep him out. “You.”
Every muscle in Leon’s body tensed. “You sure?”
“Yes.”
“We do this again,” he began, eyes finding mine, “you gonna run out on me?”
It was just the tiniest glimpse of vulnerability, but it was there, and it wrapped around my heart. Pushing up on my toes, I breathed the word no against his lips then threaded my hands through his hair.
Leon dipped to meet me without hesitation. Sliding his arms under my body, he lifted me from the floor and walked us out of the room. Our lips stayed connected as he climbed the stairs and paced down the hall, pushing into my bedroom.
My back hit the bed and his weight fell down on top of me. I worked my hands into his waistband with jerky movements, pulling the fabric down over his ass. He helped me remove his pants, then knelt between my legs and peeled mine off.
“Jesus,” he choked, eyes climbing over every inch of skin and settling on the scrap of damp lace between my thighs. Leaning forward, he hooked his thumbs under the edge of my panties and worked them down, then reached for a condom and rolled it on.
Fisting his hardened length in one hand, he took hold of my thigh with the other and stretched my leg wider, his dark gaze locked on my exposed flesh.
“So fucking beautiful,” he breathed, then settled between my thighs and brought his face to mine. With our noses touching and breathing each other’s breaths, a deep well of emotion opened up as Leon held my gaze and slid into me.
My back bowed off the bed, lids falling shut. He took my hands and pushed them up over my head. It was almost instant, the dizzying rush that coiled and slithered through me, pulsing where our bodies joined. I wrapped my hands around his and met his every thrust, warmth filling my chest as he drove deeper. Our lips fused, fingers clutching, and I squeezed my eyelids shut as our bodies rocked together.
Unthinkable: (Unstoppable - Book 2) (The Unstoppable Series) Page 17
