The floorboards creaked as Sage came up behind me. I put the radio back in my bag, and when I faced her, I only had a second to think before she slipped into my arms. A wide smile spread across her lips as she tilted her head to look at me.
“I can’t believe we did it! Leo, this is incredible.”
Her fingers tangled in my shirt. Her heart beating against mine.
“This only happened because of you,” I said, my resolve slipping enough to make me pull her closer. Let my fingers press into her back. I allowed myself to be selfish for a moment, hoping it would last for a lifetime.
But her eyes softened, melting into something that made my chest tighten. Time stalled, then sped up double time as she wet her lips, her teeth scraping the delicate skin. Sage lifted on her toes, inching closer. It was the longest wait of my life for the thing I wanted most.
I didn’t pull away because I knew I’d regret it one way or another. Regret that I’d never had the chance to kiss her or regret that it only happened once. Was there a lesser evil?
She pressed her lips softly to mine.
Just one kiss.Only a villain would take more.
But as she opened up to me, filling my senses, and making me desperate, I realized she was wrong about one thing. There was no gray area between a villain and a mega-villain. There was a hard line. And my hands cupped her face, pushing her back against the windows as I crossed it.
Chapter 14
Sage
The window felt coldagainst my back, but the rest of me was on fire. Leo pressed his body into my hips, keeping me still as his mouth slanted over mine. Again and again.As if I’d run away from this.
His fingers threaded through my hair, tugging gently, fisting the strands as if that alone could release some of the smoldering tension. I sucked in a breath as his lips moved, trailing down my neck, creating a deliberate path of sensation I felt everywhere. This wasn’t what I’d imagined when I decided to kiss him, caught in the moment, hearing what we’d accomplished together.
I thought it might be sweet. Even satisfying after so many years of wanting him. This was so much more.
It felt like something inside of me clicking into place for the first time in my life. A puzzle piece that had fallen on the floor, and I’d searched for it, certain I’d never be complete. That it was gone forever. Until now.
I was terrified, utterly, and totally that this moment might not be real, and all the pieces would scatter to the wind.
But he made me believe. He’d been putting my heart back together ever since I arrived home.
His mouth found mine again, almost blistering, and then something happened. A rough sound rumbled in his throat and he bit back a curse. His fingers loosened, and cold air rushed into the space he allowed between our bodies.
I blinked, scrambling to figure out what I’d done; my throat too tight to ask. Leo pressed his forehead against mine. Air rushed out of his lungs and he grit his teeth.
“Sage, I can’t do this.”
The words made me freeze. My entire body turned to ice, but my mind reeled.No. This isn’t happening. Not again.
“I’m sorry,” he choked. “This isn’t right. I never should have—”
My hands shoved against his chest, forcing him back, but not far enough. I searched his eyes, the edges of my vision blurring with tears at the pained look reflecting at me.
“Why?” I asked, silently begging him to explain. If there was a reason, I could make sense of this. He had to feel something for me. You don’t kiss your enemies like that. Or maybe you do. What did I know? Maybe that was what made people enemies—experiencing a kiss that life-changing, knowing you’ll never capture it again.
He refused to look at me. His agonized silence filled the room, a mockery of the peaceful stillness outside. Thestunning mountain, and this moment I thought was our second chance.
I had to go. I couldn’t stay here. Whatever explanation he had, he wasn’t giving it. My legs were numb as I searched for my jacket, then blindly put it on. The zipper snagged in the teeth, refusing to budge. I jerked my arm to make it work, a sob burning in my chest.
“Let me help you.”
“No.” I dropped the zipper and snatched my gloves. “Getting close to you again was a mistake.”
Leo reached for me, his voice breaking. “Don't say that. Please, Bennett. Just don't say that.”
I backed toward the door. “You have the money for the rink now. You got what you wanted.”
