Leo was panting as he looked around the destroyed room. “We went through the stuff a lot faster than I thought.” He wiped his brow. “I can pay to get more junk in the room if you want to keep going. Cheaper than therapy, at least.”
He grinned at me, and it tugged something deep in me. That familiar blackening out of rational thought. I only saw the world in glimpses. Leo’s lips. Leo’s dimples. Leo’s curls.
“That’s not what I want.” I hardly recognized my voice.
I tugged off my gloves. I pushed off my helmet and tossed my goggles to the side. I shook out my hair, and with every action, whatever Leo saw on my face caused his smile to melt away.
He swallowed, his gaze moving all over my face and body.
“What are you?—”
I launched myself at him.
CHAPTER 16
LEO
Mari was going to kill me?
As the light changed in her eyes and her features grew feral, I realized it might be too late to save myself. It was my turn to be the person she launched herself at.
I’d been genuinely trying to help her. I understood the need to smash through some big emotions, and it’d been going well, until she started crying. More than crying, body-shaking sobbing.
Or was it laughing? I still wasn’t clear because the two emotions turned out to be startlingly similar on her.
Whatever it had been was entirely wiped clean as her panting slowed down, her shoulders rose, and her breaths evened out. Her pupils were blown out, and her throat worked a swallow as her gaze moved over me. She looked like she wanted to eat me up.
Even though divesting herself of her outerwear took several seconds, my body was incapable of moving. Fight, flight, or freeze? I now knew where I stood.
And it was directly in her warpath.
I barely had enough time to toss aside my crowbar before Mari moved. She hopped into my arms, wrapping her long legs around me and shoving off the rest of my protective headgear with her hands.
Feral had been the right word.
“What is happening?” I panted out as she grabbed my face, her gaze moving frantically over my features.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, trembling in my arms.
“I think we should explore it,” I said.
I walked until her backside rested on the table, making sure there was no sharp debris. She squeezed her legs, bringing me closer yet. My quickly growing arousal would be apparent against her soon.
I really hoped I wasn’t misreading this situation.
“I want to kiss you,” she said.
“Thank God,” I said.
Our mouths clashed together roughly. Trying to get a handle on myself, I squeezed her thighs and forced myself to calm down. I pulled my head back slightly, and she chased after me, our lips never disconnecting.
I smiled against her soft mouth. “It’s okay. Just . . . slowing.”
She made a needy sound that shot to my cock. There was no doubt she felt it now as she ground against me.
“Fuck,” I said, turning my head and wrapping my fingers into her hair with one hand.
The other hand was busy running up her side and waist. The jumpsuit made it hard to touch her skin, but I was nothing if not determined. I searched for a snap or zipper that might let me feel the heat of her skin.
