Page 159 of Split or Swallow

They clinked glasses, drinking together just as they had the first night they met. Leo downed his glass in one gulp. Tem refilled it immediately.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” he asked, his teasing tone a shadow of what it usually was.

“You’re already drunk.”

“That I am.”

Tem looked at him. His jaw was set; his body still tense. She didn’t know how to comfort him, but she found that she wanted to.

“Your father is wrong, you know,” she said quietly.

Leo looked at her.

“No, he isn’t.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“You were going to say that my father is wrong—that I’m not a child—that I’m capable of making my own decisions and that he should trust me to live my life the way I want to live it. But it’s not true. I am being utterly selfish in choosing you. There will be consequences for my actions. And if I know my father, they will not be pleasant.”

Tem took another sip of her drink. “I was going to say that you’re not ignorant. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Careful, Tem. Too many compliments and I may develop an ego.”

Tem rolled her eyes. “Please. We both know it’s far too late for that.”

Finally, Leo smiled.

They drank in silence for a while, and eventually, Tem said:

“Has he always been like that?”

“My father? Yes, always. Why do you ask?”

Tem shrugged. “He’s so angry. I’m just surprised that you turned out…” she trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.

Leo was still looking at her.

“How did I turn out, Tem?” he asked softly.

“Like you,” she answered.

There was nothing specific in her answer. She hadn’t said anything, really. And yet it felt like she’d given him a compliment, and for some reason, she hoped he took it as one. Perhaps he did, because he asked:

“Have I managed to impress you?”

Tem thought about how Leo behaved tonight. He’d treated Gabriel—someone far beneath his status—with kindness. He’d responded to her constant digs with nothing but humor. He’s always done that, she realized. All he’d ever wanted was to earn her favor, even though it was her who was supposed to be earning his. Leo’s vulnerability revealed a different side of him—a side Tem liked. So she whispered:

“Yes.”

“I’m certainly glad to hear it.”

Tem found she was glad to say it.

The moment deepened. She was suddenly aware that they were alone, in her cottage, with nothing to prevent what happened next. Leo smiled fully, flashing his gold incisors. His gaze remained trained on hers as he said:

“You’re difficult to please, you know.”

“So I’ve been told.”