Page 130 of Her Wicked Plan

His words hit me hard in the chest. “You’re leaving me?”

Leo snaps his eyes open, assessing the worried expression that must be plastered on my face, which matches my tone.

“Not forever, Vee. It’s my mother's birthday, and I want to see her.” How nice it must be to come and go freely. “It will only be for a few days, and while I’m gone, you will see Dr. Carlson. I’ll update her on⁠—”

“No.” The word was sharp on my tongue.

“Veronica.”

“I’m not seeing another Doctor, Leo. I’ll skip my sessions while you are gone.”

“Sadly, that’s not an option. Skipping a session will delay your progress.” His face is full of concern mixed with sadness. I hate it.

“Says the man who canceled a session before.” I shoot daggers at him.

He sighs. “That’s not fair. That was when⁠—”

“When you couldn’t sort out your feelings while around me.” I let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, I know.”

His jaw tenses. “You will see another doctor while I’m away.”

My gaze levels on his, eyes hardening. “And if I don’t listen?”

This isn’t hoping he’d punish me. No, I couldn't care less about that right now. I’m pissed at the fact that he expects me to sit down with someone who knows nothing about me. But then it infuriates me that he is willing to share my files with another doctor when it’s none of their goddamn business.

Leo inhales deeply through his nose. “Then that is something we will discuss when I return.”

The office is silent except for our labored breathing. I feel anger, although I would have liked it to be something else. “I’d rather spend more time with the darkness in solitary before I sit down with another Doctor.”

He sees my eyes shine with the idea before it registers in my head. I push out of my chair, hurrying to the door and yanking it open. His loud footsteps trail behind me, getting closer and closer as I reach for the handle on the door at the end of the hall.

As I try to reach out for it, his hands grab at my waist, and he is pulling me into him. Our bodies collide softly, and I immediately try to escape his hold.

Of course, he is stronger than me. He backs away with his arms wrapped around me, heading back to his office as I attempt to dig my shoes into the ground.

“Leo, let go of me!” I demand angrily, but he doesn’t speak as he continues to where we came from. My shoes squeak on the tile flooring, leaving scuff marks behind. I’m being tossed back into his office, the door slamming shut, and Leo stands in front of it. Blocking my exit. “Let me out!”

“No.” His arms folding over his chest.

A furious grunt sounds from my mouth, and I rush him, attempting to push him out of the way. He doesn’t move, so I try to go around him.

Again, no luck because he is wrapping his fingers around my upper arm, twirling us around until my back hits the door. His eyes are wild, as if he were the one who might snap.

“Leo,” I growl.

“I’m not letting you out of here until you promise me you won’t do anything stupid.” His dark eyes search mine frantically. “I’m not going another week worrying about your well-being while you’re down there alone.”

The whole time I stayed down there, he had been up here worrying about me? At the thought, my body relaxes, the door behind me becoming more comfortable. As he sees me relax, he lets out a breath of relief, his forehead dropping to mine.

“Promise me, Vee,” he whispers, his lips hovering slightly over mine.

“I can’t promise that,” I say lightly. Leo pulls back, looking down at me. “I am me, after all. A woman who doesn’t listen, who gets angry at the drop of a hat.” My hands lift, cupping his cheeks. “I can’t promise I won’t be me, but I can promise that while you’re away, you won’t have any reason to worry about me.”

Leo scans my face for a lie, but he won’t find one. I am telling the truth, just not letting him in on the whole truth. He nods, dipping down to press a soft kiss to my lips.

I never expected this whole thing to get intimate between us so fast. It’s been three and a half months since he’s been here, and I was prepared for it to take me a full year to get him comfortable like this with me.

A light knock sounds behind me, someone interrupting this moment. Leo takes a step back, allowing me to move from the door. I stand behind him as the wooden structure opens, Myles and Scarlet standing there.