Page 153 of Her Wicked Plan

Turning my head back to where my cheek rests against his arm, I keep my eyes on the wall before me. “No one ever touched me.”

“What do you mean?”

I wet my lips before I continue. “Growing up, my parents were never affectionate with me. However, they were totally different with Stephanie. They would hug her, kiss her cheek, and console her when she was sad or hurt.” I sigh heavily. “When I got hurt, they told me to get over it. Not once did I feel the embrace of my parents. Stephanie never hugged me either, even when she saw what the constant attention she was getting was doing to me.”

Leo remained silent behind me, taking in my words and allowing me to keep going.

“At a certain point, it didn’t bother me as much. I didn’t expect that sort of attention from them anymore. Or from anyone.” I close my eyes. “As I got older and boys started paying attention to me, I wouldn’t hold their hand; I wouldn’t let them hug me because it’s not what I was used to. I couldn’t stand it if they accidentally brushed their arm against mine.”

“And in the bedroom,” he tenses at my back as I continue, “I was always in charge. I would always be on top. I would always tie their hands to the bedpost so they couldn’t touch me because it would ruin everything. Being in control—that’s when I felt powerful. Being powerful made me feel good. Allowing them to ruin the goodness I was experiencing by touching me wasn’t an option.”

We lie there silently as Leo takes in everything I just told him. I’m not sure how much time passes before I hear his voice behind me. “You let me touch you. You let me take control.”

“It’s different with you,” I tell him. “You care about me. Whether it’s because you are my doctor or because it’s a genuine feeling, you care for me.”

Leo kisses my neck. “I do care for you. As both, Veronica. As your doctor, it’s my job to care about you.” The tears in my eyes come out of nowhere, but I don’t move my arms to wipe them away. “The other part of me cares for you as a human being. I care for your well-being. I want to see you happy. To accomplish tough obstacles you don’t want to face but eventually do it. I care about you so much. I care about you more as a real person and not as your doctor, and it terrifies me.”

“Why does it scare you?” The words are hushed.

He presses his hand into my stomach, attempting to bring me closer to him. “Because I would like more with you. More than sneaking around behind these walls.”

“And if we didn’t have to sneak?”

“That’s not really an option.”

It could be. That’s what I want to say to him—that we could have everything we want. It’s not time to bring that idea up to him, though.

“I meant what I said in the shower.” I decide to go a different direction with the conversation. “About always needing you. You told me to say it even if it wasn’t true, but... it was.”

“Thank you, Vee,” he whispers into my hair.

My eyes slowly flutter open, confusion seeping into my brain as I stare at the dark wall in front of me. That’s not the ugly, beige wall in my room. Lifting my head, I glance around the unfamiliar space until it finally registers.

Leo’s room.

Shit! When did we fall asleep?

Peering over to the window, the sun remains hidden on the other side of the Earth. It’s dark out, which hopefully means we only fell asleep for maybe an hour and not to the point of the day where the sun wants to rise.

Turning around abruptly, Leo is on his back, head falling to the side as he breathes softly. So delicate.

“Leo!” I whisper shout. He doesn’t budge, so I raise my voice. “Leo!”

“What?” He groans, rubbing his eyes. Without even a look my way, he pats the bed until his hand meets my arm. He tugs me into him until my head is on his chest.

Sighing out, I fight back the desire to feel his warmth against me flood my body and push myself up. “Leo, wake up! We fell asleep, and I need to get back to my room.”

The words take a moment to register before his eyes shoot open, fear etched in his green gaze, and he jolts from the bed. “Dammit!”

Tapping on the screen of his phone, I peek over to see it’s midnight. It was not as late as I thought, but it was late enough that I should be in my room.

“What’s the plan?” I ask while he puts on a t-shirt. “Well, the good news is that everyone is most likely asleep.” He slips on some shoes.

“And the guards?” I point out, knowing a man is stationed outside my hall's wing.

Leo paces, hand running through his already messy brown hair. “Can you cry on command?”

I breathe out a laugh. Can I cry on command? Little did he know that half the tears that were shed in our sessions were fake. “Yes.”