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Twelve
Leo
Leo had not believed the story in its entirety until his eyes landed on Skye’s. All at once, he felt his chest constrict in disbelief.
Rick had been telling him the truth.
Skye was in a horrible state. Her face was bleeding, her chin torn open, her clothes ripped from one side of her body. He slid down the seat immediately, wrapping his arms around her to help her inside. “Sweetness,” his voice shook as she fell into his lap. He shut the door straightaway, and the car made a U-turn, driving back down the road.
“You’re hurt. Fuck, you’re really hurt.” His arms shook as he looked her over, sliding his hand down her torn leg.
Skye didn’t respond. Her face was flat, her eyes distant. She was still in shock and shaking in his arms. Leo ran his fingers over her dishevelled face, lightly skimming the cut on her chin—
She suddenly batted his hand away.
“Sorry,” he apologized contritely.
“It just hurts,” she let out, teeth chattering.
But he kept apologizing, his hold on her tightening despite the pain. He didn’t want to let her go. He situated her on his lap so that her left side was against him. He tucked her head under his chin, running his hand through her knotted, sandy hair. His heart was beating its own crazy pulse, and he wouldn’t stop shaking.
As shocked as he was, he was something else, too. He felt a tsunami of rage ravage his insides. He’d never felt so angry in his life. He gritted his teeth, seething, trying his damn hardest to hold himself back so she couldn’t see the state of him, but it wasn’t working.
“My mother is going to regret this,” he said in a hard tone.
He stared at the rear-view mirror, catching Shane’s eye from the driver’s seat.
“She will regret this,” he repeated.
This was more unforgiveable than he could have ever thought possible. This was shameful. Leo was so disgusted with himself, for not seeing his mother’s quiet scheming. To have orchestrated something so inhumane, and to Skye of all people. Skye! His one and only love. The only being in his entire existence he would have done anything for.
And his own father hadn’t known a thing; he’d never have his own men to pull off such a risky move.
She had literally done this right under their noses.
He couldn’t help himself from touching Skye again, from running his nose along her face, breathing her in. “Sweetness…” His voice was guttural, thick, loaded with pain. “I’ll make this right.”
He turned her head to him and ran kisses along her face, until his mouth was coated in her blood and tears. He bumped his forehead against hers, choking back a pained sound as he stared into her eyes. She roused out of her shock slowly, peering at him with that softness he yearned to see. She reserved that look especially for him.Him.He had never before felt so undeserving of it.
She raised her bruised hand and rested it on his cheek, and though she didn’t speak, he saw the forgiveness in her gaze. And it was too hard to turn the cheek, too hard to fight against his impulses—
He swept his mouth against hers and kissed her. He kissed her like he’d done in his dreams, and he should have given her the choice; he should have allowed her to make that move of her own volition, like he had promised to do, like he had agreed was the right thing to do!
But Leo could not hold back.
Not from this.
Not when it felt so right.
Her lips were painfully soft, her touch a mixture of torture and pleasure. It was everything he had hoped it would be. She tasted better than he imagined. Better yet, she kissed him back with equal fervour. She kissed him like she really was the sun and she wanted to warm him, scorch him, watch him roast under her touch.
He yearned for this for years.
He had wondered and pined and ached—
Pulling back was torture, but he had overstepped the boundaries—he had fucked up, gone against his word, and he was not a fucking man if he could not keep to his word. He had been trained to abide by these mannerisms, but fuck…
He didn’t want to be a gentleman.
