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Twenty-Five
Havana
Shouting rose me from my slumber. During the night, I had turned on my side and curled into Leon’s chest, my head sleeping in the crook of his neck. He groaned but not from pain, but a sound that stated he wasn’t ready to get up and deal with whatever was going on outside.
“What is that?” I asked and went to move.
He held me tight, keeping me locked to his chest.
“Not yet, love,” he said in a groggy voice. “I’m not ready to leave this bed quite yet.”
“Captain!”
Leon groaned again at the sound of Declan calling for him. This time, Leon gently unraveled me from his arms and kissed me on the forehead. He swung his legs off the bed and went to the open window where Rooster cawed at him. The curtains swayed with the morning breeze as he leaned outside.
He said nothing, but the tired look on his face suddenly disappeared and he clenched the windowsill. “Time to go, love.”
“What’s wrong?” Tying my robe around my waist, I met him at the window.
Outside stood at least twenty of my father’s guards. Leon’s crew and a few other patrons were either deciding on whether they wanted to watch or help. Leon’s men blocked the entrance to Lily’s.
“I should go,” I said, knowing my father would be worried and furious once he realized I was no longer in my cabin. “He probably didn’t check with all of the chaos going on. It’s the only reason I managed to stay the whole night. He’s going to be so angry with me.”
Going to the bureau where Leon had my dresses hanging up, I opened it remembering the new ones I had seen the other night. “Did you go shopping for me?”
“I’ll be right down,” Leon called out to Declan and then pushed away from the window. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Yes, I did.”
He brushed my hair away from my neck and kissed me right below the ear. “I think you should wear this one.” He reached out and grabbed a hunter green dress with billowing sleeves and tiny white roses embroidered on the front.
“That is rather pretty,” I said, and he kissed me again, this time brushing his lips up toward my ear and making me wish we never had to leave this room.
He slid his hands around to my stomach, his kisses making me ignore the commotion outside. Closing my eyes, I savored every caress, leaning my head to the side so Leon had full access to my neck.
With a groan, he nibbled my ear and then pulled away. “I’m going to wash up and then go down there.”
“No. We go together.”
“Fine.”
He grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt and ran into the washroom. I quickly undid the robe, took the nightgown, and lifted it over my head. The morning breeze chilled my skin and I quickly slipped on the dress. This one was easy to put on and had no constricting bodice or strings to tie closed. When I was finished, I ran my fingers through my hair trying to comb out the knots.
Leon walked out in a pair of navy trousers and a white shirt that was cut off at the arms. The V-neck revealed the muscles in his chest, and I really hated that we had to leave. I bit my lip, and his mouth curved into a smile.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said.
“Do you?” I replied, putting a hand on my hip. “I didn’t know you were a mind reader.”
He ran a hand through his silver hair and then stalked toward me, grabbing my waist. “You’re thinking the same thing I am.”
His mouth went to my neck again, kissing it and gliding toward my ear, making my head spin. “And if your father’s men weren’t outside . . .” He let the rest of the words hang in the air between us.
Gripping the back of his neck, we kissed, taking whatever stolen moments we could. His hands slid down past my hips until they landed on my backside, and I knew he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
“We will have our time,” he said as he pulled away. “Whether it is tonight, tomorrow, or a month from now. Wewillbe together.”
I wished I could believe those words. I wanted to, but I was a princess and a light bearer. My life was never my own. “Promise me, we’ll find a way. I don’t know how, and it may be impossible, but I don’t think I can go back to how I was living before.”
“I know,” he whispered, closing his eyes, and bumping his head to mine. His fingers dug into my hips.
