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“Fuck, Red. This majorly sucks.” He dropped his forehead to mine. “Let me help you so we can be together.”
“Maybe this just forces us to slow down so we’re sure we aren’t making a mistake.”
“I know how I feel about you.” He pulled away. “But if you don’t know how you feel about me, then fine. I’ll just see you whenever.” He stalked out of the bathroom.
I hopped off the counter and followed him. “What do you expect from me? I like you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have spent the last four nights with you. Now, you can be angry. That’s fine, but I have to go to work now.” I grabbed my tote bag, which I’d already put my things in, and went to retrieve my makeup from the bathroom. When I came out, Leo was brooding with his back toward me.
I meant what I said. He could be angry, but I didn’t have time to deal with his unreasonable expectations. I had two freaking jobs. Laney and I needed to cover Erin’s portion of the rent for September. Coming up with an extra six hundred dollars wasn’t going to be easy for me, considering I barely made ends meet as it was.
“Okay… I’ll see you…” I paused for a few beats. He didn’t say anything, so I stormed out.
It was totally unfair of him to act like this. Lucky for him, he had wealthy parents who gave him a multi-million dollar home and money. Not that I knew how much money Leo had, but he acted as if he had an unlimited amount.
Well, I didn’t. My parents never gave me money, not even for my birthday or Christmas, like most of my friends’ parents. And they didn’t pay the difference for my double major, dance. So I also had student loans.
I flung my car door open and threw my tote into the passenger seat. Before I could get in, I was suddenly swallowed up by his strong arms.
Leo’s lips were on my neck. “I’m sorry I was an ass. I’m sorry.”
I twisted in his arms and hugged him. “I want to see you every day too. Don’t think I’m okay with my crazy work schedule. Your house is an hour away from mine. It’s just not practical to have us driving all over the place.”
He took my face in his hands and kissed me hard. “Let me decide how much driving I want to do. You’re worth it, Red.” He kissed me again, swiping his tongue to mine and making me weak in the knees.
“Okay. You do what you want to do. I won’t stop you, aside from taking your money. I won’t let you pay my bills.”
He held me for a long second. “Okay. We’ll do it your way… for a little while.”
I laughed, hearing the confidence in his voice. Did he really think I’d let him pay my bills? Crazy man. “Okay. Now I really need to go.”
“I know. Text me where you want to meet for dinner.”
“What?”
“I’m meeting you for dinner. I’m off at six. Pick a place in Malibu, it’ll be closer for me.”
“I guess it is. Okay, I’ll text you.” I popped up on my toes and kissed him but stopped before we got carried away.
Leo closed my door and watched as I drove off.
How long could we last with my ridiculous work schedule?
14
Leo
THIS MORNING I drove Red to the studio, despite her objection. She didn’t work on Sunday and Wednesday nights at Club R, so I made her promise to stay at my house tonight, Wednesday night. I’d pick her up after work, take her to dinner, then we’d go to my place where I’d get my fill of her. Her work schedule wasn’t ideal. Neither was her proud, stubborn mindset, but I admired her even more for holding her ground with me. It showed how strong her convictions were.
I kept an eye on the clock. I was cutting out early so I could watch Red teach her last class of the day. I wanted to see her in her element. The way she talked about her six-year-olds, you’d think they were all her children. She clearly loved teaching, and I selfishly wished it was her only job.
“All right, I’m back.” Chris trotted up the tower. “You are free to go get your lady.”
“Thanks.” I grabbed my backpack and shoved my sports bottle into it.
“So I guess everything is going superbly. She’s a beauty, in a Little Mermaid, Dorothy sort of way. She just needs a little dog named Toto or a crab named Sebastian.”
I laughed. Chris described Red perfectly. “I’ll tell her you said so. But yeah, it’s going better than I could ever dream of with Red. It’s fucking fantastic.”
“Hi, Leo.” A couple of leggy blondes waved.
