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“I think it does.”
She stared at the wall, face heating. “No, it doesn’t. Someone said it to me, and I have reason to believe they’re telling the truth. So, assuming you’ve kissed thousands of women and have built up the skills to be good at it, you’re the perfect person to give me tips.”
“Tips.”
A huff fell from Amelia’s lips, and she turned to stare at him. “Are you just going to repeat everything I say?”
“I don’t think giving you a few pointers will help you learn how to be a better kisser.”
“No? Well, I guess you’ve outlived your usefulness. I won’t have to go to your retreat, after all. So your presence here is no longer welcome.” She popped a brow and crossed her arms. “Feel free to leave.”
The look Leo gave her was nothing short of predatory. He sat up on the couch and turned to face her, one hand on his knee, the other on the back cushion. “First of all, I don’t believe that you’re a bad kisser. Someone put all these ridiculous ideas in your head, and once I find out who it is, I’ll deal with him separately.”
A shiver traveled through Amelia at those words, starting behind her belly button and spreading outward. She sat very still, caught in Leo’s gaze as it darkened with every word.
“Secondly,” he continued, “if you’re going to get better at kissing, the last thing you need is a bunch oftips.” He spat the last word.
Amelia couldn’t move. “No?” It came out as a croak.
“No. You need practice.”
Amelia’s bravado was quickly failing. Her heartbeat hammered in her chest as she fought to keep her face still. Sitting next to Leo when he stared at her like that was like being in a cage with a lion. One wrong move and he’d tire of toying with her, and that’d be the end of Amelia. Danger filled the air until she was afraid to twitch. But she tried to process what he’d said to her.
His words finally penetrated. She exhaled, disappointment piercing her chest. “You want me to find guys to practice kissing on?”
Leo blinked, and a muscle jumped in his cheek. “No, Amelia,” he replied darkly. “That’s not what I want.”
The lion was padding over and back across the cage, its eyes steady on hers. They sat like that, unmoving, for long, silent moments. Amelia tried to think of something to say, but she knew anything that came out of her mouth would be the wrong thing.
Then Leo rumbled, “Come here.”
“I don’t think—”
She squeaked as Leo’s hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her across his lap. He plopped her down so she was draped across his thighs, her back resting against the arm of the sofa. His hand slid from her waist to her leg, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. When his palm touched the bare skin below her athletic shorts, Amelia inhaled sharply. He left his hand on her flank, his thumb pressing into the top of her thigh to hold her in place.
“We’re going to practice right now,” he informed her.
“Oh.” That soft sound was all she could manage, because Amelia couldn’t think of anything except the warmth of his palm against her skin and the coiled power in his body.
With his free hand, Leo cupped her jaw. His thumb stroked her cheek as he studied her face, his gaze flicking between her eyes before dropping to her lips. “Okay?”
Was this taking their little game too far? Was kissing Leo a bad idea? Was it everything Amelia had wanted since the moment Leo had pushed the church’s doors open?
Those were questions for Future Amelia. Right now, she just dipped her chin. “Okay.”
She thought he’d crush his lips against hers and kiss her in an explosion of passion. She closed her eyes and braced herself, only to feel the softest brush of his mouth against hers. Surprised, she let her lips fall open, and Leo took advantage. He kissed her lower lip then nibbled her upper one. He pulled away and kissed a line down her jaw, then moved back to her mouth.
All the while, the thumb on her thigh stroked softly, over and back, a soothing metronome marking the beat of the moment.
When his tongue swept between her parted lips, she met it with her own. A delicious melting feeling happened behind her navel, and Amelia found herself clinging to his shirt to pull him closer. He made a noise, low in his throat, that made Amelia pull away.
“Was that okay?” She frowned. Had she been too aggressive? Josh used to hate when she did that.
But Leo wasn’t turned off. His voice was a low growl when he said, “Fuck yes, it was okay.” He tangled his fingers into her hair and angled her head back so he could drop kisses down her neck, following the line of her thudding pulse. A whimper escaped her lips, and Leo responded by tightening his hold on her hair.
It felt so good. For the first time in her life, Amelia was in the arms of a man and her mind was blissfully blank. She tangled her own fingers into his golden-brown locks and pulled him back up to her mouth. Instead of being repelled by her assertiveness, Leo responded by kissing her harder and longer than he had before. He groaned into her mouth and set liquid heat tumbling through her veins.
“You can kiss,” he told her, lips against hers. “I knew you’d taste amazing.”
