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“I’m sticking to my principles. This was about making you feel good. If you start trying to please me, it’ll ruin all my efforts.”
But Amelia wasn’t ready to let go of this nascent feeling. She wanted to wrap it around herself like a blanket. She wanted to feel sexy for a little bit longer. And beyond that, she felt that Leo needed to be drawn out of the armor he’d built around himself. She’d seen past his mask, and she wanted him to know it. She wanted him to feel as seen, as appreciated, as she did in his arms.
Letting her hands drift to the back of his neck, she played with the ends of his hair and asked, “How do you know I wouldn’t enjoy sucking your cock? What if it felt good for me?”
Another pulse from his crotch, this one much,muchstronger. He groaned and tightened his hands around her waist. His eyes were closed. “I’m trying to be a gentleman, Amelia.”
“That wasn’t in our agreement.”
“A lot of what we’ve done wasn’t in our agreement.”
Hmm. That was true.
Leo laughed and brushed his thumb between her brows. “Stop frowning. Even though you’re cute when you’re not getting your way.”
“I never thought I’d have to beg to give a guy a blowjob.”
The smile Leo gave her in response was nothing short of villainous. “You’re nowhere near begging, Amelia. But we can do that too, if you like.”
Now it was her body’s turn to spasm. She thought of getting on her knees, begging, seeing his face turn predatory when he refused her…
Lust swept through her, warming her cheeks, making her hips jerk against his.
But… How was it possible to be turned on by something like that when her entire sexual history had been one long line of awkward and downright terrible experiences? Was there something wrong with her? Maybe all her bad experiences had warped something inside her, and now the thought of being humiliated by Leo in that way actually turned her on.
“Hey.” His voice had gentled again. “Come back to me.”
She lifted her gaze to his and gave him a half-smile. “Sorry.”
With slight pressure on her back, he urged her to lie against his chest. She did, and was immediately engulfed in the warmth of his embrace. It felt amazing. Leo tucked her head under his chin and held her until it was time to get ready for dinner.
That night, when she closed the pocket doors after saying goodnight, Amelia wished she had the courage to ask Leo to join her in the big king-sized bed.
But there was a reason he hadn’t wanted to take things further earlier. He was putting up a boundary between them, and Amelia had to respect that. Leo didn’t do relationships; he certainly hadn’t given her any indication he wanted more than a fake fiancée for a few days. Sure, they’d muddied their agreement already with kisses and touches, but that didn’t mean Leo wanted it to last beyond the retreat.
Amelia would be a pretty terrible person if she pushed him to do things he didn’t want to do. She had the feeling Leo was used to being used for sex, and she didn’t want to be one of the women who did that to him. She didn’t want to cheapen what was happening between them, even if it only lasted a few days.
So she closed the doors and got into the big bed—alone.
FOURTEEN
Leo hardly slept that night.The couch was a bit too short, the cushions were a bit too hard, and he was a bit too horny.
He shouldn’t have given in to temptation. The more time he spent with Amelia, the more he admired her. She was intelligent, beautiful, driven, and so charmingly funny—especially when she didn’t intend to be. He’d remember the outrage on her face when she found out about the scavenger hunt prize for the rest of his days. Then after Jenga, when the other team won smartwatches, she looked as grumpy as she had when she fixed his bow tie at Maggie’s wedding. She was irresistible, even when she was annoyed.
But Leo wasn’t stupid: He knew why she was spending time with him.
She hadn’t asked for orgasms. She hadn’t asked for an easy hookup. She hadn’t asked for Pestilence to fire his arrows across Stirling and to spread disease in her life.
Amelia wanted to find a partner worthy of her. That person sure as hell wasn’t Leo.
Dull, gray light filtered through the thin curtains as dawn slowly won its war against night. Leo watched its arrival through slitted eyes, his body sore, his spirit aching.
That’s when a realization swept through him, growing as slowly as the light of day: He was falling in love with Amelia Darcy.
The kicker was, he couldn’t have her. Not for real—not after this retreat was over.
Sitting up, he rubbed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets and stretched his back, scowling at the sofa. Stupid thing. He’d be sore for weeks after this damn retreat. Dragging his bones over to the breakfast bar, he started the coffee machine and watched it brew. Then, sipping a fresh mug, he leaned against the window frame and cast his eyes over the forest. Birds called to each other as the day arrived, a breeze floating through the open window. It smelled fresh and earthy, a smell that was distinctly Stirling. For the first time in decades, he thought it smelled good.
