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“I’m gonna go put a shirt on,” he said before sliding the pancake onto a plate and turning off the stove. His body was a work of art, and I wanted to run my hands down the inside of his thighs and let my mouth trace trails down his spine.
“I wouldn’t be mad if you didn’t,” I said with a flirty smirk. He could be grumpy all he wanted, but I knew I’d have to push past his walls.
“Didn’t you get enough last night?” he spat angrily.
I stood up and made my way over to him. He leaned against the counter with wide eyes and a heaving chest. “You can be mad at me all you want.” I trailed a finger down his chest. “I’m being selfish, I know. And you don’t understand it.” I lifted up on my toes to whisper in his ear. “But I want you too.”
He let out a shaky breath. “You’re gonna be the death of me, you know that?” he said, his voice hoarse.
“I know,” I said, resting my head against his chest. I’d pushed him too far, too fast and I knew it. He placed his hand on the back of my head, and I swore I felt his heart thudding against the palm of my hand. I pushed myself up to kiss him, and he pressed his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He ran his hand through my hair and kissed me longer than before.
“Stop this. We can’t do this.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because it’s not right,” he said.
“It feels right to me,” I said.
“No, I mean, if we start, it can’t end well for either of us.”
“One of these days, Leo, you’ll stop pushing our girl away,” Atticus said while strolling into the kitchen. His button-up shirt was undone and his pants hung low on his hips. He smiled at me and I reluctantly pulled away from Leo to greet him. “Morning, Little Monster,” he said before kissing me. His lips were minty.
“Morning.” It felt strange to flutter from one to the other, but also so fucking right.
“Did you have a good night?”
A deep blush coated my cheeks. “Yes.”
Atticus grinned. “Good. Because if it wasn’t, I was going to slit Augustus’s throat.”
I swallowed nervously.
His attention turned to Leo, and he walked over to him. He placed his hand on Leo’s shoulder, and all of a sudden, Leo closed his eyes and tensed. Atticus made a show of squeezing, and all of Leo’s muscles bulged and strained, like they were fighting to get free. Atticus’s touch held a weight to it that I couldn’t fathom. Seeing them together made my stomach twist, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
“You’re tense,” he said, pulling his hand away.
Leo rubbed his face. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Atticus said. He placed his hand on Leo’s chest. “Why don’t you go spend some time with Christine today, Leo? We can’t move forward with the wedding until we announce she’s alive at the meeting with the lords, and she needs someone to keep her occupied.”
Leo scowled. “I have things to do.”
Atticus cocked a brow. “I wasn’t asking.”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
“But you’re just so good at it,” Atticus goaded.
Leo smacked his hand out of the way, and Atticus’s smile faltered. “Enough,” he said. “I have a job to do. You and August might be okay with sharing her, but I’m not. I’m here, I’m helping. But I’m not going to let you fuck around with my feelings. It’s hard enough without you making innuendos.”
“You’d be so much happier if you gave in, Leo.” Atticus’s eyes blazed. “Christine wants you, and I want whatever makes my Little Monster happy. So you can take what you both want. Or I can command you.”
Leo glared back. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Atticus snorted in amusement. “Leo, you’ve been afraid you’re whole fucking life. It’s why you suit up. It’s not to protect the Crown or Christine. It’s to prove yourself.” Atticus stopped and cocked his head to the side. “I just wonder, what’s got you so scared?”
