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“Seems like a risky move,” Leo says. “Would she really start a war that her son would have to fight?”
My frustration mounts, mostly because I think Leo’s right. She wouldn’t risk Sandro. “Maybe she wants to get rid of me because shedidhave my mother killed, and she doesn’t want me—or more probably, Sandro—to find out.”
Leo nods slowly. “Alright, well, let’s keep her on the list of potential suspects for now,” he concedes. “Anyone else who wanted Vinnie dead?”
“Maybe someone from the Esposito Family. Vincenzo was one of their own, but if they found out about our…liaison, maybe they saw him as a traitor.”
Leo’s face closes off a little. “Most Families aren’t so comfortable with that kind of thing,” he agrees.
“Or it could have been a Castellani,” I go on, although I don’t want to believe that. “I know it might come as a surprise, Leo, but...” I bite my lip. “I’m not exactlypopularin some quarters of my Family.”
Leo stares at me, a smile building, and a chuckle escapes him at last. “Surely not,” he says, and pulls me close, kissing the top of my head. I snuggle into him, pleased to feel the horrible knot inside me starting to untangle. “We need to dig some more,” he says, holding me tight. “The Espos are tight. Hard to know what’s going on with them. But like I said, we’ll dig.”
The dim light of the room casts shadows across Leo’s strong jaw as I look up at him, at those piercing eyes that seem to see through me, through the mask I’ve spent years perfecting. His scent pulls at me like a magnet.
“Hey,” he murmurs. “Is there anything else you want to talk about? You’re awful quiet.”
“I’m processing,” I reply, forcing myself to look away. But the intensity coursing through me refuses to be ignored. It’s unnerving, frightening even, and yet…
Leo’s warm hand strokes up and down my arm, my skin tingling under his touch, and my breath catches in my throat. The world around me fades as I give into the feeling and press my mouth against his. I’m in his lap before I even know what’s happening, his arms pulling me close, and I lose myself in the heat of his embrace, of his kiss.
“Julian,” Leo pants, breaking away from the kiss. His cheeks are flushed, his eyes wide with surprise and something else, too, something I can’t identify. “You’re not—you’re not thinking straight. We shouldn’t—“
“Please,” I beg. “I’ve never felt like this with anyone else. Iwantto explore this, Leo. The way you make me feel. I need it.Please.”
He seizes my wrists. “It’s not a great idea,” he mutters. “And obsessions aren’t…they aren’treal, Julian.”
“No.” I push him back against the couch. “This isn’t anobsession.” I’m frustrated again. “You believed me about Vincenzo. Why can’t you believe me about this? Why can’t you believe that I…”
Leo has gone still. “That you what?”
I have to swallow down that pesky lump again. Maybe I’m getting a cold. Because my nose feels a little stuffy, too, and my eyes sting. “That I…care about you,” I whisper through a sore throat. I’m definitely coming down with something. “Leo, I think I’m in love with you.”
His hands releases my wrists and stray to my cheek, thumbs gently stroking down my jawline. And then, suddenly, he kisses me again, his hands roaming over my body, desperate, insistent.
My heart pounds so hard that I worry again.AmI sick? Am I having some kind of episode?
But it doesn’t hurt. It actually feels nice, and the flutters in my gut are like the feeling I get when I’m climbing up a wall, not like when I need to throw up. Flutters of excitement, more of them than I’ve ever had before.
This is uncharted territory, and with Leo,forLeo, I want to explore.
“Bed,” he says, lips against my throat, and I give a gasp as he lifts me, carrying me to his bedroom. He sets me down on his unmade sheets as carefully as if I’m glass, and then unceremoniously strips off my clothes, lets me do the same to him.
But once I’m naked, Leo’s hands turn gentle, almost reverent, as they trace the contours of my body. For the first time, his touch scares me. It awakens new sensations, deep inside, and all at once it’s overwhelming.
I flinch and pull away.
Leo stops at once, watching me carefully. “Are you okay?” I only nod, unable to form words. “Do you want to take a break?” he suggests. “Have a shower, and I’ll fix you something to eat.”
I nod again in response, still panting and trying desperately to regulate my breathing. What is goingon?
Leo leans in slowly to press a kiss against my forehead before clambering off the bed, and I escape into the bathroom.
The bathroom is tiny but clean. There’s only a shower, a toilet, and a sink with a cracked and spotted mirror set above it. But there’s something comforting about this bathroom. I grab Leo’s towel and breathe it in, hiding my face from myself in the mirror. Just for a moment. Just before I have to face reality again.
I’m not sure all these surging tides within me are truly comfortable. But whatever Leo is dredging up in me, it’s helping me forget that horrible black tangle that Sandro put there.
That has to be a good thing. Surely?
