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And when Tia’s eyes meet mine once again, they shine with deep gratitude. “It’s wonderful,” she murmurs, leaning in.
Then, her lips press against mine in a grateful sweep.
36
TIA
The spark that dances between our lips is as alluring as the first time Leo kissed me. And for a moment, all I can think of is how much I want him. The meaning behind Leo’s gesture is so powerful. I’m overwhelmed by the romantic date he planned for me, touched by the effort he’s gone to.
He didn’t need to do it.
I’m bound to him whether I like it or not because divorce isn’t an option in my world. I’m Leo’s literally until death does us part. So he could treat me however he pleased, and I would have no say in the matter.
And that makes his gesture more meaningful than I ever could have imagined.
But as the movie starts to play, I force myself to turn and watch it. To fully appreciate the lengths he went to in order to make this night a magical one. He already launched it out of the ballpark. Because he clearly cared enough about what I said the other night to take it to heart.
And he’s not just telling me he’ll take me on an adventure someday.
He’s doing it.
I grin as the movie’s name flashes across the screen. Treasure Island. Glancing from the corner of my eye, I can see Leo’s pearly smile as he grins mischievously. Somehow, the gesture seems meant for me, though his eyes are turned toward the screen.
Heart melting, I focus my attention on the opening scene. Then, his hand crosses the car’s center line to take mine. My stomach flutters with inexplicable nerves, and I suddenly feel like that same seventeen-year-old girl again. The one who fell hard and fast for her family’s worst enemy, a man she’d received countless warnings about.
It’s terrifying.
It's a bit too similar to the very real and memorable sensation of actually falling—right off the edge of a cliff.
And yet, I can’t seem to help this any more than I could when I literally fell.
Can I trust Leo to save me this time? To pull me back to safety like he did that day?
I don’t know if I’m brave enough to risk it.
But after the night he’s given me, I’m closer than I ever thought I would be.
I’m intensely aware of the electricity that buzzes between us, a spark that ignited with our kiss and only seems to be growing stronger in the dark solitude of our private theater. It crackles in the air and leaves me intensely aware of Leo’s body.
I wish, suddenly, that the console wasn’t between us, stopping me from coming closer.
Instead, I soak up the warmth of Leo’s hand, aware of the cool air that envelops my shoulders—how it contrasts with the heat of his flesh. Closing my eyes for a moment, I try to recenter myself, to focus on the treat he went to so much trouble to put together.
When I open my eyes, I find it slightly more bearable to sit silently beside him, with nearly a foot between us.
Then, as if suddenly reaching the end of his patience, Leo removes his hand from mine. My stomach knots at the abrupt change, and I try to mask my disappointment as I turn to look at him. But he offers no explanation.
Instead, he opens his car door, stepping out onto the gravel that crunches beneath his fine Italian shoes. He rounds the back of the car, and a moment later, my door pops open.
“Are we going somewhere?” I ask, confusion lacing my tone, and I glance nervously out at the dark beyond.
Then Leo bends down, his face dangerously close to mine as he adjusts my seat, moving it as far back as he can before reclining it.
“What are you doing?” Baffled, I turn to watch him.
“Scooch,” he insists, slipping into the car beside me a moment later.
Stunned, I sit up as he settles onto my seat, closing the door behind him. Then he pulls me close, my back against his chest, his arm around my waist as we snuggle. Despite the confined space, it’s oddly comfortable.
