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“Laura?” Biting his lip, he inhales deeply. “We…umm…we know each other.”
“You know each other.”
“Yeah,” he says sheepishly before he clears his throat.
I’m not stupid, I know what his look means. He was dancing with her, and the way she looked at him and me…
“Do you watch her too?”
“Fuck, I don’t know what you’re thinking about me, Cass, but I’m not some creep who watches women.” His hands slip down the column of my neck and splay around it on my collarbone.
“I don’t know what to think, Leo. You said you care enough to push me away. What does that even mean?”
“It means I want to keep you safe. You have no idea the danger you’re in.”
“Yeah? Whose fault is that?”
“Not yours.”
“I can’t know something no one is willing to tell me. You can’t point out my ignorance if you’re not willing to enlighten me.”
“Anyone ever tell you ignorance is bliss?”
“No, because it’s a lie.”
His thumbs run up and down either side of my throat. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I can’t fathom it.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve held you. I’ve touched you.” Exhaling, the tip of his nose brushes the bridge of mine and I feel myself melt. My knees give and I’m shuddering from the contact and his words. “And holding you is what I imagine holding a star filled sky is like, and once you’ve felt its weight, everything else feels empty and hollow.”
“Why didn’t you say all the pretty things instead of pushing me away? They would’ve been a lot easier to believe then.” I run the tips of my fingers down his handsome face and then I trace the small scar above his eyebrow.
He tries to hold on when I step away, but when I wriggle free, he drops his hands.
“All I’m asking is that you don’t go tonight. Stay here. Stay safe.”
“You want to keep me safe, Leo?” I ask adjusting my dress. “Come with us. You like watching me, don’t you?”
“Cassie,” growling, he tunnels his fingers through his messy hair, and I marvel at the way the ink on his skin moves with the muscle beneath. I love the way the straight lines bend and stretch. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”
“I do, actually. I’m asking you to stick with me instead of running away…instead of pushing me away.”
“I can’t stand by and watch anymore!” he grits, rubbing at his face roughly.
“Then don’t.”
Opening the kitchen door, I leave him to decide what he wants.
Chapter 10
Leo
All eyes are on us as I follow Cassie out of the kitchen, and although the girl is tiny, the death stare Fleur’s giving me only makes me more aware of what I’m doing.
I’m sticking with her. It’s what Cassie wants, and what I want.
“Right, are we going or what?” Spinning Fleur around, Cassie looks back at me, and I’m very aware that her question isn’t directed at anyone other than me.
