“Are you trying to tell me something?”
“No,” I retort. “I just… it’s been a while since I slept on an actual bed. The couch isn’t very comfortable.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“Shut up.”
He flips onto his back, looking up at the ceiling, so I take the opportunity to admire him. Everything about him is perfectly proportioned.
“Okay,” I say softly. “I’ll admit it.”
“Admit what?”
Tonight, something has shifted between us. His revelation about Ariel has softened something inside me. It’s made me remember what we could have been if we’d stayed in our little bubble.
Maybe I’ll regret opening up to him in the morning. Maybe I’ll regret it in five minutes.
But I do know that some secrets can turn to poison if you hold on to them for too long.
So I take a deep breath, and I let it out. He already knows, but it’s hard to say all the same.
“I was jealous.”
20
LEO
“You don’t say,” I drawl sarcastically. “You? Jealous? I don’t believe it.”
“Shut up,” she grumbles again. “This is… hard for me.”
Willow won’t meet my eye. Her cheeks are flaming scarlet and her fingers twist and churn in her lap.
I twist onto my side and support myself on my elbow so that I can look down at her. “Well, you were a convincing liar.”
“Really?”
“No,” I say with a snort of laughter.
She’s annoyed enough that she shoots me a glare and I catch her eyes. She looks away almost immediately, her body tense once again.
“What was your childhood like?” she asks suddenly.
It’s an obvious ploy to change the topic, but I decide to humor her. “It was very different than yours.”
“Yeah, thanks for that,” she says, rolling my eyes. “I can see it all so clearly now.”
“It’s not something you want to see. There’s no childhood when it comes to the Bratva, Willow.”
She sighs. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
She’s only inches from me. The covers puddle around her waist. I can see the peaks of her breasts. Her nipples poke through the fabric.
I reach out on instinct and run my fingers over them. She shudders at my feather light touch but doesn’t move.
“You’re focused on the wrong thing,” I tell her. “True, I didn’t have a childhood. But now, I have everything.”
“And you think it was a worthy trade?”
“I was prepared for my life,” I explain. “I was ready. And when shit blows up in my face, I know how to handle it.”
“Unlike me.”
I shrug. “You weren’t prepared.”
“I doubt it would have made a difference,” she says, sounding mildly disappointed. “I’m not like you, Leo. I’m not like Ariel, either, for that matter.”
“Ariel wasn’t always the weapon she is today, you know."
“Is that supposed to be inspiring? Is that supposed to encourage me to keep going?”
“No. Fear of death should be encouragement enough."
She shoots me an annoyed look. “Is this your way of comforting me? Because it’s not working.”
I smile sadly. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m not the comforting type. You’ll get hard truths from me and nothing else.”
She pops up on her elbow and turns to face me. It’s the first time in a while she doesn’t seem skittish in my presence. Her eyes graze over my body and then they dip down for a moment.
“That’s the only hard thing I’ll get from you, huh?” she asks cheekily.
As if in answer, my erection pushes against the sheet.
Her eyes widen. When they work their way slowly up my body back to mine, I know what she wants.
No more pretending. No more fighting.
I push the sheet off her and slide her t-shirt up over her hips. When I reach her panties, her legs part instinctively. I push my fingers inside the fabric and find her slit.
I knew she was turned on, but I didn't expect her to be as wet as she is. My fingers slide around in her juices, making it easier for me to touch her, play with her lips, and coax her open.
She sinks into the pillow, and I slide on top of her. I want to see her face as I touch her. It’s been too long. I can’t remember the last time I touched her like this—like we had all the time in the world. Like our enemies would wait.
When I sink two fingers into her, she shudders. Her eyes close, and her legs open even wider.