Pulling back, I looked up at him, and he stared back at me. I couldn’t read his expression. There was something—he appeared distant. I couldn’t describe it, but there were shadows behind his eyes as he stared back at me. I rubbed at the crinkles around his eyes, asking, “Where are you?”
“Right here,” he answered.
But I… “I don’t see you.”
He frowned and shut his eyes. For a few moments, he sat still, breathing quietly as his brows came together in concentration. I went still, my fingers still treading the lines along his face before he finally opened his eyes to look at me.
This time he appeared less distant. Troubled still. But more present than a minute ago. There wasn’t ice in his gaze—it was warmth and sweetness.
“Skye,” he whispered, and he said it in such an aching way, I felt my stomach tighten in response.
“There,” I said, cupping his cheek. “There you are.”
I ran my eyes over his face, taking care to really notice every inch of it. His jaw had broadened, his nose was sprinkled in those freckles I loved, and his eyes were so deep—He was my Mediterranean boy but without the tan I was used to seeing.
He seemed to study me with equal depth, and his lips spread into a soft smile, like he was appreciating my features, like he was finally realizing I was truly here, and I was his now.
As if needing to hear that, Leo asked, “Are you finally mine?”
My heart skipped a beat, and as a pain tore through the next beat, I smiled and said, “Yes.”
His chest dipped from a long exhale as he bumped his forehead to mine. His breaths mingled with mine. I ran my fingers through his hair and then along his shoulder. Just touching him. Feeling him. Reconnecting with him.
“What is it about you?” he mused suddenly. “I just can’t shake you, Skye…”
“I don’t want you to.”
“You’ve claimed me. You’ve claimed him. You’re walking with a heart in each hand, you know that?”
I swallowed, stiffening a nod. “I know.”
“Don’t squeeze mine too tight, you promise?”
“I promise.”
He eyed my lips, his tone dropping. “Good.”
Good?Like he thought I had any control over it.
I did not.
My heart picked up because his eyes kept dancing along my lips. His breaths thinned as he parted his mouth, running his tongue along the bottom lip in the most excruciatingly sexy way.
Then he made the first move.
He kissed me, the pressure a little firmer than before. I opened my mouth to him, eagerly kissing him back. My skin tingled in response. His tongue slid into my mouth, and I moaned, the pleasure of it sending sparks down my belly. I felt heat pool between my legs as his hands roamed me, hugging me to him as he kissed me in that languid, slow way. His tongue slid against mine, and I shivered in return, my fingers digging into his hard chest now.
The thing with Leo was he was patient. It didn’t matter how desperate he was to have me, he made sure he savoured every inch of me. He made sure to prolong the kisses and the touches. He built the pleasure inside me until I was a breath away from tipping over.
This time, however, he was extra slow. He was cautious, my emotional outburst still fresh. I squirmed, feeling hungry for him. “Touch me, Leo,” I urged. “More.”
He pulled back to look at me. His eyes were clouded with desire. His mouth was red and ravaged. His hand slid under my top, his fingers grazing my stomach. He watched me closely as he moved his hand up higher. He squeezed gently at my breast again, and I suddenly wished the bra wasn’t there. He was on the same page as me because he slid his hand to my back and unclasped it. My bra loosened as he worked his palm back over to my breast, this time cupping it whole. My breath whooshed out of me as I leaned into his touch, my eyelids drooped low. I stared at his parted mouth, then I leaned in for another kiss—
“It’s like touching a candle,” he mused quietly. “You burn me, Skye, and light me up at the same time.”
Pressure built behind my eyes. “If I’m a candle, you’re the match.”
His expression slowly shifted. The weight in his eyes disappeared as he took me in, his touch growing more possessive. His thumb ran over my nipple, flicking it. His free hand dug under my shirt to cup my other breast. He squeezed them both, groaning. “God, Skye…”