Thirty-Nine
Skye
I knew my mistake the second it’d left my mouth.
My heart crawled up my throat as I stared in horror into Leo’s eyes. I’d barely breathed it, but he heard it like I’d screamed it.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Leo immediately slid off me, but my hands were wrapped tightly around his bulging arm. Immediately, I felt the apology flood out of me. “No, no, no, Leo, I didn’t mean to say that…I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
Leo gently brushed my hands off his arm before he slid to the edge of the bed, his giant back to me. I crawled after him, feeling his release sliding out of me. My arms wrapped around his back, tears threatened to spill out as I said, “No, Leo, let me explain—”
Funny thing was he hadn’t interrupted me once—he hadn’t said a word. His silence was scarier than anything because, shit, I didn’t know why I said Hunter’s name just then. My mind felt scattered, my body still languid after that orgasm. I didn’t know I could feel pleasure mixed with horror until now. This was a nightmare—a horrible fucking nightmare.
Leo had completely lost himself inside me. Gone was the soft man, and I’d needed that hard touch. I had bucked beneath him, loving every stroke he delivered, and I ruined it in the worst way.
“Hunter,” I whispered now, holding my breath, “he takes me like that, Leo. I didn’t mean to say his name.”
I wasn’t sure if Leo believed me. He still wasn’t talking. I was scared to let him go, my arms were gripping him tight, my face was plastered to his sweaty back. I blinked back my emotion, unable to stop from muttering more nonsense. “I was with you—I didn’t think about him, I swear it.” And that was true. I was all there for Leo, but…shit, getting fucked like that was also like getting fucked by Hunter.
This was such a mess.
“Let go,” he said softly, no trace of emotion in his voice.
I didn’t want to let him go, though. I squeezed him tighter, terrified. “Leo, please…”
He tapped my hands balled around his stomach. “Let go, sweetness.”
My heart was thundering when I finally let go. He immediately stood up and walked across the room, his giant frame disappearing into the bathroom. He shut the door, but it wasn’t in a slam or with any harshness. He was in complete control on the outside, but I knew better.
I slid off the bed, trembling everywhere, my throat bobbing with emotion as I paced. Panicked, I stared at the door for minutes on end, wondering what he was doing, if he was calming himself down—
The door opened and he stepped out, and I stopped to face him. I wrung my hands together as he walked around me and to the dresser. He hadn’t even looked at me. I was invisible, and that stung. He shoved a drawer open and pulled out a pair of briefs.
“Leo, please,” I urged desperately.
He paused, gripping the dresser tightly with one hand while the other went still in the drawer. “Please what, Skye?”
“Listen to me.”
He turned around just then and stood before me, staring down at me. Though my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, it was hard to read his features. I felt a strange feeling wash over me as he watched me. There was…something unsettling in his gaze. The words caught in my throat as I studied him, catching the subtle difference in his body language. He stood straighter, his gaze, though absent from emotion, was heavily focused on my every move. He glimpsed my shaking body, pausing to stare at my clasped hands, like he could see the nails digging painfully into my skin. The next time he looked into my eyes, I felt a strange push in my body. Only…it wasn’t pushing me toward him, but away. I stepped back hesitantly, brows furrowing as I felt that bewildering emotion again, the kind that twisted my stomach and made me want to vomit—
Fear.
I was afraid of Leo because…he was standing in front of me, but there was someone else in his place. A stranger who effortlessly managed to conceal the man I loved. I’d always known he tended to hide his emotions; I’d just never seen him do it to me like this.
“It was a mistake,” I pushed out through trembling lips. “I meant to say your name, okay?” Leo didn’t respond, but his head tilted to one side a fraction as he continued to study me. My body felt cold again. “Stop it,” I whispered to him just then, feeling my pulse pick up. “You’re scaring me, Leo.Stop it.”
When his gaze broke from me, I felt my shoulders slump with relief. He turned back to the dresser and pulled out a pair of briefs. I shuffled back, collapsing onto the edge of the bed to calm down. I pressed a hand to my racing heart as I watched him from the corner of my eye slide into his briefs.
When he came around the bed to me, I looked down at the floor, hyperaware of his presence. He stopped in front of me, saying nothing for the longest time. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I waited for him to speak. It took everything to quiet my nerves and look up at him. The second I did, I felt a wave of heat rush through me.
Leo looked ominous standing there, his giant body looming over me. I had never felt so little next to him than in that moment. It was because Leo was always bringing me close to him, holding me in some way. Now he was standing before me, and it was like I was seeing him for the first time. His body screamed strength; I’d never considered how hard he must have worked for those muscles. His chest was moving slowly, his usual pristine hair was loose and messy, falling over his forehead. His eyes were on me, and they weren’t as hard as before, but he still appeared guarded.