“Go away, psycho.”
r /> I shoot up in bed. What the hell? “Leo?”
“I told you, you were going to wake her up,” Leo mutters before he nudges the door to my room open. “Hey, sorry your cat is psychotic. I came by to check on you. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
I’m so confused. Leo is here? Of his own free will, because he was worried about me? “What time is it? How did you get in? Did I leave my keys in the door again?”
“Eight-thirty. I forgot to give you back those spare keys you gave me to have the clothes delivered. Do you make a habit of leaving the keys in the door?”
Sitting up, I can’t hold back my groan. Although the worst of the pain is gone, there’s still a lingering hangover from the migraine. This sucks. I haven’t had one in a while. I ignore his question. “I need a shower.”
Oddly shy, I close the doors to the bathroom and set the temperature as hot as I can take it. I would love to have a long soak but I’m starving, so I settle for a shower.
Out of the shower, I grab a pretty slip I’ve fallen in love with how soft and silky it is. I’m not expecting Leo to still be here. I’m having a hard time believing he’s here at all. He’s on the couch with his laptop and a thick report he’s marking up. Felix is on the back of the couch ready to pounce on him. “How are you feeling?”
I shrug. “I could be better. I’ll be fine by tomorrow. What are you doing here?”
He looks surprised by my question. “I was concerned about you. You sounded like you were in a lot of pain. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Running my hand through my hair, I’m off balance. “How long have you been here?”
“Since about six. I brought dinner for you. Are you hungry?” My stomach growls loudly answering the question for me. He laughs. “Sit, I’ll warm it up for you.”
I’m not sure what’s going on, right now I’m feeling too fragile to figure it out. I curl into the corner of the couch, Felix lands on my legs, meowing his thoughts on the intruder. “I know but he has food, so he gets to stay,” Felix answers me with kneading my thighs but not like earlier when we took a nap, he has his claws out. “Leo, in the last drawer next to the fridge can you bring one of the little puzzle like balls in here?”
Leo pads toward me and I realize he’s shoeless and in jeans and a black tee shirt. I blink as my mind tries to make sense of what is happening. He offers me a ball. “What is it?”
“It’s a catnip toy. The plastic in the middle has catnip in it.” The minute Felix spots it in Leo’s hand he stops kneading me. He sits up alert when I let him smell it. When I toss it away, he takes off after it. The microwave starts beeping that it’s done. “It smells good. What is it?”
“Porters again. They did not have the roasted red potatoes though tonight. These are mashed baby gold with bacon and cheese. I hope it’s okay.”
I blush at the way my stomach growls again as he hands it to me with a steak knife and fork. “It’s fine. I’d be ecstatic over a grilled cheese right now.” Folding my legs in, I set the cardboard box on the seat in the middle and cut into it. Leo sits down carefully at the other end of the couch. The steak melts in my mouth, perfection. “This is amazing. Thank you.”
“You are welcome. Do you get migraines often?”
“It’s been a while.” These potatoes are making me reconsider my usual roasted red potatoes.
“What brought it on now?”
My neck tightens. I roll my neck. “Stress, Leo. The book launch party thing tomorrow, you blowing hot and cold, the fact that people are going to be asking about my next book. The book that’s sitting there lifeless, and I have no idea what to do about it. Stress. Can you please let me eat in peace?”
His eyes narrow but he doesn’t say whatever he was about to. He gets up and walks out to the balcony. I want to call him back and say I’m sorry. Only I’m just not ready to deal with him, I’m still feeling soft and defenseless. I eat quickly then regret it as my stomach protests.
I’m in the kitchen grabbing a bottle of water when Leo comes back in. He’s angry, surprise. When he sees me, he stops, reaches out and pulls me into his arms.
“I’m sorry. I’m not blowing hot and cold with any intention. I need a little more time to come to terms with my feelings, yet I can’t stay away from you while I do that.”
Damn him, he has feelings, at least he’s admitting he has them. I sink into him loving the scent of him, the feel of him around me. He picks me up and walks me back to the couch. Carefully, he sits and settles me into his lap. I give in and lay my head on his shoulder. Leo’s hand strokes my back slowly, there’s no desire in his touch, just comfort. “What is the book you’re writing, or rather not writing now about?”
He says it in Italian, I melt into him. It’s the first time since the dinner we shared he’s said a word to me in Italian. I love how it feels more intimate, he is speaking just to me, only for me.
When I reply in Italian Felix stops playing with his ball and comes to investigate me. “One of the Medici daughters is trying to get out of an arranged marriage. She’s tired of being a pawn. She gets involved in some bad business that could buy her freedom from her family.”
“Hmm...sounds interesting. Why are you having problems?”
I sigh. “I took the job, and I was so stressed. I know it’s verboten to speak of, but damn Leo, you don’t know how much I hated lying to you.” I feel Leo tense beneath me. “It was everything I never thought I would do. Every day I was sure you would find out. Every other day I was sure I would screw up and say something. Then Natalie stopped talking to me, it felt like I was just stuck in misery.
“The words wouldn’t come. With everything perfect it’s hard to get the words out. To find the right words, to feel for the characters so much I can write well enough to get the reader to as well. Then I barely have time now between work and you. On the weekends, I’ve been trying but it stopped, it won’t come. I’ve written and deleted almost twenty thousand words.”