I wish Leonidas had met Rodrigo and Diego. He could have saved us so much heartbreak. But he never got the chance. The only time Leonidas was in close distance with them was when he was in my room when they came over for dinner.
I shrug my shoulders. “You didn’t know. Can’t dwell on the past anymore.”
He taps my thigh once. “Look at my girl, going all positive on me.”
“Someone has to be,” I mutter as I lay my head on his chest.
“Don’t act like you’re all sunshine and I’m all grumps. We ain’t that cliché book trope,” he says lowly. When he places his lips to my ear, I shiver at the feeling of his hot breath. “Our story is chaotic, full of surprises and never-ending steam.”
God, the feeling of his lips traveling down my neck, leaving passionate kisses, makes me sigh. I arch my neck, letting him explore me even more. I close my eyes, loving the feel of his soft lips. A distant honk makes us jump away.
“Shoot, that scared me,” Leonidas grits out and runs a hand down his face. His face scrunches up in frustration.
This isn’t good. He’s very jumpy.
“Can I ask you something really personal?” I softly ask him as I cuddle into his body, comforting him.
He places his chin on the top of my head, and I feel him nod.
“Are you scared to perform after what happened?”
His body stills against mine, making me instantly regret asking him.
“Yes and no,” he answers stiffly after a few seconds. “The team will hire extra crew. I’ll make sure the stadium is safe before going in. They will check people hard core—I mean, the full works,” he grumbles. His fingers pick at my jean shorts. “I know I need to face my fears head-on, no more running.”
“Sounds like a brilliant plan to me.” I smile fondly at the strongest man I know.
Leonidas breaks the silence again. “I have something to confess.”
Oh God, what now? Don’t tell me he’s secretly my stepbrother. I wouldn’t put it past the world to put us through that shit. I nearly gag at the thought.
He takes my silence as a go-ahead. “I posted a photo of you on Instagram.”
Say what now?
Jumping off his lap, I glare at him. “Let me see it right now.” I place my hand in front of me and the other on my hip.
Never post a picture of a girl before she approves it. He has millions of followers. What if I look so ugly that I break people’s screens?
Fishing out his phone from his pocket, he hands it to me. I almost swoon at his lock screen picture. It’s me and him. If I wasn’t pretending to be mad at him, I would totally melt. I press the Instagram logo on his phone and go to his pictures. I frown when I click on the latest one.
It’s a picture of me lying on his bed from earlier today. After our long conversation, we cuddled on his bed. After a while, I got bored. While he was playing video games, I read a book. I didn’t know he had taken a picture when I had the book pressed against my face, laughing when I read something funny. I love the little things in life. The thought of him wanting to take a picture of me makes my heartbeat quicken.
Gosh, every day, it seems like I’m falling in love with him all over again.
“Read the caption.”
Scrolling down, I read what he wrote. “The Girl in Blackhas a heart full of gold.”
God, can he get any more perfect?
“I love you. I love you so much,” I mutter when he rises from his chair.
Wrapping my arms around him, I kiss his bare chest.
* * *
“Hey, Mom,” I say once I enter our hotel suite.
