“Please?” I batted my eyelashes, hoping good manners and soft smile would be enough to push her over the edge.
Leaning closer to me, Leo lowered her voice to a grumbling whisper that sent jolts of electricity through my body. “You know exactly what you’re doing don’t you, Princess?”
All I could do was smile back at her. She and Spencerlovedbeing flirted with. And if it got me what I needed, what was the harm? I didn’t mind it much myself. Not that Leo needed to know that.
Looking around the hallway, Leo stood up taller. “Sure, baby. Consider it a reward for being such a good prisoner yesterday.”
I wanted to pump my fists, proud of my win. But instead, I just followed Leo back down the stairs.
If nothing else, getting outside would give me a break from the suffocating air inside.
But with any luck, seeing the place from the outside would help me figure out why it made my chest hurt, why I felt like a ghost was lingering around every corner.
21
KIERA
Leo heldmy hand down the stairs, pretending that it was to help stabilize me. But I knew that she just wanted to, and that the gentlemanly urge to guide me wasn’t something she could turn off.
We’d already had a full breakfast, and Leo had made sure it was packed with all the nutrients I needed. Unlike Gabe, she was happy to watch me feast — more focused on fueling my body than how it looked.
Though given how she’d looked at me this morning, I could only assume she was more than happy with what she saw.
Once we were downstairs, Leo dropped my hand gently and walked us around the staircase to a vintage wood and glass double door that led out to a gravel pathway. The stones were soft and round under my bare feet.
I hadn’t bothered to grab shoes — I didn’t want to give her a second to reconsider her offer.
Instead, we stepped into the sunlight of the morning and headed down the path. The section of the garden closest to the house was a trimmed, green lawn.
But as we walked further from the house, it was only a matter of feet before the lush greenery began. Large hedges guided us out to the flower beds. As soon as we passed the huge hedges, the smell of the late floral blooms filled the air.
My forehead wrinkled, a little surprised that it hadn’t frosted yet.
“It’s been a warm fall.” Leo muttered, clasping her hands behind her back. Her muscular back tensed under her shirt, the placement of her hands emphasizing her broad figure. If it weren’t for her surprisingly plump ass, I could have easily mistaken her for a man.
Where the flowers had dropped their petals, yellowing bushes remained. I could only imagine how beautiful it was in the spring.
Like she read my mind, Leo hummed. “Maybe you’ll stick around to see the bloom.”
The gravel crunching under my feet was a welcome change to the vintage carpets and hardwood of the house.
“Maybe. Or I can come visit.” I winked at her, not wanting to get either of our hopes up.
As much as I missed my things, I was also growing to like my new friends. Leo and Spencer were special — kind and funny. Plus, I liked the way they looked at me. Even if I had no idea what any of that meant.
Clicking her tongue, Leo winced. “Thing is, Dom hates visitors. She plays for keeps.”
We kept walking, stopping every few feet. Lichen-covered statues lined the edge of the property where the manicured lawn met the vast woods beyond. Clearly, that was where the landscaping budget stopped.
Dom had her work cut out for her, with the massive mansion and these sprawling gardens. These statues seemed like the lowest item on the renovation totem pole.
But they looked as if they’d been left to crumble for decades.
Maybe they have.
“What do you think?” Leo interjected.
Sucking in a breath of fresh air, I nodded. “It’s all so beautiful.”
