‘Yes. It’s the worst that can happen and now it has.’
‘Not the worst,’ countered Anna.
‘The worst of your imaginings. Now we’ve got that out the way, we can go to sleep.’
She was still a little stiff but he could feel her gradually relaxing against him.
‘Better?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It’s more comfortable. Don’t get any ideas.’
‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’ He breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of her, her hair soft beneath his chin. He could do this. Remain immune. They were friends. They’d reached a good place. They could share a bed and it could be platonic.
With a small smile he dropped a silent kiss on her hair and her hand tightened on his waist.
‘Thank you, Leo.’
‘For what?’ he asked, his body starting to soften with sleep.
‘For being you.’
In the dark he smiled. It feel good to be valued for himself and not compared to anyone else, like his brother for instance. Now that she was nestled next to him, the warmth of her body relaxing against him, all was good. He closed his eyes. Anna. Here. All was good. As the fuzziness of sleep enfolded him, he was vaguely aware that perhaps thiswasn’tsuch a good idea … but it felt so good.
ChapterTwenty-One
God, the birds were loud. It was her first conscious thought. The second was that Leo had quite an erection going on, which was currently poking into her hip. Keeping the rest of her as still as possible, she turned her head from where she was sprawled face-down next to him, one leg hooked over his. A sleepy snuffle suggested he wasn’t yet awake and she took the chance to study him. If it weren’t for that sexy, sulky mouth in repose, his blonde hair haloed in the bright morning sunshine pouring through the window would have made him look far too much like an angel for comfort.
The light planed the lines of his jaw, catching the golden, sugary bristles on his chin, bringing back a memory of the light sandpaper rasp of his skin over hers, and early-morning kisses. Her mouth dried and sadness filled up inside her. Her fingers itched to touch his face.
‘I know you’re watching me,’ murmured Leo, his voice husky with sleep. ‘Stop it. It’s creepy.’
‘It’s not creepy if you know,’ retorted Anna.
‘Mmm.’ Leo wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her top half closer to him, burrowing his face into her neck. ‘You’re so lovely and warm.’ His body softened … well, most of it … beneath her. She was still very aware of his morning stand-to-attention and held her breath, waiting for him to realise and perhaps pull back. She didn’t want to embarrass him but he was clearly still half asleep. She ought to pull away herself but the soft sleepiness in his voice caught at something in her and she couldn’t bring herself to. Instead she smiled and allowed herself to savour the moment, his warm body, skin on skin, and the soft huffs of his breath against her neck. Her fingers idly traced his spine, her hand splaying over the muscles in his back. Six years on, he was even more beautiful. A small bud of desire unfurled a heated sensation between her thighs. She closed her eyes and lay still, her body flooded with contented wellbeing. If she stayed like this, it would be enough.
Leo gave another sleepy sigh. ‘I miss you,’ he whispered into her neck, his breath sending a flutter across her skin. Her hand on his back tightened, holding him closer, but the lump in her throat stopped her from saying anything. Instead, her heart ached at the words.
His lips grazed her skin, a touch so gentle it was barely there, but it sent flickers of awareness dancing across her body. She held her breath, not wanting him to stop. His hand slid up from her waist and cupped the underside of a breast.
‘Leo,’ she whispered on a sigh and turned her head. His eyes were open, staring at her with earnest softness.
‘Anna,’ he whispered back, his gaze never leaving hers, those blue eyes bright, watchful and something else… Wary? Hopeful? Guarded? She wasn’t sure which but she hated the vulnerability she could see there. Turning onto her side, she lifted her hand to stroke his chin, her thumb catching his lip. His soft groan ignited a slow heat inside her as his hand slipped over the swell of her breast, caressing and reverent. She sucked in a breath, their eyes still locked. Looking away would have been impossible. It was if they were suspended in the ray of sunshine that bathed their bodies, a world apart from reality at that moment.
He leant forward, his eyes never leaving her face, moving so slowly, giving her the chance to bolt if she wanted to. She didn’t. The yearning inside her intensified. Want. Need. Desperation.
She reached up to touch his face, her eyes telling him everything he needed to know.
With a sigh, his lips softened into a wistful smile as his mouth closed in on hers.
That first kiss was like coming home after a long arduous expedition away, sinking back into comfort. Slow, languorous. They took the time to test, tease and explore, their mouths shaping and moving over each other’s with the fluid grace of a murmuration. It was an easy slide from uncertainty, that bashful getting to know each other again, testing the waters, through to growing familiarity and then on to the climb of passion. The bright, still morning was punctuated with their fevered breaths, sighs and gasps.
‘Anna.’ Leo wrenched his mouth from hers and laid his hot forehead against hers, pulling away from her body, gripping the wrist that was currently slowly stroking him. ‘We have to stop.’
‘We don’t have to,’ she said.
‘Yes, we do. I can’t do this. Not again.’
She stared into his eyes again, trying to get a read on him. It was as if her desire had been buried metres deep under the frozen tundra. No one had ever made her feel quite the way Leo did. This sensation that she might die if she didn’t getthere. She was desperate for his touch. ‘I want you. You want me.’ In that moment, she realised that there had never been anyone but Leo for her. She loved him. She ran a hand over his chest but he grabbed it, pushing it away.
