“Are you ready to go inside?” Leon asks me after the server takes our dessert plates away.
“Yeah. I was just getting cold.” The heater is amazing, but we were outside for a while. A blanket and Sophie’s couch sound amazing right now.
He shakes both men’s hands. “Thank you both for coming out on such short notice.”
“Everything was absolutely amazing. Thank you,” I say.
The men leave, leaving Leon and me alone in the apartment. “Can I top off your wine?” he asks, glancing at my glass.
“That’s okay. I should get going anyway.” He lowers an eyebrow. “If you wanted sex, you shouldn’t have fed me four courses of Italian food,” I awkwardly add.
A smirk plays on his lips again, and my heart leaps in my chest. “I wasn’t offering sex. Just a glass of wine. Maybe we could watch a movie or something.”
“Oh, a movie sounds good.” I guess I will curl up on the couch, just not Sophie’s.
He leads me to his living room, pressing a button that lights up half of the wall with the TV screen. Leon starts for his bedroom, and I sit down on the couch, my dress hitting my stomach in just the right spot to make it uncomfortable.
“Here,” Leon returns with a t-shirt. “You look stunning, but you can’t be comfortable in that.”
“Thank you.” I grab the shirt and make my way to the bathroom, one more knot clogging my throat.
Once again, I’m exposed to something new. Robbie always wanted me put together. He’d shoot me small comments here and there, to let me know he doesn’t appreciate my natural state. By the time I walked out on him, I would wait for him to fall asleep before taking my makeup off or letting my hair down. Even my sleepwear was carefully chosen to show off my bestfeatures. It had to be enough to pull attention away from my makeup-free face, or my overall disheveled look.
A relieved breath breaks free as I slip my dress off, pulling the soft white cotton over my head. The shirt hits me mid-thigh, and it’s as soft as Leon’s millionaire sheets. When I get back to the living room, Leon has changed, too. Instead of a designer suit, he now sports gym shorts and a shirt just like mine. He doesn’t notice me right away, so I watch him for a second, mesmerized. Getting him out of his suits is always delectable, mostly because you get to stare at the tattooed, hard planes of his chest, his rippling abs or that mouthwatering V that leads to his perfect cock. But this is something else. His hair is mussed and his features almost boyish as he clicks through the channels on his TV. This domestic version of him feels more intimate than any time we had sex. It’s as if he stripped away his mask of control, letting me peek behind the curtains. My chest inflates as my heart starts to race. It’s a heady, dangerous feeling. I should turn around and go home. Still, my feet carry me to the couch.
I guess watching a movie can’t hurt.
CHAPTER 16
Leon
Alex’s soft snores break through the movie’s soundtrack, and I realize she fell asleep. Her legs are in my lap, the blanket gone and the shirt I gave her riding dangerously high. A smile overtakes my face when my gaze lands on her peaceful expression. The idea of her willingly agreeing to sleep over seems far-fetched, so this lucky coincidence is a chance I’m not wasting. With a click of the remote, the TV turns off, and the room turns dark. Careful not to wake her, I move her legs from my lap and position myself so I can carry her as gently as possible. The lights from the neighboring skyscrapers illuminate my way as I take her to my bedroom and place her on the side of the bed furthest from the door. I take my shirt off, holding my breath while she shuffles to get comfortable and releasing it once I realize she isn’t waking up.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, I return with fresh breath, and lie down next to her. I stare at the shadows on the ceiling, feeling awkward. She’s right next to me, but I keep my hands to myself, unsure what to do. My life was the furthest thing from sheltered, but I can’t say I ever cuddled a woman while sleeping. Or even wanted to. But now my fingers itch to pull her closer. To slip under the shirt, not to have my way with her, but to feel thesilkiness of her skin and the softness of her flesh under my fingertips.
“For fuck’s sake…” I mutter out, turning to my side and spooning her to me.
It’s as good as I’d imagined. My body fits her perfectly, and she releases a small sigh. Dom would be furious with me, but he’s not the boss—I am. My body soon relaxes, sleep overtaking me.
Abeeping sound jolts me from the best night’s sleep. My hand reaches out, feeling the nightstand in search of my phone. My vision still blurry, I accept the call.
“Yeah?” I croak out, my voice laced with sleep.
“You still sleeping?” Dom’s voice fills the speaker.
I rub my eyes to check the watch.Ten am.“Obviously.”
“Well, get up and open the door for me.” He ends the call, and I drop the phone to my side, sighing.
My eyes catch movement to my left, and it’s then I remember I didn’t sleep alone last night. Alex stares at me with wide eyes, obviously surprised we’re sharing a bed.
“Good morning,” I say, moving her hair from her face.
Her mascara is smeared under her eyes, her hair messy, but she looks beautiful. “What happened? Why am I here?”
I let out a chuckle. “You fell asleep while we watched the movie. I didn’t want to wake you. Hope you don’t mind.”
She contemplates her answer for a second, her eyes narrowing at me. “I guess,” she answers, and I exhale a relieved breath.
