Another sound, and I freeze. Hold my breath.
One second.
Two.
On the third, the wooden floors creak right before the faucet starts up.
No.
Oh fuck.
Ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck.
I scramble out of bed and snatch the phone off the pillow. The motherfucker isearly. Since when the fuck is Leo early?
There’s still a solid five minutes before I’m meant to be waking up. In my months of learning his habits, he’s neveroncearrived back at this time.Not once.He’s more likely to get home two hours later than early.
Shit.Think. Think. Think.I cancel the alarm, then rush to fix the bed using the power of adrenaline and the fear of prison. My heart reaches a state that’s toeing the line of cardiac arrest as the footsteps vibrate through the floorboards in the direction of the stairs.
My head whips from side to side. Where the hell can I hide?
I can’t risk leaving this room because he might catch me. The closet is out; he’ll probably get changed. The bathroom is a definite no as well. Behind the armchair? No. Maybe behind the curtains—but if he turns the light on, there’s no way he won’t spot me.
Shit.
I’m so screwed.
Leo’s not meant to know I’m here.
I nearly trip over my feet as I drop to the floor, praying to whatever deity that’s listening to pity me so I can make the tight squeeze beneath the bed. It’s suffocating down here, and I can practically feel the dirt and dust burrowing into my skin like little razor blades. The sensation is almost too overwhelming. I blow out a breath, stretching my fingers out as I gaslight myselfinto believing I’m imagining the dust that’s seeping through my clothes.
Movement makes me freeze completely, impending sensory overload forgotten. From this angle on my back under the bed, I spot the top of his head appearing above the stairs, followed by his blinding grin that whips me off my axis. The soft curve playing on his lips has my lungs stuttering as he watches his phone.
I’ve never been this close to him before. Never been in a position where I’d be near enough to hear him breathing. It’s like I’m coming face-to-face with divinity, and I’m woefully unprepared.
Part of me wishes he’d look up and stare me right in the eyes. Because that would mean he senses I’m here—feelsthis undeniable thing between us that was written in stone long before we were born.
If he’d just look at me, he’d know there’s no point fighting this or beating around the bush with fake accounts and lies.
But I know that’s a foolish dream. The groundwork hasn’t finished being laid yet.
Leo crosses the threshold into the room, flicking the light on to bathe the space in gold. I stay completely still, chest barely moving. There’s only one clear thought in my mind: I fucked up.
My pulse ricochets before it stalls, and I wait for a face to appear beside me or to be dragged out from under the bed,Takenstyle. My nails dig into my palms as I watch him through the gap beneath the bed.
The only thing I can see is his socked feet. His steps are sure, moving through the space like he doesn’t have a clue there’s a woman hiding under his bed. Which is good. Very good. Let’s keep it that way.
When he goes to sleep, I’ll make a run for it. I’ll bank on him being a heavy sleeper, then zip away and he’ll be none the wiser?—
Wait. What is he doing?
Leo’s shirt drops onto the floor beside the bed. The silence turns deafening as he lowers himself into the armchair in the corner of the room, giving me the perfect view of his lips and down the muscular expanse of his bare torso. His abs contract as he gets comfortable, and the ink on his tanned skin catches the light with each of his movements.
I’m transfixed by him, sitting on the edge of my metaphorical seat as I wait to see what he does next.
He splays his legs out in front of him and leans back in the chair with an easy sigh.
Then he unzips his pants, and the tip of his hard cock peeks out from above his boxers, and I damn well almost choke.
