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She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in, letting his body press against her as she lifted to her toes and kissed him hard.

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Leo melted into the kiss, his arms crossed at her back, his hands on either side of her waist. When his palms came in contact with her skin, he abruptly stopped, pulling back.

He pressed his forehead against hers. “We shouldn’t do this. You’re upset.”

She shook her head. “No. Please.”

He groaned. “Alana, my restraint is already paper thin.”

She linked her arms around his neck. “Then let go.”

Leo kissed her neck, then followed a trail down her collarbone and to her shoulder. “I don’t want to take advantage of you,” he murmured. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me,” she whispered. “I think you’re incapable of it.”

His eyes flashed. His hands rested on her skin again.

“Please,” she whispered again. “I’m not reckless. You aren’t taking advantage of me.”

He tipped his head, a smirk dancing at his lips. “Maybe a little reckless,” he teased.

She frowned. She didn’t want to play or tease. She wanted him. She wanted his clothes off so she could feel every inch of his skin. She wanted to hear him groan again, and all the other noises he’d make when he took her. She wanted his full attention on her body and soul. She wanted him, and nothing else.

His smirk faded, and he cradled her tighter to him. “Then you must promise me something.”

She nodded.

“Promise me you won’t regret it. Promise me you won’t pull away. Promise me you won’t leave, that you will stay here tonight. In bed. With me.”

She leaned her head back. It sounded rash and reckless, to want so much from him all at once. Yet, deep in her soul, she knew this was where things were leading to. Everything about her life felt wrong, but Leo…he felt right. She wasn’t sure about a lot of things, what would happen with her home or with Sophie and the baby or her relationship with Freya. But when it came to Leo, she was confident. Everything about being with him felt so sure.

She held up a pinky.

He took it, curling his pinky around hers. But instead of kissing his hand, he leaned in and traced his lips against hers. His free arm loosened around her waist. She whimpered in response. No, she wanted him to squeeze tighter, to get closer.

His hands circled her wrists. He lifted her arms, then pressed them to the wall, locking her in place. His eyes roamed over her skin, finally taking in the curves of her body, her white cotton underwear that hung low at her hips. He parted her legs with his knee, then pressed in, the friction of his jeans against her thin underwear hitting right where she needed him.

She moaned, knocking her head back.

His lips light brushed at the soft spot between her shoulder and neck. “How much do you need me, ma chérie?” he asked.

She rocked back and forth against his knee, letting the friction intensify between her thighs. “Bad.”

He grinned, his teeth grazing her skin. “How bad?”

She wiggled her arms, attempting to break free, to reach her hand under his shirt and unbutton his jeans.

But he pressed firmly at her wrists, not allowing her to move from his grasp. “How bad, Alana?” he asked again, his face hidden in shadows as he watched her squirm.

She tilted her head up, determined. “More than I need oxygen,” she replied.

His face shifted when she said it. The tease in his expression slipped away, and he was left with something raw and vulnerable. She watched him, puzzling together what he must have been going through.

Promise me you won’t leave.

Leo wasn’t only saying that for her benefit, to make sure she was making a clear decision to move forward with him. He was also saying that for his own heart. In Brent, here at Marien, he finally had his shot at having a family. He didn’t want to see it slip away.