Page 86 of Raising Love
He paused everything, his movements coming to a halt as he stared at me, our bodies still connected.
“You don’t have to say it back,” he assured me, his chest heaving with every breath. “I just… I do.”
“Oh, my God.” My eyes widened. “Leo!”
“Shh,” he murmured, brushing his lips against mine as he resumed his strokes, slow and purposeful. “You don’t have to say it back. Just come with me.” He nodded slowly. “Come with me.”
There was something in the way he said it—I love you—that resonated deeply. It wasn’t a fleeting declaration born out of the heat of the moment. It was raw and honest, wrapped in sincerity, vulnerability, and a dash of uncertainty.
If I thought I was feeling good before, hearing those words amplified everything. I was fully present, my senses heightened, every nerve ending tuned to him.
He took my hands, threading his fingers through mine, and held them out to the sides. His movements were steady, rhythmic, as his gaze locked on mine.
Leo didn’t just make love to me—he consumed me. His body spoke to mine, his strokes precise, unraveling every defense I had. My jaw went slack, my vision blurred, and tears stung my eyes, distorting the view of his face.
“Yes,” he whispered, picking up speed. “Come with me, baby. Oh, God, Ivy, come with me just like that.”
And I did. Completely.
The sensation coursing through me was overwhelming. My body surrendered, moving in perfect harmony with his. I gripped his hands tightly, holding on as though my life depended on it. My entire world narrowed to the pulsing rhythm between us.
The sounds we made—the wet slaps of skin, the creak of the bed, and our mingled breaths—drowned out everything else. I let go of his hands, clutching his back as the intensity overtook me.
Leo groaned deeply, his thrusts slowing, each one a purposeful, final push. Together, we unraveled, collapsing into a shared breathless silence.
Leo’s hand skimmed down my thigh, his fingers dancing lightly over my skin before trailing back up. His lips didn’t give mine a moment of reprieve, stealing kiss after kiss as though he’d never get enough.
I tried to turn my head away, laughing through my protests, but he only shifted closer, pressing kisses along my neck.
“Oh, my God.” I giggled, my voice breathless. “Will I ever breathe my own air again?”
“Nope,” he said against my mouth, his grin evident in his tone. He tugged me closer by the thigh, positioning himself between my legs again.
The sun had risen, marking a new day, but we hadn’t gotten much sleep. Between devouring the meal Leo had made and tending to Levi throughout the night, every moment in between was spent tangled together.
Now, lying beneath him in one of his oversized tees, with him completely bare against me, I could feel his fingers slipping between my thighs.
“Mmm,” I moaned softly as his fingers found their mark, circling my clit with firm, concentrated strokes. I spread my legs wider, giving him better access.
“Your touch is insane,” I whispered, my body arching into him.
“Mm-hmm,” he murmured, his voice a velvet rasp. “I’m very good with my hands and other parts of me as you know.”
He proved his point by sliding his tongue into my mouth, his rhythm with his fingers perfectly synced to the kiss.
To say I could get used to this would be an understatement. It had only been 24 hours since we’d acknowledged this undeniable pull between us, but already it felt like home.
Kendra’s journal sat open on the nightstand beside us, turned to the page where she detailed the baby names she and Tyrell had chosen. Leo and I planned to call the estate lawyer that morning to make Levi’s name official, but Leo had other priorities.
Not that I was complaining.
My hips moved instinctively to the rhythm of his fingers, my body attuned to his every touch. I ran my hand up the back of his head, smoothing my fingers over his fade.
I’d never known intimacy like this.
We’d spent years convinced we weren’t right for each other, that we couldn’t work. But these past few months—and especially these last 24 hours—had told an entirely different story.
“I swear,” he breathed, his voice thick with emotion, “every moment with you feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
