Page 68 of Christmas Crisis
And I sensed he wanted that too.
Tension simmered as I led him into our room. To the bed we shared.
When he asked to straddle me, heat pooled instantly in my core. Then his thighs squeezed mine as he worked me over, and I couldn’t stop the low moans that escaped my throat.
There was power in his fingertips I felt him keeping in check. Something had shifted. A weighty silence electrified the air, and I dared to hope…
Still, I’d needed to test my theory. So I rolled over, surprising him before he could conceal the evidence of his desire. And while he wasn’t granite, he wasn’t soft.
I could keep making excuses, keep telling myself he wasn't into me.Our level of physical affection was normal between friends. His daily morning wood was pesky biology. Kissing me at the arcade was all for show.
Or I could assess the evidence in front of me and think critically about the past two weeks.
My suspicions weren't solely based on Leo’s physical reaction to the massage. I’d heard the hitch in his voice. Seen his expression.
He wanted me.
I was done pretending otherwise.
And even though I was sure he had reasons for not owning up to it, I would not let him get away with that.
I had lied to myself so much with Stone. Rarely confronted him. But Leo and I weren’t like that. What was the point of being best friends if we didn’t communicate? We’d been down that road before. Being too careful around one another and not talking had caused our blowup on Halloween, when everything beneath the surface exploded.
Leo and I were real with each other. It was kind of our thing. I might have gaslit myself into believing Stone’s cavalier attitude toward me was acceptable, but I wasn’t talking myself out of noticing Leo’s response to touching me.
I'd put up with less than I deserved from Stone, but with Leo, I never would.
As he retreated into the kitchen to start the spaghetti, I released a shadow of a laugh. He truly thought he’d gotten away clean.
Silly Bear.
5 MONTHS AGO - JULY
I woke up in the middle of the nightto find Leo pressed against my back. Pulling his arm tighter over my waist, I snuggled against his chest.
This was why I’d come to his room. I knew he would settle me.
Watching Marley marry James had been one of the most joyful experiences of my life. The ceremony was beautiful, the reception loose and fun. Perfect for the happy couple. I was thankful my frustrating conversation with Stone hadn’t tainted the day for me. I’d been able to put him out of my mind. It wasn’t until I came back to my quiet hotel room—after deciding not to stay in my sister’s guest room on her wedding night—that the doubt and irritation crept back in.
From the moment I knocked on Leo’s door, I’d felt at ease again. Decisions about whether to cut ties with Stone or give him until the end of the year to stage a breakup with Naomi faded into the background.
Ever since a year and a half ago, when Leo first comforted me in the carport of my childhood home, he’d been my safe place. As I’d scratched my nails through his chest hair tonight, mentally contrasting the rough planes of his body with Stone’s smoothly sculpted pecs, I felt so grateful for Leo’s incredible friendship.
I’d fallen asleep thinking about how both Leo and Stone were physically absent from my life most of the time, but unlike Stone, Leo still felt like a solid, constant presence in it.
Only Leo felt necessary to my existence.
I’d miss him when he drove back to Tacoma tomorrow.
Before Stone dropped his bomb, I’d been looking forward to spending this time in my hometown. I’d had it all planned out—a summer in Coleman Creek away from the inevitable public interest surrounding Stone and Naomi’s breakup, and by the time I was back in LA to start my new job, Stone and I could date openly.
Instead, our holding pattern would extend into the fall. Unless I ended things.
That was why I told Stone I needed time to think.
I linked my fingers with Leo’s on top of my stomach. I wished I could ask for his advice. Maybe I would eventually, but since he was leaving town in less than twenty-four hours, it wasn’t the right time. He had to get back to the city for work, and I didn’t want him to feel obligated to stay, something I knew he’d do if he suspected I wasn’t okay.
For tonight, it was enough to soak up his warmth and positive energy.
