Page 80 of Scandalous Little Obsession

"That bitch."

Leo stops pacing, chuckling at my outburst. "She really was. She let me believe the kid was mine for a few days before she said it was most likely his. She left me for him. For my best friend. Someone I knew was a bad guy, who treated women like shit—and she saw this firsthand; he'd dated a lot of her friends. And he cheated on her a week later. Slept with one of her other friends, during a party at Tandy's house. In Tandy's bed. After he slept with her before the party started."

Sounds to me like they deserved each other, but I don't say that out loud. It's not my place to judge them. Even though I am. I'm just not sharing that judgment.

"I avoided both of them the rest of the year, got my diploma, and tried to put them behind me. She called. She texted. Apologizing over and over again. Attempting to get back together with me. I never once replied. Hadn't talked to her since before prom until Thanksgiving, when she showed up at my house."

"Why?"

"She always spent Thanksgiving with my family, so my mom invited her. She has no idea what Tandy put me through. She thought we parted as friends. If she knew, she never would have extended an invitation."

"And how did she end up here, on campus, in your dorm?"

"That would also be my mom." Leo lets out a long sigh as he takes a seat next to me. "I know she has good intentions, and I've avoided being honest with her because I know how much she loves Tandy, but it's time to tell her what happened. It's going to break her heart, but if I'd been honest with her from the beginning, last night never would have happened. Tandy wouldn't have shown up here, we wouldn't have fought, and your feelings wouldn't have wavered. I really am sorry about that, Evie. I know I've said it, and I know you hear the words, but I want to say it again. I'm sorry."

Leaning my head on his shoulder, Leo wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer.

Before he started telling me about her, I had already decided he was innocent of every negative thought I had about him last night. He needs to hear it, though. He needs to know I trust him, that I believe him.

"I'm not mad at you, Leo. Honestly, it would be harder for you to come up with a lie that unbelievable. You're telling me the truth; I get that now. And after all she put you through, there's no way you wanted her here last night. You didn't invite her. You didn't cheat on me. My own damn insecurities got the best of me."

"I can't say I wouldn't have reacted the exact same way if the situation were reversed."

The fact he admits that makes him even more amazing in my eyes.

Leo is the kind of person I want to spend my time with. The kind of guy who will treat me with respect, cherish me, and do everything to make me happy. He's proven that repeatedly. My only concern is that he will lose who he is, what he wants, on his mission to give me everything. To make me smile. To bring me joy.

As I sit wrapped in his arms, I vow not to let that happen. To always give as much as I take. To take care of him the way I know he'll take care of me. To put his needs first.

"You're amazing. Strong. Kind." I pause, placing my hand on his thigh, causing him to stiffen beneath my gentle touch. "She was lucky to have you; she just never realized it. And as much as what you went through hurts my heart, I can't help but be thankful she did what she did. If she hadn't, we never would have met. We wouldn't be sitting here right now. I wouldn't feel safe and warm in your embrace." Sliding my hand higher up his thigh, I slow to a stop when I get close to my destination. Uncertainty halting my progress.

We've been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours. We sank to the bottom of the ocean, the relentless undertow pulling us deeper and deeper. The darkness of the depths overwhelming. But we survived. We pushed through the current until we reached the surface. I still feel like I'm gasping for air around him. But at the end of the day, I'd fight against those waves again if it meant he was my reward for surviving.

"Evie," he groans when I move my hand over the growing bulge in his pants.

"Have I ever told you what I thought the first time I saw you?" Instead of answering, he groans again, tightening his grip on me as I apply more pressure, rubbing the heel of my hand against him. "I knew even then that I wanted you to be my first. At the time, that's all I wanted. For you to take the curse of my virginity. To strip me of it. To rid me of the angelic halo that was taunting me."

He moves quickly, pushing me back against my mattress and hovering over me. His knees nudge mine, parting them so he can stand between my legs. His breathing is labored as he stares down at me. When I see the lust pooling in his eyes, his right eye partially closed as it continues to swell, I stop breathing all together for a few beats.

My need to tell him everything is what drives me forward.

Expelling a long breath, I continue. "I still want all those things, with you, only you, but that's not all I want anymore. I want it all. I want you here the next morning. I want to wake up wrapped in your arms. To fall asleep with you by my side. I want to hold your hand in public. To kiss you whenever I want."

"Anything else?" The impatience in his voice is clear.

"Yeah." Pressing up on my elbows so my lips are barely a breath away from his, I feel Leo's swift intake of breath. "I want you to be my boyfriend."

"Done," he states, eliminating the distance between us as he captures my lips.

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