Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
It has to be a joke. There’s no way we can date while Rosa has no clue about it. Some secret kissing, touching, and steam are fine, but dating is another thing.
“That’s one word for it,” he says darkly.
“But it’s over, remember?”
“Does it feel over?” he asks with a sad smile. “I told myself the same. That’s why I’ve been staying away. Then I see you, Emma, and…”
The table is small enough for him to lean right over it. He still wouldn’t be able to kiss me if I didn’t want him to, not if I leaned away, scooched my chair back, and turned my face. I do none of those things. Instead, I meet him in the middle and collapse into the hottest moment of my life. That’s what it feels like when our lips meet, his mouth opening, eager for my tongue, mine just as eager for his. Both of us make pleasure sounds as I grab onto his arm, squeeze, and feel his muscle, the strength that will always keep me safe. Us safe, our family.
I’m panting, gasping through the kiss, and squeezing his arms. Suddenly, I imagine Rosa seeing us like this. It ruins it, yet it’s still an effort to pull away.
“You’re so damn addictive,” he snarls. “Everything about you. Your smile. Your kisses. Your body. Your sass. Your passion. Your loyalty.”
I laugh harshly at the last one. “Loyalty? Really?”
“I’ll admit it’s confusing, but I can tell you’re loyal.”
We say nothing for a while, and then he asks, “Are you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“What’s eating you up?”
“It’s no—”
“It’s something. I want to know.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re dating.” He smirks. “Remember?”
I smile at him despite everything, the whole state of our world. It’s terrible, but I do it, and it feels good. There they are again, feelings. I sigh, studying the plants as I speak. It would be nice to get it off my chest and to know. I mean, I already know, but to hear him say it. Is this a form of anxiety?
“After Mom died,” I say, then stop and bite down.
The words hurt.
“It’s okay,” he says with surprising softness.
“After she died—”
The chair legs screech against the concrete as I stand up, running my hands through my hair, curly and tangled. “This is so hard.”
More chair leg screeching, and then Leo stands beside me, over me. His hands fly to my hips, but not in the hungry way they usually do. He holds me softly and kisses my forehead, his whisper causing warm tingles to shimmer over my skin.
I think of Angelica strangely and what Leo said. He’s never lit a single candle.
“Is it us? Me?” he asks.
“No. Well, sort of.”
He says nothing, waiting for me to go on, his hands straying over my back. This feels far more intimate than some lust-fueled fling. I’ve never had a boyfriend, but holding me like this, it’s the sort of thing a good boyfriend would do—giving me the space I need.
“After Mom,” I say, then shudder and almost cry.
He squeezes me comfortingly. “I’m here.”
“After Mom, I had an episode. That’s what the doctors called it. I loved her so much. I missed her. Miss her.”
With my defenses down—they’re impossible to keep up with Leo here—there’s nothing to stop the tears. There’s nothing to stop the sadness pouring out of me. He kisses them on my cheek, hugging me. It’s all so risky.
“For a day, I completely lost it. I went into this weird state where I thought she was still alive. I saw her, felt her, hugged her. I wouldn’t believe Dave or the doctors when they told me she was dead. It was all so real, Leo. I can still see it now. I’m broken. I’m nuts.”
“Never say that.”
He moves his arms to my shoulders, fully embracing me. I bury my face in his firm chest and let the pain out.
“Wait.” Leo strokes my hair. “Did you think the same about us?”
I’m so glad I don’t have to say it. I nod, sobbing a yes.
“Oh, Emma. I said it was a dream, but we’re the most real thing I’ve ever felt: me and you. You’re everything I want. Everything I need. You’re going to be mine forever.”
I’m not sure I heard him right.
Am I having auditory hallucinations too? I grab his arms, lean back in his embrace, and stare at him. Then he softly pushes me away, strides for the door, throws it open, and almost sprints down the stairs. He doesn’t give me a chance to respond.
I’m left in the walled-off garden on my own. He said I was going to be his forever. Didn’t he? That’s what he said.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Leo
“Been a hectic few days,” Dario says, looking across the car at me.
I can feel the question in his eyes. He’s been looking at me like this ever since I picked him up. It’s the day after the rooftop scene with Emma after I said that she’s mine forever. After I said it, I knew I’d gone too far. I’d let out way too much truth. I couldn’t stop myself from saying it, though.