the last time that I asked.
“That’s no answer.”
Leo takes a casual bite of eggs, but the look he casts me over the plate is full of challenge. “I’m a garbage man.”
“Meaning what — you take out the trash?”
A small smile plays at the corner of his lips. “Something like that.”
What does that even mean…taking out the trash? Is he one of the enforcers that go around threatening to break people’s legs if they don’t pay their debts. Or does he offer up “protection” to local business owners? Or is he something worse?
I don’t have the courage to ask.
“What time is this legal thing?” He asks after the silence has stretched uncomfortably long.
“Um…10:30.”
“You think your mom’ll show?”
“Cecile, you mean,” I correct him, my voice sharp. I don’t even want to accept that the woman exists, much less acknowledge that we have any kind of relationship. “And I’m not sure. Probably depends on how high she is right now. And what she’s high on.”
“I’m guessing you’re not holding out much hope for rehab.” His expression is sardonic.
“Yeah, no. If I’d just inherited the money that Papa spent on detox centers and fancy rehabs over the years, I’d still have more than I know what to do with. She’s pathetic.”
“Fuck her, then. Sounds like you’re better off.”
And completely alone. I shove aside the devastating thought before it can overtake me. I’ve always had to be strong, to protect myself. Nothing about that has changed.
I get up to take my plate to the sink. Coming around the counter puts me in closer proximity to Leo than I’ve been since I first stepped foot in the apartment.
The air between us is suddenly charged and electric. Heat emanates off of him in waves, so much that it feels like I’ll be burned if I get closer.
So why do I so desperately want to get closer?
I look up to find him staring down at me, his dark eyes penetrating and unfathomable. The hand that rises to just barely brush over the light stubble on his cheek moves of its own volition. I can’t stop myself.
“You’re playing with fire,” he murmurs, his analogy a mirror of my own.
I think I know what he means, but then I’m not sure that I do.
“Did I ever thank you for last night?” The thought suddenly occurs to me. “I just realized that I don’t think I did.”
His voice is husky. “You didn’t.”
“I feel like I should do something for you.”
I’m never bold like this. Nobody who knows me would peg me for the seductress. Boner-killer was what one guy said. That was after I told him Lynn wouldn’t be going home with him unless he could produce the results of an STD panel, dated within the last 30 days.
But something about Leo makes me feel different. Maybe it’s the way I catch him looking at me when he thinks I’m not paying attention. Or maybe it’s just that he’s literally the only person in the world right now that I can trust to keep me safe.
Which is incredibly ironic, considering I’m almost positive that he kills people for a living.
The thought of that should bother me. And on any other day, it probably would. But right now, all I can think is that he’s big and strong. That he knows how to take care of me, no matter what it takes.
He stands as still as a statue when I explore his face with the tips of my fingers. I have an attack of nervous self-consciousness. Is he not reacting because he’s desperately trying to think of a polite way to tell me he’s not interested or is it something else.
My thumb just barely dips past the curve of his bottom lip to graze the smooth wetness underneath.
Something inside of him seems to break.
Aggressively strong hands wrap around my upper arms in a bruising grip. I have exactly one moment of warning when the dark blaze of his eyes completely fills my vision and then his lips are on mine.
The kiss is electrifying. He shoves me up against the small space between the side of the
“That’s no answer.”
Leo takes a casual bite of eggs, but the look he casts me over the plate is full of challenge. “I’m a garbage man.”
“Meaning what — you take out the trash?”
A small smile plays at the corner of his lips. “Something like that.”
What does that even mean…taking out the trash? Is he one of the enforcers that go around threatening to break people’s legs if they don’t pay their debts. Or does he offer up “protection” to local business owners? Or is he something worse?
I don’t have the courage to ask.
“What time is this legal thing?” He asks after the silence has stretched uncomfortably long.
“Um…10:30.”
“You think your mom’ll show?”
“Cecile, you mean,” I correct him, my voice sharp. I don’t even want to accept that the woman exists, much less acknowledge that we have any kind of relationship. “And I’m not sure. Probably depends on how high she is right now. And what she’s high on.”
“I’m guessing you’re not holding out much hope for rehab.” His expression is sardonic.
“Yeah, no. If I’d just inherited the money that Papa spent on detox centers and fancy rehabs over the years, I’d still have more than I know what to do with. She’s pathetic.”
“Fuck her, then. Sounds like you’re better off.”
And completely alone. I shove aside the devastating thought before it can overtake me. I’ve always had to be strong, to protect myself. Nothing about that has changed.
I get up to take my plate to the sink. Coming around the counter puts me in closer proximity to Leo than I’ve been since I first stepped foot in the apartment.
The air between us is suddenly charged and electric. Heat emanates off of him in waves, so much that it feels like I’ll be burned if I get closer.
So why do I so desperately want to get closer?
I look up to find him staring down at me, his dark eyes penetrating and unfathomable. The hand that rises to just barely brush over the light stubble on his cheek moves of its own volition. I can’t stop myself.
“You’re playing with fire,” he murmurs, his analogy a mirror of my own.
I think I know what he means, but then I’m not sure that I do.
“Did I ever thank you for last night?” The thought suddenly occurs to me. “I just realized that I don’t think I did.”
His voice is husky. “You didn’t.”
“I feel like I should do something for you.”
I’m never bold like this. Nobody who knows me would peg me for the seductress. Boner-killer was what one guy said. That was after I told him Lynn wouldn’t be going home with him unless he could produce the results of an STD panel, dated within the last 30 days.
But something about Leo makes me feel different. Maybe it’s the way I catch him looking at me when he thinks I’m not paying attention. Or maybe it’s just that he’s literally the only person in the world right now that I can trust to keep me safe.
Which is incredibly ironic, considering I’m almost positive that he kills people for a living.
The thought of that should bother me. And on any other day, it probably would. But right now, all I can think is that he’s big and strong. That he knows how to take care of me, no matter what it takes.
He stands as still as a statue when I explore his face with the tips of my fingers. I have an attack of nervous self-consciousness. Is he not reacting because he’s desperately trying to think of a polite way to tell me he’s not interested or is it something else.
My thumb just barely dips past the curve of his bottom lip to graze the smooth wetness underneath.
Something inside of him seems to break.
Aggressively strong hands wrap around my upper arms in a bruising grip. I have exactly one moment of warning when the dark blaze of his eyes completely fills my vision and then his lips are on mine.
The kiss is electrifying. He shoves me up against the small space between the side of the
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