Read Online Leopold: Part Four by Ember Casey, Renna Peak - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ember Casey, Renna Peak
Ads: Link
the champagne safely in the compartment beside me.
A few minutes later, when we’re safely in the air, I pull them out again.
“Would you care for a glass?” I ask her as I pop the cork.
Something sparkles in her eyes. “Why not?”
I smile and pour us each a glass. Perhaps she’s only humoring me, but her response gives me hope. Maybe by the end of today, she’ll see it’s not so terrible a thing to accept a gift or to treat herself to something lavish. To me, she is worth every one of these luxuries—worth more than these luxuries, truth be told.
“Before we do anything else, I want to thank you, Elle,” I say.
She glances over at me in surprise. “Thank me?”
“For allowing me this chance.”
My gaze locks on hers, but even though her eyes darken slightly, she’s still guarded.
“We both needed some closure,” she says slowly. “It seemed like an opportunity to have one last hurrah so we can both move on with our lives.”
I frown. “Perhaps I haven’t made myself clear, Elle. I’m here because I have no desire to move on with my life.”
She breaks my gaze and gives a bitter laugh. “Stop with the bullshit, Leo. I know you’ve been with other women since me. The whole world knows. You can’t say things like that and expect me to believe them. Not anymore.”
“Elle, there’s been no one else—”
“Except that little blond actress everyone’s been drooling over, or that supermodel who just scored that big lingerie campaign—” She cuts off abruptly. Her cheeks redden slightly as she seems to realize that she’s accidentally admitted she’s been paying very close attention to my romantic life these past few months. “Look, Leo. You have every right to sleep with whoever you want, whenever you want. But please don’t come in here and lie to me about it. Give me that much.”
“I’ll admit there was a time, shortly after we parted, when I tried to occupy myself with other women,” I say. “But I never slept with any of them, Elle.”
“You didn’t sleep with any of them?” She doesn’t look the least bit convinced. “Even the lingerie model?”
“Not even the lingerie model,” I say. “Yes, I took them out. Yes, I kissed them. I even went home with a couple of them—but I couldn’t go through with it. Something always stopped me.” I think about that encounter with Lady Karina—the one encounter I was certain would cure me of my madness—then shake my head.
She freezes with her champagne glass at her lips, watching me closely. “What stopped you?”
“You know the answer to that, Elle,” I say, dropping my voice and leaning toward her. “ You did. I couldn’t get you out of my head. Whenever I went on a date with another woman, I could only think about how I wanted to be out with you. Whenever I kissed another woman, I could only think about how I wanted to be kissing you. Whenever I went home with a woman—”
She throws up a hand. “Stop. I don’t need to hear this.”
I gently push her hand aside. “Actually, you do. There were nights when I fully intended to sleep with other women. Nights when I thought that drowning myself in pleasure was the only way to escape the thought of you. You don’t understand what you do to me, Elle. You haunted me, no matter what I did.” My hand is still on hers, and I curl my fingers around hers. “I had a woman stretched out in front of me on the floor, completely naked and begging me to take her, and even though I told myself to do it, told myself it was the only way to move on, I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.”
She pulls her hand out of mine. “You seem to have a habit of abandoning naked women.”
“That’s not…” Bloody hell, this isn’t how I meant this to come out at all. “Elle, my point is that I looked at her—this beautiful woman who was begging me to do all manner of things to her—and I felt absolutely nothing. I don’t just mean emotionally—I mean physically, too. My brain was
A few minutes later, when we’re safely in the air, I pull them out again.
“Would you care for a glass?” I ask her as I pop the cork.
Something sparkles in her eyes. “Why not?”
I smile and pour us each a glass. Perhaps she’s only humoring me, but her response gives me hope. Maybe by the end of today, she’ll see it’s not so terrible a thing to accept a gift or to treat herself to something lavish. To me, she is worth every one of these luxuries—worth more than these luxuries, truth be told.
“Before we do anything else, I want to thank you, Elle,” I say.
She glances over at me in surprise. “Thank me?”
“For allowing me this chance.”
My gaze locks on hers, but even though her eyes darken slightly, she’s still guarded.
“We both needed some closure,” she says slowly. “It seemed like an opportunity to have one last hurrah so we can both move on with our lives.”
I frown. “Perhaps I haven’t made myself clear, Elle. I’m here because I have no desire to move on with my life.”
She breaks my gaze and gives a bitter laugh. “Stop with the bullshit, Leo. I know you’ve been with other women since me. The whole world knows. You can’t say things like that and expect me to believe them. Not anymore.”
“Elle, there’s been no one else—”
“Except that little blond actress everyone’s been drooling over, or that supermodel who just scored that big lingerie campaign—” She cuts off abruptly. Her cheeks redden slightly as she seems to realize that she’s accidentally admitted she’s been paying very close attention to my romantic life these past few months. “Look, Leo. You have every right to sleep with whoever you want, whenever you want. But please don’t come in here and lie to me about it. Give me that much.”
“I’ll admit there was a time, shortly after we parted, when I tried to occupy myself with other women,” I say. “But I never slept with any of them, Elle.”
“You didn’t sleep with any of them?” She doesn’t look the least bit convinced. “Even the lingerie model?”
“Not even the lingerie model,” I say. “Yes, I took them out. Yes, I kissed them. I even went home with a couple of them—but I couldn’t go through with it. Something always stopped me.” I think about that encounter with Lady Karina—the one encounter I was certain would cure me of my madness—then shake my head.
She freezes with her champagne glass at her lips, watching me closely. “What stopped you?”
“You know the answer to that, Elle,” I say, dropping my voice and leaning toward her. “ You did. I couldn’t get you out of my head. Whenever I went on a date with another woman, I could only think about how I wanted to be out with you. Whenever I kissed another woman, I could only think about how I wanted to be kissing you. Whenever I went home with a woman—”
She throws up a hand. “Stop. I don’t need to hear this.”
I gently push her hand aside. “Actually, you do. There were nights when I fully intended to sleep with other women. Nights when I thought that drowning myself in pleasure was the only way to escape the thought of you. You don’t understand what you do to me, Elle. You haunted me, no matter what I did.” My hand is still on hers, and I curl my fingers around hers. “I had a woman stretched out in front of me on the floor, completely naked and begging me to take her, and even though I told myself to do it, told myself it was the only way to move on, I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.”
She pulls her hand out of mine. “You seem to have a habit of abandoning naked women.”
“That’s not…” Bloody hell, this isn’t how I meant this to come out at all. “Elle, my point is that I looked at her—this beautiful woman who was begging me to do all manner of things to her—and I felt absolutely nothing. I don’t just mean emotionally—I mean physically, too. My brain was
Similar Books
