Chapter 23
SERGEI
“We’re going the wrong way.”
Leo’s voice sounded exhausted, and I couldn’t help feeling guilty for waking him up this late to save a life that didn’t deserve it.
He sat slumped next to me in my truck with his eyes closed.
I’d thought he was sleeping because he hadn’t said anything since we left the treatment facility that I’d convinced Maxim to set up after Wren’s medical emergency.
We already had a doctor, but seeing Leo in motion just now left me convinced he would be perfect to take over the role.
If only I could get him to stop hating Maxim. Or Maxim to trust him.
“We’re not going to your house,” I said quietly. “It’s too far away, and you’re exhausted.”
“Then where are you taking me?”
“My place.”
Where the walls were bare, and I hadn’t had the chance to purchase furniture, but there was a bed where he could sleep comfortably, and the treatment facility was seven minutes away in case there was an emergency.
At first, I’d not cared either way if the motorcyclist died, but upon inspecting the contents of his wallet and learning his identity, it was better for all of us if we kept him alive.
I’d expected some kind of argument from Leo when he learned where I was taking him, but he didn’t say a word. I had to check if he’d fallen asleep, but his eyes were wide open like he was cataloging every turn.
Soon, we pulled up to the two-story, five-bedroom house Jess had helped me choose. It was a lot more than I needed, but it’d seemed to impress her, so I figured it would impress Leo too. He had such class—more class than anyone I’d ever met.
“This is your home?” Leo leaned forward to peer up at the structure in front of us.
“Yes. You didn’t think I earn pennies from my job, did you?”
“I hadn’t given it much thought, but seeing it makes me wonder.”
I had wanted to have the place decorated before I asked him over but hadn’t been able to decide on an interior designer.
Besides, I was leaning toward asking Leo to help me buy the furniture like Nik had suggested.
Since the only reason I’d bought the house was to have somewhere nice for him to feel at home, his liking it was the most important thing.
I parked in the double garage but didn’t immediately get out. I turned to face him, waiting until he was looking directly at me before I spoke.
“Leo, I’m a simple man with simple tastes.” I took his hand in mine, noting how smooth, solid, and firm it felt. “Over the years, Maxim invested the salary I haven’t touched, and I’ve accumulated enough wealth to be able to afford nice things and give you whatever you want. I’m worth—”
“Stop!” Leo’s hand came over my mouth. “Do you know how insane it is for you to tell random people how much you’re worth? How do you know I’m not a gold digger who will be attracted to your wealth?”
I smiled behind his hand and removed it from my mouth. “That’s fine by me. At least you’d be attracted to something about me.”
“God, you’re impossible.”
Leo pulled his hands away and got out of the truck. I hurried after him, wrapping an arm around his waist before he reached the steps. “What did I say wrong?”
He stiffened against me. “You assume by telling me you’re rich that it’ll make me change my mind about you? Do you think I’m that easy?”
My laugh was hoarse. “Easy? That’s the last word I would use to describe you, Leo. You’ve been so fucking difficult to get close to. Don’t blame me for clutching at any straw possible just to get you to want me even half as much as I want you.”
“You’re so—” He huffed loudly, then grabbed me by the neck and pulled my head down, smashing our lips together in a rough kiss. He released me before I could react. “I make decent money doing my job and can take care of myself. My wanting you has nothing at all to do with how much money you make.”
“You want me?” The ringing in my ears made it difficult to figure out if I’d heard correctly.
“Open the door, Sergei, and let’s finish this inside.”
I’d never moved so fast to obey a command. The blood in the truck bed needed immediate attention since the longer it settled, the harder it would be to get out, but Leo came first. I punched in the code, and the door unlocked.
Our steps echoed off the empty hallway and bare walls.
Without a word, Leo looked over the small mountain of stacked boxes to the side as he walked along the hall.
They were mostly surveillance equipment I needed for my job.
I hadn’t taken them into the office yet.
No rush when I was no longer as involved in that side of the business, since Darius had taken over security.
Leo stopped at the entrance to the living room and frowned. “Sergei.”
“Yes?”
“When did you buy this house?”
I scratched the back of my neck, wanting to lie to him but not daring to. He looked at me as if he could see right through me. “I collected the keys four days ago.”
“Why did you buy a house all of a sudden?”
I took a step, then another until we were almost toe to toe. “You didn’t want us to have sex at your place.”
“But you must have lived somewhere before this.”
“It wasn’t good enough for you.”
“Sergei, you did not buy this expensive house just to have sex.” He shook his head, his eyes wide in disbelief. “Do you know how insane that is?”
“It’s not.” I crossed my arms, fighting against the feeling of embarrassment that snuck up on me. I’d done so much to prove how I felt about him, yet he gave so little in return. “You only think that way because you don’t understand how much…”
“What?”
“How much I like you.”
He glanced away, his gaze trained on the wall to the right of my shoulder. “I wish I understood why. I’ve not done anything to encourage you.”
“You being alive is encouragement enough.” I reached for the front of his shirt, gathered the material in my fist, and clung tightly to it.
“I know you expect some grand truth, but I wish I knew too why it’s you.
All I know is that when you’re angry and sad, I feel like it’s my responsibility to make you happy.
When I should be working, I’m constantly distracted, wondering if you’ve eaten.
If you’re okay. Did you get home safely?
Are you still having trouble sleeping? Then there’s the fact that you’re the smartest man I know.
I’ve never given it much thought before, but as it turns out, I realize I’m attracted to how intelligent you are. ”
I leaned in to brush my lips lightly over his. “The entire time you were working to keep that guy alive, I was hard as a rock picturing those confident hands on me.”
A soft sigh came from him, and I thought he would push me away, but he slipped his hand into my hair, angled my head, and pressed his lips against mine. “Sergei, you’re such a fool.”
And if he continued kissing me the way he was, I had no problem being a fool for him. With a groan, I rested my hands on his hips and opened my mouth for him when he coaxed me with his tongue. He took a few steps forward, and I retreated until my back hit the wall and I had nowhere else to go.
His mouth moved against mine with a purpose that made my pulse stutter.
I could hardly keep up with his tongue sweeping into my mouth, his teeth sinking into my bottom lip, his hands tugging at my hair, then slipping down to run over my chest, and finally to grab my ass.
My moan filled his mouth, and I pulled him closer until our pelvises were flush against each other.
The evidence of his arousal was like an iron rod against mine.
I undulated my hips, gasping for air into my lungs. “Leo…”
His hands seemed to reach me everywhere, mapping the solid line of my hips, sliding forward to unbuckle my belt and unbutton my pants. I was panting by the time his hand reached into my boxers and encircled my erection. With a groan, I bucked my hips, welcoming his touch.
“You’re leaking so much, dollface.” He pulled me from my boxers, his head bowing to examine my cock in his hand. The tip was flushed pink and sticky. He pressed his finger to the wetness and spread it over my cock with a slow stroke that had me grunting and had my toes curling.
“You’ve been wanting this for a while, haven’t you?” He leaned forward as though to kiss me but then eased back before our lips could touch. I reached for him, but he shook his head, and I gave in to him.
Leo was like a witch who had a spell on me. The way his hand slicked over my cock in slow, torturous motions had me arching my back against the wall and thrusting into his fist.
“How badly do you want it, Sergei?” he teased.
“I want it now,” I whined, hips rolling with the twist of his hand. “You can fuck me right here against the wall, Leo. I’ll remember you every time I walk into my house.”
Leo wore a subtle smile before he kissed me again. “The first time we had sex was in the shower. I want to get you into bed. Please tell me there’s an actual bed.”
“Sort of.”
“What do you mean? Surely you haven’t been sleeping on the floor?”
“Not quite.”
I shoved my dick back inside my underwear and tugged my pants up but didn’t bother to button up.
I led Leo up the stairs and down the hall to the first bedroom on the left.
Once at the door, second thoughts crept in.
What was I doing? There was a reason I hadn’t brought Leo here yet, because the house might have cost quite a bit, but the inside was bare.
I was comfortable sleeping on a mattress on the floor, but I couldn’t expect a man of Leo’s caliber to do the same.
“Why are we not going in?” Leo asked, slipping a hand around my waist and kissing the back of my neck.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
The space between us went so quiet I could hear my own breathing. Leo’s arms dropped, and he took a step back. “I thought you didn’t play games.”
“This is not a game.”
“Isn’t it?” He cocked his head to the side, his lips pursed tightly. “Downstairs, you were all hot and ready for me to be inside you, and now I’m suddenly not welcome? What do you call that?”
Uncertain how to explain the situation to him, I fumbled with the knob and pushed the door open. Reluctantly, I stepped aside to reveal the room. “This is why.”
Leo walked past me slowly into the room, his eyes roving over the mattress on the floor, the sheets twisted from this morning. No curtains hung from the window, no carpet or even a single rug on the floor. The only other thing in the room was a chair next to an outlet with my laptop plugged in.
“This isn’t how I wanted you to see the place,” I said from my position still at the door.
“What?” Leo turned to me. “You think I haven’t slept on a mattress on the floor before?”
“Have you?” From what I knew about him, Leo grew up in a middle-class family.
They weren’t exactly rich, but they were able to take vacations abroad and afford to send their son to medical school without him taking out a loan.
At least they’d offset the rest of his tuition that his scholarships hadn’t covered.
“No, I haven’t.” Then he grinned. And that smile did something to me.
Leo was always so controlled. Broody. Usually, every word he said was measured, every movement deliberate. Even when he was angry, there was structure to it. But right then, he looked loose, relaxed like something in him had finally unclenched.
That curve of his mouth made my chest tighten and my pulse kick. This version of Leo—unguarded, a little wicked, standing in the middle of my bare bedroom without a care in the world—was far more dangerous than the uptight man I’d been chasing.
When I still didn’t say anything, he crossed the space between us slowly. I watched every step, my breath catching when he finally came to a stop right in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat of his body, smell the faint antiseptic scent of the soap that clung to his skin.
I waited for him to speak, to give me a clue as to what our next move would be. Instead, he reached up, curled his fingers into the front of my shirt, and with his other hand, pulled my head down.
His mouth crashed into mine without hesitation. My hands came up instinctively, gripping his hips as he kissed me deeply, his tongue sweeping into my mouth. When he pulled back, my head spun. He stayed close, lips brushing mine as he spoke.
“But I’m looking forward to it.”
The words sank straight into me, heavy and hot. I swallowed, trying—and failing—to steady myself.
He turned slightly, nodding toward the door across the hall. “I’m assuming that leads to a shower?”
“Yes,” I managed.
“Good.”
He stepped back, already reaching for the hem of his nightshirt, peeling it off with an ease that made my throat go dry.
“I’d like to wash up first,” he said, tossing it aside. Then his eyes flicked over me slowly. “And you should get prepped too.”
The way he said it—calm, clinical—shouldn’t have made my knees feel weak, but then his gaze darkened.
“Because when I come back…”
He stepped in again, close enough that his mouth brushed my ear, his breath hot against my skin.
“I’m going to take my time with you, dollface.”