28. Leo
28
LEO
T hat dress was a red flag walking. A sign that said “do not come closer because any ounce of professionalism will go out the window.”
He was never good at listening anyway.
Leo got to indulge in holding her hand and dancing with her and not second-guessing a touch of her bare back. How was someone allowed to look so gorgeous while simultaneously being the biggest nerd in the world?
That spot where her neck met her shoulder taunted him with every dance. It teased him, begging for his lips to graze over the soft skin.
Alas, he was forced to be a gentleman when all he wanted to be was a randy teenager and sneak out of this place and?—
No. This was her night to shine. He could play the part of the perfect gentleman .
Well, a gentleman who refused to let her dance with anyone else, and it was clear she didn’t mind. They had a lot of catching up to do. When had his frustration turned into infatuation? Hard to tell when it all flipped.
He pretended this was normal, that he had the privilege of being with her every day, and this was just another day in his life with Sage.
He wanted to do life with her.
Which was terrifying considering his whole career path really wasn’t conducive to families, relationships, or even friendships.
Family? With her? Maybe.
Relationship? With Sage? Absolutely.
Friendship? That couldn’t be where it ended.
“What are you thinking about?” Sage asked.
He twirled her on the dance floor where others were simply swaying. The ballroom was decked out and everyone was wearing some motif, some homage, to Welkin Wall. There were photographers and interviewers and someone streaming from every table. It was like Comic-Con for computer geeks. Lily was over at the table conducting unofficial interviews, trying to head off the damage about Jared that was likely already leaking.
Leo turned his attention back to his favorite Subject. “I’m thinking about a life with you,” he wanted to say. Instead, he turned on his work brain, because there was something niggling at the back of his mind. “I’m just thinking about Jared. Obviously he was insane. Out of touch with reality. Delusional.”
Sage shivered. “Sick. ”
“So why did he ransack your house? Why did it look like he was after something?”
“Because he is delusional and now in jail and won’t be bothering me anymore?” Sage didn’t look like she believed her words.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Leo said, trying not to kiss her again.
He failed.
Sage kissed him back. She raised her hand and then looked to be second-guessing herself and then plunged forward anyway and ran her fingers through his hair. If he had been a dog, his tail would be wagging.
Was he so touch-starved that a hand through the hair was enough to make him melt?
“Sorry,” she laughed slightly. “I just wanted to do that. Ever since you fell asleep on the couch watching Ever After.”
Leo rolled his eyes, hoping above all hopes that she’d do it again. “Sorry I’m not like that Prince Charming with locks long enough to donate.”
“You’ve always had nice hair,” Sage said. “Want to know a secret?”
“Always.”
“I thought you were handsome. Back in high school, I loathed you. You were mean and crass and a total jerk. But even I had to admit that your thick hair and stupid long eyelashes were nice to look at.”
He puffed up. “You were into me back then, eh?”
“Ugh, no.”
“You just said you admired me! ”
“Like the way someone admires a strange piece of art.”
“Am I a strange piece of art to you now?”
Sage shook her head. “A fun fantasy.”
“I can make fantasies come true, you know.”
They both laughed. “That was bad,” Sage said.
“Terrible,” Leo admitted.
“Like a line out of a cheesy romance novel.”
“I have one though.”
“A cheesy romance novel?” Sage asked. “I was wondering what you were reading on the plane.”
Leo shook his head. “A fantasy,” he whispered.
“What is it?” Sage asked after a heartbeat.
The music changed into something even slower and they made no move to get off the dance floor. No move to the bar. No move to the cars where people were beginning to disappear into the night in search of more cantankerous fun.
“I want to kiss you,” Leo whispered, lifting a hand to stroke her neck. “Right there.” He ran a hand over that spot on her neck. “I want to kiss it so bad.”
“So why don’t you?”
“Because I think it might push me over the edge. Take this game of pretend too far.”
“Would that be bad?” There was hope in her eyes and Leo knew he was about to crush it.
“I leave in the morning.”
“So do I.” Sage chuckled, growing slightly uncomfortable with the pause.
Leo took a deep breath. “You’re flying home. I’m flying to D.C. to protect a congressional nominee. ”
“Oh.”
“Oh,” Leo said, still stroking that spot on her neck.
“I guess now will be your only chance then,” Sage whispered, barely heard over the music.
Leo needed no other invitation. He dipped his head and gently brushed his lips over her neck.
Goosebumps erupted across her skin and he smoothed them away just to kiss the spot again and make them reappear.
She melted into him. He held her close and they danced and swayed and walked around the hotel’s garden courtyard until they tried to bid each other goodnight, but they both kept coming back for one last kiss. The final moment of pretending.
They paused at Sage’s hotel room door. At the precipice of something culminating these last few months. The edge of the cliff they had been teetering on for far too long. He wouldn't make the first move. This was just pretend after all, and he had to pretend to have an ounce of self-control. He had to pretend he was a gentleman. He had to pretend that he could kiss her goodnight and be able to turn around and pretend this never happened.
But he wanted to spend the final hours of this night showing her all the ways she had driven him crazy, to explore every inch of her, to kiss that spot on her neck a thousand times, to enjoy her presence in real life instead of just in his imagination.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door.
And when the early rays of the morning sun tried to poke through the curtains, Sage’s head lying on his chest, Leo whispered, “I don’t want it to be pretend.”
“Neither do I,” Sage replied.
But in the end, that’s all it was.