Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Olivia
“Okay, Karl, you were right.” I throw my hands in the air in surrender. “The Winter Solstice Lantern Walk was magical. Ending in the Christmas Market… genius.”
He chuckles and hands me a hot chocolate. “I knew you’d love it.”
And honestly, I did.
It was hard not to, with all those glowing lanterns lighting up the night sky, and the cold winter air mixing with the cinnamon and pine in the breeze.
It looks like something out of a postcard. Complete with the soft murmur of voices and the scent of mulled wine.
It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
“Even I kinda like it,” Jesse jokes. “And I am not usually sentimental. But are you still alright, Livvy? Don’t get too exhausted.”
I roll my eyes, even though the protectiveness is kinda cute. “I’m good, don’t worry…”
Buzz.
I frown and grab my phone, the text flooding my screen.
Leo?
I freeze for a second, my chest tightening. The last time we saw each other, things were tense.
I open it, trying to act casual.
Hey, once you’re done with the walk, will you come over?
My thumb hovers over the screen for a moment. A thousand thoughts explode in my brain all at once. I want to respond, I want to ask what he wants, but I don’t even know where to begin.
I glance up at Jesse and Karl.
They’re both looking at their phones.
“Did you guys get that text too?” Jesse asks. “Is Leo not here? I guess I haven’t seen him.”
“Same,” Karl agrees. “I guess he wants to talk to us all?”
I swallow hard. “So, should we go?”
Jesse offers me a one-shouldered shrug. “I think so. I mean… right?”
I nod, though a knot tightens in my stomach. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”
Karl finishes his drink, setting the cup down with a slight clink. “Alright, let’s go then. See what he wants.” He glances toward me. “Don’t worry, there isn’t going to be any more fighting tonight.”
“I hope you’re right.”
We fall into step, the three of us walking in the direction of Karl and Leo’s place. The crowd of lantern bearers thins as we walk away from the market, and the winter chill starts to settle into my bones again.
By the time Karl pulls out his keys, my heart is absolutely hammering against my rib cage. I can barely contain the nerves. Tonight has been so much fun, I don’t want it to end badly. I really don’t.
Karl opens the door, and I step inside. The warmth hits me first. I love this warmth; it was always very welcoming when I lived here. But before I can get lost in the memories, Leo appears.
“Guys… hey.” He smiles awkwardly. “I think it’s time we all talk, don’t you?”
“Yeah, okay,” Karl answers first. “Let’s do it.”
We all sit in the living room, and I can’t stop my eyes from darting around the room, trying to find a safe place in all this uncomfortable energy.
“So, where do we start?” I ask, a little shaky.
Leo exhales sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. He's already exhausted by this conversation.
“We start with me admitting I was an ass,” he says, his gaze flicking to Karl and Jesse briefly before settling on me.
“I overreacted. I let my anger get in the way of everything. I let my need for revenge against your old boss cloud my judgment. Of course, we should handle this however you want. Of course.”
I blink at him, trying to process that. “Wow… thank you, yeah…”
“I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” Leo continues. “You’ve been through hell, and I didn’t take that into account. I just… I didn’t know how to watch you fall apart and not do something about it.”
I press my lips together. I want to tell him it’s okay, that I get why he did it. But instead, I nod, because he doesn’t need me to say it. He already knows.
“I know you were just looking out for me,” I finally say. “But I’m not helpless, Leo. I’m just… trying to deal with everything in the best way I can. The law is involved. I can’t deal with revenge.”
Leo’s jaw tightens at that, and I see the guilt wash over his face. He wasn’t expecting that response. I guess I wasn’t either. But it’s true.
“I get it,” Leo says after a long pause. His voice cracks, just a little, but enough for me to hear it. “I’m sorry, Liv. I hate seeing you go through this. I hate that I couldn’t help.”
I smile thinly and nod. “I understand, but please, just trust me.”
“That… isn’t everything,” Leo admits. “I do think we all need to talk. About us.”
I part my lips, but no words come out. It seems I’m not the only one left speechless.
“Us. All four of us. This… thing we’ve got going on? I think it’s something we should take more seriously.” Leo grins. “I don’t know about your lot, but I don’t want to keep pretending that this isn’t real anymore.”
My brain short-circuits for a second. It's hard to believe that we’re discussing this so openly.
Karl is the first to jump in. “I’m in. You know I’m in. Always am. I agree, Leo, this is the best thing I have ever been in.”
Jesse, though, looks more… I don’t know, hesitant?
He’s twisting his hands together, something he does when he’s anxious, and his eyes keep flicking to me. He’s trying to gauge whether this is a good idea or if we’re all about to screw things up completely.
“I mean, yeah… It’s real,” he says, but more guarded than usual, the words careful. “But… there’s Ivy. She’s your best friend, Livvy. She’s my sister. That’s… that’s big.”
His eyes lock on mine then, searching for some assurance, but honestly, I don’t have it. Not right now. Not yet.
Yeah. I get it. I’m not exactly thrilled about the idea of telling Ivy anytime soon. We’re walking a tightrope, and one wrong step could make everything unravel. I take a deep breath, my chest tight with nerves, and try to steady myself.
“We can’t just tell her right now,” I say, a little rougher than I want. “This isn’t something I can just spring on her, Jesse. She’s… my best friend. That’s a lot. She deserves more than that.”
Leo, who’s been sitting silently through this exchange, looks at me, then at Karl and Jesse.
His jaw tightens for a second before he says, “I get that. I do. But if we’re going to do this…
” he gestures around the room, including all of us in this crazy plan, “we can’t keep pretending it’s not real anymore.
We’ll figure it out between us first, see if this works.
If it doesn’t? Fine. But I don’t want to hide anymore. Not from you.”
I hear the sincerity in his voice. He’s not just talking about the relationship. He’s talking about us. About me. And honestly? That makes my heart ache a little.
This whole situation is a mess, but… maybe it’s worth sorting through. Perhaps we can find a way to make it work, even if it’s a little unconventional.
I turn to Karl, looking for something solid that’ll ground me right now.
He gives me that calm smile of his, the one that always makes me feel maybe everything will be okay. “We’ll take it slow. No rush. No need to tell anyone right away. But I’m in, Liv. I’m all in. Just… one day at a time.”
I nod. It’s the right choice, even if my stomach is still a knot of uncertainty. We’ll keep it low-key for now. Take it slow.
“Okay,” I say. “One day at a time. I can do that.”
Jesse exhales a heavy breath and looks at me again, that look of concern still there, but it softens just a bit. “Yeah. One day at a time. No pressure. But if we’re doing this… we do it right.”
Leo’s smile is small, but it’s real, and I feel a little bit of the tension ease from my shoulders. “Yeah. Together.”
Together.
I must admit, it sounds appealing.
Before I can say anything, Karl pulls me closer, his lips brushing my head in that overly affectionate way that somehow makes my heart race.
His kiss is a bit too cool at first, teasing, but then it warms, and, as if he's caught on, it turns more demanding.
The mint on his breath is delicious, stirring something deep in my stomach. He pulls back just enough to let his breath warm my ear.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he murmurs in that dramatic tone that makes me roll my eyes, even as it flusters me.
I’m about to respond when Leo swoops in, his hands gently cupping my face. His gaze is intense, as if he’s reading me, soul and all.
His chest presses against mine, making my breath catch, but he’s completely calm about it. I almost laugh, but then his lips claim mine, sure and commanding.
It isn’t long before Jesse takes over. Suddenly, his hand is around my neck, pulling me into another kiss—this one deep and sensual. I can’t get enough.
His mouth breathes warmth against my skin, his stubbled jaw tracing lazy patterns across my ribs. His fingers splay across my belly, teasing lower, mapping every inch of me.
“You’re incandescent,” he murmurs.
Jesse’s lips find mine again, warm and demanding. I slide my hands under his shirt, nails skimming over pale skin until I free the last button. The cotton falls away, and his chest presses into mine, taut with heat. My pulse hammers in my ears, and I lean in, as if I could melt into him.
Beside us, Leo’s mouth traces my neck, his lips feather-light, then firm. His breath tastes of dark chocolate and something sharp. Spice or danger, I can’t tell.
One hand slides down my hip, the other catching the hem of my sweater, tugging it off. His fingers press into the soft curve of my lower back, and I shudder at the contact.
“You’re mine,” he murmurs against my ear, each word vibrating through my spine. “All mine.”
The words coil around me, pleasure seeping from every nerve.
A soft thud sounds as clothes hit the floor. I stand bare and trembling, their eyes tracing the line of my throat, down to my navel, across my thighs.
My breath comes in short, wet flickers against their skin, my body arching toward them.
“Please,” I gasp, cracking. “I’m begging.”
Leo chuckles low, dangerous, his pupils dark as night.
“Beg?” He drags a fingertip along my hipbone, then dips lower, brushing the juncture of my leg and pelvis. The scrape of calloused skin makes me gasp. “Oh, you will beg.”