Chapter 13 Leo
THIRTEEN
leo
I lay in bed, my eyes focused on the smooth white ceiling overhead. It had to be after midnight because I’d gotten home after ten that night. A game in the city had ended with a win. I was invited out to celebrate with a few of the players on my team, but I just didn’t feel like it.
Ivy and I had gone back and forth a few nights ago, which led to her sending me a text suggesting we take shifts caring for Baby Love whenever he woke up during the night.
I inhaled the deepest breath and released it hard through my mouth when I read her text. This was the shit I didn’t like about her. Everything had to be so damn particular. Shifts? For what?
But on the other hand, I couldn’t blame her as much.
Shit had been tense since we hooked up in my room.
I still couldn’t bring myself to talk to her about it.
There were so many factors a conversation about it could affect.
Sex is one of those things that will have a woman acting weird, especially with a man like me who’s not into all that committed shit.
Not right now in my life. Plus, I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.
She wasn’t my best friend, but Ivy was a really good friend.
And she was also a woman who likely could get all caught up over a hookup.
I didn’t know, though. I barely saw Ivy with other men to gauge how she behaved in relationships, and I never really heard her complain about guys or anything like that. But regardless of what she had or hadn’t done, there was just too much uncertainty about her feelings.
I’d hate to approach her and be all like, Did you feel what I felt that night? The earth move in a way you’d never felt before? A connection that felt deeper than just some dick and pussy stuff?
Because, shit, I did. And it’s been fucking with me since because I have never felt anything like that in my young life.
Baby Love started stirring and slightly whining through the baby monitor on my side table. I peeked over at it, rising from my reclined position, my attention fixed on the device.
My teammate Jaleel suggested Ivy and I get the monitor to keep a closer ear on Baby Love. Said he’s had one for all of his children, especially his youngest—a girl who was almost two years old.
I listened in to see if Baby Love would go back to sleep, just as the baby nurse, Marta, had advised months ago. She’d warned against rushing to him at the first sound of noise, saying it would interfere with his ability to self-soothe.
His stirs and whines quickly transitioned to cries, and I was up on my feet a second later.
The fight I had with Ivy in the kitchen a few nights ago was one of the reasons I got out of bed. She’d looked exhausted when I walked in on her there. And I kind of felt bad about getting ready to go out when she revealed she hadn’t slept well because of Baby Love’s teething.
Kind of. Because the Simmons had given us an open invitation to watch Baby Love whenever we needed, but Ivy was being too prideful to ask for help—another thing I didn’t like about her.
I walked out of my room, shutting the door behind me, and made my way to the nursery.
When I got to the doorway, I stopped in my tracks. Ivy was already in the room, leaning over the crib to pick up Baby Love.
“Oh,” I said softly, my eyes shifting from her to the baby and back. “Is it not my night?”
She glanced at me, and I had to take a breath.
She was wearing a robe—the same one she had on a month or so ago when I first noticed how beautiful her legs were and how stunning she looked dressed down.
Like that night, her hair was out, the ends wisping against her lower back.
Her face was fresh and glowing, highlighting her caramel complexion.
“No, it’s not your night,” she said, turning her focus back to Baby Love and placing him over her shoulder to pat his back. “Yours is tomorrow.”
I nodded, unable to think of anything to say. Her natural beauty left me speechless in that instant. So, I decided to simply turn and leave.
“You can stay,” she said to my back, stopping me mid-step. “He needs a change and a bottle, and I forgot to leave a bottle in here.”
“Aight,” I said to the hallway. “I got it.”
Part of why I'd been steering clear of Ivy was because I couldn't pin down her real deal—she's usually all locked up, tough to crack. But that night we hooked up, man, she was all out there—stripped back, wide open, just pure and raw. I was talking my shit until I saw her come undone. Honestly, watching it was just... one of the greatest things I’ve ever witnessed.
She was a whole vision, caught up and letting go, just for me.
And while I’d enjoyed myself and felt something bigger than a meaningless hookup, I wasn’t sure if Ivy felt the same. A part of me didn’t want to know what rejection would feel like or what it’d mean if the feelings weren’t mutual.
There, I said it.
I was down in the kitchen, mixing the bottle, and walking it back up to the nursery in no time.
Ivy stood at the baby’s changing table, moving like a pro as she removed one thing and wiped another.
I knew she’d get the hang of all this before me.
There wasn’t anything—whether brand new or something everyone else found hard to do—that she couldn’t figure out and master quickly.
She was always 100% focused on whatever she was doing.
Super detailed, which I just couldn’t relate to.
“Can you pass me another diaper?”
Her voice was steady, with no emotion I could pick up on. She spoke to me the way she always did, and honestly, it was kind of relieving. I really wanted to preserve our thing. Life had already turned everything upside down for both of us, but mostly for her.
She was on leave from the network she worked at, choosing to step back so she could figure out how to care for Baby Love. She didn’t want her career ambitions to get in the way of everything. Our lives were already unique enough.
So, not discussing the hookup and simply pretending it never happened felt like the best decision in my eyes.
After changing Baby Love, I reached for him, lifting him into my arms and holding him in the way Marta, his baby nurse, taught me. The position allowed him to drink his milk while minimizing the gas he’d have later.
As I fed him, Ivy moved around the room, picking up a few items scattered on the floor. She left for a moment and returned with a newly filled bottle, placing it in the warmer on his baby table for the next feeding.
I tracked her with my eyes as she moved, curious if her thoughts mirrored mine.
When Baby Love fell asleep during his bottle, Ivy draped a burp cloth over my shoulder. Her hand brushed against my neck, sending an instant jolt through my body. The simple touch ignited memories of her hands against me, holding tight while her body responded to everything I gave her that night.
I cleared my throat, adjusting Baby Love’s position as I patted his back until he gave me the satisfying burp I was working for.
“Thanks,” I said, meeting her eyes.
A small smile started to pull at her lips. I could see it trying to take shape, but she stopped it. “You’re welcome.”
Baby Love burped again, then nestled into me as I held him for a few more minutes, ensuring he was fully asleep before laying him down in his bassinet. Ivy leaned in, positioning his head carefully so he’d be comfortable.
Once we were sure he was settled, she and I stepped out of the nursery one at a time, her first.
I was closing the door behind us when she said, “Leo.”
I turned to face her in the dimly lit hallway. Her eyes sparkled, the natural glow of her cheeks catching the light effortlessly and drawing my attention.
She ran a hand through her hair when she noticed me staring. The movement shifted her robe, hinting at the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
She focused back on me, licking her lips slowly. “You know we need to talk, right?”
Her voice wasn’t her usual we-need-to-talk tone, the one full of irritation or exhaustion. This time, it was heavy with something else. Something familiar. Something I’d convinced myself I wouldn’t pursue after that night.
But now, standing here, looking at her—beautiful as ever—all that resolve evaporated.
I closed the space between us in one swift move, watching her eyes widen when I slid my hand past her jaw and into her hair. The moment my lips pressed against hers, those same eyes closed.
I half-expected her to push me away. Maybe even slap me for daring to kiss her after how strained things had been. But she didn’t. She kissed me back just as fiercely, melting into me and eliminating any remaining distance between us.
Ivy was a phenomenal kisser. She understood the give-and-take, how to submit without losing control, and how to take charge when the moment called for it.
Her soft moan was all the encouragement I needed. I wrapped my arms around her, lifting her by her thighs. All my previous thoughts about why this was a bad idea, why we shouldn’t hook up again, or why I wanted to pretend it never happened, vanished.
We went from the hallway to my bedroom, shedding what little clothing we had along the way. By the time she straddled me, one leg on either side, I was already guiding her down onto me.
Greene Gardens had more streetlamps than necessary, illuminating our neighborhood with a steady glow. While we didn’t have many neighbors and nothing much to worry about, the streetlights made it unnecessary to use our house lights at night.
That soft glow spilled into my bedroom, casting a warm light over Ivy.
She found her rhythm quickly, rocking and rolling her hips with the confidence of a seasoned rider.
“Shit, woman,” I groaned, pushing my head back into the pillow and gripping her ass. “Why is your pussy so fucking tight like this? My God.”