Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
ALEX
My hands were beet red by the time I finished washing dishes.
It was a strange compulsion, cleaning my entire house as I tried to keep the thoughts at bay. Leo had layers; so many pieces to peel away, and everything was a fresh wound that he’d buried beneath ash. I used to think his anger was unreasonable, that he was just another jerk with a temper. But now?
I’d be angry, too.
In fact, I was furious. Thoughts of that cold fucking room that he was forced to call home, thoughts of every tabloid headline and every bad word that had been written about him. No one knew Leo—I hadn’t known him. I think I was more angry at myself than anyone else.
Joon never told me about it.
I wondered if he’d known, wondered why he’d kept so many truths from me.
Leo was never the enemy, even when he pretended to be.
I hated how he let me believe it, how he’d leaned into it to keep me at arm's length. Just like he did with everyone else—he’d spent so long alone, he didn’t know when it was okay to actually let someone in.
Something heavy came down on my shoulder, and that musky cologne filled my breath, bringing me out of the internal rampage I was on.
Leo rested his head on my shoulder from behind, and his heat warmed my back.
After Splinter’s attack on Nightmyre—or rather, made a declaration of war on the VIA and every Hero they managed—he was more regulated.
Dahlia had gotten him a new watch to track his temperature, and they’d upgraded his everyday cooling system to a device that sat in the center of his chest. It was a requirement for staying with me; the VIA’s requirements, not mine.
If he got too hot, they’d pump the new chemicals straight into his heart from now on.
Very healthy, totally ethical.
But his temperature stayed consistent. One hundred and one—a fever for most, but for Leo, it was like a remission.
He clung to me easily now; it hadn’t taken much time for him to adjust. We hadn’t kissed again, although the thought crossed my mind more times than I cared to admit.
Instead, his affection showed in other ways, ones that were awkward and somehow cute at the same time.
He was still learning how to be close to someone, and I was just fine with that.
“Alex,” he whispered. “Can I hug you?”
My mouth flapped, a fish out of water. “Uhm… yes?”
I was the one who pushed him out of his comfort zone, and now that he’d settled in it, Leo was constantly throwing me off guard.
His need for touch was starved, and I was happy to oblige.
Leo had never known comfort, and now that he’d been exposed to it, he was trying to take in enough for all the years he’d lost. He wrapped his arms from behind me, tugging me close as he bent down to nuzzle his face in my hair.
His chest expanded against my back, and he took a long breath.
“What is that?” he asked.
I tilted my head. “What?”
“That smell,” he took a dramatic breath, and it tickled the back of my neck. “It’s like…lemon. It’s calming.”
“Ah,” I picked up a piece of my long, black hair. “It’s my shampoo. Minnie’s suggestion, actually.”
Leo squeezed my middle, and my insides turned to mush. “What Minnie says, goes. I like it; it suits you.”
“What’s going on with you?” I chuckled nervously.
I’d unlocked something in Leo, something that he desperately needed to let out.
“I have a headache,” he murmured. “I’m releasing dopamine.”
“So you’re using me?” I joked.
“Never,” he nearly snarled as he spun me. His eyes blazed red, and the stubble on his face curled with his scowl. He tilted my head up, searching my face. “Is that how I’m making you feel? I’ll stop—”
“Don’t stop!” I rushed.
His face dropped with surprise, and my chest swelled. Blond brows scrunched together before they relaxed, and a smile crawled across his lips. He went from something needy to predatory and victorious.
“Alex,” my name came out in a drawl, his voice was ash and honey. “I’m having a hard time with restraint.”
“Elaborate, please.”
His fingers dug into my hips before he pulled back. “I made a promise to Joon, and I feel like I’m breaking it—” he paused, “—I’m definitely breaking it.”
The words made me freeze. “What promise?”
Heat simmered between us, but he still didn’t flare up, even when his neck grew red. “He wanted me to stay away from you… until I could control myself.”
My hands started to go numb, and my heart raced as I scrunched my brows. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
Joon warned me to stay away from Leo, too, but he never mentioned any promise between them.
Never the possibility of his even wanting to be near me.
Until almost a month ago, I was convinced he hated me.
Obviously, that had changed. A lot had changed.
But Leo’s face flashed, caught between torment and peace.
Bittersweet.
A smile chipped onto his mouth as if we were discussing some inside joke instead of a secret that had been kept from me.
“He figured it out the first time I saw you get hurt, your first year in the academy. He was always good at reading people, you know? But after I was the one to hurt you, he wanted assurances, I guess.”
“What did he figure out?” My mouth went dry.
I felt it — that pull between us — but I wanted to hear it.
I needed to hear it. Every memory between us started to warp, and I started to see things I didn’t recognize before.
The way those eyes always watched me; not angry, but strained, like he was always holding himself back.
He’d flip between being nice and slinging harsh remarks.
As if he realized he wasn’t playing the right part.
His next words nearly made my heart stop. “You’re my weakness, Alex. You’re the only one that can break me.”
Leo tucked my hair behind my ear, trailing his finger along my jaw, spreading his warmth through me.
Everything broke down after that. My reality crumbled, and Leo was right there, ready to piece it back together again.
I wanted him to—I needed us to create something new, something fresh.
Joon haunted us both, and for a while, we hadn’t been living.
No more. No more pain, no more secrets, no more holding back.
“I don’t want you broken,” I said, conviction settling in my gut. I refused to let us be scared anymore.
Every new piece of him that I discovered made me want more.
I wanted to be his weakness, but I also wanted to be the one who made him change, made him grow.
This was the Leo that was always hidden, always stifled.
Was that too bold, or selfish? This version of him, he only showed it to me, and it made me buzz.
That mess of light hair played over his brows, casting a shadow over his intense eyes.
He was so tall I had to stand on my toes to get a closer look.
His shoulders and arms swallowed me, and the scent of tobacco and cologne was intoxicating.
Leo had always been handsome, but now… he was irresistible.
Something I’d never wanted to touch before, but now was dying to wrap myself in.
“Tell me what you want, Alex,” he said, voice raspy. “Tell me to back off, and I will. Tell me you want more, and I’m all in.”
All in.
I reached my arms up, unable to resist anymore.
My fingers played with the hair at the base of his neck.
I wish I’d realized how gentle he could be sooner.
A breath caught on his lips, and I wanted to press mine against them.
I wanted to breathe air back into him again, and then take it all away.
My body wanted to writhe, wanted to be consumed.
He’s still healing. Cool off, lecher.
“I want this,” was all I could manage.
Something inside him snapped then. He dropped his hands to my thighs, hoisting me up to lock my legs around his waist. His fingers curled in my hair, tucking my head back as he pressed his nose against mine.
“Thank God,” he whispered, before smashing his lips against mine.
The kiss was needy and frantic, but there was a softness beneath it.
Like he was afraid to hurt me, to break me with his want.
But I tugged his neck closer, feeding into it with abandon.
He wrapped an arm around my waist while keeping one hand beneath a leg, securing me to him.
In romance novels, I always wondered how someone tolerated being held above the ground. I got it now. It was delicious.
His lips traveled to my neck, and I let out a whimper as he reached a sweet spot.
“There?” His voice was deep, almost a growl.
I nodded quickly, placing soft kisses on his temple and jaw. Every piece of him was hard, chiseled, and hot.
“Leo,” I paused, “are you overheating?”
The control was there; his restraint. But this was something new, and I didn’t want him to have to restrain himself. He shook his head quickly between nipping at that soft patch of skin. Lycean’s bite had been vicious, and violent. But Leo? His teeth against my skin made my body melt.
More.
Steam started to rise up, and I pulled back again. If he lost control, if he did burn me, all of this would crumble. I didn’t expect perfection, not yet—but we were at a tipping point. He could still run.
“We need to cool you off,” I gasped.
Still, he bit and nipped and sucked at every inch of skin between my jaw and shoulder, ready to devour me.
His skin began to turn pink, and my stomach clenched.
He was like this because of me — not rage, but desire.
I started to tug at the hem of his shirt, and he slid me onto the counter before ripping it off.
His chest glistened with sweat, and his face was flushed as he watched me, ribs heaving as his arms flexed.
The new device sat above his heart; a diamond that glowed a calm orange.
He wasn’t even close to his limit yet—nothing beeped, no warning bells sounded.
Leo was in control, even if his temperature had spiked a bit.
He rolled his shoulders, stretched his neck as he worked his jaw. Soon, the steam simmered, and the air started to cool again.
“There,” he rasped. “All good now. Are you okay?”
I nodded, lips still swollen as I reached out again. “Come back.”
He smirked before pouncing on me again.
Leo burned me, but not in the way he thought he would.
No, he consumed me, making every daydream I’d had seem like a half-baked attempt at romance.
This man didn’t belong within steel walls, didn’t deserve to be tucked away, unloved and forgotten.
He was meant to be in my bed, with an arm curled around my naked waist as he breathed softly into the nape of my neck.
I ran a finger against his lashes, touched the soft strands of hair that fell in his eyes and trailed down to his lips.
His eyes fluttered before they opened, and a devilish grin spread across his cheeks. “Morning, Sweetheart.”
That voice was divine.
A hum vibrated at the back of my hoarse throat. “Morning. How did you sleep?”
He tugged the comforter up around us before pulling me in closer. My head lay on his chest as he took deep breaths, a satisfied growl escaping his lips.
“Better than I ever thought I could.”
I grinned, my hair spilling across him, tangling around us both. “A real bed will do that. Crazy, I know.”
He shook his head, cupping my cheek in his palm. “I don’t think it’s the bed.”
My body hummed with pleasure at his words; there was no bite, no sarcasm.
Simple, bleeding truth that made me want to soar.
It didn’t matter what had happened in the past, didn’t matter his reasons why.
I just cared about Leo now; the one that held me tenderly, the one that took breaks in the middle of the night to run his steaming skin beneath cold water out of caution.
“Alex, I…” his eyes flickered, casting down my bare shoulders before he looked back at my face. “There’s something else we need to talk about. I just… want us to be honest with each other. No more secrets. I wanna do this right, you know?”
My brows scrunched, but I nodded. “No more secrets.”
As soon as he opened his mouth, my cellphone started to ring on the table beside me. I huffed, rolling my eyes before I checked the caller ID. For once, I was the one scowling.
“What?” I answered, my voice harsh, irritated.
“Is Cinder with you?” Dahlia’s voice filtered through the speaker.
I glanced at Leo, who only raised a brow. “Yes.”
“I need you to bring him in,” she said.
My body jolted up, the blankets falling around me as Leo watched with concern. “He’s still recovering.
Dahlia started to reply, but Leo snatched the phone from my hand. I pouted as he placed a quick peck on my cheek.
“Cinder, here,” he winked at me as he talked into the phone.
Her voice was muffled, and I couldn’t make out what was said, but his face dropped before his gaze set on the window beside us. My body tensed, and I wanted to destroy the VIA in that moment. Finally, we’d found some sort of peace, some sort of salvation.
And now they’re butting their fucking heads in.
“Got it.” He swallowed hard. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
He hung up, and I balked. “You can’t be serious—”
Leo snatched my hand, placing a quick kiss on the inside of my wrist before he nipped at the skin. “No worries, Sweetheart. It won’t take long. Just a little more bullshit, and we’ll have our time. Alright?”
My brows scrunched, and I wanted to protest, but I could only nod as his eyes pleaded. “…Fine. But if they make anything worse, I’m bringing them into a nightmare.”
He chuckled before his eyes ran down my body. “I’d love to see it.”