30. Leon
30
LEON
T he days blur together, a haze of pain, exhaustion, and fleeting lucidity. I drift in and out of consciousness, the world around me reduced to fragments of sensation and sound.
Mia is the constant in the haze. Her warmth is always by my side at night, her hands fussing with blankets, smoothing over my forehead, or checking my bandages.
Sometimes, I wake to the sound of her humming softly, the melody tugging at some buried corner of my heart. Other times, I catch the edge of her whispered words—half-lovely, half-threatening.
Never those same words I heard through the exhaustion that first night.
When I’m awake long enough to speak, I try to reassure her, but the effort always drains me.
“I’m...fine,” I manage once, my voice barely above a rasp.
She glares at me, her eyes red-rimmed but fierce. “What you are is stubborn. Go back to sleep.”
But her harshness is always mellowed by her touches: a soft press of her hand on mine, a gentle kiss on my forehead.
Then, one day, the haze clears enough for a singular moment of clarity. I wake to a tiny weight being placed in my arms.
“Easy,” Mia whispers, guiding my hands. I look down and see our daughter, Liza. Her little fists wave in the air, her eyes squinting up at me, and for a second, I can’t breathe.
“She’s beautiful,” I manage, my voice cracking. Mia smiles, though her eyes shimmer with tears.
“And here’s her brother,” she says, placing Luca in the crook of my other arm.
My chest tightens—not with pain this time, but with something deeper, something anchoring.
“Your Aunty Isabella has been taking such good care of you, hasn’t she?” Mia coos at them both. “I’ll put them to bed soon. I just wanted them to say hello.”
“It’s good to have them both back,” I breathe.
Mia’s expression softens. “Our family is back together again.”
As the weeks pass, the fog of pain and countering medicines lifts. But my mobility remains limited.
Mia doesn’t let me wallow, not even for a second.
“If you’re strong enough to argue, you’re strong enough to heal,” she says one day, propping pillows behind me.
I stroke along her arm absently as she does, but she snatches it away quickly, shooting me a dark glare. “No. Not again. You are resting, Leon.”
“I’ve missed you.” The words are so devastatingly true, I think for a moment I see her resolve weakening.
It doesn’t last. “You should have thought about that before you came to rescue me with a hole in your chest.”
Dante visits one quiet afternoon, his carefree smile easier than I’ve seen it in months as he leans through my bedroom door. From the glances he keeps chucking out into the hallway, I doubt he’s supposed to be here.
“The Cartel’s licking their wounds,” he says hurriedly. “A ceasefire’s in place. Tentative, but there’s been no pushback. Both sides need time to recover.”
“Not for long. Amos will be planning something.”
“Of course. But for now, rest. We’ll need you at full strength when this peace inevitably falls apart.” Dante smirks before leaning in, conspiring. “And between you and me, Teo doesn’t have the knack for war that you do.”
I chuckle to myself. “Careful, Dante, that sounds like slander.”
“I’m just telling it like it is.” Dante shrugs. “Teo knows I’ve always been a free spirit.”
“Well, if you fancy a career upgrade, I need a new second.”
Before Dante can respond, Mia comes in behind him, carrying a sleeping Luca. She gives him a look that could wither steel.
“I thought I told you to leave him alone. He’s resting,” she says firmly, setting our son in one of the matching bassinets that now inhabit the corner of my room.
Dante raises his hands in surrender but winks at me before leaving.
It’s late in the evening when I wake up to the sound of music coming from downstairs.
Now that I can use the gym again, my mobility is improving nicely. I even managed to shower after my last workout without wincing under the hot stream of water.
Healing is never linear, but when I come to with the sweet melody in my ears, I swear I’ve never felt better.
Quietly, I throw on a shirt and pad down the stairs to investigate. I stop in the doorway to the living room, and my breath catches.
Mia is there, swaying gracefully in the center of the room. Her long, wavy red hair cascades down her back, catching the light like a halo of fire. She’s wearing one of my shirts, oversized on her frame, the sleeves rolled up as she twirls gently.
Luca is nestled close in her arms, his tiny head resting against her shoulder. Beside her, Liza dozes in her bassinet, already fast asleep.
I lean against the doorframe, unable to look away. Mia’s green eyes are bright, focused entirely on the twins. She hums along to the song as if the world beyond these walls doesn’t exist.
I’m not sure how long I stand there, just watching her. Admiring her.
In this moment, she is everything—strength, beauty, love. The thought pierces through me: I don’t deserve her. Not after everything I’ve put her through. And yet, she’s here.
She spins slowly, and her bright green eyes catch mine.
For a moment, she freezes like a deer in headlights. Then, a warm and teasing smile breaks through.
“You’re supposed to be asleep,” she says quietly as she goes to put a sleeping Luca down.
I step forward, unable to keep the smile off my own face.
“And miss this?” I gesture to her, to the twins, to the life I almost lost. “Not a chance.”
She rolls her eyes as I stand before her, offering her my arms. “We never had the chance to dance at the opening night of the casino.”
“I suppose we didn’t.”
Her eyes light up as she steps into me, hands clasping mine as I lead us in a gentle waltz around the room.
It’s magical the way she tries to hush her laughter on behalf of the sleeping infants, the way the corners of her eyes crease with happiness as she presses herself into my chest.
Forever. This could be my forever.
As we slow down, I lean into her, unable to stop myself. Breath grazing over her ear. “Come to bed with me.”
“Leon, I?—”
“I love you. So much.” My words fill the inches between us with something so precious. “You’ve done so well. You’ve looked after everyone. Please, let me look after you.”
Her throat bobs as I lean in to press my lips to hers.
It’s like a damn breaking.
It’s been so long. There’s never been enough time. Never been enough communication.
Now, we have all the time in the world.
It was only supposed to be chaste and convincing, but the kiss quickly becomes something else entirely. It’s raw and desperate, filled with the longing of so many missed opportunities, so much time wasted.
Her lips part for me beautifully, and I stop wasting time. I lick into her mouth, entirely starved of the taste, already hungry for so much more.
“Fuck me,” her voice wobbles, but the demand is absolute. “Leon, I need you so badly.”
It’s all the instruction I need. I take her in my arms, half dragging her along with me as she giggles behind me.
I have to stop on the stairs to kiss her again. She takes the step above mine so that I have to reach up to hold her there. Her arms wrap around my neck, and I lift her experimentally.
Yes, I can carry her. Thank fuck.
Her legs wrap around my waist, and I groan as she rubs herself against my straining cock. By the time we make it to the top of the stairs, all sense has evaporated from my mind.
I need her now. Right now.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a mahogany console table. I don’t think twice. The vases smash to the floor as I clear the surface. I ignore the stinging cuts of the ceramic against my ankles as I rest a wild-looking Mia on top of it.
“Leon. Leon,” she groans as I pry her legs from my waist.
“Stay there. Good girl,” I say as I tear my shirt from her body, leaving her beautiful and exposed to me like a piece of art. “I’m going to fuck you in every single room in this house.”
To make my point abundantly clear, I unzip my pants and release myself in front of her.
Her pupils dilate as they always do when she takes in my size, reaching for me eagerly. But my fingers are already trailing down to her core, coating themselves in her wetness before stroking myself.
“Leon.” My name on her lips is like a prayer.
I stalk forward, grabbing her chin with my hand, making a show of turning her face left and right so that she understands fully that I’m the one in control.
“I’m going to make you feel so fucking good. But you’re going to have to trust me.”
Whatever sound of agreement she makes is cut off when I dip my now rock-hard cock into her wetness.
She throws her head back in ecstasy as I bury myself within her. Her tight core takes my entire length to the hilt. The feeling of being inside of her is electric, and for a moment, I can’t even feel the way her nails dig into my back.
“Move,” she gasps at me.
“Say please,” I tease, holding firm.
“I’m not going to beg.”
I chuckle, knowing she will feel the vibrations inside her, too. “Yes, you are.”
“Fuck,” she groans. She leans into my neck to muffle the sound of her whimpers. “Please.”
It’s barely a whisper, but it’s enough.
I’m not gentle, but neither is she. Over and over, I slam into her. The impact of our skin colliding fills the space with rhythmic thuds. The oil painting on the wall next to us crashes to the ground, but I don’t care.
The feeling of her, the insatiable sounds she makes every time she takes me readily again and again, is the only thing I can focus on.
“Harder,” she cries out, bracing herself on the light fittings.
Who am I to deny a request like that?
My thrusts turn into slower pounds. Her hips lift to meet me each time as I bury myself impossibly further into her. But it’s not enough. I’m not close enough.
I lift her off the console in frustration, ignoring her protests as I carry her into the next room. The door to the bedroom opens with a slam, and I waste no time throwing her off me onto the bed.
I’m on her within seconds, planting kisses over every inch of exposed skin as I cradle her close.
She reaches for me, impatient as always, and I gladly slide back in.
We cling to each other this time, kissing and biting and mouthing at each other. I’m feral for something to claim while I pound into her over and over. Over and over. Over and over.
She wants it hard. She doesn’t want me to hold back. I adjust her slightly to get the perfect angle, and her back obediently arches…
When Mia screams, it’s with unbridled ecstasy. I can barely hold myself back as she rides through her orgasm.
My cock twitches inside of her. One more thrust, then another. Then.
“I love you.”
I groan as I fall into my own ecstasy, riding the high of the feeling of her clenched around me. Her words echoing in my ears sound like the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.
“Say it again,” I say, slowing down.
“I love you.”
“Say it again,” I say, holding her close.
“I love you.”
I kiss her perfect lips and stare in wonder at her bright green eyes. Perfectly close. Perfect together.
“I love you, too.”