thirtysix
Leo's POV
She's still in my lap.
Her soft breaths warm against my neck.
Her fingers curled in my shirt.
Her thighs framing me.
And I swear-
I'm shaking.
Not because I'm nervous.
Because I've wanted this-
wanted her-
for days.
Days of not sleeping.
Days of panicking.
Days of imagining her slipping through my fingers.
Now she's here.
In my arms.
Forgiving me.
Touching me.
Kissing me like she means it.
And I feel-
Completely ruined.
She pulls back just far enough to whisper:
"Leo... I want you."
My breath catches so hard it hurts.
I grip her waist lightly, steadying us both.
"You sure?"
My voice is low, rough-begging without meaning to.
She nods, cheeks flushed, eyes soft.
"I've never been more sure."
Something inside my chest breaks open.
Not pain.
Relief.
Emotion.
Need.
I cup her jaw gently.
"Liya..."
I swallow hard.
"I'll never let you down again. Not ever."
Her breath shudders.
"I know," she whispers.
I lean in and kiss her-
Not hungry at first.
Slow.
Full.
Deep.
Like I'm memorizing her lips all over again.
Her hands slide down my chest and I groan quietly into her mouth.
She kisses me harder.
I feel everything in me unravel.
I pull her closer by the hips, guiding her until she melts into me fully-soft curves pressing against my chest, her breath catching at the sudden closeness.
She whispers against my mouth:
"I missed you."
God.
I press my forehead to hers, eyes closing.
"You have no idea," I breathe.
"How much I missed you.
How many times I almost drove to you.
How many times I said your name and didn't send it."
Her eyes flutter shut.
She lifts my shirt gently.
I nod once-
quick, shaky.
She slides it over my head.
Her fingers trace my shoulders, my chest, the lines of muscle, and I swear I forget how to breathe.
My hands move to her thighs-slowly-skin warm under my palms.
Her breath hitches.
"Tell me if anything feels wrong," I whisper.
"Or if you need to slow down.
Or stop.
I'll listen."
Her eyes soften even more.
"You're not hurting me," she whispers.
"You're being gentle."
I kiss her again, deeper this time.
This kiss isn't slow.
It's hunger disguised as patience.
Her hips press forward slightly-instinctive-
and I suck in a sharp breath, gripping the back of the couch to keep control.
"Liya-"
Her name cracks in my throat.
"You're okay," she whispers, kissing down my jaw.
"You're okay. We're okay."
My hands slide up her waist, fingertips brushing soft skin under her shirt.
She trembles.
Her lips touch my neck-
And I lose it.
Not all at once-
but the control slips like sand through fingers.
I lift her gently, turning us so she's beneath me, careful, slow, giving her every second to pull back.
She doesn't.
Her hands slide into my hair and she pulls me down until our lips crash again, breathless and warm and full of every unsaid thing we've been holding in.
"Leo..." she whispers, voice shaking.
I look down at her-
her flushed cheeks, parted lips, wide trusting eyes-
and I swear she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
"You're precious," I murmur softly, brushing her hair back.
"You're everything."
Her breath trembles.
"I want you," she whispers.
I lean down, kiss the corner of her mouth, trail a slow, heated path along her jaw.
"Then let me show you," I murmur against her skin, voice low and reverent.
She exhales shakily, back arching lightly beneath me.
I kiss her again-
slower-
deeper-
my hands sliding under her shirt, tracing every soft curve, worshipping every inch I touch.
Her fingers tighten in my hair, her breath breaking when my lips meet the warm skin under her ear.
And then-
I lift her shirt gently, pausing.
"You're sure?" I whisper again, breath unsteady.
She nods.
"Please."
I kiss her-slow, worshipful-
and the rest happens in soft breaths and warm hands and whispered promises.
"I got you."
"You're okay."
"You're safe with me."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Tell me what you need."
"I'll be gentle."
"I'll take care of you."
"Always."
The tension that's been building for days finally breaks-
Not messy.
Not rushed.
Not careless.
Just two people finding each other again.
Her breath against mine.
Her nails on my shoulders.
My hands on her hips.
Our hearts beating too fast.
And when I press my forehead to hers, both of us breathless and shaking, I whisper the only truth that matters:
"I'm never letting you go."
Warm.
Soft.
Safe.
Together.