34. Leo
CHAPTER 34
Leo
When I wake up, it’s to my arms being possessively wrapped around Veronica’s body. We both lie on our sides, her back plastered to my front, where she molds against my body perfectly. My eyes remain closed as I take in the events of last night.
How it felt to be inside her again—the warmth and familiarity that made me feel like I was finally home.
I hear her breathing calmly, the calmest I’ve ever seen her. My arm that is wrapped around her waist tightens in an attempt to pull her closer, but she is already as close as she can get.
Veronica hums lightly, snuggling back into me. Her ass wiggles against my dick, making it come to life.
My lips press against her bare shoulder, and I whisper, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Nothing. I’m sleeping.” Her voice is soft, groggy, and exhausted.
“Then are you sleep talking?”
“Mhm.” She hums.
“What about this?” I remove my arm from her waist to grip her hip. Pushing mine forward, causing her to moan lightly. “You doing that in your sleep too?”
She nods against me.
“You little liar.” I nip at her shoulder. She yelps and turns around to face me. “Be careful, Vee. Nothing is stopping me from keeping you in this bed all day where I can fuck you until you don’t have the energy to walk.”
With her eyes still closed, she provides me with a sluggish smile. “Couldn’t think of a better way to spend my day.”
“Yeah?”
She nods again.
Placing a soft kiss on her lips, I retreat back and suddenly pick her up and put her on me. A yelp leaves her, and now her eyes are wide open and full of life. She straddles my lap for a moment until I hook my arms under her legs and bring her up my body.
Veronica hovers over my face, knees on either side of my head. “Sit on my face, Vee.”
She stares down at me with wonder in her eyes. “I’m a mess from last night.”
“I don’t care.” I place my hands on her thighs. “I want to taste both of us. Now, sit. ”
Lowering herself, her pussy meets my mouth, and I immediately groan, knowing I’m about to feast like a starved man. I suck on her clit, tugging it in my mouth while her body seizes above me. She is still sensitive from last night, but that doesn’t mean I will go easy on her today.
Sliding my tongue down, I thrust it inside of her. The taste of our mixed arousal coats my tongue and turns me absolutely feral. With my hands on her thighs, I tug her down until she is practically suffocating me.
Veronica doesn’t hold back with the noises she makes. She moves her hips, grinding on my tongue to provide her more pleasure.
I observe her facial expressions. Her mouth is drawn open, eyes shut, and sweet cries spill from her lips. Her hands meet the headboard, gripping the top of it with all her strength as she comes apart on my tongue.
I lap up every last drop she gives me and continue as she comes down from her orgasm.
“Leo!” It’s a plea for me to stop because the pleasure is becoming too much.
But I don’t plan to stop.
I lift her from my face, which is coated in her arousal and smirk. “I’m just getting started, little angel.”
Roughly, I toss her on the bed. She lands sitting up, but I am quick to get up from my position and twist her until she is lying stomach down on the bed.
Lifting her hips in the air, I line myself up with her entrance and ram into her with so much force that her body moves up on the mattress.
She holds the comforter for support, knuckles turning white as she takes how ruthless I’m fucking her.
Gripping her hips harder, I hold her in place so she can’t move anymore. I’m pouring every emotion I have for this woman with each sharp thrust of my hips.
Hatred.
Thrust.
Revenge.
Thrust.
Longing.
Thrust.
Love.
Thrust.
Slowing my hips down, I pull out of her to drag the head of my cock through her slit.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” I admit while I line myself up at her entrance again.
“Good.” She pants, hair splayed over her face.
As soon as I’m about to enter her again, there is a knock at the door. My eyes dart to my bedroom door.
“Ignore it, Leo,” she begs as her hand removes the hair hiding her face from me. “Keep going.”
I nod, sliding myself gently inside of her, only to still when the knocks continue.
“Police!” The shout is distant, coming from the other side of my front door. But it is enough to throw us both into a panic.
Veronica’s head lifts off the mattress, snapping toward the front door. I slip out of her, already missing her warmth, and climb off the bed to get dressed.
“Leo.” She is scared. If I couldn’t hear it in her voice, I could see the fear on her face.
What’s going through her mind right now? Obviously, she is terrified that the police are knocking on my door early in the morning, given the events that unfolded for her last night. There is no way that they are here because of that.
Is she afraid that I will turn her in?
“Get dressed, Veronica," the demand is soft, and I tear my gaze away from her to search for clothes for her to wear.
She steps into the sweats and then puts my T-shirt on. Walking over to her, I cup her head in my hands. “Remember how well you tricked that guard in the asylum with fake tears when I had to sneak you back to your room?”
“Yes.”
“I know you are scared, but I’m going to need those acting skills right now. Can you do that for me?”
“Leo…”
“Please, Vee. I won’t let them take you from me.”
She nods. After I kiss her forehead, I take her hand and lead us to the kitchen.
“Make some coffee.” I gesture to the coffee machine on the counter.
As she fumbles with the machine, I take a deep breath and open the door.
Two officers stand there and greet me with an apologetic smile. “Sorry if we woke you.”
“Not a problem,” I reassure them. “Our alarm was due to ring soon anyway. What can I help you with?”
The officer on the left peeks over my shoulder, seeing Veronica in the kitchen at the coffee machine. “Someone was killed not far from here last night. A person stumbled across their body early this morning. We are questioning residents that live nearby to see if they heard anything unusual.”
“That’s awful. Would you like to come in? We are making some coffee,” I offer, hoping they’ll decline and want to make this quick and easy.
“Please,” the blonde officer standing on the left says.
I back away from the door, allowing them to enter the apartment. Veronica turns around and flashes them a kind smile. Pulling mugs from the cupboard, she pours two cups of coffee and brings them to the island where the cops have decided to sit.
“Here you go.” She slides them carefully to each officer and then looks at me with a casual smile. “I’ll make some more for us.”
I nod, staring into her eyes, thankful she never removed her green contacts.
As she turns around to make more, the officers take a sip before they speak. “Again, I apologize for the intrusion. We need to get on this soon to find the person who did this.”
“No need to apologize.” I round the counter, positioning myself across from them.
Officer Richards, according to his name tag, pulls out a notepad. “Can I please have your names?”
“Leo Madden,” I inform them. “This is Camille Saunders.”
The fake name rolls off my tongue easily but still tastes weird while leaving my mouth.
Both officers look over to Veronica, whose back is turned to them, and then bring their gaze back to mine. “Leo Madden?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I know who you are,” the blonde states. I let my gaze meet his, eyes dipping down to his name tag. Stevens. “You were in prison not too long ago.”
“Yes, sir. I was released a few months ago.”
Veronica turns and smiles as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. Placing a mug before me, she glues herself to my side.
“On good behavior,” he states knowingly.
My teeth clench. “Seems like you knew who I was before you knocked on my door.”
“We did,” he admits. “Before we started knocking on doors, we asked for a list of residences.”
“Seems like a smart idea,” Veronica states from beside me, holding the hot mug to warm her chilled bones.
“And you, Miss, live across the hall?”
Veronica nods and takes a sip.
“Yet, you are here, in Leo’s apartment?”
“Yes.” She sets the glass down on the counter. “We started dating recently and are adults. Of course, I sleep over at his place and he at mine.”
“So the two of you were together last night?” Richards asks with the pen's tip on the paper, waiting to write something down.
“We were,” the response is calm and believable. She hugs her arms around mine and stares at me with a shine in her eyes. “We are in the honeymoon phase. Can’t get enough of each other.”
Smirking down at her, I kiss her forehead.
“Miss Saunders, did you know about Leo being in prison?” Stevens asks.
Her eyes slide from mine to the officers. “I did. Leo was very transparent when we started dating. He wanted everything on the table from the beginning.”
“I didn’t want to keep any secrets from her,” I add.
“I see.” Richards writes something on the notepad. “What is it you two were doing last night?”
I peer down at Veronica, whose cheeks grow pink. “We were doing what most new couples who can’t get enough of each other do. Surely, I don’t need to explain any further.”
Richards offers her a knowing smile. “Of course not.”
Stevens's eyes are on his phone, searching for something. When he finds it, he shares the screen with his buddy. They both glance at Veronica and then back to the phone. She stiffens beside me.
We both know what they are staring at.
Richards glances again at Veronica, then back at his partner. He dismissively shakes his head.
“You said someone was killed?” I speak up, getting their attention off the photo of Veronica.
“Murdered,” Stevens corrects me. “Stabbed seventeen times in his chest and stomach.”
Veronica’s hand meets her mouth as she gasps, her skin going pale at the news, and she’s acting like her life depends on it.
“Jesus,” I mutter under my breath. It is shocking news even though I know the woman clinging to my side was the one to do it. But I didn’t realize how brutal she had been.
“It was a pretty gruesome scene,” Richards admits, shivering at the image he saw before coming here. “This is why we hope to catch the culprit before they strike again.”
“You think the person will do this again?” Veronica questions.
“They might. We can’t be sure.” Richards sighs. The dark circles under his eyes tell us he slept poorly. Maybe working on another case late last night and then having to get up early for this one. “You two didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary?”
“No, sir. As Camille said, we were… busy. In our own little bubble.”
He nods, shutting the notepad. Out of the pocket on his chest, he removes a card and slides it our way. “If you hear anything, give me a call.”
Veronica takes the card in her hand and reads over the typed information. Lifting her gaze, she stares at Richards and offers him a warm smile. “We will.”
Standing up, the officers walk towards the door with me following. I kindly open the door and thank them for stopping by.
Once the door is shut, Veronica and I remain in utter silence. We hear the two of them talking in the hall. Their words are soft, practically a whisper, making it hard to understand what they are saying. I stay close to the door, listening to anything I can.
It isn’t until I hear their footsteps fade that I twist on my heel to face her.
Her shoulders relax as she blows out a long breath. Shutting her eyes, she places her palms on the counter and tilts her head back.
“Seventeen times?” These were the first words spoken to her since they left because I couldn’t get past the number.
She opens her eyes, allowing her head to face me when she shrugs. “I got carried away.”
“Clearly.” I run my hand through my hair. “They were looking at your photo.”
“I know.” She emerges from behind the counter, folding her arms across her chest. “Do you think they will be back?”
“I’m not sure. The one didn’t think it was you, but the other one…”
“He did seem skeptical,” she finishes my sentence. “I was afraid they were here because of Dr. Bennett.”
I stare at her in confusion. “Why would they be here because of Dr. Bennett?”
“I saw him last month at the park. He didn’t see me, though,” she tells me. “He was talking with a lady about her daughter coming to the asylum. She was worried about the fact that I was able to escape and that her daughter wouldn’t be kept safe in their facility. Then Dr. Bennett told her he had a tip about my whereabouts.”
Veronica narrows her eyes at me, and my brows dip in confusion. “What? You think it was me?”
“You could have. Before we settled everything, you were hellbent on revenge. Or it was Myles.”
“No.” I shake my head. “Neither of us told Henry where you are. I made Myles promise me that he wouldn’t.”
“We both know how you feel about promises.”
“He didn’t. I trust him to keep the promises he makes,” I state with a hint of a double meaning. “Why did you wait so long to tell me about you seeing Dr. Bennett?”
“Uhm, because, like I said, you were wrapped up in your revenge plot. I didn’t think I would bother you with my concerns when you didn’t care.” Her voice is sharp, filled with venom until she sighs, and the poison leaves her body. “What do we do if they come back?”
“We will figure something out.” My phone rings in the bedroom, making me break eye contact with her. Sighing, I head towards my room.
Seeing the Correction Center’s name flash across the screen, I groan. This is not the time for Reed to call, but I know I won’t hear the end of it if I don’t answer.
Sliding my thumb on the screen, I hold the phone to my ear and listen to the automated voice. After it asks if I’d like to proceed with the call, I respond with a yes.
“Leo!” Reed cheerfully says from the other end.
“You really do pick the worst times to call.”
“I think I have an idea,” Veronica announces when she enters the room, clamping her mouth shut when she sees me on the phone.
“Were you about to get laid?” Reed asks in excitement. “Did I cockblock you?”
“No, you didn’t.” I laugh.
“Then who is the chick?”
“It’s complicated,” I tell him, staring at Veronica, who looks too fucking good in my clothes.
“Reed, can I ask you something?”
“Do you need sex advice from me?” There is a teasing tone in his voice. “You know it’s been a while, but I still know what I’m doing when it comes to the ladies.”
“You’re ridiculous.” I shake my head. “No, I don’t need advice on that.”
“Then what is it?”
I pause momentarily before asking, “Are the phone calls recorded?”
“Fuck no! They don’t care to hear what we talk about.”
“Good.” I’m not sure if he is telling the truth, but he sounds convincing enough, and we can use any help we can get, so I inhale deeply and then ask my question. “How did you get away with it all those years?”
“Shit… Are you in some trouble? I have men on the outside I can call to take care of it for you.”
“No, I’m not the one in trouble.” I keep my gaze on Veronica, who is leaning against the door frame, listening with a curious expression. “I just need to know how you did it.”
He sighs. “I wasn’t stupid, Leo. I covered my tracks. I made sure there was no trace of me left behind. I made sure there was no evidence.”
Nodding slowly, I drop my eyes from Veronica to her purse lying on the ground.
The knife.
“Seriously, man, if you need help, I’ll make a call. As much as I miss your ass, I don’t want to have a reunion that consists of you being brought back here.”
“So sentimental.”
“Only for you. Oh, Walt says hi again.”
I smile as Walt’s face pops into my head. “Tell him I said hi.”
The robot voice kicks in, telling me the call will end soon.
“Be careful, Leo,” Reeds says once we connect again.
The line goes dead before I can say anything else. I listen to the dial tone for a moment, letting the noise consume my thoughts, then drop my phone in my lap and rub my hand over my mouth.
“Who was that?” Veronica pulls me from my thoughts.
“A friend from prison,” I answer, not looking her way. “The knife. We need to get rid of it in case the police return.”
“Like I was saying, I have a few ideas,” she informs me again with a serious look on her face.
My phone dings, breaking the spell that’s cast over me. What now?
I glance down at my phone and see a text from Myles.
You ready for the day!?
“Shit,” I curse to myself.
“What?” Veronica questions as she sits on the bed beside me, catching a glimpse of the message on my phone. “What’s today?”
“Myles’s bachelor party. I forgot that we are making a day out of it.”
“Did you plan it?”
“No. Myles wanted full control.” I type back that I’ll be heading to his house soon.
Standing from the bed, I set my phone back on the nightstand. My hands find a home on my hips, and I look up at the ceiling.
“You’re leaving?” Veronica stares up at me with worried eyes. “What if they come back when you aren’t here?”
“They won’t,” I reassure her.
“But if they do?”
Dropping my hands, I stand before her, taking her chin between my fingers to tilt her head up to me. “Then you act your ass off. And please, Veronica, do not do anything with that knife until I’m here to help you.”
“But—”
“ Please. ”
I feel her jaw tighten in my hold. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” Leaning down, I kiss her lips.