Chapter 12
MIA
The hot water feels amazing on my aching muscles. It almost feels good enough to make me forget about lying to my partner’s face.
Almost.
I watch the soap suds disappear into the shower drain and tell myself that what I did is a good thing. I’m protecting Keith. I’ll continue to investigate Vince’s murder outside of work, and this way I can keep him out of it completely.
That’s if Leo lets me, and guessing by the way he and his crony were spying on us, I’d say that’s a hard no.
I saw him out of the corner of my eye when I was sparring with Keith. I could tell he was trying to be stealthy, but a man like that can’t enter a room without turning a few heads.
Not to mention I could feel his eyes on me. The heat of his attention feels like a rush of excitement and fear all rolled into one.
When I hear the door to the locker room swing open, I don’t react. Part of me knew he’d follow me in here, and I was too exhausted to give him a reaction. So, I turn off the water and wrap my towel around my body as I decide to face the thorn in my side head-on.
“I know you like going to places where you don’t belong, but this might be crossing a line,” I sigh, walking past his shadow and straight toward my duffle bag.
When I turn to face him, he’s leaning up against one of the lockers with his arms crossed. I keep my eyes glued to his, even though I want to focus on every taut crease decorating his suit-clad body.
“I’m just trying to keep things interesting, Cara.”
My phone buzzes on the bench between us, but before I can reach for it, Leo beats me to it. Anger curdles up inside me when his lips twist into a smile as he stares at the screen. And then he goes to work, quickly typing something out.
“How do you know my passcode?” I ask, standing still. It’s useless to try and wrestle the phone out of his hands.
“I know everything,” he answers smoothly, setting the device down. “It was just your partner. I told him you were running late and that you’ll meet him at the precinct.”
I roll my eyes, but the feeling of annoyance doesn’t last long. I grip my towel tighter as his eyes rake over me and linger on my grip. “Don’t stop on my account, Emilia. I’d love to see the entirety of my investment.”
“Last I checked, you pay for an investment. You don’t blackmail for it.”
The corners of his mouth tick up. “Payment can be done in many different ways,” he says, his voice dropping low. “Just tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.”
My nipples pebble, scraping against the towel.
“You don’t get to look at me like that,” I reply, fighting back the dryness coating my mouth. “You don’t get to walk in here, throw around threats, and pretend like I’m your new plaything.”
Leo closes the distance between us in just a few short steps, and right when I think he’s going to grab me, he stops. My stomach twists. He’s still so close.
“I’m not pretending anything,” he hisses. “You’re the one that just lied to your partner.”
I lift my chin in defiance. “I protected him.”
“You can’t.”
“Watch me,” I challenge, my voice thick with malice and my chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.
His jaw tightens, and I see a glimpse of something I haven’t experienced from Leo yet.
Frustration.
“How the hell are you supposed to find Vince’s killer now? You just shut down your own case.”
“I can do it myself. It’ll be easier. Our precinct is crawling with Caruso informants, and I can stay under the radar this way.”
“That’s a stupid idea, Emilia. The Carusos are dangerous.”
I muster up a weak laugh. “You pointed me in their direction, and now you’re telling me to back off. What gives?”
Leo’s lips mash together like he’s trying to decide what to say next. At the same time, I can sense how restless he is and the way he’s holding himself in place with some invisible force.
That should be my sign to back away. Put as much distance between us as possible. But I don’t. I stay put.
“Why do you even care?” I ask when he remains silent.
“That’s the problem,” he snaps, taking a step forward. I panic and jump back, but it’s too late—I’m pressed against a row of cold, metal lockers with no place to go. “I shouldn’t care.”
“Then don’t,” I say, trying to reach for the venom that belongs there. “Leave me and my family alone and find someone else to play with.”
That brings a spark back to his eyes, and that evil, possessive darkness inside his pupils swirls to life.
“Why would I do that?” Leo says, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on my neck, “when I haven’t even had a proper taste?”
I screw my eyes shut and pin my arms against my body. Need flares at the base of my stomach as he presses his hard groin into my bare thigh.
"No response, Cara?” he asks, his breath dancing up and down the side of my neck. “You know what I think?” he asks, firing off another question that I have no intention of answering.
He leans back slightly, but keeps his lower half pressed tightly against me. The back of his hand reaches up to caress my cheek, but I use what little will power I have left and jerk my head away. That doesn’t dissuade him, though. It only makes him press against me harder.
So hard that I have to swallow a moan.
“I think that you like it when I corner you,” Leo begins.
His hand travels down the length of my body, landing at the middle of my thigh.
“You can play pretend all you want, but I feel the way your body responds to me. I know you’re tired of pretending you’re a good girl, so let me show you how good it feels to have something you shouldn’t want. ”
I swallow hard, scared to meet his eyes. His fingers keep inching their way up, getting closer and closer to my soaking wet core.
Logically, I know I can disarm him.
If I wanted to, he’d be on his knees in seconds. But no matter how much I try to tell myself this is a bad idea, the argument isn’t convincing enough.
Leo lets out a low chuckle, his body vibrating against mine. “Do you want me to touch you, Emilia?”
I blink slowly, letting out a shaky breath. If I cross this line, there’s no going back.
At some point, I force my eyes to connect with his, and I swear a spark of electricity sizzles between us.
I don’t say anything. But as my head bobs up and down, I fight against the conflicting feelings ravaging my brain.
“Finally,” he groans, sliding his hand that last sinfully painful inch right up my inner thigh. I suck in a sharp breath as his index finger glides across my slit.
“You’re absolutely soaked, Cara,” he whispers, his tongue swiping across his bottom lip. “So ready for me.”
Before I can regain my senses and push him off, his free hand comes up and undoes my towel in one simple movement. Goosebumps rise across the surface of my skin, and my already firm nipples become ice-cold peaks.
Leo’s gaze sweeps up and down my naked body with lust. It’s a look he’s given me multiple times, but this one becomes ingrained in my mind like the beginning of a nasty addiction I already can’t stand.
“Sei bella,” he says, the tip of his finger now hovering above my clit. Blood rushes in my ears, and the entire room feels like it’s spinning. All I can focus on are his eyes cutting through me like glass.
“Are you ready for that kiss?” Leo asks, humor somehow twisting into the sweet seduction pouring off his tongue.
“No,” I say, remembering his words from last night, but I don’t move. Instead, I turn my head and hope that it will be enough for him to be the one to back off. But I have no such luck.
Leo lets a low rumble slip from his throat. And then he buries his face in my neck. I whimper as he assaults my throat with his tongue. His hand moves from my center to my hip like some cruel joke.
“Can you n—not take a hint?” I ask. It’s my one last stand of defiance even though I’m basically putty in his arms.
“Yes,” he sighs, pulling back. “But I have to trust my gut and my gut tells me that no matter how much you fight it, you want me, Emilia. Just like I want you. And I always get what I want.”
I grind my molars together, fighting the churning sensation in my stomach. “You’re such an—oh!”
Leo cuts me off, his thigh slamming between my legs and right where I need the friction. Sparks explode everywhere.
“You’re making a mess on my slacks,” he tsks, his eyes darkening.
I suck in another sharp breath. “Don’t flatter yourself,” I manage, forcing my hands away from the cold locker as I clutch his shirt for balance. “This is a lapse in judgment.”
Leo hums—the sound vibrating across my body and sending pressure straight to my hips.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he begins, leaning in to whisper his devious plan in my ear. “I’m going to stroke that sweet little pussy of yours until you’re right on the edge, but you can’t come until you ask me nicely.”
“Fuck you,” I seethe, but it only fuels the fire.
“So impatient,” he smirks. “Don’t worry, Cara. We’ll get there. For now, I’m just going to sample my meal.”
He keeps his eyes locked on mine as he brings his fingers up to his mouth and sucks on them until they’re covered in his saliva. My heart thumps against my ribs like a wild animal as he presses his moist fingers against my entrance and glides them up until they are pressed firmly against my clit.
I let out a moan and tip my head back. Leo takes that as his opening and begins to trail kisses and small bites up and down my throat. He keeps a steady rhythm as he swirls the tip of his finger around my clit, getting me closer and closer to insanity.
Soon enough the promise of release is too much, and I rock my hips against his hand. Pressure builds, and a thick fog of blinding ecstasy squeezes my brain.
And then he stops.
I groan, balling my hands up into fists. His wet, hot mouth brushes against my ear and says, “Tell me what I want to hear, and I’ll make you come.”
Every ounce of self-respect drains from me as I decide what to do next.
Part of me wants to tell him to go to hell, but the other, more physically motivated part of me is okay with telling him what he wants to hear.
Maybe once I get it out of my system, I can fight off this annoying pull I have to him.
“Fine,” I whine, searching for the words. “Please make me come.”
“You can do better than that, Emilia,” he says, my name dripping from his mouth like poison. He then proceeds to tease his pointer finger over the exact spot I need him. The coldness of his rings provides a delicious shiver up and down my spine. “Say my name this time.”
“Please, Leo. I need you to make me come,” I say, pushing my hips forward for more friction. “Please,” I whisper one last time, but I make sure my eyes are connected with his and he can feel the pleading deep inside me.
This man gets off on the power he has over me. He wants me simply because he knows it’s wrong—and maybe some sick part of me feels the same way.
He accepts my plea and smiles before leaning closer.
This time, his hands are everywhere, and they know exactly where to go.
His hands dance over the peak of my breasts and down my stomach until he unexpectedly presses one finger deep inside me with the rough padding of his thumb rubbing perfect little circles against my clit.
The sensation is too much, pushing me to the edge in one fell swoop. He makes me come so fast that I want to squeeze my eyes shut and wither away against the wall. But then he reaches up with his free hand and firmly grips my chin, bringing my attention to him and him only.
“Look at me,” Leo says firmly. “I want you to remember the way I can make you feel so you never forget it again.”
Our eyes stay connected as my orgasm washes over me. His eyes are so intense, it’s hard to pin down all the emotions running through them. But the one I can decipher is pure triumph.
Leo continues to hold me as I come down from my high. But the second I feel like I can stand on my own two feet, I push him away. “That’s not happening again.”
Before I can get too far, he grabs my forearm and pulls me back to his chest. “I’m getting a little too good at telling when you lie to me, Cara.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and push my palms against his chest again. This time he lets me go.
I’m not sure what to expect next, but I pray he’ll leave so I can come to terms with what I just did. But apparently luck has no place in a Russo’s life.
As I get dressed, I can feel his eyes on me. It’s almost like he’s hungry for more, which causes the swirling sensation in my core to heat up again. I curse under my breath and force it away.
“I’ll pick you up at ten tonight,” Leo announces, smoothing out his own clothing. I eye the wet spot on his pants, which just reminds me of how weak I was.
“Why?”
“I’m meeting with your brother tonight.”
Fuck. I completely forgot about that. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Nice try,” he says, taking a few steps closer. He frowns as I button my blouse like he’s upset that I’m ending our little moment. “But I’m not going to let you get there early so you can scheme with your brother. You will ride with me.”
I sit down on the bench and pull my boots on, keeping my gaze low. “That’s not going to stop us from scheming against you.”
Leo walks over, placing a hand underneath my chin and raising my eyes to meet his. He looks so tall and powerful from this angle. It makes what we just did feel even worse. I gave him exactly what he wanted—even if it was what I wanted too.
“Careful, Cara. I enjoy that sharp tongue of yours, but I’m not above punishing you.”
“Trust me,” I say, jerking my head away from his hold and standing up. “I know.”
He lets out a low laugh that shakes his entire body. “You have no idea. We’ve barely scratched the surface.”