Chapter 18 #2
“Fuck,” he whispered, his breath hitching. His head dropped back, and he gave up trying to stifle his groans. “What can’t you do, baby? Mmm…”
His patience wore thin after a few moments. With a strained groan, he pulled me away and eased me back onto the bed.
I gasped softly, inhaling his exhale as he guided himself between my thighs. The sensation of him sliding into my wet heat sent a ripple of anticipation through me.
The first time we did this, it had been a whirlwind—intense, shocking, and like releasing something pent up inside both of us. The second time was natural, like it had been waiting to happen all along.
This time? It felt familiar.
Each stroke was trained, slow, and unhurried. His lips never left mine, our breaths mingling as he pushed deeper. He lifted one of my legs, angling me so perfectly I couldn’t help but arch my back.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured, his words hot against my lips. He pecked my mouth softly, his hips rolling deeper.
I giggled, breathless. “You haven’t had me enough to miss me.”
“Oh, baby,” he growled, his voice dropping an octave. “The two times were more than enough. Trust me.”
Our attempts to keep quiet dissolved with every thrust. The intensity built between us, the friction both figurative and literal. He slipped his hand beneath me, gripping my ass to open me more, taking me fully, completely.
And there was so much to take.
Leo wasn’t shy, and God hadn’t held back when blessing him.
The way we moved together, my body meeting his strokes, felt surreal. What kind of alternate universe had we stumbled into?
“You feel like you’re mine,” he rasped, his movements slowing to a maddening pace. His words sent a shiver down my spine. “And only mine.”
My mind was spinning, lost in a haze of ecstasy.
“Are you mine, Ivy?”
“Mmm…” I smiled lazily, teasing. “Possessive much?”
“When you feel like this around me?” His hips circled, eliciting a sharp gasp from me. “Hell fucking yeah.”
“Mmm, Leo.” My voice was shaky, caught between laughter and moans. “Keep doing that.”
“Oh, I will.” His thrusts gained speed, each one more precise than the last. “I’ll keep doing it every day if you want me to.”
I giggled, then moaned again, my body arching into his.
“Can I do this to you every day, Ivy?” he groaned, his voice thick with need. “Can it be me and only me doing whatever you want me to do to you?”
My hand smoothed over his back, sliding to his firm backside, pushing him even deeper.
“Can I, Ivy?”
“I’ll tell you whatever you want me to say right now,” I whispered, sucking in a sharp breath through my teeth.
“I want the truth,” he murmured, gripping me tighter, angling me to take him even more.
“Oooh, God!”
“I could make you feel like this all the time.” His lips traveled from my ear to my cheek, stopping at my chin. “I could make your body do more than this.”
I chuckled weakly, my laugh trembling. “You’re sounding real toxic right now delivering good dick and sweet promises—”
“I love you,” he panted suddenly.
And that made me level my head. “What?”
He paused everything, his movements coming to a halt as he stared at me, our bodies still connected.
“You don’t have to say it back,” he assured me, his chest heaving with every breath. “I just… I do.”
“Oh, my God.” My eyes widened. “Leo!”
“Shh,” he murmured, brushing his lips against mine as he resumed his strokes, slow and purposeful. “You don’t have to say it back. Just come with me.” He nodded slowly. “Come with me.”
There was something in the way he said it—I love you—that resonated deeply. It wasn’t a fleeting declaration born out of the heat of the moment. It was raw and honest, wrapped in sincerity, vulnerability, and a dash of uncertainty.
If I thought I was feeling good before, hearing those words amplified everything. I was fully present, my senses heightened, every nerve ending tuned to him.
He took my hands, threading his fingers through mine, and held them out to the sides. His movements were steady, rhythmic, as his gaze locked on mine.
Leo didn’t just make love to me—he consumed me. His body spoke to mine, his strokes precise, unraveling every defense I had. My jaw went slack, my vision blurred, and tears stung my eyes, distorting the view of his face.
“Yes,” he whispered, picking up speed. “Come with me, baby. Oh, God, Ivy, come with me just like that.”
And I did. Completely.
The sensation coursing through me was overwhelming. My body surrendered, moving in perfect harmony with his. I gripped his hands tightly, holding on as though my life depended on it. My entire world narrowed to the pulsing rhythm between us.
The sounds we made—the wet slaps of skin, the creak of the bed, and our mingled breaths—drowned out everything else. I let go of his hands, clutching his back as the intensity overtook me.
Leo groaned deeply, his thrusts slowing, each one a purposeful, final push. Together, we unraveled, collapsing into a shared breathless silence.
* * *
Leo’s hand skimmed down my thigh, his fingers dancing lightly over my skin before trailing back up. His lips didn’t give mine a moment of reprieve, stealing kiss after kiss as though he’d never get enough.
I tried to turn my head away, laughing through my protests, but he only shifted closer, pressing kisses along my neck.
“Oh, my God.” I giggled, my voice breathless. “Will I ever breathe my own air again?”
“Nope,” he said against my mouth, his grin evident in his tone. He tugged me closer by the thigh, positioning himself between my legs again.
The sun had risen, marking a new day, but we hadn’t gotten much sleep. Between devouring the meal Leo had made and tending to Levi throughout the night, every moment in between was spent tangled together.
Now, lying beneath him in one of his oversized tees, with him completely bare against me, I could feel his fingers slipping between my thighs.
“Mmm,” I moaned softly as his fingers found their mark, circling my clit with firm, concentrated strokes. I spread my legs wider, giving him better access.
“Your touch is insane,” I whispered, my body arching into him.
“Mm-hmm,” he murmured, his voice a velvet rasp. “I’m very good with my hands and other parts of me as you know.”
He proved his point by sliding his tongue into my mouth, his rhythm with his fingers perfectly synced to the kiss.
To say I could get used to this would be an understatement. It had only been 24 hours since we’d acknowledged this undeniable pull between us, but already it felt like home.
Kendra’s journal sat open on the nightstand beside us, turned to the page where she detailed the baby names she and Tyrell had chosen. Leo and I planned to call the estate lawyer that morning to make Levi’s name official, but Leo had other priorities.
Not that I was complaining.
My hips moved instinctively to the rhythm of his fingers, my body attuned to his every touch. I ran my hand up the back of his head, smoothing my fingers over his fade.
I’d never known intimacy like this.
We’d spent years convinced we weren’t right for each other, that we couldn’t work. But these past few months—and especially these last 24 hours—had told an entirely different story.
“I swear,” he breathed, his voice thick with emotion, “every moment with you feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
His words sent a shiver through me, my body rolling against his hand as the pressure built steadily.
“You know I don’t just want right now with you, right?” he whispered, his lips brushing my ear as he pressed harder against my clit. “I want right now…”
“Oooh, Leo.”
“… and every tomorrow we can have together,” he finished, his voice low and dripping with intent.
“You gotta stop telling me shit like this when you’re making me come,” I whined, my voice a breathless whisper.
He smirked, brushing his lips against mine. “You gonna let me be the best part of your day, then?”
“Mmm,” I hummed, unable to form coherent words.
“Every day, no matter what?”
“I’m right there,” I panted, gripping his shoulders as his lips grazed mine again.
“Let me taste and see,” he replied, his grin devilish. He slid down my body, his face disappearing between my thighs.
The swirl of his tongue had me pressing into him. I let out a shaky breath, one hand fisting the sheets while the other gripped the back of his head. He groaned into me, the vibration sending ripples through my body as he sucked and licked with unrelenting precision.
My hips bucked off the bed involuntarily, and his large hand pressed firmly against my stomach, grounding me.
“Leo,” I whispered, my voice shaking as I teetered on the edge.
He finished me off with expert ease, leaving me utterly boneless and gasping for air. As my body calmed, he placed two kisses on my sensitive center before trailing back up my body.
Leo braced himself above me, arms strong on either side, and guided himself inside, moving with a concentrated, slow rhythm that made my toes curl.
Just as I closed my eyes to let the sensations take me over, we heard Levi stirring in his crib, followed shortly by his cries.
Leo paused, his forehead resting against mine as he let out a soft laugh. “Perfect timing.”
He kissed me once more and whispered, “I’ll get him.”
“No.” I pressed a quick peck to his lips. “I’ll get him. You have no clothes on, and you have me all over your mouth.”
He licked his lips and smirked. “I like you all over my mouth.”
I giggled, nudging him off gently before slipping on my robe and heading to the nursery.
Levi’s cries quieted the moment I scooped him up.
“Hey cutie,” I cooed, smiling at him. “How was your sleep?”
His wide, gummy smile melted me, as it always did.
“Good, then?” I asked, smiling even wider in return.
As I held him, I couldn’t help but reflect on the whirlwind of changes in my life.
Reading Kendra’s journal had given me clarity, helping me see the blessings I never realized were all around me.
I thought I had everything figured out before she passed, but now?
I realized I was only just beginning to understand what mattered.
When I walked back into the room, Levi tucked against my chest, Leo had slipped into basketball shorts and a tee.
“I got him,” Leo said, stepping toward me and holding out his hands. “Go freshen up.”
He winked, making me laugh as I handed Levi over.
In the en suite, I stared at my reflection, brushing my teeth and shaking my head at how much my life had changed. A house in Greene Gardens. Leo. Levi. It was all so unexpected, but somehow, it felt right.
I was finishing up when Leo stepped into the bathroom. Levi was cradled effortlessly in his arms, drinking his bottle contentedly.
“I’m heading downstairs to put something together to eat,” he said casually.
I turned to face him, smiling at the sight. “You want me to take the baby?”
“Nah,” he replied, shaking his head. “You finish up here.”
He leaned in for a kiss, and I met him halfway, our lips lingering for a moment before he pulled back, smiling softly.
“Leo.”
“Hmm?” he asked, turning back to look at me.
There he stood—big, confident, and undeniably handsome—holding Levi like it was the most natural thing in the world. The sight made my heart ache in the best way.
“I love you too,” I said, my voice quiet but sure.
A smile spread across his face, wide and genuine. He nodded, his eyes warm as they met mine. “I know.”
I laughed, shaking my head at his confidence.
“Come down when you’re done,” he said, turning to leave. “Take your time.”
As he walked out of the bathroom, I stood there, the smile on my face refusing to fade.
This alternate universe, this unexpected life? It was everything I never knew I wanted. And I had no intention of leaving it behind.