Chapter Twenty-Six
Maddy
I woke up sometime in the night with Leo draped over me.
His arms wrapped around me, his head resting between my breasts and my hands in his hair, holding him to me so he couldn’t get away.
Earlier I thought I’d needed space but once I was on my own, I hadn’t wanted to be away from him.
We’d spent so long apart, and I just needed a minute to sort my head out, to think.
But all my thoughts quieted when he was near me.
I was still in shock over what had happened between us. All these years we’d been together every day and all it took was a couple of months apart for things to turn explosive between us.
He loved me.
Like, loved loved me.
My stomach twisted at the thought. I wanted him so much, didn’t want anyone else to have him. He was mine and always had been.
But if I admitted that I loved him, then everything changed.
How would I cope if I lost him? I had seen what losing a loved one, your soulmate, could do to you.
And what if we had a family, and I lost them too?
Like my dad had almost lost me. And the close call with August’s accident.
Family was everything to me and if I lost someone, if I lost Leo…
I shuddered, jostling him and he murmured in his sleep, pressed a kiss to my chest and then resettled.
Leo didn’t understand. He was fearless in everything, including love.
He’d known his whole life that he wanted a wife and family to give himself to.
That’s where we were different. I pretended I didn’t have any fears, that I was brave.
I could waltz into a blazing building and not bat an eyelid.
But I couldn’t admit to loving someone because of what that admission opened my heart up to.
Trauma.
Loss.
Grief.
All of the above. I had seen it. I didn’t want to live it.
But be without Leo? Could I do that? No.
I didn’t know how to have the two things. I couldn’t see how this would work. And I wouldn’t keep him tied to me without the promise of forever and a family knowing how much he wanted one. That was cruel. He deserved to get everything he ever wanted.
But being with him had been so natural, so effortless. Even now, wrapped around each other was so…right.
Part of me was amazed at the fact that we had finally crossed that line and another part of me wondered why we hadn’t always been doing this.
Sure, we’d experienced moments over the years, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when I started looking at him differently.
Certainly nothing on this scale. And I didn’t want it to end here.
I hoped that although we only had a few more hours together, we could explore so much more.
I ignored the thought that he would be leaving again in the morning. I didn’t want to think about it. The last few months had been torture. I’d been a shell of myself, and I wasn’t looking forward to a repeat of that.
I needed more.
More memories to keep me going while he was away.
I gripped his hair tight in my fingers and rolled my body, shifting him to the side. He snuffled awake.
“What’s wrong, baby?” His voice was raspy from sleep and made me shiver.
Leo calling me baby had to be my new favorite thing. The way the sentiment rolled so easily off his tongue, made me wonder how long he’d been holding it back.
I pushed him to his back, eyeing his strong torso. He’d removed his shirt and jeans in the night, and I took the opportunity to look at him the way I’d always wanted to but never could; lasciviously.
My eyes roved over his chest, his thick pec catching my attention. I settled over his hips and I dipped down to nip at the flesh.
“Ow, Maddy?” he yelped. When I soothed the skin with my tongue, he cursed softly, his hands tangling in my hair.
I flicked my tongue over his nipple and kissed my way down his stomach, pressing my tongue into each of his abs.
I could feel him harden beneath me, his cock thickening and the length excited me.
His wide palms gripped my thighs, squeezing them and I rejoiced in his coiled strength. I loved how strong Leo was. My hips swiveled, rubbing against him, my bare flesh against his boxers.
“Oh God, just like that,” he groaned, lifting his head to watch as I rolled my hips.
I grew wetter, more desperate for him. I pulled down his boxers and then placed my core directly on him.
A breath shuddered out of him, his hands gripping my hips tightly, tugging me back and forth over his hard length but I couldn’t tear my eyes from his face.
That gorgeous face that I thought I knew better than my own was showing me things I’d never seen before.
The scrunch of his brow, his lip twisted between his teeth.
His eyelashes fluttering closed in ecstasy at each swing of my hips.
This was a new Leo and I devoured every single moment of it.
Bending down, I put my lips to his ear. “Fuck me, Leo.”
“God, yes,” he replied and flipped us, gripping behind one knee and pulling it up to rest on his hip. His fingers played with me, slicking all around and sliding in deep, curving and then slipping back out. Teasing me, riling me up.
“Please, do it. I’ve waited for you for so long, stop teasing me,” I huffed, desperate for him. His low rumble of approval vibrated between us.
“You want this?” he asked, slapping his cock down on my clit. I moaned, squirming under him. “Is that a yes?”
I nodded.
“Tell me you want me, Maddy,” he demanded.
“Please, Leo, I want you. Only you.”
He notched his cock at my entrance, flicked his eyes to mine and slowly slid in, my body giving way to him and he settled deep inside.
Both of us silent as he pulled out and slowly pushed back in.
He shuddered over me but I couldn’t move, too entranced in the sensations he was creating.
Like this was the way it should have always been, from the very start.
I was already so close to exploding. How did he do it?
“Look at your pretty pussy, so eager for me,” he praised and I choked on another moan.
Fuck, how could it feel so good for him to talk this way, not weird at all that it was Leo saying these things to me.
These perfect words that seemed designed just for my ears to push me over the edge.
I don’t know what power he had over me, but I revelled in it, rising my hips to meet his next thrust.
Leo fucked me, hard. Then he slowed down and stroked in so gently, lovingly, it was almost too much to take. The second I adjusted to his rhythm, he switched it up, changing the pace and challenging me to keep up.
He rolled us over until I was on top. He didn’t need to say a word, I just started riding him, bouncing up and down, desperate to get us both off. His heavy breaths and grunts filled the room as our flesh slapped together. I pulled him up to meet me, wanting to kiss him as he filled me.
He licked and nipped at my lips, sucked my tongue.
I couldn’t take much more. I pulled away, pressing my cheek to his as I felt the tidal wave building inside.
My moans rose in pitch, my breaths puffing over his cheek and ear.
He kissed my shoulder, his rough beard grazing my sensitive skin as he slid his hand between my thighs and flicked his thumb back and forth over my clit.
I was desperate. Leo made me so fucking desperate. I pulled back, covering his hand with mine and pushing harder, riding his cock and his hand at the same time.
“Maddy,” he warned, his chest damp with sweat from the exertion.
“So close,” I mumbled, riding harder.
“Fuck, Maddy!”
I felt him pulse inside me in hot, wet waves that made the ride slicker and I threw back my head as my orgasm crashed through me, devastating me and leaving nothing left.
He covered my mouth to stop my cries as we slowed our bodies and tried to catch our breath.
When he removed his hand, I collapsed against his chest.
“That was…” he trailed off, his fingers drawing lazy shapes down my spine.
“Uh huh,” was all I could respond, my cheek pressed to his damp skin, too blissed out to move.
I don’t know what that was. It was nothing that I’d ever experienced before. Nothing even close to my previous partners.
But no other man could hold a candle to Leo. We were so close, so entwined that I could expect nothing less than perfection.
“You’re welcome,” he replied smugly.
It took a moment for his words to register and then I started laughing. I covered my face with my hands to stop the snorting, but I couldn’t. He laughed with me and we rolled around the bed, giggling helplessly.
*
“I have to go,” he murmured, lips pressed against my skin. I lazily lifted one eyelid as I snuffled awake. Leo squatted next to me, showered and fully dressed.
I sat up. “What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.
“Late afternoon,” he replied, taking my hand and kissing the palm. The sweet gesture had my heart stuttering in my chest.
It wasn’t a dream, it was all real. Him coming home, telling me he loved me, that I was it for him.
The kisses, the sex, the orgasms, the intimacy.
A slow smile split my face as I looked him over.
“Oh no, don’t look at me like that,” he groaned, dropping his head. “I’m a weak man, Mads.”
I laughed, tugging his arm and pulling him on top of me. “You’re the strongest man I know.”
His brows dipped in a slight frown, but his eyes gleamed at me. He swiped his thumb over my forehead.
“Not when it comes to you, I’m not. What am I going to do with you?” he sighed.
“I have some ideas,” I teased, rolling us to our sides and slinging my leg over his hip.
“Fuck, that’s already working.” The gravelly timbre of his voice had a shiver rolling through me.
“Good,” I purred as I pressed my lips to his throat and rubbed against his growing hardness.
“Wait, no, I’ve got to go,” he pulled away with a huge grunt, like it took all his strength to untangle us. “I’ve got to drive back to Calgary. I should have left hours ago, Frank is gonna kill me.”
“Then stay for a bit longer, if he’s already mad then it won’t make a difference.”