Chapter 5 Amy
AMY
Embarrassment sits in the pit of my stomach. Leo had to rescue me like I was a child. The way he scooped me up in his arms felt good, but it also felt like I was twelve years old again.
The silence sits heavy as we drive to his place, but I’m not ready to talk. I’m not ready to speak about the fact that I can’t look after myself and I need my dad’s best friend to rescue me because I’m too much of a child to take care of myself.
I have no idea what Leo was doing at the festival, but I’m glad he was there. Just when I needed him the most, Leo turned up like my shining knight.
We pull into his garage and Leo cuts the engine. We sit facing the garage wall in silence.
“You could have taken me home.”
In the darkness of the garage, Leo turns to look at me. He’s still angry, but there’s something else in his expression, something unreadable that sets a tug of longing deep in my core. Could that be desire? Or is he angry and disappointed that I let myself get into a stupid situation?
“I’m not leaving you alone tonight, Amy.”
I’ve been living with Dad ever since Mom took a job in Los Angeles. With him away for the weekend, I’m grateful again for Leo’s thoughtfulness. The last thing I want is to be alone tonight.
“What were you doing at the festival?”
It seems strange that Leo was there. I’m sure that Summer DubFest isn’t his scene. The serious look drops from Leo’s face, and he gives me one of his cheeky grins.
“I love EDM.”
I snort laugh because I know he’s lying. Leo is a fan of country music, like Dad. They play old records together and argue over which is the better Kenny Rogers album.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
He opens the car door, putting a stop to that line of questioning. I don’t know why Leo was at the festival, but I’m glad he was.
I’ve been in Leo’s house hundreds of times but never without Dad. I stand awkwardly in the kitchen while he makes hot chocolate.
I’ve got nothing with me but the small purse I always carry over my shoulder. Taking my phone out, I message Sarah to let her know that I’ve left and ask her to take my stuff home with her tomorrow.
She doesn’t reply, which makes me think she probably hasn’t even noticed I’ve gone.
Leo sets the hot chocolate in front of me. Then he holds up a bag of marshmallows.
“One or two?”
Oh great. Marshmallows in hot chocolate is something you’d give a child.
“I’m not a kid anymore, Leo. I drink coffee these days.”
He pauses with a marshmallow in his hand.
“You want some coffee before bed?”
He stuffs the marshmallow in his mouth and keeps speaking as he chews.
“I always have two.” He pops two marshmallows into his mug.
“Don’t tell anyone this, but even in the Army, whenever I could get it, I had hot chocolate before bed.
” He speaks conspiratorially with that dancing look in his eyes, so I can’t tell if he’s telling the truth or making up a story to make me laugh.
“Really? You drank hot chocolate while on secret missions?” I don’t bother to hide the skepticism in my voice.
“Oh yeah, we all did.” He pops two marshmallows in the top of my mug. “Your dad liked a warm cup of cocoa while he polished his gun. Kieren laced his with whiskey, and Bronn was the worst. He put the whole unit on parade once because someone only gave him one marshmallow instead of two.”
I’m giggling by this point, imagining these hard men drinking warm cocoa.
“You’re messing with me.”
Leo looks mock offended. “I’m risking my life here telling you a state secret. The entire military would fall apart if we ran out of hot chocolate.”
By now I’m laughing and the shame of what happened earlier is slipping away. This I why I love being around Leo. When he’s here, nothing ever seems that bad.
“You want a shower? Wash that festival off you?”
I shudder at mention of the festival, and Leo looks concerned.
“Are you okay, Amy? Did that asshole hurt you?”
I do a mental check through my body. There will probably be a bruise on my elbow where he pushed me in the dirt. But other than that, I feel okay.
“No. I’m fine. I got him a good knee in the balls though.”
Leo grins. “That’s my girl.”
I take a sip of hot chocolate, letting the sugary warmth settle into my bones. “Are you ever going to tell me what you were doing at an EDM festival?”
I lick the chocolate off my lips, and his gaze darts to my mouth. When his eyes come back to mine, his expression is deadly serious.
“I was there to protect you, Amy.”
The way he says it with his eyes like deep pools of water and his voice deep and raspy makes my insides quiver.
The thought of Leo protecting me is appealing. If only it wasn’t like a father protecting a child.
“Do you want a shower? Wash this grime off?”
He touches my arm where it’s stained with dirt, and a shock of heat goes through me. He must feel it too because his eyes dart to mine. Our gazes lock, and my pulse quickens.
He’s not looking at me like I’m a girl anymore. He’s looking at me like he wants me.
A bolt of realization hits my stomach. Leo wants me as much as I want him. The unreadable expression I see on his face sometimes—it’s desire.
Feeling emboldened, I bite my lower lip.
“Will you wash it off for me?”
His eyes widen and a groan escapes his lips. The sound rumbles through my body, sending a wet heat to my panties.
“Amy…” He drops my arm and turns away, running a hand through his hair.
Panic races through me. I’ve fucked up. I’ve read him wrong, and now I’ve embarrassed myself even more.
“Just joking…” I give a casual laugh that sounds as forced as it feels.
Leo doesn’t turn around, and I watch his back heave up and down as he breathes deeply.
“You can sleep in the spare room tonight, Amy. And tomorrow I’ll drop you back home. I’ll get you a towel.”
Without turning around, Leo heads up the stairs. I follow, feeling like a big fuck-up.
Every instinct is telling me that he wants me, but his actions are showing the opposite. I have no experience with men. I don’t know how to seduce him or if that’s even what he wants.
I follow Leo’s rigid back up the stairs and down the hallway. He stops by a cupboard to give me a towel.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
Leo doesn’t look me in the eye, and I watch him go down the hall and through a door at the end that must be his bedroom.
I’ve never seen Leo act so serious. I’ve never known him not to turn an awkward situation into a joke.
As his door clicks shut, I make a decision. This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’ve got Leo alone for a night. It’s my chance to prove to him that I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m going to show him that I’m a woman.