Only You (Sweet Torment 2)

Something in my chest felt lighter. He sat on the bed to put his shoes on.

“Leo?”

He looked over his shoulder at me.

I adjusted my posture, feeling instantly silly for what I was about to say, but for some reason, I had to know.

“You had a condom in your pocket.”

“Yeah.”

“For your date with Bepa?” I meant for it to be a statement, but it came out a question.

He turned to face me. “No. I’ve never slept with Bepa. And I wasn’t planning on it last night either.”

“Then why did you have one?”

A small grin split his face. “Ever since I met you, I never leave home without one. Because I’m not sure what to expect with you.”

I frowned at the same time my heart jumped with joy. “Was this all a game? To get to me?”

“You have me on the hook, Red,” he said and stood. “Does that bother you?”

I shrugged. “I just don’t know what to do exactly.”

He nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll see you on Monday then.”

I smiled. “Okay.”

My job was intact, but more importantly, Leo was the only person who seemed to want to be around me. Who didn’t know about the scandal or my past. His calm attitude was somehow seeping over me and made me want to relax.

He smiled and walked out. I stared for a moment. I could still feel him. The place on the bed where he’d just been was warm. I grabbed the pillow he’d lain on and hugged it. I could smell him. Smell us. Something in my heart ached as much as it stung.

Why did he have to be so warm?

Pumping my arms, I sprinted faster. Harder. Weaving in and out of the small tree line and staying on the path that ran along the back end of Leo’s property. After last night, then waking up to a Greek god in my bed early this morning, I needed to get some perspective. Or run from my thoughts. It was still early. I could smell the spring grass wet with morning dew and hear the trees bristle with the low breeze.

I thought about Leo. How I tried to keep it physical last night. How I ended up falling asleep with him there. Something I still couldn’t figure out. I just remember him surrounding me, from the inside out, and hugging me close.

I ran faster. My lungs hurt but I liked it. Maybe I could purge this feeling.

Because whatever was going through my system, it terrified me. I didn’t know how to handle it. All I knew was, I was in deep with Leo.

“Holy shit!” I screamed. I came through a cropping of trees and my heart nearly exploded from my chest.

I stumbled to a stop inches before plowing into another runner who was pushing as hard as I was.

I gasped for air and so did Kyros. “Sorry about that,” he said, breathing heavily.

I clutched my knees for a minute, taking deep breaths.

“I didn’t know you ran out here,” he said.

“Just clearing my head.”

“It’s a good place to do that.” He stretched his arms for a moment. “Did you have a nice women’s evening last night?”

I smiled. Yesterday in passing, Kyros and I had made small talk and I had mentioned girls’ night out. The way he said it, laced with his accent, was kind of adorable. And he was sweet to ask.