Unbroken

Leo had a towel wrapped around his hips when he sat down next to me. He smelled of the same bodywash, his short hair dripped water all around him, soaking the mattress. He was so close to me, the simple movement of his head caused droplets to land on my arm. He traced one line down my arm, and I watched his finger as it slid slowly from my shoulder to my wrist. Goosebumps broke out in the wake of his touch, thrilling me. I looked up at him, heart seizing in my chest to find his gaze already on mine.

“Ready for bed?” he whispered in question.

I nodded, mouth too dry to form a response.

We settled down on the bed, me painfully aware that Leo still had his towel wrapped around his hips. I was too busy staring at him, but I heard Hunter’s movements as he disappeared into the bathroom. The shower pipes went on. It was so quiet, I could hear the clothes falling off his body, could hear him step into the stall, could hear his hands scrubbing at his skin.

“Switch off,” Leo murmured just then, his tender eyes staring into mine. “You’re always so busy thinking about Hunter.”

I smiled weakly. “He worries me.”

“He’s capable, you know. A grown ass man.”

I nodded, offering no response because Leo was right and I shouldn’t worry, but I couldn’t help feeling like Hunter needed to be looked after. He was so fucking vulnerable, Leo had never known the extent of it.

“You carry your heart on your sleeve,” Leo whispered, lips pulled down in a frown. “You think about how everyone else is feeling all the damn time. You ever think about howyoufeel, Skye?”

I looked away from his face, opting to stare at his damp chest instead. I watched a trail of water slide down it as I replied, “I only ever think about you and Hunt. There’s nobody else, Leo.”

“What about your mom and—”

“They’re wrapped in each other. That’s how it’s always been—how it’s always going to be. You know that.”

“Yeah.”

“I think Kurt knows he has no say in my life. He can’t lock my window or demand to know where I am at all times—he’s relinquished his control.”

“Good.” He turned to his side, his hand settling on my hip and pulling so that I wound up on my side, too, facing him. He squeezed my hip, prompting me to look back at his face. My chest went so tight, I could hardly draw a breath in. His heavy expression warmed me, sent hot pulses through my body.

“I want to take care of you,” he said quickly, voice low and serious. “I want you to never be without, and I’m going to take you places. Wild places.”

My eyes widened as a bolt of excitement raced through me. “Wild places?”

“The wildest.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere you want.”

I grinned. “Like those sandy beaches you always vacationed to?”

He smiled lazily. “That’s not wild.”

“But could you?”

He looked between my eyes and mouth, his eyes softening. “I’ll take you there.”

I shook from the rush that thought gave me. I envisioned a place far away. A place where the ocean glimmered like diamonds under the hot sun. I lost a little bit of focus as I said, “Can Hunter come with us?”

He chuckled. “Why did I know you’d ask that?”

My face warmed. “Because he has to be there, Leo.”

“Why?”

I shrugged. “He just has to, and so do you. I need you both.”

Now his face expression slipped, and his eyes grew distant when he said, “We need you, too, Skye.”