“Worth it, though.”
“I’d also be across the country.” The thought of that made my chest ache.
“Only for a few years.”
“Only?”
“You could do it,” he said seriously, elbowing me gently. “You’d have the whole damn world at your feet with a diploma from a school like that.”
“What if I don’t want the world at my feet?”
“Can’t imagine why you wouldn’t.”
“Maybe I just want you,” I said quietly. I was watching him so closely that I knew the second he stopped breathing.
He turned to me, the light from the windows illuminating the scarred side of his face, and I tipped up my chin as he leaned forward until our noses were nearly touching.
“You’ve got me,” he said, his hand sliding across my belly until it reached my hip. “Don’t matter where you are, beautiful.”
“Leo,” I groaned into his mouth as his lips finally met mine. His hands stayed where they were, one gripping the railing and the other wrapped around my hip, but the kiss was just as overwhelming as our first. I inhaled the scent of him, my hands resting on the sides of his cut, and I let the feeling of his mouth on mine seep into every pore of my body. The kiss was a promise, it was reassurance and possession all at once.
It was everything I’d been waiting for and something I hadn’t even known existed.
“Hate to break up the party,” Rose called quietly from the back door, breaking the spell. “But Cam and Trix must be done bumping uglies because he’s searching the house for you, Lil.”
I pulled my lips from Leo’s and made a noise of disgust. I didn’t want to ever hear about my brother bumping anything.
“Thanks, Rose,” I mumbled, dropping my head against Leo’s chest.
“I’ll just hang out here until you decide to go in,” she said, closing the door behind her. “No need for blood to spill.”
“It’s all good,” Leo replied, kissing the top of my head before pulling away. “I’m gonna head out.”
“What, no,” I protested.
“Yeah.” He leaned down and gave me a quick peck on the lips. “We can finish this conversation later.”
I stood there dumbly as he hopped over the railing and made his way around the side of the house.
“Damn, that guy is hot,” Rose said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder as we stared at where Leo had disappeared. “I mean, I always thought he was, but the way he looks at you makes him a thousand times hotter.”
“I think,” I said roughly, clearing my throat. “I think that was the beginning.”
“Of what?”
“Of everything.”
Chapter 13
Leo
Every time Lily smiled, I felt it in my chest. The feeling reminded me of the few times I’d had the wind knocked out of me. That split second of almost panic before I’d realize that I just had to give my body a second to adjust.
I’d seen her a lot in the last month, and I swear whenever people saw us together, they watched us like animals in a zoo. The boys couldn’t believe that Casper was letting his baby spend time with me. Hell, I couldn’t believe it either.
I also couldn’t believe how innocent our time together was. We went for rides. She sat next to me while I worked. We listened to music in my room, with the door open. I took her out to eat, took her to the pumpkin patch and let myself get lost in a corn maze with her. I even picked her up from school a few times and took her home when I knew that I wouldn’t be able to see her otherwise.
We were dating like middle schoolers, and I didn’t give a single fuck. My hand was taking care of business downstairs for the first time in years, and it didn’t bother me a bit. I was just happy to spend time with her.
I couldn’t get over the way her mind worked. She was always thinking ten steps ahead of everyone else. She saw shit that other people never noticed, and it was like she filed it away in case she’d need the information later. It was really similar to the way I’d seen Casper figure shit out, but I had a feeling that in a few years, after Lily had a bit more life experience, she’d leave her dad in the dust.
I’d done okay in school and I’d never had a hard time as long as I finished my assignments, but Lily was in an entirely different league. It was so fucking cool to watch. I had no idea how our school system had kept her engaged as she’d gotten older. I was almost positive that she could think circles around all the teachers in her high school.
I’d become one of those guys that noticed every single brush of skin. I’d never really thought about it before, but now, I knew the second that Lily’s hand brushed down the back of my arm. I noticed any time her knee bumped mine underneath a table, or her shoulder rubbed against my chest as she brushed past me. All of those touches meant something. We were in a dance. I was the person standing in the middle of the room and she was the person spinning in front of me, crooking her finger to try and tempt me into movement.