Waterfall Kisses (The Kisses 9)

I rolled my eyes. “You keep up with that and I'm going to have to do something about it. You deserve me. End of story.”

“If you say so,” he replied, shrugging off his previous unease.

I laughed as he moved behind me so I sat between his legs. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and I leaned back, loving the warm heat of his chest pressing into my back. The sun hung low on the horizon, turning into a red ball in the sky and casting dark orange shadows across the field. Soon the stars would come out overhead and already the frogs and crickets were starting their nocturnal songs. Leo hugged me tight. “Okay, your turn to tell me a secret.”

“What?” I sat up and looked at him. “I never agreed to that.”

He raised his eyebrows and grinned, knowing full well that I hadn't, but wanting my secrets anyway. I sighed. Leo always got what he wanted.

“I have had a crush on you since the day we met,” I admitted.

“Charlotte, I'm pretty sure that the aliens on Mars know that,” Leo replied, rolling his eyes.

“You knew?” I felt a blush sear across my face.

“You blush every time you look at me,” Leo informed me. “Just like you're blushing now.”

I buried my face in my hands, trying to hide the evidence. “That just makes it worse. You knew. All along.”

“It was cute,” he said, kissing my hair.

“That's terrible,” I groaned. My crush had known all along. To be honest, I hadn't been very subtle about it, but that didn't make the shame of being found out any less.

“It made it that much harder to say no to you,” Leo explained, running his hand down my hair. “I knew I shouldn't feel the way I do about you, but you were just so damn perfect and sweet.”

“Yeah, like a kid sister,” I mumbled. “Did you even like me back? Or is all of this-” I indicated to the two of us “-a new emotion for you?”

“Not new. I've liked you for years, but I had to keep my distance or your brother would give me two black eyes and a broken spleen.” Leo chuckled. “But now, I think I can take him in a fight, especially if he's busy with his new girlfriend.”

I giggled. “So, you did like me? Even though I was Bastian's scrawny little kid sister?”

“At first you were Bastian's scrawny kid sister,” Leo admitted. “But when you walked into our office during your freshman year of college, you weren't scrawny anymore. You were this transformed, beautiful woman. And there was all this spunk and energy to you that I couldn't stay away from. Why do you think I always brought you coffee to our meetings?”

“I just thought you liked coffee and were flirting with the baristas,” I admitted.

“Well, maybe a couple of flirtations, but you were the one I liked.” Leo chuckled, the vibrations of his laughter reverberating through his chest and into my back. “But, the coffee was my way of telling you that I cared without having Bastian beat me up for hitting on his kid sister.”

“So what changed?” I asked. “I mean, I noticed you've put on some muscle lately, but...”

Leo hugged me hard, stopping my words and making me giggle. “What changed? I saw how happy Mr. Grump-face Bastian was and I wanted to feel that too.”

“Those two certainly are something special,” I agreed. I thought of how Ava smiled at Bastian and I knew that I had that same smile for Leo. I always had it, but now, it wasn't just me smiling. Now Leo was smiling with me.

Leo let out a slow, long breath. “It's more than that, actually. I'm greedy, and weak, and I wanted that. I couldn't see a good reason to deny myself anymore.” He paused for a moment. “I'd feel guilty, except you feel so good in my arms that I can't.”

“You're not greedy or weak,” I said. Leo was many things, but both of those words were the last things I would ever call him. I snuggled back into him and he hugged me close to him. The sun was almost gone now, but the dark was inviting and warm here.

“Tell me a real secret.” Leo's voice was low as darkness spread over us like a blanket.

I took a deep breath. He had told me a secret, it really was only fair that I did to.

“Only Bastian knows this,” I said slowly, pressing my hands into my thighs. My palms were suddenly coated with sweat. This wasn't something I wanted Leo to know about me, but something I thought he should. Lovers should know their history. “He only knows because he helped me deal with all the paperwork.”

“You don't have to tell me, Charlotte,” Leo said, picking up on my distress. “Pick something else.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You should know what you've gotten yourself into.”

I paused. This was my secret. The one I hid from the world and even from myself. But, love was about sharing secrets and not being afraid of them. Love can't thrive where there is secrets.