Mine.
It hits me with the force of a nuclear explosion.
Leah is mine.
The affection I’ve always held for her has shifted into something more these past few weeks.
Maybe from the moment I picked her up off that goddamn highway.
Like an act of fucking fate.
“I heard through the grapevine that your father has similar plans for you. Celeste, is it?”
Ice chills my veins at the mention of her name, and I suck in a breath, stepping forward and feeling reckless, but another voice eases the suffocating tension.
“Mikhail, come on! The pizza is getting cold.” Leah takes my wrist and tugs me inside. As I pass, Emilio and I stare each other down as silent threats spark between us.
“Was I interrupting something?” she asks, looking over her shoulder before climbing the staircase to the suite.
I shake my head. “Nah. Your father and I were just discussing business.”
Leah’s eyebrows pinch slightly as she studies my face, but her skepticism fades when I pluck a small feather from her bun.
“Ann was here this morning, and I kind of started a pillow fight,” she explains, cheeks flushing pink.
It’s as if I’m seeing her with new eyes, and she’s fucking adorable, but in a way that makes me want to kiss her, hold her, and fold her over the side of the couch.
“Ready to get your hands dirty?”
Her question is unintentionally loaded with sexual innuendos, and my cock understands every single one.
“Always,” I reply, my gaze locked on hers as heat simmers between us. I know she feels it.
“Good. But first, pizza. I’m starving.” Leah flips open the cardboard lid, and my smile evaporates the moment I see our lunch.
“They ran out of pepperoni?”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people who hate pineapple and ham for no reason.” I bark a laugh. “Don’t tell me you are one of those who actually like this shit.”
She picks up a slice and pops a small wedge of the blasphemous fruit into her mouth.
“Mmm,” she moans, eyes closed. “My favorite.”
Maybe the damn thing isn’t so bad. If she makes that noise for me with every bite, it’ll also be my new favorite.
“I’m not convinced yet,” I say. “Take another bite.”
Leah nibbles on her lip, smoky eyes on my mouth as she brings the slice closer. “You try it,” she urges, breaking off a piece.
Holding her hand, I bring it into my mouth and kiss the tip of her finger.
“What are you doing, friend?” Her voice is breathy, her chest rising and falling a little bit faster.
“Tasting the worst fucking pizza I’ve ever had.”
We break into sudden peals of laughter as I spit the bite of pizza into a napkin.
“You are such a pussy, Mikki.”
That word falling from her lips quells my laughter and, like it’s the most natural thing to do, I wind my arm around her waist and pull her to my chest.
“You have a dirty mouth, pretty girl.”
“Mikhail?” she questions, eyes pinging back and forth, unaware I’ve decided to keep her. “What is it, moya krasavitsa?” Her eyes drift closed as I grip her chin and slant my lips over hers.
“Please don’t hurt me, Mikhail.”
I know what that means. Two weeks ago, I proposed we simply remain friends. And since then, even with our proximity, I’ve been careful to keep her at a distance, guarding her heart. But I know now, I’ve just been protecting my own.
“I’d die before hurting you.”
Her smile widens against my lips, body wrapping around mine as I lift her into my arms and kiss her like it’s the first time. Yet even as I’m drowning in her essence, I can’t help but think how our union can destroy everything I’ve built for the last eight years. The thought is a sobering one, but not enough to tear me away.
“Leah!” Rodrigo calls from the bottom of the stairs, though neither of us moves with urgency, too reluctant to let the other go.
“He’s coming,” she squeaks.
