He brushes my hair back from my face as he speaks, his eyes distant, lost in another time.

“We’ve always looked out for each other. Even when things were really shitty; and they did get really shitty, we had each other.”

He swallows hard again and swears under his breath, and I feel his muscles tense even further under my hands.

“And now I learn tonight that she’s been struggling for years and I wasn’t here to take care of her.”

“Leo, she’s a grown woman. She made her choices for a reason.”

“Yeah, because I hurt her.” He shakes his head and growls in frustration. “I knew it would hurt her to leave her here, but damn it, she’d just started her career, and chasing this music thing can be unpredictable and brutal. I didn’t want that for her.” He kisses my forehead, as though he just needs the contact, and runs his hands up and down my back. “I made sure she was set to receive that royalty money so that I wouldn’t have to worry about her financial situation.”

“Meg doesn’t care about the money. She’s all about the people she loves,” I remind him.

“I know.” He sighs. “I love that girl more than just about anything. It kills me that she was driving an unsafe car.”

“Sweetie,” I whisper and kiss him softly, needing to comfort him. “She’s okay.”

His arms tighten around me again and he pulls me into a hug, tucking my face against his neck.

“And now I have you.” His hands continue to run up and down my back. “Another stubborn woman.”

He grips my shoulders and pulls me up so he can look me in the eye again. “I know you’re strong and independent and I respect that, but this is who I am, Sam. I take care of what is mine. You’re mine.”

He waits for me to argue, but I can’t. I feel tears prick my eyes, and I bite my lip.

“Don’t cry,” he whispers. “Just let me do what I do best, baby. Let me take care of you.”

“It’s hard for me to let people in, Leo.”

“I’m already in,” he reminds me. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

Yet.

His hands wander under the shirt, making my body come alive. He lifts me so I’m straddling his naked lap and unbuttons the shirt, peeling it down my arms to throw it on the floor, but I rescue the condom from the pocket and grin at his raised eyebrow.

“I’m a planner.”

“I see.” He pulls the sleeves over my hands and throws it to the floor.

“That’s better,” he whispers and leans forward to capture a nipple in his lips.

“God.” I grip his soft brown hair in my fingers and hold on as he wrecks havoc on my body. His hands cup my ass; his lips are all over my breasts and neck.

Finally, he lifts me, takes care of the condom, and slowly fills me, kissing me gently.

“You. Are. So. Amazing.” His soft lips brush over mine, back and forth, over and over again as he begins to move inside me. “Rock with me, baby.”

And we begin to rock in the chair, so the chair is doing all the work, pushing his cock in and out of me, our arms wrap around the other and cling, our faces touching from forehead to nose, and we just lose ourselves in each other until I don’t know where I end and he begins.

“So close,” he whispers and bites his lower lip, and I feel my own climax approaching, my body tightening, thighs beginning to shake.

“Me too.”

“Go over with me,” he demands softly and catches my lips with his as I cry out, my orgasm consuming me. He growls low in his throat and follows me over, panting and clenching his hands on my ass.

“Not going anywhere,” he whispers.

Chapter Ten

~Leo~

“You made breakfast?” I ask as I stumble bleary-eyed into my kitchen. Sam is wearing my black shirt again, and damn if she doesn’t look edible in it. Her light blonde hair is pulled into a messy pile on the top of her head, and her face is clean of makeup.

My dick twitches at the sight of her, and I agree. She’s beautiful.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to wake you,” she grins happily and piles hash browns and eggs on a plate.

“I know I didn’t have that stuff in the kitchen,” I mutter and kiss her cheek before I fill a mug with hot coffee. “God, you even made coffee.”

“I went to the grocery store this morning. You didn’t have much of anything except beer and pizza boxes.”

“You went to the store looking like that?” I’ll have to kill every man she came across today, on principle alone.

She rolls her eyes and smirks. “No, jackass, I wore pants.”

“Gee, that’s reassuring.” I take a sip of my life-affirming coffee and watch her set the table.

She looks good in my kitchen.

She looks good anywhere.

“I hope you like your eggs scrambled,” she mutters and pulls bacon out of the oven. “I don’t know how to make an omelet.”

“You don’t?”

“No, I always mess them up.” She shrugs and motions for me to sit.

“This looks great, thank you.” I lean over and kiss her softly, thoroughly, and then dig in.

“You’re welcome.” She smiles softly. God, I’d do anything to get her to smile at me like that.

“What’s up for today?” I ask and shovel potatoes into my mouth. Damn, she’s a good cook.

“I have to go to yoga. I haven’t worked out much since I got sick.”