She swallowed, her hands curling against her sides. "I… yes. I mean it. I…"
He moved closer.
Close enough that she felt his breath warm against her cheek, close enough that the faint scent of him, clean, sharp, dark, wrapped around her like hands.
His palm lifted, brushing her hair back with slow, deliberate care, and she felt the drag of his fingers down her cheek.
"You… choose me?" he repeated, as if each word was pulling something fierce and wild from inside him.
She nodded, her breath trembling.
And Leo exhaled.
A low, rough sound, like a man who had been holding something unbearable inside his chest for far too long.
His eyes, dark and stormy moments ago, now held a heat that made her legs weak. Not anger. Not fear.
Possession.
Desire.
Relief so deep it almost broke him.
He leaned in, his forehead brushing hers, his voice falling into a whisper that trembled with everything he had been trying to hide.
