“You were a kid,” I said, laughing. “Cut yourself some slack.”
“I wanted to help people. Later…when I started to…to understand what my father was involved in…the kind of life he led, I knew I had to be a doctor. Everyone loves doctors. They help people who need it.”
I held her tighter against me. Most people would’ve missed the break in her voice, but I didn’t.
We sat together, not speaking for a while. The fire popped and cracked, spitting embers, sometimes shifting to send up a cloud of sparks. Sofia was so quiet that I wondered if she’d fallen asleep. I wouldn’t have blamed her. Last night had been rough, and today had been exhausting.
But she wasn’t asleep. She shifted on the couch so she could see my face. Her eyes seemed big and dark and stunningly beautiful. “Are you ever afraid?”
“Only of losing people I care about.”
“I don’t want to be afraid anymore, Leon.” She reached out and touched my face.
It was all I needed. I took her hand, brought it to my lips, and kissed her fingers. I looked at her, so gorgeous in the firelight, like a goddess, like an angel.
I couldn’t hold back and no longer wanted to. I leaned forward, tracing my fingers along her jawline, along her neck until I could cup the back of her graceful neck. Her skin felt deliciously warm. She watched me through half-lidded eyes, languid and beautiful, her lips parted slightly.
I claimed those lips with a kiss that told her exactly how badly I wanted her. When she made a sound of pleasure halfway between a gasp and a moan, my cock hardened, and I deepened the kiss.
Everything else vanished from my thoughts except making her mine, making her feel pleasure that would drive away the pain, giving her the love she’d lost today and more.
The kiss was incredible.
But it was only the first.
CHAPTER TEN
SOFIA
Firelight was magical. I hadn’t truly appreciated that until tonight. The heat from the flames seemed to roll against my body in waves. The light was a shimmering mix of orange, yellows, and reds. The light moved and flickered as the flames danced. It was the only source of light in the room. Firelight reflected in Leon’s eyes, replacing the green with something warm and bright.
When he kissed me, my body felt as warm as the flames. His skin smelled of the soap we’d bought. I ran my hands along his body, delighting in the hard feel of his muscles under a thin layer of cotton.
Our kiss deepened, his tongue invading my mouth and my tongue responding eagerly. We didn’t talk, only kissed, but I didn’t want to speak. I’d done enough talking. I wanted something to make me feel good, to help me forget all the fear and worry I’d felt. I wanted to feel beautiful and desired and, for a few precious moments, as if I was safe and protected.
Leon ended our deep kiss, leaving me breathing hard and my body thrumming like a guitar string. He stood and gently drew me to my feet. We stood next to the couch and the fireplace, the heat washing against us like waves.
He turned me to face the fire and moved up behind me, his hard body tight against mine. I could feel his arousal pressing against me through our clothes. It brought a smile to my face as I stared into the fire, warm now from the front and the back.
Leon’s hands slid across my body, exploring freely. His touch was wonderful, somehow both soothing and arousing at the same time. He pressed his body against me. I could feel the tightness of his muscles, the power in him, and his erection pressing against me showed that he was just as aroused as I was.
I drew in a shuddering breath, my need a pulsing ache inside me. I was already wet and getting wetter, almost lightheaded with my arousal. He lowered his head to kiss his way along my neck, and I closed my eyes to concentrate on the touch of his lips. Kisses. Light bites then kisses again. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sensations, my blood hot in my veins.
“Soft,” he murmured against my skin, his hot breath making me gasp and shudder. “Soft and so beautiful.”
His words stirred me even more because there was no missing the intensity of his desire in them. That, and he kept kissing from my neck to my jawline. Then he brought his hand up to cup my jaw and gently turned me to face him. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into his fierce green eyes. Not frightening, not cold, but burning now. For me.
He kissed me deeply again. My lips yielded to his, my mouth opening further as his tongue slipped past my lips. I wanted him with an intensity that was nearly desperate, almost painful. The hunger in the way he touched me stirred my own desire, coaxing it higher.
My hands found his shirt and pulled it out of his jeans as we kissed. His mouth went from a kiss to a grin as he pulled back enough to yank off his shirt the rest of the way. The view was gorgeous. He was just as cut and muscled as he’d felt when his body pressed against mine. I didn’t necessarily drool over those beefcake gym rats, but it was clear that Leon kept his body in top shape.
I put my hands on his pecs and slid them down his hot skin. He watched me enjoy his body with an intensity that heated my blood. My hands moved lower, to the ridges of his flat stomach, then lower, on denim now, to stroke along the stiff length of his cock trapped in those jeans.
Leon clearly liked to be calling the shots because he didn’t let me tease him for long. His big hands caressed along my arms to find the buttons of the cheap blouse I wore. He deftly unbuttoned them one by one, exposing more of my skin to his gaze. He slipped the blouse off me, cupped my breast through the plain bra, and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around him, the pants I still wore suddenly feeling constricting.
His hands slipped behind me. He undid the hooks of my bra and removed it. He kissed me deeply again, then trailed his lips down my neck, placing sweet kisses along my collarbone. Slowly, he teased my body with his mouth, moving lower to my breasts. He kissed one while cupping the other, playing with my nipple with deft fingers until it stood up hard and tight.
His tongue flicked my other nipple, pushing the nub this way and that. Then he ever so gently bit it, and I couldn’t stop my moan. I clutched at his head, my hand buried in his hair.
