“You did?” She smiled softly. “Thank you, for thinking of that.”
Leon stiffened. She felt the change in his posture. Felt his thigh muscles go rock hard under her ass.
Her stomach bottomed out.
“Let’s go inside.” His voice was neutral, almost flat.
“Leon, please, I didn’t mean it like that.”
Without another word he helped her off his lap. In that moment, she was desperately glad of the hood, because withoutit she was sure he wouldn’t have held her hand to lead her back inside.
Leon paced in front of the fireplace, jaw tight, hands flexing at his sides. He could feel the anger simmering just under the surface—not hot, explosive anger, but the cold, heavy kind.
Cessie sat on the couch, tense, arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold in all the things she wasn’t saying. Her head was bowed, and she looked so fucking vulnerable like that—naked, hooded, and hunched in on herself—that his heart clenched.
He’d brought her inside, made sure she was comfortable on the couch, and then taken a step back to gather himself.
He stopped pacing and turned to face her. “You were surprised that I took care of you.”
She lifted her head, and right now he fucking hated that hood because he couldn’t see her eyes.
“I wasn’t surprised that you took care of me. I just didn’t know how detailed your plans were.”
“Our scenes were always detailed. I used to spend the week planning every second of what we’d do together at Las Palmas. I’ve been planning this trip for months. Since we applied.”
“You’re angry.” Her throat worked as she swallowed.
Leon raked a hand through his hair. “I’m not angry at you, Cessie. I’m angry because you’re still acting like you don’t trust me—not really—even when I’m right in front of you, trying to take care of you.”
Cessie’s mouth tightened, and her chin tipped up.
Leon took a breath, slower this time. “I’m not some stranger who’s going to use you up and leave. I’m not your damn brother.I’m not your mother.” He crouched down in front of her, watching her face tip as she tracked his movement by sound. “I keep showing up, over and over. But you keep this wall up between us.”
“That’s not fair.” Her voice cracked at the edges.
“Isn’t it? You don’t talk to me, Cessie. Not really. You won’t tell me what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling.”
She shook her head, but he could see her shoulders tighten like she was bracing for impact.
Fuck.
He’d planned to have this conversation later, after a few more days of relearning how to trust one another. But it was all coming out now.
“You trust me with your body,” Leon said, quieter now, “but not with what’s in your head. Not with what matters most.”
She pressed her lips together, and he could see the fight rising in her—defensive, prickly. The same way she always got when he told her he was worried about her. Asked if he could help her.
Leon sat back on his heels, giving her space. “I’m watching you burn, like a meteor headed for impact but burning up before it even hits the ground.”
“I’m not doing it on purpose.”
Her head was bowed, and he realized the hood didn’t really matter, because even if she hadn’t been wearing it, he doubted she’d have looked at him.
“Aren’t you?” Fuck. He should have stayed gentle, but he tossed the word at her like a challenge.
“What do you want me to give up, Leon? Work? My family?” Her voice cracked. “Us?”
His heart clenched and he softened his next words. “You’re exhausted. Stretched so thin you can’t even feel it anymore. And you refuse to ask for, or fuck, evenaccept,help.”
