He wanted to reassure her that she’d never lose him, but it was time for brutal honesty. “There’s only one way you could lose me.” He leaned in, pressing his forehead against the cage. “Don’t make me watch you drown.”
Her breath caught and she pushed up onto her toes, kissing him through the bars. There was desperation in her kiss. He kept his eyes closed for a moment after it ended.
“You’re carrying more weight than anyone should, Cessie.” He opened his eyes. “And if you don’t either let some of it go, or let someone help, it’s going to break you.”
Leon forced himself to take a step back. “And if you decide—” He had to swallow hard to make space for the next words. “Ifyou decide that the thing that you’re going to let go of is us, I’ll respect that decision. It’ll kill me, but I won’t add to your stress by fighting it.”
Her eyes were widening with panic. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“Then you have to decide to trust me. Trust me enough to tell me what’s going on, and then trust me to help you. I won’t demand you stop helping your family—” His therapist had explained in detail how any kind of ultimatum like that, especially around relationships, was totally unacceptable. “But I won’t stand by and watch the woman I love drive herself into an early grave.”
He needed to give her time to process what he’d just said. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but Leon turned and walked out of the bedroom.
CHAPTER 14
He was leaving her.He was leaving her.
Panic made Cessie’s stomach roil to the point she thought she might be physically sick. No. No. It wasn’t going to end like this. She was putting it all on the line, and she would fight for them.
Cessie reached for the cage door. She didn’t have a key. She rattled the door—though it didn’t move much. “Leon!” she called out. “Leon!”
He was back in an instant, standing in the doorway, seeming unsure.
“Give me the key.” She used her doctor voice.
Oddly, he seemed to relax at her demand.
“Key, Leon. You don’t get to walk away and then prevent me from chasing you down and”—she rattled the door—“sitting on you.”
He propped a shoulder against the doorframe. “Where exactly are you going to be sitting?”
He was… teasing her? A minute ago, he’d been walking away. “Are you leaving me or…” She rattled the bars again.
“I was giving you space to think, because it’s not fair to pressure you, especially since we’re still in the power exchange.” He gestured to the bars.
“You keep talking about trust, trust me to be able to have this conversation, even caged.”
“And naked. Caged and naked.” He wiggled his brows.
Relief slipped through her, making her knees weak. “You weren’t leaving me?”
“No, baby.” He came forward, eyes now soft. “I was giving you space.”
“I was going to run after you, except I’m locked in.” She reached out through the bars. “Key please.”
He grinned a slow, wicked smile. “What key? Have you seen me use a key?”
Cessie stared at him, then bent to look at the big, old-fashioned lock.
What she’d assumed was a large keyhole was actually a hole big enough for a finger to reach in and lift up on the latch embedded in the large metal housing. She fiddled for a moment, then swung the cage door open.
Leon waited, watching her. For a moment she felt almost unsure.
Then she threw herself into his arms, and he caught her. “I can’t lose you,” she whispered against his chest.
“You won’t. Just don’t make me watch the woman I love drown.”
She took a deep breath then eased back to look up, finally ready to tell him everything. “They wanted your money.”
