“Mine,” she replies, and I grin down at her.
“Leonard, come. You have to shower and then we need to go through our post-race routine,” Quinn interrupts, and I’m barely capable of peeling myself away from Chiara to do as I’m told.
“Alright, I’m going to head out and do the same. I’ll be in England next week. Will you spare me a minute of your precious time to grab a coffee?” Adrian says, and I raise both of my brows at him.
“Depends. Will you be annoying?” Adrian flashes me another of those mischievous, cocky grins of his.
“Most definitely, but you love me, so it’s okay. See you soon,” he calls out and leaves, not giving me a chance to tell him I don’t, which would have been useless anyway.
Adrian has got this confidence overload because he’s young and talented. Lucky for him, his arrogance is charming, which may mostly be because he’s a genuinely nice guy.
“You, shower. Now,” Quinn reminds me, making me nod along to her words. I’m about to shut the bathroom door when my best friend’s voice fills the small room outside. “Thank you,” she says, and I hesitate.
“For what?” my little demon asks, and I lean my head against the door, scolding myself for my inability to stop eavesdropping.
“You’ve jump-started Leonard’s life, Chiara. I know he probably doesn’t think I’ve noticed, but ever since you two have become inseparable, everything has changed. The races mean more to him again. He’s become more passionate about everything, cooking, going out, even fashion. He really likes his clothes,” Quinn says, earning herself a little chuckle from Chiara. “My point is, you’ve become the most important person in his life, and you’ve made it better in every way you possibly could have. You make him happy, and I’m grateful,” my best friend goes on, and I can’t deny anything about what she just said. Because it’s exactly what I’ve felt for Chiara for a long time. She makes my life worth living.
My little demon. My sweetheart. My Starling.
My Chiara.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT
chiara
Leonard and I have been cuddling with Benz on the floor of his apartment for the past hour. He went to pick her up from his parents’ house while I unpacked my suitcase and did my laundry. I wasn’t allowed to wash his because it isn’t my job to do his laundry, as he called it. When I was about to complain, he merely kissed me and told me to swallow down my complaint. All hazy from the way he makes me feel, I simply nodded and watched him walk out the door. Leonard is too hot for my body to handle sometimes.
“I’ve missed you,” he says to Benz as she rolls onto her back, her tail wagging from side to side.
“I’ve missed you more,” I tell her, and Leonard lets out an amused snort.
“You always have to one-up me, don’t you?” he asks, our hands meeting on Benz’s head where we are both petting her.
“Yes,” I reply with a slight smile, and he returns it, rolling onto his back as Benz walks away to lie down in her bed next to the sofa. Apparently, she’s had enough of us.
I watch Leonard’s jaw flex, feeling heat settle between my legs until an uncomfortable ache appears. The same one only he can awake in me at this point. It’s been a few days of chaos since we’ve had time alone with each other, and every fiber of my being is aware of it. My attraction for him has me constantly longing to be near him, intimate with him in ways I’ve never been with anyone else.
“Chiara?” he asks, and I swallow hard, my name the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard when it comes out of his mouth.
“Hmm?” I reply, my gaze fixated on his full, plump lips. My eyes flutter shut at the memory of them pressed against mine. I could close the distance between us, make the fantasy a reality, but I wait for whatever he wants to say.
“Get on top of me,” he instructs, and I open my eyes to see he’s tilted his head in my direction, his gaze like a caress on my body.
“What?” I ask, stunned by his command.
“Get on top of me,” he repeats, causing my heart to skip several beats. “I can feel your need, so come take whatever you desire. Ride my face or cock, whichever you prefer, sweetheart, just use me.”Good God.“Come,” he says and holds out his hand, and I crawl over to where he is.
Leonard sits up, dragging his hands through my hair and bringing his face centimeters from mine. He doesn’t kiss me, merely hovers until the anticipation of the moment has me curling my toes. A shudder runs down the length of my spine as I follow the tilts of his face and try to bring my mouth to his. He leans away, smiling because he knows how desperate I am to take what I need, like he told me to only a moment ago. Instead, he cups my nape with one hand, massaging it until a soft moan leaves me. His other hand settles on my thigh and squeezes until I gasp.
“All these wonderful sounds, Chiara, I need them to be mine. Only mine,” he says, and I tilt my head back when his lips move to my neck.
“They’re yours, all of them,” I croak out, pleasure starting to cloud my mind.
“Good,” he mumbles against my throat. “Because I hate sharing, always have,” he goes on, and I reach for his face, cupping it.
“You’re mine,” I say and grab his chin to force his gaze to mine. “And I don’t fucking share either. So all your moans, kisses, orgasms, laughs, happy and sad moments, I want them all. I want you, and I have for a very long time.” If I’m being honest with myself.
“Everything in my life would be pointless without you, Starling,” he says, and I kiss him fiercely, trying to taste his feelings and allow them to sink into my bloodstream until they reach my heart. “Take control, Chiara. I know you want to,” Leonard says, and millions of ideas start floating into my head about what I would like to do to him. He rips his shirt over his head before claiming my lips once more.
