Loving Leo (The Romanovsky Brothers Book 3) (10 page)

He let her come in close, waiting until he could feel her breath on his lips before he found the courage to lean in too.

“I don’t have any secrets.”  His fingers disappeared into the hair at the back of her neck.

Jessica gasped at his touch.  “Everyone has secrets.”  Her lips fell to his as their noses brushed.

“Yo!”

Jessica and Leo broke apart, stunned, as Gary came stumbling into the kitchen.

Leo slammed his hands back down onto the counter, arms flexed to the point of bursting as he shot fire at Gary with his eyes.  If he took that granite countertop right off the hinges, Jessica wouldn’t be surprised.

“Get out, Gar,” Leo seethed.

Gary stumbled to a stop, holding his hands out.  “Hold on now.  This is the kitchen, folks.  This is a community space.  If you two want to get busy, have some decency and do it in a place that isn’t teeming with all the food and water.  People need that shit to live.  Selfish.”  Shaking his head at them, utterly unapologetic, Gary walked to the fridge and threw it open, burying his head inside.

Jessica covered her smiling mouth with her hand.  It seemed like every lie that left her mouth was immediately replaced with a truth spilling out of Gary’s.  Maybe that was why she enjoyed him so much.  He created a nice balance in the fraudulent world of Ashley Williams.  A world Jessica could already feel spiraling out of control.

Leo met her eyes, shaking his head and matching her smile bashfully. He nodded toward the hallway.  “Do you want to…?”

Jessica followed his nod down the hall, and saw he was motioning to a guest bedroom.

“Oh.”  Her wide eyes met his, realizing what he was insinuating.  “No.”

“Oh.”  Barely surviving the blow, his head fell in an attempt to hide the blush on his face.

Jessica bit back a laugh.  Even now, she loved shooting him down more than pretty much anything.  She could already feel it becoming habit forming, taking him down bit by bit, peg by delicious peg.

She grabbed her purse from the kitchen island, backing away.

“Actually, Leo… I think it’s best that I call it a night.  I don’t want to be
that
employee.”

She willed herself to give him a sexual look.  Still coming down from their almost kiss, it was easy to accomplish.

Taking the bait like the dog he was, Leo hopped off the counter and followed her, reeled in by the dark promises in her eyes.

Jessica knew she had to flirt a little to recover from the hurting her rejection had just put on him.  She couldn’t shatter his ego too much.

Not yet.

She still needed him.

“You don’t want to be
what
employee?”  he asked.

Every step she took back, he took a bigger one forward, staying close until they were alone in Val’s foyer.

“I don’t want to be the employee who sleeps with the boss her first day on the job.”  She pushed her purse onto her shoulder.  “I prefer to keep my workplace rendezvous a little more subtle.”

He nodded as she spoke.  “Tomorrow.”

Jessica’s back slammed against Val’s front door, and she pushed a piece of hair behind her ear in embarrassment.

“Tomorrow?” She slammed back against the door with more force when he came in close, smelling his soap, his aftershave, and a scent that was simply
him.

“I can’t wait until Friday,” he said.  “Have dinner with me tomorrow.”  He wet his lips.  “Please.”

Jessica reached for the handle of the door behind her as fast as she could.  She had to get away from him.  Away from the distant memory of his heartbeat under the pads of her fingers, his solid chest, his breath on her lips, so close to tasting him she could almost taste him right then.  Her eyes went to his lips, down to his chest, and she noticed he was breathing just as hard as she was. She’d do anything to get away from him, so she agreed.

“Tomorrow,” she said, getting a hold of the door handle in her shaking hand, opening it just as he brushed a soft kiss to her cheek.

“Goodnight—” The door slammed closed behind her before Leo could finish saying good-bye.

Alone in the foyer, he looked into the kitchen and caught sight of Gary in the middle of it, swallowing back a slice of cold pizza while watching him with amused eyes.

“Yo. Leo. Remember that sexual harassment meeting we had this morning, an hour after
that one
was hired?” Gary motioned to the door Jessica had just stumbled out of.  “We told everyone that it was just some random meeting.  It wasn’t.  It was just for you.  So, just in case you’ve already forgotten the PowerPoint presentation we put together
just for you,
allow me to refresh…
propositioning our new hires for sex?” Gary nodded. “Definitely sexual harassment.”

“I can’t stand you,” Leo said.

Gary smiled around the pizza.  “I love you too.”

“This is going to get hard,” Jessica said to Chet the next night, staring off into the empty mansion.   “I might have to fuck him.”

“I’m starting to wonder if you would even mind having to fuck him.”

“Go fuck
yourself
.”

“Watch your mouth there, Ashley Williams.”

Jessica groaned, burying her head in her hands.  “Please don’t call me that.” Her head popped up, hair flying back and fanning down around her shoulders.  “Can I please not be Ashley Williams for two damn seconds?  How do I hate a bitch that isn’t even real?  I hate Ashley Williams.  I hate this bitch.”

Chet chortled.  “I have to give you credit.  You’re doing a nice job of taming that nasty mouth of yours.”

“Ashley Williams doesn’t swear,” she chirped.

“I activated the cam you set up.  Nice job getting one in Val’s kitchen.”

“It was a shitty job.”  Jessica made a disgusted noise.  “And I have a feeling Angie lost track of the mug shot she swiped from me.”

Chet nodded.  “You got that feeling too? Yeah, when you mentioned it, she had no idea what you were talking about.  She tried to play it off, but…”

“She lost it,” Jessica confirmed.  “Worst-case scenario, Roman has seen it and shown it to Val.”

“Don’t let Harp find out—”

“The only way Harp is going to find out anything is if
you
tell him.”

“It’ll never be me.”

“Then shut the fuck up already
with all this ‘don’t let Harp find out’ bullshit.”

“You seem mad.” Chet smiled.

Jessica looked away from him.  “If Val knows the mug shot is in circulation, he’s going to be on eggshells, even in his own home.”

“That could actually work to our advantage, though.  Break him down even faster than we anticipated.”

“True.”  She scoffed.  “Man, I could’ve gotten a camera in every
room
if Leo hadn’t been trailing me the whole time.”

“He likes you.”

“He likes Ashley Williams.  And, honestly, he doesn’t even like her.  It’s a game to him.  Even in high school, he treated his girlfriends like trophies. The utmost respect for their bodies, zero respect for their minds.  Whenever one tried to tell him they were more than a set of ass and tits, he’d trade her in for the next one in line.” She cut her eyes at him.  “And there was always a next one in line for Leo. He is not interested in Ashley.  He’s interested in winning.  The more she tells him no, the more he wants to win.  When one strategy doesn’t work, he shifts to the next.  I can almost see him working out the plays in his head when he’s talking to me.  It’s a
game.
”  She scoffed.  “He’s going to be eighty years old and still playing this tired-ass game, wondering when his balls got so saggy, and why the big-titty twenty-year-olds don’t look at him anymore.”

“He’s a multimillionaire.  The big-titty twenty-year-olds will
never
stop looking at him.”

“Touché.”

“It does seem like you’re thinking about him a lot.”

“I’m working.”

“From what I heard, it seems like he’s genuinely into you.”

“Until he gets it in.  And then he’s out the door.”

“Are you going to test that theory?”

Jessica cut her eyes to him.  “There’s nothing I won’t do to solve this case.  Now that Angie’s life is on the line and that mug shot is missing, I’m going to do everything in my power to close this as soon as possible.”

“Even sleeping with the brother of the prime suspect?”

Jessica thought about the fear she’d seen in Angie’s eyes, how hard she’d fought to hide it, and her heart lurched.  “Even that,” she said.

“Borgia… you’re a machine.”

***

Zoey gritted her teeth and held back a guttural groan, cringing at the painting on the bedroom wall.  Val slept soundly on the other end of their bed, and she shot him a disdainful look over her shoulder.  She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since that bastard had knocked her up, while he snoozed deeper than ever.

Lips puckered, eyes falling to her belly, Zoey regretted her thoughts.  Massaging her stomach with her hand, she shifted from where she lay on her side, moving onto her back.

Her gasp floated into the night air when Val curled around her from behind, his weight nudging her back onto her side.

“Not on your back, Zo.”

“It’s the only way I can get any real sleep.  I’m
so
uncomfortable.”

He set his hand over hers so they were both covering her belly, sliding his other arm underneath her body, cocooning her in his arms. The world fell away as she was enveloped in his hold. He nudged her in close, bodies curling until every inch of them was touching, even their wiggling toes.

“I can’t sleep,” Zoey whispered, feeling his breath on the back of her hair.  “Your kid is ruining my life.  Rolling around in my uterus like it owns the joint.”

A few silent moments passed.  She wondered if he’d gone back to sleep.

“What’s your favorite place in the world?”

She smiled at the question.  “That’s random.”

“When you think of a place that brings you pure bliss, what’s the first place that pops into your mind?”

“This place.  Right here.  In your arms.”  She smiled when his lips hit her ear.

“Okay,” he laughed.  “Your second favorite then.”

She thought on it.  “Paris. I’ve never been, but it’s always been at the top of my bucket list.  Whenever I see pictures of it, a weird calm comes over me.”

“Let’s go tomorrow.”

Her eyes shifted in the darkness.

He sat up and pressed a kiss to the edge of her ear, staying there for a long moment.  “I want to marry you, Zo.”

Zoey lifted her hand from her stomach.  His remained.  She reached up to cup his cheek, still staring ahead.

“We
are
getting married, Val.”

His heavy swallow filled the air.  “I want to get married tomorrow.  In Paris.” He tried to pull her closer, but she was already as close as she could get.  “Let’s pack one bag, get dressed, and go to the airport right now.  We’ll take the first flight out.”

Zoey turned her head and caught his eyes in the darkness.  “It’s 3:00 a.m.  The airport isn’t even in operation right now.”

“It will be by the time we’re done getting dressed.”

“Val…”

“Tomorrow night, then.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” She trailed her fingers along his stubbly jaw.

“Why aren’t you?”

“Because I know that we love each other, and that there’s no need to rush.  In fact, if I’m being totally honest, I’d much rather wait until I have the baby, so I won’t be a pregnant bride.”

“I can’t wait that long, Zo.  Please.”

“It’s almost like you’re afraid it isn’t going to happen.”

When he didn’t respond, Zoey leaned over and flicked on the bedside lamp.  She sat up and turned, meeting his eyes.  Her back straightened at what she saw in them.

He sat up too, leaning against the gray headboard, bringing his knees to his chest and burying his hands in his hair.

Zoey gripped his flexed bicep.  “Val, what’s going on with you?  Please tell me why you’re acting so strangely.  Trying to elope without the family?  Disappearing inside your head constantly, refusing to tell me why?  How can I be a good wife to you if you won’t share with me what’s hurting you?”  She scooted in closer. “Are you… sleeping with another woman?  You can tell me.”

He laughed.

Zoey was relieved to see it was genuine, and her hand tightened around his arm, wanting more of the sound. “You and I did become an item pretty suddenly, Val.  It must be difficult to go from serial womanizer to engaged with a baby on the way, all in one fell swoop.”  Her eyes fell.  “Is that why you still haven’t finished putting together the crib?  Or any of the other baby stuff?”  She lifted a shoulder.  “Do you miss your old life?”

“Baby.  No.”  He cupped her cheeks, running his thumbs back and forth.  “I’m so excited about our son--”

“Daughter.”

“I don’t even know what to do.” He carried on as if he hadn’t heard her. “There’s nothing I’ve ever been more excited about.  And, honestly, making love with you? I’ll never be able to get it up for another woman again.”

“I’m going to start making notes of when you say things like that, so I can use it all against you once we’re old and gray.”

“I’d love nothing more than to make it to old and gray with you.”

“Would we be getting married if we didn’t believe we could?”

Val’s eyes fell as he caressed her cheeks.  “What if I did something worse than sleeping with another woman?  Something… unforgivable? Would you grow old and gray with me then?”

“It doesn’t matter.  Because you could never do anything I would find unforgivable.”

“What if I did?”

“Did you?” Zoey beamed, raising her eyebrows.

Val looked away.

Her eyes widened.

“Tomorrow,” he said, looking back.  “Please, Zo, just marry me tomorrow.”

“What about the family?” Her heartbeat picked up.  “Bette will be devastated if we have the ceremony without her.”

“Then we’ll bring her along.”

“Getting married tomorrow is not going to fix whatever is ripping you up inside, Val.  Only talking about it will do that.  And, honestly… I’m going to have a hard time marrying a man who won’t
talk
to me.   It really hurts, you know, being with a person who closes all your wounds, and not being able to do the same in return.”

“You do close my wounds, baby.  You have no idea.”

“You’re right, I don’t have any idea, because you won’t tell me.”

“Maybe it’s only a matter of time before I split all your wounds right back open.”

Her jaw went slack, and she sputtered.

Val sighed and collapsed back against the headboard, staring ahead. “I feel like you don’t want to be married to me, at all.”

“Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“Well, that’s how I feel, Zo.  You’re demanding honesty from me, and that’s the most honest I can be.  I feel like you don’t want to marry me.”

“Of course I do.  I just don’t understand, why the rush?”

“Why
not
?”

She jolted, releasing his arm.  He reached for hers, but she snatched it away.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “I didn’t mean to raise my voice.  I’m just…”

When he didn’t finish, she sighed.  “I feel like we’ve taken twenty steps backwards.  The way you’re acting makes me feel like this is high school all over again.”

His eyes went ripe with grief.

“It’s starting to feel exactly like high school.” Her voice shook.  “When you were the reason I felt broken and the reason I felt
healed
, all at the same time.  I don’t know what changed with you over these last few months, but it’s feeling really familiar, and I don’t want to go back to that.”

Val took her jaw, leaned in and covered her lips with his.  His kiss lingered, and he pulled away with a moan before moving in again, with more intent.

“Does this feel like high school?” he asked between soft kisses.

A strangled purr left her lips when he kissed her again, dipping his tongue out to wet her bottom lip before sucking it between his own.

“No, Val.”  Her words were strained, and even as her center warmed at his taste, she found the strength to set her hands on his shoulders. “It does,” she said, responding to the confused look in his eyes.  “It does feel like high school.  Back when you would break my heart in the halls and then sneak into my bedroom at night.  When you caused my pain at school and then kissed it better under the sheets.  We’re not kids anymore.  You can’t just hurt me at your leisure, shut me out, and then just kiss it better.  I’m a real person, Val.”  She covered his heart with her hand.  It was pounding so hard it left her breathless.  “You have to open up to me in a real way.”

She saw something shift in his eyes.  Something that parted his lips.  He went to speak, but then he frowned and clapped his mouth shut, as if the voices in his head had talked him out of it.

Zoey blinked, stunned when he released her and turned his back, slamming his fists into the pillow before pushing his head into it.

A long silence blew by with Zoey staring at his back.  “That’s it?”  She pushed him.

He didn’t lift his head.  “If you won’t marry me tomorrow, then yeah. I’m going back to sleep.  I have an early day at Novsky.”

Zoey scoffed, turning away from him and slamming her head into her pillow as well.

They both stared into space for the rest of the night, but neither spoke another word.

***