I nod my head, but all I really want is for him to come in with me. I would never ask him, though, I’m not that brazen. What I’m doing tonight is so out of the box for me, but the past few weeks have been our very own kind of foreplay, the heated glances, the lingering touches. I needed to know it wasn’t just one sided.
We make it to my closed bedroom door. Leo is still with me when my hand goes to the doorknob. His comes on top. His front molds to my back, and I can feel every square inch of his body touching mine, including the bulge that is digging into my lower back. If I were bolder, I’d be on my toes, wanting to feel him where I’m aching the most.
“Tinsley.” His deep timber washes over me, causing me to drop my head back on a sigh.
“Leo,” I reply as his hand wraps around my bare stomach, holding me to him.
“I’m coming inside. I need to check to make sure everything is good. Dumb and Dumber aren’t even around, not sure what the hell is up with that. You’ll stay by the door while I do a sweep.” I don’t respond to him. My sole focus is on how he feels around me.
“Nod your head if you understand, beautiful.” I do as he says, loving that he just called me beautiful. No one has ever given me the time of day quite like Leo has, even if he is hired by my father. It still makes me feel cherished. The two of us walk in together, his body still hugging mine. It only changes when he closes the door behind us. That’s when he lets go and says, “Stay right here.”
“I will,” I respond. My own voice sounds like a stranger’s to my ears. As soon as Leo sees me in place, he turns and makes his way to check out each and every nook and cranny in my room. If I had it my way, I’d be back in my apartment in the lights of the city that overlook the lake. Not in this place where everything has to look a certain way, appear to be in the best form possible. It sucks. Literally, it sucks to be back in my childhood home, where I can’t move about my own business like I once did. I’m not a spoiled princess—I don’t ask for much, and I don’t expect it either. Sure, I go to a good college and have a nice apartment. The college I worked my ass off to get into. The apartment was definitely a hard pill to swallow. After my first year living in a dorm, I knew apartment living was expected of me, not by just the college but by my parents as well. We somehow came to an agreement that I’d live in a one-bedroom apartment by the school, so I could either walk or drive there if the weather was bad. It took us months to find a place my parents could agree on. I didn’t care what it looked like, paint, some décor, and it would come a long way. Especially since that’s what I was going to school for anyway, much to their dismay.
“Is everything okay?” I call out. It’s been several minutes since Leo’s been gone, leaving me unsure if everything is okay.
“Were you worried?” he asks. Leo didn’t come back the way he went, a testament to how big my room is here at home. The sitting area is as big as some homes, not to mention the bedroom and bathroom that are attached to this wing. If only it had a kitchen, I’d never have to be sociable. That would be the life.
“Maybe.” We’re both playing a game of cat and mouse.
“It’s perfectly safe in here. I’ll see you in the morning.” His fingers slide against my midriff before he leaves me in a state of breathlessness and replaying every moment we spent together today.
Three
Leo
“Yo,” Slade answers after the second ring. I’m back in my room that’s next to Tinsley’s wing. Dumb and Dumber, Matt and David, still are sight unseen.
“Hey, might have a situation on our hands. You didn’t mention Sutton was going to have two dingbats attempt to play bodyguard, leaving our client unattended non-fucking-stop.”
“You fucking kidding me? You’re the only one I can leave out there, and we’re already spread thin. What are your thoughts about leaving the property and staying with her elsewhere?” Slade asks. I already knew there were no other viable options. Everyone back home has a family, though from what Drake told me, they’re looking at bringing on a few more people. I pinch the bridge of my nose because there is no other option. Keeping Tinsley safe and secure is my number-one mission, and that shit is not going to happen here in a place this big.