I don’t think I’ll ever be safe again.
“No one will find you here. I doubt they’ll be looking in this area, either.” Leandro leads me into the quaint living room of a house about an hour outside LA in a suburban city off the 210 Freeway.
“My dad threatened to send me to a private school out here.” I smirk and look around the room, catching sight of some framed family pictures scattered across a decorative table against the wall. “Is this your house? You always seemed like you’d have a bachelor pad, in some high-rise apartment.”
Leandro chuckles, turning his attention to the hallway, where he set up Esteban to rest. “It’s a bit unbelievable to think that the heiress of the St. Germaine fortune would be at a boarding school in the IE. I would guess Switzerland. Maybe England. Not the Inland Empire.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Like I said, it was a threat. And you didn’t answer my question.”
“Technically, yes, this is my place, but I haven’t lived here since high school. My parents left it to me and my siblings, and we just haven’t figured out what we wanted to do. My sister and I have busy lives and my brother doesn’t want to hassle with anything.” Leandro’s face darkens with his words. “Anyone looking for me would have to do a lot of digging to find this location. I took on an alias when I got into protection detail.”
“So Leandro isn’t your real name?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
“Is Stacia yours?” Leandro steps closer, peering down at me. His eyes shift back-and-forth, searching my face for whatever silent questions that whirl through his mind. I knew this was coming. He saw things he shouldn’t have, and now I’m going to have to explain everything. But a part of me hesitates. It has been ingrained in my mind that if the secret of the Looking Glass ever got out, there would be lethal consequences.
But what do I have to lose at this point? Leandro deserves to know what he truly got himself into when he took the job as my bodyguard.
Slowly bobbing my head, I confirm my answer to his question. “I’m Stacia St. Germaine, and the daughter of Kenneth St. Germaine, the current king of the Looking Glass chapter of the Society of Secrets.”
Leandro twists his lips, tightening his jaw. “Do you know how strange that sounds? A secret society?”
I understand why he questions things. It does sound crazy. It is crazy. “Are you sure you want to know more? They’ve killed people for less. Right now, they have their mind set on you. I’ve been instructed to frame you for the murders. It’s either that or death.” My voice shakes with the admission. It’s hard to even say this out loud.
Leandro squeezes his eyes shut and moves to sit on the couch. He covers his face with his hands and breathes out a low, long sigh. I’m sure this was the last thing he expected, taking me on as a client, and it would’ve probably been easier on him if he just thought I was involved in a drug cartel or some shit.
“I won’t ruin your life. It’s not worth it to me. I care about you.” I sit beside him and half-hug him, seeing if he’ll allow me to touch him.
He leans into me more, sliding his arm around me to pull me close. “I’m not afraid of them. I’m afraid for you. What I saw was absolutely insane. And with the hitman? Stacia, this isn’t random. This isn’t some bullshit cartel or business deal gone wrong trying to get retaliation. I don’t have proof, but it’s the most logical thing. Especially after what happened with Esteban.”
I rest my head on his shoulder without responding. I don’t know exactly what to say. He’s right, and I know it deep down. This is far beyond some random bullshit. This has to be an insider. Someone is manipulating our entire chapter, forcing my father into doing things he wouldn’t normally do, but he wants to take care of me.
Leandro rubs his hand up and down my arm, not pushing me to say anymore. “I know this is a hell of a lot to deal with, which is why I chose to stick around. I’m not going to stand by and let a bunch of entitled pricks try to ruin your life or mine. They’ve underestimated me if they think they’d get rid of me so easily.”
I tilt my head and meet his gaze. “But why? Why risk it? You should get out while you can. If we can’t find you—”
Leandro cuts me off with a kiss that sends shockwaves through my body. I devour his sudden affection and groan, shifting to slide onto his lap. His actions speak volumes. He stays because of me. He risks everything because of me. Why he chooses so? Especially because he knows that I am messing around with both Talon and Esteban is beyond me.
I don’t want to think about it though. I want to lose myself in this moment and drown in his attention. Because this moment is only filled with our vulnerability and need for closeness. This isn’t manipulation. This isn’t having fun. This moment runs far deeper because we both know what’s at stake, yet we throw our caution to the ground.
“You drive me wild, beautiful. I’ve been a jealous man without your attention. I tried to pull away. I tried to just get my job done and ignore the fact that you were showing others attention, but you’re too damn irresistible. I don’t care if I’m not the only one. What I care about is if I’m not one at all.” Leandro combs his fingers through my hair, kissing along my jaw and down my neck. “I’ve never stopped thinking about you. How your lips taste. How your body feels. I couldn’t imagine not having you again.”
Excitement rises from my middle to bloom over my heart, sending it beating chaotically. I feel so incredibly special and sexy in this moment. Not many men would handle my refusal to choose just one of them, and I’m so very lucky that they’re learning to be okay with it. For me. They think I am worth it.
I grip his shirt, pulling the fabric. “I know that it’s frustrating, but I do like you, Leandro. I just happen to like others. I love your attention. I love all your affection. It’s hard to explain, but if you are truly okay with it—”
He shuts me up again with another kiss, sliding his tongue into my mouth as his fingers grip my shirt, and he pulls it over my head. “You don’t have to explain anything. I’m all in. I told you I’m not going anywhere, and I am a man of my word.”
Sliding off his lap, I get to my knees and unbutton his jeans, pulling them down to free his cock. He grabs my hair and pulls me closer, and I slide my tongue over his tip before I suck him into my mouth, loving how raspy and sexy his moan is. My name like a whispered plea of desperation coming from his mouth.
Leandro doesn’t let me suck him off for long, pulling me up onto my feet, so he can undress me completely. I stand exposed in front of him, my nipples hard, my body warm and ready, my lust as intense as my need for him.
He eases my leg up, making me balance as he sits on the end of the couch, pulling my body to his, as he glides his tongue over my clit, turning my knees weak. Rolling his tongue over my body, he sucks and licks me in a way that leaves my nails biting into his broad shoulders.
I tip my head back, letting my hair cascade as Leandro works me over. Neither of us sees the door open, but I don’t react as Talon fills the frame, holding a set of keys in his hand. I knew he goes way back with Leandro, and I should’ve expected him to show up here, but now that he has...and the way he watches Leandro eat me out without moving...
Fuck me.
“Leandro—” I scream out his name with my orgasm, pushing him back on the couch as I smother his face with my body.