I faced Leandro quickly as I almost forgot what we were discussing.
“My charity business is having troubles here, and I’m too focused on how to keep things the same that I haven’t considered change to be the answer.”
I smiled at Leandro. It was great to see him be willing to do something new and out of his comfort zone for the greater good. And not just for Matt, but also the people who benefited from his charity. From what I knew that number was in the thousands.
“I want to help you if I can.”
“I know.” Leandro squeezed my hand gently as we walked out from the elevator and into the crowd. I gazed up at him as he led me over to the bar. “And you can.”
“How?”
“Tonight, you are mine,” he said without a flinch. My brows lifted in curiosity as to what that entailed. “You are my girlfriend. I want you to be at my side and support me in front of these people, most of whom are philanthropists like myself. I need their support if I hope to make things better.”
“Of course.”
“And after drinks, we’ll head to the hotel for the night.”
My heart skipped a beat. I hadn’t allowed myself to think too much about what would happen at the hotel. Would Leandro want to have sex? Would he want something else?
“I got us a joining room so you could have your privacy,” he whispered in my ear as he leaned over the bar and waved at the bartender. I must have looked like I was in shock, because when he faced me, he had the kindest smile on his face. “Jourdanne, I would gladly take you to bed tonight, but I’m not quite ready for that yet. I hope you understand.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. I felt my cheeks warming from embarrassment. “Of course.”
I drew in a deep breath as I turned to face the bartender. Leandro ordered us drinks in French, yet another language he knew too well, and then we went and watched the city go by. He spoke with several people throughout the night as I stayed at his arm. And by the time we left for the hotel, we were laughing like old friends.
MATT
I ran out to meet Jourdanne and Leandro as they got out of the car. “Tell me everything!” I called out. She had the biggest, most satisfying smile on her face. “What?”
She got on her toes and kissed me. “I missed you, that’s all.” I let myself enjoy the moment, but when I thought of how Leandro would react, I pulled back. My eyes found him on the other side of the car, and he was smiling at both Jourdanne and me.
“Did you have a good trip?” I asked Leandro.
His eyes went to Jourdanne, then he looked at me with a nod. “It was eye-opening.”
I carried Jourdanne’s bag up to the steps, then set it down. I went back to the car, and before helping with more things, I took Leandro in my arms and kissed him. I missed both him and Jourdanne, but there was something indescribable about Leandro that afternoon. He wasn’t his usual self. He was relaxed and in no hurry to unpack and get on with the day.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, running his fingers through my hair.
“You have?”
Leandro smiled. “Always.”
He released me, grabbed his suitcase, then rolled it inside the house. I carried in Jourdanne’s bag as she gathered her purse and other belongings from the backseat of the car. Once we were all inside, Jourdanne and Leandro talked about their trip.
“It was so beautiful, Matt,” Jourdanne gushed. “The city, the lounge, just everything.”
“I can imagine.” I poured us drinks while Jourdanne and Leandro sat on the sofa together.
I took a seat across from them after handing over their drinks. We all sipped from the cocktails, then Jourdanne began to laugh.
“What is it?” Leandro asked.
“I just…” She faced each of us with a huge grin. “I never thought I could be so happy.”
Leandro’s eyes met mine for a pause. His gaze was soft and sweet, and it made me feel those flutters I had long forgotten. “Hey, is anyone hungry? Did you two eat on the plane?”
“We had snacks,” Jourdanne said. “But I could go for something for sure.”
I got up from the sofa to get my phone. “Great, let’s order something.”
Leandro stopped me. “No, why don’t we go out?”
Surely, he was joking.
“Out?” I asked. “On the town?”
Leandro laughed to himself, getting up and meeting me in the middle of the room. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close for a kiss.
“What has gotten into you?” I whispered to him.
Leandro’s eyes traced my expression. Then he turned to face Jourdanne on the sofa. I looked at her too. She was beautifully humble then. The look of surprise on her face hit me deep.