“Leo?” I said, hesitantly. He grinned, and came walking towards us, his eyes on both of our hands that barely covered our breasts.
“The one and only, and you are Norah, Clint’s girlfriend, right?” He pointed at me, making sure he had identified me correctly.
I nodded. He stopped walking when he got close to us.
“I’d shake your hand, but somehow I don’t think this is the right moment for formal introductions.”
I shook my head, now turning red in embarrassment. “No, not the right time for that.”
Tess then blurted out, “I’d love a formal introduction,” and she dropped both her hands and held out her palm for a handshake. Leo’s eyes of course went straight to Tess’s nipples, that were hard, and already saying hello.
“Tess!” I said, scolding her for such forward and unladylike behavior, but who was I kidding.
“What Norah? I’m going to Europe tomorrow. I’ll probably never see this guy again. I don’t mind if he checks out the goods. And this is pretty fucking funny, don’t you think?”
I tried not to laugh, but couldn’t help myself.
“Fuck, how am I going to tell Clint about this?” I got out between laughs.
Immediately Leo’s face changed to hard and almost angry. “I’d prefer if you didn’t mention to Clint that you saw me. I only stopped to get some extra supplies, and this afternoon I’m heading back out. We really don’t have to complicate things.”
Complicate things?
“I don’t know Leo...” I was unsure why he was acting like this. What was the big deal if Clint knew he was here or not? They were family after all.
“Look, just forget you saw me, and I’ll forget I saw those beauties,” and he pointed to my chest. Seems like Leo did get a bit of show before he made us aware of his presence.
Would it really matter if I told Clint that we had seen him? It’s not like we discussed anything important, and after all, I’d had enough drama in my life the past month.
“Sure OK. Nothing to talk about anyway,” I agreed. The last thing I wanted to do was start some kind of family argument. I knew all too well the stress of family.
Leo looked relieved as I said it. “I’ll head back down into the boat and give you two some privacy to get dressed.” He then turned to Tess. “Unless you want to join me?”
I made sure Tess could see my disapproving look, and even though I saw her actually contemplating his offer, she shimmied her chest a little and said, “No, maybe another time.”
Leo walked over to the opening of the cabin, so he could go down below, and started climbing in. Before closing the door, he popped his head back up.
“Norah, can I ask you something?” He watched me and I smiled back.
“Sure.”
“What’s it like being with Clint? I only ask because you are his first serious girlfriend, and Clint hasn’t been serious about anyone before. When he is serious about something, he usually...takes it all the way.”
I didn’t know what Leo was saying or implying. His question felt like there was a lot behind it; none of which he could talk about. He was asking for something, reassurance I think, about his brother.
“I’m not sure what you are asking Leo. Clint’s a very devoted boyfriend. Is that what you want to know?”
He didn’t seem satisfied by my answer, but didn’t follow up with any more questions. “Oh, that’s good to know,” Leo simply said.
I wasn’t convinced that was all there was to it. It made me want to question him further, find out what he was really asking about Clint. “Why are asking Leo?”
Leo scanned the gardens and looked over to the house, probably wondering if any of the servants knew he was there. He looked at me again, clearly considering what he should say. Finally he decided it was OK to give me a response. “Well, Clint has always been a bit...umm how do I say this...intense. Usually if he is serious about something, nothing can get in his way.”
Talk about a million questions in my head right now. Could Clint’s brother be any more vague with his statement? Intense. Yes, Clint was determined and passionate and everything the word ‘intense’ would define. I couldn’t understand why Leo was making it sound like a warning, but it was as if he was holding a banner above his head saying, ‘Watch out!’