The Right One - Felice Stevens Page 0,54
crowd gathered in front of their building, and following their gazes, spotted Leo up in a tree. What the hell was he doing? Then he saw Ilya, the little girl who lived across the hall from him, leaning out the window, crying.
“Please get Jazzy. Please.”
He stopped by the edge of the lawn and squinted into the sun, catching sight of a small, fluffy orange cat clinging to a branch. And oh Jesus, there was Leo, stretched out on a lower branch. Leo reached up to grab the kitten, and the crying ball of fur swiped at him.
“Ow. Son of a—” Leo yelled, then pressed his lips together.
Even from the street, Morgan could see the blood on his arm, and he winced, knowing how much that must hurt.
“Jazzy, be good,” Ilya called out. “Leo’s trying to help.”
Morgan’s heart beat faster as Leo tried several more times to get the cat, enduring vicious tangles with the cat’s sharp claws, until finally he lunged and snagged her by the scruff of her neck. Holding the growling cat away from his body, Leo carefully found his way down the ladder propped up against the tree trunk. When he reached the ground to some cheering, Ilya burst out through the front door and ran across the lawn.
“Thank you. Thank you, Leo.”
“No problem. Make sure to keep your windows closed from now on, okay?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Cuddling the now sweet animal, Ilya ran inside, and Morgan joined Leo by the tree.
“Good job.”
Leo’s dark brows drew together. “Thanks.” He folded the ladder.
He pointed to the nasty-looking scratches, some oozing blood. “Those must hurt. You’d better take care of them, or they can get infected.”
Leo glanced at them. “Yeah, they sting like a bitch. She’s little but deadly. I’ll go to the store and get something.”
Maybe he was being stupid, but remembering Chris and Sean’s advice, he decided to take the plunge. Life was made to be lived, not regretted.
“I have some antibacterial ointment. Come with me to my place, and I can take care of them.”
Leo stared at him, and for a moment, Morgan thought he’d say no and tell him to fuck off. “Sure. Thanks. Just let me put the ladder away first.”
Side by side, they walked into the building, and Morgan went upstairs to his apartment. He got the ointment, a bowl of clean water, and some cotton and Band-Aids. At the knock on his door, his heart beat madly, but he managed to steady himself as he opened the door.
“Come on in. I have everything ready. Take a seat on the couch.”
A silent Leo entered and followed his directions. Morgan sat next to him and cleaned the scratches first with the clean water. After blotting them dry with the cotton, he squeezed the ointment on his finger and smoothed it over the scratches up and down Leo’s forearm and bicep.
“You must have experience with this, as a kindergarten teacher.”
Morgan’s gaze flew up to meet Leo’s. “More than I care to recount. Elbows and knees are my specialty.” He peeled off a Band-Aid and stuck it over a particularly nasty-looking scratch. “There. I think that’s all of them.”
“Thanks,” Leo said softly. “I appreciate it.”
“Not a problem.”
They sat like that for a moment until Morgan realized his hand still rested on Leo’s arm. He drew away, but Leo stopped him. “Don’t. It…it feels better when you touch me.”
“It does?” Morgan allowed himself a smile. “How about that?”
“How about this?” Leo settled his mouth over Morgan’s and kissed him.
“Wh-what was that for?” Morgan asked breathlessly when they parted.
Leo’s blue eyes glittered. “I thought you needed a better thank-you. You know what they say—actions speak louder than words.”
“Yeah, okay, that was definitely better than you lecturing me.”
What was meant as a joke to break the simmering tension between them didn’t work, as Leo’s face hardened.
“About that. Last week…what were your friends talking about?”
Knowing full well what Leo meant, Morgan chose to prevaricate. “Oh, exercising? Yeah, I think I’d like to take you up on that offer to teach me, if you meant it. I’ve done nothing all summer, and boxing seems like a great way to get in shape and get my cardio in.”
“I’ll teach you the basics. You’ll need a pair of gloves, but I’ll tell you which ones to order.”
Relieved he’d foisted Leo off, Morgan flexed his hands and threw some air punches. “Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yeah. And I’ll start right after you tell me what the hell happened. Chris said your