The Right One - Felice Stevens Page 0,70

sorry.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I thought it wouldn’t make a difference, you know? She didn’t give a damn about me, so why should I care if she lives or dies?”

Morgan stroked Leo’s palm with his thumb. “But you do. Because you’re not her, and you can’t walk away.”

“I don’t know if it’s duty or whatever you call it, but seeing her lying in bed so weak and pathetic…it was sad. All I felt was sad. Because I wanted to love her. I knew I should.”

“Love isn’t automatic. If someone hurts you badly and has no remorse, they don’t deserve you, no matter if they’re family or friend.”

“After I left Peter’s the first time tonight, I figured your date was meeting you there, and I thought to hell with it all, I’ll go home and forget about it. Forget you. But that didn’t work out so well.”

“So what you’re saying is, I’m unforgettable?” Morgan grinned, loving the light that sparked in Leo’s eyes.

“That’s one of the words I’ve used to describe you.”

Leo’s incredibly long lashes swept downward, and when he bit his lip, Morgan’s heart gave another of those flutters. Leo giving him a part of himself Morgan knew no one had seen, not even his best friend, made him love Leo more.

Love?

Oh yeah, but this wasn’t the time or place to address that.

“I went to visit my father’s grave,” Leo said, surprising him. That wasn’t what he’d expected to hear.

“Wasn’t it late to go to the cemetery?”

“I found a way.” A devilish grin curved Leo’s lips for a moment before fading. “I needed to see him.”

Oh God, oh God, he’s killing me.

Morgan remembered when he’d read Jane Eyre in high school and how he’d suffered along with Jane in not wanting to love such a dark, tortured man as Rochester. Now here sat Leo, a living version, his demons rendering him so lonely and vulnerable, Morgan couldn’t help but lose his heart.

“Did it help you?”

“Not sure. I visit at least once a month, but I also go see him whenever I have problems I can’t figure out. Being there is peaceful, and I can talk through what’s in my head.”

“You came back to Peter and Marla’s. Even though you thought Derrick might be there.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed. “Derrick. Did you really go on a date with him?”

“I said I did. Why shouldn’t I have? Chris knows him from yoga class and said he was a nice guy.”

“And you’re into nice guys? Where does that leave me?” Leo lifted their clasped hands and ran them down the scruff of his cheek. Morgan’s insides liquefied as he grew hard.

“Here, next to me.”

Leo rested their fingers on the thrust of his lower lip and flicked his tongue to lick Morgan’s knuckles. “What’re you looking for?” Their foreheads touched, and Morgan fell into the endless blue of Leo’s eyes.

“I’m not looking for anything. What I want is exactly what’s right in front of me.”

Leo’s hot breath hit his cheek. “You’ve got me. And, I’d like to be with you. If you want.”

The difference between Leo and Jeffrey had never been so evident as in that moment. Leo giving him the choice to move forward, while Jeffrey had been the caveman-type, telling Morgan they would be together, and Morgan, naïve enough to think that meant love, followed him willingly. Morgan knew what he wanted, but this time, he’d lay it all out in the open.

“I want you. But no more hiding, no using sex to get out of talking about the hard stuff. I need all of you, the ugly parts as well as the perfect.”

Leo’s hand settled on his nape, and their lips brushed together, sending showers of sparks through him. “You think there’s something perfect about me?”

Morgan kissed him. “The way you make me feel. That’s as perfect as it gets.”

Leo blinked several times, and frown lines creased his brow. “I’m not sure I’m a good bet. I know I’m getting the better end of the deal.”

“A relationship isn’t an emotional game where you tally up what one side does better than the other to see who comes out on top.” More sure of himself than ever before, Morgan skimmed his fingers over the roughness of Leo’s jaw. “Each person brings their own strengths and weaknesses. I’m willing to admit I’m still working on the things I’ve had trouble with, like always putting myself second or how to say no to people.”

“I like being on top of you. Does that count?” Leo teased.

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