Bared Souls - Ellie Wade Page 0,11

skin. After the shower, I brush and floss. Getting through flossing only proves I’m not drunk, just tipsy. Leo’s worry, or whatever that was, is misplaced. After filing my nails and applying lotion, I finally gain the courage to leave the bathroom. He’ll definitely be gone.

I fully expect an empty room when I emerge from the bathroom, ready for bed. Instead, I find Leo still sitting on the futon.

“Why are you still here?” I hold back a whine. “I’m going to bed. I promise, I’m fine. Can you please go now?”

If Leo thinks I’m going to let him watch me sleep, he’s delusional.

He doesn’t argue though. He simply stands and walks toward the door.

“Wait,” I call out before he opens it. I take a few steps toward him.

Yes, he’s been throwing attitude and dirty looks my way since I first ran into him, but maybe I judged him too harshly. He did just walk me home and made sure I was okay, just as he’d promised Quinn he would.

“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely.

He surprises me by taking a step toward me until we’re separated by a fraction of space. His breath is warm against my skin. His scent—a combination of spice, sweetness, and intoxication—fills my lungs.

“For?” he says in a husky whisper, inching closer.

I swallow. “For getting me back safely and making sure I was okay. Maybe you’re not such a bad guy after all.”

He bends, closing the gap between my face and his. Stopping a breath away, he asks, “Maybe I’m not such a bad guy after all?”

My tongue peeks out of my mouth, licking my lips. As I feel his breath against the skin of my face and the warmth of his body so close, my heart picks up speed. I don’t like him. Yes, he did something kind, but I don’t want him. And yet I can’t quiet the pounding of blood through my veins, heating my body as it rushes faster and faster.

Clamping my eyes shut, I pull in a deep breath in an attempt to steady my mind. My brain tells me to step back and instruct him to leave. Something else makes me stay put and keep quiet.

“Alma,” Leo whispers my name. The sound from his lips is tantalizingly hot.

“Yeah?” The lone syllable comes out airy.

“Do you want me to kiss you?” His lips are so close now, hot and inviting, and I can almost feel them. Almost.

Do I want him to kiss me?

The truth is there under my tongue, but I’m too scared to set it free.

Leo cradles my face in his hands. “Open your eyes. Look at me.” His demands are quiet and needy.

So, I do.

His deep blue eyes are so close and beautiful as they search mine. “Do you know what I thought when I first saw you in that restaurant today?”

I can’t speak.

“I thought that you were the most beautiful, sexiest woman I’d ever seen. Do you know that about yourself? Do you understand how insanely gorgeous you are?”

I’m having a hard time processing the words leaving his mouth and the sincerity in them. I shake my head.

I can’t think.

He continues, “And then I find out that not only is your appearance perfection, but you’re also smart and innocent and kind—well, at least to others.” His lips tilt up in the smallest grin.

My chest hurts, and my body hums with want for this man standing before me. I feel like my insides are melting with burning need.

I can’t move.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks.

This time, I find the courage to answer, “Yes.” It’s barely audible, but it’s there.

His hands slide from my cheeks to my hair. He runs his fingers through my wet locks and grasps the strands as he pulls me closer. His tongue traces my lips, so soft. A whimper escapes my mouth, and I gasp, embarrassed of the sound. There isn’t time to think on that, for the second my lips part, Leo enters.

I can’t breathe.

My mouth moves against his, and I allow my tongue the freedom to dance with his. It’s intimate and raw, warm and sweet, and hot and desperate, all at once. Standing on my tiptoes, I circle my arms around his neck and pull him closer. I need him closer.

I can’t get enough.

The kiss is demanding, and I give it all I have. He sucks my bottom lip and catches my moans in his mouth. I could spend the rest of my days kissing Leo. My fingers caress the nape of his