Page 76 of The Serpent's Bride
Midnight passed. Then one. My eyes kept drifting toward the bedroom door despite myself. Waiting. Always waiting.
The penthouse elevator finally chimed downstairs sometime after one-thirty. My body reacted. Every muscle tightened at once. My pulse slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt.
Footsteps echoed faintly through the penthouse below. Slow. Heavy. Male. Him.
The bedroom door opened several minutes later. And all the air disappeared from my lungs.
Leo stepped inside wearing black slacks and a dark charcoal dress shirt rolled to his forearms. Rainwater still dampened parts of his sleeves. His tattoos disappeared beneath expensive fabric and silver cufflinks, dark hair slightly disheveled like someone had dragged frustrated hands through it repeatedly. But it was his face that made fear creep slowly down my spine.
Cold. Not the teasing, amused cruelty I’d grown used to. Not possessive hunger.
His expression looked carved from stone, jaw tight enough to snap teeth. Those dark eyes landed on me, unreadable and flat beneath the low bedroom lighting.
And God. My body betrayed me anyway.
The moment he walked into the room, heat unfurled low in my stomach so fast it made me dizzy. My nipples tightened painfully beneath the thin shirt. My thighs pressed together automatically.
Humiliation flooded me afterward.
Leo’s gaze dragged slowly down my body. Bare legs tangled in black sheets. His shirt hanging off my skin. Blonde hair spread over his pillows.
Tonight though, there was no smug satisfaction in his face when he looked at me. That scared me more than anger would have.
“You’re home,” I said softly.
His eyes lifted back to mine. “Yes.”
Just one word. Dangerously calm. Fear and want twisted together violently inside me.
He loosened one cufflink slowly while walking deeper into the room, the scent of rain and whiskey following him. My heartbeat quickened painfully the closer he got. Instinct screamed at me to back away. Instead, I stayed perfectly still. Like willing prey.
“What happened?” I asked quietly. “Why have you been staying away?”
Leo didn’t answer right away. He removed the second cufflink carefully, setting both on the dresser with precise movements. Too precise. Like he was forcing control over something ugly underneath.
“Leo.”
His gaze met mine again. And my stomach dropped. Because for the first time since meeting him… I realized there were things capable of frightening The Serpent.
“I spent the evening with your father,” he said calmly.
Ice flooded my veins. “What?”
Leo’s jaw flexed once. “He requested a meeting before the wedding.”
Panic stirred beneath my ribs. “Why?”
A long silence followed. Rain battered harder against the windows. Then Leo walked toward the bed slowly. Every instinct in my body screamed at once when he stopped beside me. My breath caught sharply as heat rolled off him in waves. Even angry, even cold, he was devastating this close. Six foot five of tailored violence looming over me while the city glittered behind him like a kingdom built for monsters.
And still my body wanted him. I hated myself for it.
“What did he want?” I whispered.
Leo stared down at me for several long seconds before answering. “To discuss what belongs to me after tomorrow.”
A chill slid slowly down my spine. The room felt smaller. Something dark flickered behind Leo’s eyes then vanished so fast I almost missed it. Rage. Not toward me.
“You should try to get some rest,” he said quietly. “Big day tomorrow.”
