Page 34 of Starting Back
“You okay?”
Leo lifted his head, peering down at me with a furrowed brow before he eased out of me.
“I…I honestly don’t know what I am right now.” I cupped his neck and brought him closer, pressing my forehead to his. “But if you’re asking if I regret any of it, no. I loved every second.” He relaxed his shoulders when I let out a long exhale. “I’m just not sure what to do with it.”
He kissed me, slow and sensual, as his breathing slowed. Although I was physically spent from the waist down, a thrill shot through me.
“Then you and I are on the very same page.”
THIRTEEN
KRISTINA
“Are you hungry?” I asked Leo, grimacing as I shifted next to him. It had been a long time since I’d had sex, but the sore pain between my legs was a sobering indicator of just how much time had passed.
I rolled up to sit, hissing at the sting in my core.
“I am, but what’s wrong? Why are you making those faces?” He chuckled as he cupped my chin.
“Because when I told you it’s been a long time for me, I meant areallylong time. Not complaining.” I leaned in to kiss his lips. “Just need to acclimate a little bit.”
“I should have been more…gentle. I’m sorry. I’ve been lost in you since yesterday and got carried away.” He chuckled and sifted his fingers into my tangled locks. “But I’d never want to hurt you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m great. I’m sore, but it’s a good sore.”
I lay next to him and roped my arm around his chiseled waist. “All my meals are paid for, from what Nicole told me, but I’m not sure if that counts for room service.” I cuddled into his side as he ran his finger up and down my spine, tangled together on the bed as if we’d always been just like this.
“Do you want to go out to dinner?”
“Hmm. Dinner, yes, but I’m good where I am if you are.” I laughed but stiffened when he didn’t laugh with me. “I mean, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. We can do whatever you want—”
He pressed a finger to my lips and cocked his head to the side.
“Am I hungry? Yes. Do I want you to put your clothes back on? That’s a hard no. I’m down with room service if you are.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “You have no idea how sexy you are when you ramble.”
I slammed his stomach with the first pillow I could grab.
“I only ramble around you. Back home, like I said, I’m more or less put together. Boring.” I crinkled my nose. “The tongue-tied thing only happens with you.” I traced the swirl of black ink across his chest. “I blame these.”
He laughed and rolled on top of me.
“You are definitely not boring.”
My legs fell open on instinct as he settled on top of me, arousal tingling at my core, a new kind of ache building despite the pain.
Pain was probably the wrong word, as it didn’t really hurt. It was more like a special souvenir, reminding me of everything we’d done together every time I moved.
You’ll feel me all the way back to New York.
I was sure I would, as one day with Leo was more unforgettable than years with someone else. That both thrilled me and stung like hell.
Our lips were about to touch when my head swiveled toward a familiar buzz coming from inside my purse. I’d been removed from reality since this morning, and guilt wormed its way into my gut.
My breath caught when I spotted Colin’s name on the screen.
“Colin? What’s wrong?” I did a quick scroll of my phone screen to see if my mother or brother had tried to contact me, panicking for a moment that something had happened with the girls, but there were no texts or missed calls.
Colin and I were amicable but not friendly. We spoke when needed and learned to communicate without spiteful jabs back and forth—most of the time. It was unlikely he was contacting me for a social call, and my stomach tensed on instinct before he even said a word.
