Everyone was charmed by Leo's bright smile but behind it all, he could barely keep it together inside. From taking care of his sick mother to suffering mental and physical abuse from his father to keeping up his perfect grades in school.
King was th...
The cool air made me shiver as I rolled over, grabbing the mound of covers next to me. I felt the heat wave over me, making the shiver worse as I untangled the cocoon Leo wrapped himself in. Kiki failed to motion how much cooler it was in the basement, and the sleeping golden loin next to me turned into a blanket hog over the last two weeks. The thief of my heart and blankets, it seemed.
My body broke into goosebumps as I found my way into the warmth and pressed against the hot skin of the thief to steal the warmth he had deprived me of. A muffled gasp was like music to my ears as I engulfed him in my cold body.
"Why?" Leo grumbled, half asleep, trying to roll away from my freezing skin.
"Stop stealing the covers, and this won't happen," I chuckled, pressing my feet against his, making him press against me.
"Ugh," Leo groaned, rolling over in my arms. "I'm sorry. It's cold down here, which feels good under all these covers."
His hands smoothed over my skin to my back. "I know what would warm me faster."
"Oh. More blankets would help." His voice sounded half asleep as his cheek rested on my chest. I wasn't sure if he noticed what the feather kisses he left on my skin were doing further down.
"How about I get a little heater today?"
"That sounds nice too."
His lips began to linger longer on my skin as his body grew heavier. I could tell he was nearly asleep again, but the pulsing in my shorts because of him wasn't going to be ignored as I rolled on top of him and began kissing his neck. Leo moaned, wrapping his legs around my hips. Maybe it was how warm he was against my cold skin, but I knew I wouldn't last long because of how hard I was. Leo was far too tired, so I did the work for us by sucking him off and jerking myself to the sounds of his moans and the way his lazy fingers brushed through my hair and over the back of my neck under the covers.
—
As Leo and I made breakfast for everyone, the morning felt heavy. Dom had been staying here since Olivia went underground after the fire. Uncle Ben was following leads, and we were closing in on Rex's location faster than before with my uncle's mole in the works, but it was still frustrating to be locked in the house with nothing to do besides watching others work and waiting for an answer.
Watching Leo had many perks, though. He was becoming a great cook since we did most of the cooking together, and how he cared for everyone in the house always made me smile. But the thoughts of getting out of here and starting a new life away from the reasons why we needed to be on house arrest seemed more and more desperate—like a scratch I couldn't reach.
I wanted more for him. Watch him get a GED, go to college, and become someone he wants to be for the rest of his life. I loved seeing him safe at home with me, but this wasn't the person I knew he wanted to be for the rest of his life, and I was too selfish to let him do it without me by his side. Leaving this place was the best thing for us. Me leaving this kind of life before I ended up in jail like my father was for the best.
I didn't say I wanted out of this life because of some blind rage. I meant those words with everything in me. This fear of something happening, the scared, overwhelming feeling of Leo being in danger because of me, and this job wasn't something we should have to live with for the rest of our lives. Kiki was right. Leo is my weakness; everyone who's seen us together knows it.
"Breakfast is ready," Leo yelled, snapping me out of deep thought while I washed the dishes.
It didn't surprise me when Dom was the first in the kitchen to grab his food, but Uncle Ben was on the phone when I looked into the living room. Seeing me staring, he quickly got up and walked outside the front door.
"What the fuck?" Dom questioned as I heard him put down his plate. "Who is he talking to?"
"How should I know? I was in here making breakfast."
I started walking to the door, but Uncle Ben walked back inside with wide eyes before I could reach the handle. He looked between the three of us and parted his lips as if to say something but closed it again.
"What?" I asked, my heart starting to pound against my chest. "What happened?" My fists clenched, preparing for the worst because it seemed like that was all we were getting lately.
"That was Olivia," he started. "She has eyes on Rex and is moving in without us. Dom, we need to go. King, you and Leo stay here. Who knows if he still has someone watching the house? Let's leave calmly but quickly."
"Wait. Do you really think it's a good idea for Little Red to sit this one out if we get our hands on that fucker?" Dom said as he threw on his shoes.
I watched Uncle Ben's eyes flicker to Leo before moving to the hallway. "I would like as many hands on this as I can, but Leo isn't going to get involved with our business. They stay here, and I'm not making the mistake of leaving Leo alone again." He walked down the hall and disappeared into his room.
Dom turned to us, throwing on his jacket. "It must be nice to always sit out of the fun."
"Don't start," I mumbled, rolling my eyes.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter since the wittle baby is leaving once this is over." He made baby talk as he mispronounced little baby, mocking me, but I didn't care. He'd been making those comments since the day I blackened his eye.
Ignoring him, I returned to the table, grabbed the plate he had started getting for himself, and added more bacon and another waffle. Taking in a big whiff of steam coming from it, I moaned as my mouth watered. "Mmm, smells delicious, babe. I think these will be even better than last time."
Leo giggled as he looked behind me, confirming Dom was giving me the stink eye. I sat down and grabbed the syrup, ready to stuff my face with his food, but before I could, Dom snatched the top waffle and a few pieces of bacon like a starved dog, shoving them into his mouth as Uncle Ben made it to the door while we bickered.
They were out the door before I could refill my plate, but hearing the car ride off made my stomach twist, and I wasn't as hungry as before. Leo sat down next to me with an empty plate.
"You want to go get a space heater at the corner shop? I know the man that owes it. Maybe we can get it on sale?" Leo suggested with a smile, but I could see him picking on the skin around his fingers under the table.
"We should wait a little while to see how everything goes first, but yeah. That sounds like a good idea. We need to get some fresh air." Taking a walk sounded like a tempting dream at this point, though.
"Okay. Sounds like a plan." Leo's shoulders lifted slightly as he turned to the food and started making a small plate.
**********
A/N: Thank you for reading!
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