Leo's POV
I could still feel his hands on me. Hours had passed since I'd scrambled out of Leo's office, my body still thrumming with the intensity of what had almost happened. My skin tingled, my thoughts a mess, but no matter how hard I tried to shake it, I couldn't. I was losing control, and it terrified me. But what scared me more was how much I didn't want to stop it.
I stared out the window of my room, watching the rain drip down the glass, blurring the edges of the world outside. The estate felt too quiet tonight, too still, as if it was waiting for something to happen. I could feel it in the air—the tension, the inevitability. I was trapped between two forces, both pulling me in, both refusing to let me breathe.
Leo. Adrian.
I closed my eyes, trying to push them both from my mind, but it was impossible. They were always there. Always watching, waiting. I could feel their eyes on me, even when I was alone. Adrian's dark gaze, full of history and hunger. Leo's, filled with possessive obsession, a dangerous promise of what was coming next.
The door creaked open behind me, and I stiffened, knowing who it was without needing to turn around.
"Lyra."
His voice was low, commanding, and despite myself, I felt the familiar shiver run through me. I turned slowly, finding Leo standing in the doorway, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud rolling in. His eyes locked onto mine, dark and intense, as he stepped closer, closing the door behind him with a quiet finality.
"I told you this wasn't over," he said, his voice a rough whisper that sent a pulse of heat straight through me.
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening as he approached. "Leo, we can't keep doing this..."
"You keep saying that," he murmured, standing just inches from me now. His fingers grazed my arm, a light touch that felt like fire against my skin. "But you don't stop me. You don't walk away."
"I—" I started, but his hand cupped my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. His touch was gentle, but there was no mistaking the possessiveness behind it.
"You're mine, Lyra," he said softly, his lips brushing against my temple. "You keep pretending you don't want this, but your body tells me otherwise."
I tried to pull away, to resist, but the truth was, he was right. My body betrayed me every time he touched me, every time he came near. It was like he had burned himself into my very skin, and I couldn't shake him, no matter how hard I tried.
"This is wrong," I whispered, my breath catching as his hand moved down to my waist, pulling me closer.
"Wrong?" he echoed, his lips curving into a dark smile. "Or inevitable?"
Before I could respond, his mouth was on mine, and I was lost. The kiss was rough, insistent, full of all the tension that had been building between us for days. My hands found their way to his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as I clung to him, heat pooling low in my stomach.
Leo's grip tightened on my waist, pulling me against him as his lips moved down my neck, sending shivers through me. I gasped, my head spinning, the world falling away as his hands slid lower, igniting every inch of my skin. I was losing myself in him, and I didn't know how to stop.
His fingers trailed down my spine, tracing the line of my body with a possessiveness that made my heart race. Every touch, every kiss, felt like a claim, a reminder that I was no longer in control. He was. And the worst part? A part of me wanted to surrender.
Leo lifted me effortlessly, setting me down on the bed, his body pressing into mine. I should have pushed him away, should have told him to stop, but instead, my legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer. My breath came in ragged gasps as his hands explored, his touch both rough and reverent, as if he couldn't decide whether to worship me or devour me.
"You're mine," he growled against my skin, his lips trailing down my chest. "Say it."
I bit my lip, my mind screaming at me to fight back, to push him away, but my body wouldn't listen. The heat between us was unbearable, suffocating, and I was drowning in it.
"I... I can't," I gasped, but even as I said the words, my hands pulled him closer, needing more, needing him.
Leo's eyes flashed with something dark, something primal. "Yes, you can." His hands slid beneath my shirt, his fingers tracing the curve of my waist. "You're already mine, Lyra. Just admit it."
I shook my head, trying to deny it, but the truth was written in every gasp, every tremble of my body. I was his, even if I didn't want to be. I'd crossed a line, and there was no going back.
His mouth found mine again, hard and demanding, and I kissed him back with a desperation that scared me. This was wrong—so wrong—but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered except the heat between us, the fire that was threatening to consume me.
As his hands roamed my body, my thoughts blurred, reality slipping away. There was no right or wrong in that moment. There was only him. Only us.
But somewhere, deep in the back of my mind, I knew this couldn't last. That I was standing on the edge of something dangerous, something I couldn't control.
And when I finally fell, there would be no one to catch me.