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I fucking hate it when you cry,Vincent would always tell me.

“You’re stunning, Jacqueline,” Leo replied, “…Did the gifts stress you out, though?”

He knew I didn’t cry when I was sad. He knew I was an anxious crier. I cried when emotion felt overwhelming. When a lump formed in my throat and my chest felt tight. I had always accompanied those bodily signals with negative emotions. A suffocating emotion.

I did feel a little like I was suffocating right now, but not because of anything bad. I didn’t feel negativity, sitting on my kitchen counter with Leo looking between my swollen eyes, red nose, red lips, and flushed cheeks.

I felt something a lot scarier.

Something too good to be true.

A feeling I didn’t think I would ever have the ability to acknowledge again.

“Yes, but…” I thought about my words for a moment, desperate for him to understand, “In a good way, I think.”

Leo smirked before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I didn’t want to snuff your excitement, but Brandon told Nicole and me about your promotion before we left. I wanted to celebrate your success, so I picked these up.”

I sniffed, successfully fighting back another wave of tears.

“You didn’t have to.”

“I know,” Leo lifted a shoulder before reaching for the box of headphones and tearing the clear plastic off, “But I wanted to. Let’s try these next.”

I inhaled a deep breath and nodded, feeling more in control now that I let my body release what it needed to.

I truly didn’t deserve him.

Leo was a caring, wonderful, loving man.

But I didn’t want to let him go, either.

ChapterTwenty-Two

LEO

“What’s Leo short for?”

“It isn’t. It’s just Leo.”

“Your name isn’t Leon? Leonard? Leonardo?”

“Nope. It’s just Leo.”

* * *

The followingMonday I was securing my bag into the basket on the back of my bike with a big, stupid grin on my face.

Because I was excited to see Jacqueline today. We didn’t get together again because of a rugby match, which Jacqueline was invited to but politely declined because Zaid was on my team, and she was still wanting to keep our relationship to ourselves. Then I had dinner with Mary and Jamie, followed by playing board games the rest of the night. It was only two days apart, but I was motivated to go into work as soon as possible just to see Jacqueline blush when she remembered what happened between us last night.

I pulled my phone out of my jeans to double-check our messages, because I couldn’t stop looking at them.

Last night Jacqueline sent me a risqué selfie.

She was in a black lace bra and panty set, her face off-camera, as she lay in bed in the most mouthwatering pose. Underneath the image, she asked if I would be willing to take one for her.

Following her lead, and leaving my face out of the shot, I donned my motorcycle helmet and sent her an image back.

I was proud of my work. I put in effort so the lamp in my room cast flattering shadows over my lean muscles. I had some definition to show off for her. I angled the camera in a way I had seen many female boudoir photographers suggest for men who wanted to send their partners spicy, flattering, pictures.