Page 113

“Don’t tell Signe,” I pleaded. Leo finally stood, grabbing the throw blanket and tossing it back into the basket with the others.

Mary furrowed her brows, “Why?”

“I need to tell her, or—” I turned to face Leo, who raised his eyebrows in question. Staring at him made me catch my breath. He had been wrapped around me for some time, but I hadn’tseenhim since my slip.

His t-shirt was wrinkled from having me sit against him, and the movement of his arms straightening it out made me rest my hand on my collarbone.

“Or…?” Leo lifted an eyebrow.

“Does she need to know?” I asked, “I mean, we aren’t, like,dating—”

“Aren’t we, though?” was Leo’s reply. His dark brows lowered, and his clear blue eyes studied me through the soft light of the lamp.

Something blocked my throat, making me snap my lips closed.

Were we?We went ondates, but did that mean we weredating?

“Oh…” Mary slowly stepped closer to the door, “I think I need to be, I don’t know, somewhere else.” And then she let herself out, the door latching closed. Leo and I were now stuck together.

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but his phone buzzed again. He sighed before removing it from his pocket and reading the notification.

“I need to reply to this,” he lifted his free hand to rub the corners of his eyes, inhaling a breath before looking at me, “Can we talk about this? After work?”

My heart started to race but for a different reason.

A reason that didn’t make me want to run away, but freeze. Stay here. In this moment.

Aren’t we, though?

“Okay.” I managed to nod.

Leo nodded in return, pocketing his phone and stepping closer to me, “I know…I know we’re in the office, but…can I kiss you?”

My own brows twitched up as he stepped closer, closer. My space was officially crowded with his. My hands lifted to his sides instinctively, clutching the hem of his shirt.

“Yes,” I replied.

Leo cupped my face with both of his hands, “Thank you.” Then his lips gently pressed against mine. His kiss was gentle, smooth, and simple. And yet, something broke in me from this particular kiss. A dam, except a dam that wasn’t holding anything out. It was holding something very big, very real, deep inside of me. This feeling released, spreading from my chest to my gut, to my limbs. The tips of my fingers. The lips that met his with the same gentleness he gave.

He pulled back just enough to keep contact, his top lip teasing mine, “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” I repeated back to him. I thought I saw a smile twitch on the corners of his lips, but he bit his bottom one to hide it. With another quick peck, he released me and stepped out of the sensory room, digging his phone out of his jeans again.

And I stood there, dizzy.

I wasn’t ready to go back to normal. I wasn’t ready to deal with the rest of work.

So I pulled my phone out and set a timer.

I retrieved my throw blanket and crawled into the hammock at the farthest corner of the room. I instructed the speaker to play my instrumental playlist, and I worked on my breathing.

I would let myself freak out over what I was feeling for Leo for fifteen minutes, before I pulled myself together, and finished the workday.

ChapterTwenty-Five

LEO

“Doyou want to have a look around?” Leo asked after following me into his hotel room. I took in my surroundings; it looked like your typical hotel room.