Page 59 of Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire (The Rossi Legacies #1)

Azura

I stay in the bath for a while, and when I hear the door open, I know Leo has returned. I get out with my jelly legs and enter the shower. I wash as quickly as I can. The soak in the bath had helped, and I feel lighter.

Through the steamed glass, I see him enter the bathroom, placing something over the heater before he leaves.

I step out after a few minutes, grabbing a towel from the shelf and towelling my hair with it. I reach over, wiping the mist from the glass, and inspect my reflection. My skin is glowing, my lips look even plumper from all that kissing, and I have several marks littering my neck. I bite my lip as memories flash through my mind. I can’t stop smiling like a lovesick airhead. I feel good. He wants me. He’d countless times told Nikki to get the hell away from him.

Well, bitch, he’s mine now. Try messing with him again, and I will claw your eyes out and toss them into a blender. I smirk at my own thoughts. Down, girl.

I look around, realising he has left me some underwear, a pair of satin pyjama shorts, and cami on the heating rail. Have to admit he is considerate.

After drying my body, I get dressed in the black set and enter the bedroom, trying my best not to walk as if I have tree trunks for legs. The bedding is changed, and the smell of sex is almost gone. He has placed the food bags on the bedside cabinet as he does something on his phone, a frown creasing his brows. He looks up when I enter and puts his phone away. His eyes rake over me. I don’t forget how I sat on his face letting him eat my pussy just hours ago. I still feel very conscious of his gaze.

“Come here,” he says, making my eyebrow shoot up.

“Why?” I ask suspiciously. He smirks slightly as he stands up and reaches over, taking hold of my wrist and pulling me closer.

“Cause I want to kiss you.”

I freeze when his lips meet mine, sending delicious tingles through me, my heart racing. Goddess, when did he get so damn flirty? I kiss him back, my core clenching once more. The ball piercing of his tongue flicks my tongue, and I am unable to stop the moan that escapes me. His arms are wrapped around my waist tightly, and he pulls me against him completely, one hand resting on my ass, the other cupping the side of my face and the back of my neck.

We kiss for a few sizzling moments, our bodies react to each other, and we are getting turned on again. He forces himself away, leaving me breathless. I know if he didn’t pull away, I have a feeling we would be going for another couple of rounds. My stomach rumbles, and I pout when he chuckles lightly.

“Let’s feed that monster,” he says mockingly.

“It’s not a monster. I’m the monster,” I insist, plopping onto the bed and grabbing the food bags.

“Yeah, I believe that.” I give him a narrow-eyed look as I open one of the bags.

“Never knew you could be so considerate,” I remark, seeing how they have everything from tissues to disposable cutlery.

“That is Winona’s doing,” he says, picking up the bottles of drinks and biting the metal caps off. Damn, that looked so hot. “Is there anything I do that doesn’t look hot to you?” He remarks arrogantly, making me curse and put my walls up. I really need to work on those.

“Ass. So is Corrado okay?” I ask, not wanting to fuel his ego even more when I had practically begged and complimented him when we made love. Just great, Azura. Way to boost a guy’s ego. He is still smirking arrogantly, and I am about to stab him with the fork when he speaks.

“He is fine since you said you are staying…” he says, his smirk vanishing.

“What’s wrong? Regretting this?” I ask, opening the pasta pot and taking a big forkful of the cheesy chicken pasta. Goddess, this tastes so damn good!

“No… I kinda always wanted him to have a mother figure, but it never really happened. He took such a fucking strong liking to you that it didn’t make shit easier.”

I look down at the pot, taking another forkful as I lean back against the headboard, crossing my legs as Leo unwraps a packet of homemade chunky fries, eating a few. Yup, he really does look sexy no matter what he does.

“You know, I was ready to be just his mama. I know you kept pushing me away, but I didn’t want him to feel like he wasn’t wanted,” I whisper, my grip tight on the pot. “I was ready to stay for him and this one.” I place my hand lightly on my stomach. His gaze dips to my stomach, his eyes soften, and I remember the moment he had paused when we made love. He had placed one kiss on my stomach, which was different.

“I know… and for the record, yeah, the first time I rejected you was over your surname, but then there was other shit. That is what I want to talk to you about, actually,” he says, surprising me. Is he about to tell me the reason? If it isn’t because I am a Westwood, then what? He eats some of the pasta, frowning deeply.

“You know, if you keep frowning like that, you’re going to get even more wrinkles on that forehead. Plus, you ain’t that young anymore. You don’t want to look even older, do you?” He glances up but doesn’t say anything, and suddenly, I wonder what it is that he wants to say. I place my pot down, frowning. “Leo, what is it?”

“I haven’t mentioned this shit to no one, and I’m just thinking I should have fucking waited for tomorrow rather than drop it on you tonight… call me fucking selfish, but I’d rather tell you before we go to Alejandro’s pack.”

Whatever he wants to tell me, he is struggling with it. He is acting as cold as ever, but his hand is clenched in a fist, and his knuckles are white. I am worried, and I realise his cold exterior is a defence mechanism.

“What is it?” I am fighting to keep myself calm, not wanting to think of the worst-case scenarios.

“Years back, Endora did a lot of experiments on me using magic and shit. I was immune to a lot of her magic, especially when it came to compelling me to obey her. It, in turn, only piqued her curiosity. When she tried to get me to obey, it just felt like disobeying an Alpha command. You struggle, but it’s possible. She said I was stronger than Dad was at my age, and so the tests began.” His voice sounds thicker, and he isn’t looking at me as he speaks. I stay silent, waiting for him to continue, knowing it will only make it harder for him if I question him.

“Even after her death, the effects remained, causing permanent damage. And by the time I figured it out, the damage had spread. I know you will say I should have gone to Kiara, but I wasn’t going to ask for their help, so I started working on my own shit, trying to find a cure. Yeah, I know, I was fucking stubborn, but I thought I’d be able to do it, and I pretty much failed. The injection I gave you when Emmet hurt you was something I created by trying to imitate the build-up of your mother’s cells. But it still wasn’t enough. My organs are shutting down, and some already have. It’s why I didn’t want you to get too close to me because I don’t fucking have long left.”

My heart is ringing in my ears, my breathing becoming laboured as his words hit me hard. He is dying. The hints have been there… his past comments and my own filled my mind, making my heart clench in pain.

“It doesn’t matter….”

“No matter what, I’ll make sure you and our pup are taken care of…”

“Maybe it’s easier to tell my baby that you’re dead…”

I run my hand through my hair as everything seems to make sense. His hot and cold attitude. He has been struggling internally… and…

“I know I was fucking selfish, but I didn’t really give a shit, I just… I thought I’d be able to find a cure. But I never realised I’d actually fail until a few months ago, and although Jackie told me to go see Kiara, I knew it was too late -”

“You can’t say that, not until she tries. There’s not only Kiara, but Delsanra and Raihana! Dante, too! Goddess, you are not going to die,” I say, my eyes flashing. Getting off the bed, I walk over to him and drop to my knees in front of him. I look up at him, my heart still beating violently as I cup his face. “You can’t say it’s too late until we have tried everything. Goddess, I want to slap you across the head for being so damn stubborn! Did you ever think to ask anyone for advice or help? It doesn’t make you any less of a person! Tomorrow we will ask Kia to help, I’m sure she can! There’s nothing that she…”

I trail off, realising there are things she can’t heal… some of his organs have already shut down. My heart is pounding as I freeze, staring up into those icy blue eyes.

Leo really is dying…

I open my mouth to speak, but I have a lump in my throat, and I am unable to string two words together. His arms wrap around my shoulders, and my heart breaks when he presses his forehead against mine, once again, unable to look into my eyes.

“I will try to explore all avenues to live for the three of you. But if anything were to happen to me, and I know I’m swinging this shit at you so suddenly, but will you be willing to let me put you down as Corrado’s legal guardian?”

His words shatter me in ways more than his rejection ever had, and I almost crumble before him, but I need to be strong for him…

First of all, you don’t need to ask me that. I have taken him as my own, so yes, in my eyes, I’m already his guardian. Secondly, I swear I will find a way to come to the afterlife and drag you back if you die on me! You are not going to die! You are not going to leave our babies… and what about me? I choke out, refusing to give in to the fear and despair that is trying to eat me up. I am Azura Westwood, and I refuse to give up without a damn fight.

Our eyes meet, and I can see the turmoil in his.

“I’m fucking sorry,” he says. My eyes flash, refusing to believe this. No, a sorry means giving up. No, just no. For a split second, he looks surprised.

“No. No more apologies. I want you. I just got you. I want this baby to meet its father. You can’t leave us, Leo!” The pain I felt when he had fought Judah makes sense now. How much has he suffered all alone? “Who else knows?”

“Only Jackie, since she is the one who first ran some tests on me and realised what was going on. But I made sure she told no one.”

“Well, it’s time we found an answer together,” I say determinedly.

He gives a small nod, but I can tell he holds no hope. I lock my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. I promise we will find an answer, and if he has given up hope… then it is time to do this together. He simply holds me tight; his heart is beating slightly faster than normal, and I just wish I could do more. This is not over. We will find a damn answer.

He lifts me up, and I straddle his lap, hugging him tightly. I don’t know how long we remain there, but when I feel him throb against my core, I move back, looking down at him suspiciously.

“You’re dying and you’re getting turned on?” He smirks, the tension around us lifting.

“I was dying when I was fucking you earlier, too,” he replies cockily. “Doesn’t seem to be affecting my ability to fuck.” His eyes run over me, darkening with desire, and although my core clenches, I roll my eyes, getting off his lap. Shouldn’t he be taking it easy?

“I think you’re probably exaggerating; you are going to be totally fine. Trust me.”

Inside, I am scared of the worst-case scenario, but I’m not going to give up. I was able to be saved from the womb of a dead woman, which is a miracle, so why can’t Leo be saved? I won’t give up until we have exhausted all our options, and even then, I will keep looking. We begin eating again, and although I have lost my appetite, I refuse to let that revelation ruin these moments. Every moment in life is precious, isn’t it?

I have just found Leo… finally, we’ve become a couple or something of the sort, and now I might lose him? His refusing the Alpha title makes sense now, too…

Once we have eaten, I clear up the bags, and Leo places them outside before we get ready for bed. My heart is racing as I realise he is going to stay by my side, and, Goddess, when he peels that shirt off, I am ready to spread my legs again if he wants. Damn, he is so bloody sexy…

He turns, smirking arrogantly as if he knows what is going through my mind, and comes over to the bed. He gets in, pulling me close and once again that feeling of safety and home cocoons me and I snuggle close, placing a kiss on his chest.

“Guess what I just realised,” I muse, now smirking as I look up at him deviously.

“What?” He asks suspiciously. Oh, he has good reason to be suspicious. I inhale his scent, wanting to lick every inch of him.

“Well… now that you’re sleeping next to me, it means I can get revenge with ease every time you offend me. I won’t even need a voodoo doll to torture you,” I say, smiling innocently. He cocks a brow.

“I have no fucking doubt that you’ll do that shit, and you do know those damn dolls don’t work?”

“Hey, I at least picture they are you and it’s satisfying to torture. You know, I made one of you when you hit my head with that ball years ago.”

He smirks, “Damn, you really are a psycho.”

“Regretting it?” I ask, smirking back.

“Not one fucking bit…” he replies before claiming my lips in one hell of a burning kiss…