Page 173 of Only Fools Rush

There was no resistance left. I would not sacrifice her, or turn away from her for our goals. She was what I wanted. She would not run from me, and I would not run from her.

She melted against my chest. “You can’t just say things like that and not expect me to collapse.”

I chuckled, brushing her hair back. “Ifunanya’m. The only one I see with my eyes. Mine.”

“Yours,” she murmured.

48

LEONA

Iwoke in Obi’s arms.

We hadn’t had sex. Neither of us had really slept, and both of us were exhausted. All it took was laying down in his insanely soft sheets, and within moments, we’d both drifted off.

He was the only one of my men I’d never seen sleeping. I memorized the details of his face, preserving the peaceful look, the openness. My fingers reached out to touch the strong edge of his jaw, but I didn’t want to wake him. He was so handsome.

His eyes fluttered open, and it took a moment for them to blink into full consciousness.

“Hey,” I whispered, finally giving in to the urge to touch him. I pressed my fingertips to his shirtless chest, feeling for the pulse beneath his skin. It didn’t matter how hard he tried to hide his emotions from me, his pulse never lied. Whenever I needed the truth from him, I’d felt for his racing heartbeat.

His hand cupped the side of my face. His eyes closed again. “That is the second night I’ve slept without nightmares.”

“What was the first?”

“The night we fell asleep together on the couch,” he replied. I smiled, turning my face into his palm to kiss it.

Obi was complicated. Difficult. Controlling and stubborn.

But he’d shown me how much he cared about me. His kisses had worshipped me. His actions had saved me and Cas. He’d brought all of us together.

“Leona, I am sorry,” he murmured. “For how I’ve treated you.”

I sucked in a breath while I searched his face.

The lying still hurt. Treating me like a pawn on his chessboard still hurt.

Trust was damaged, but there was hope. The space between us had lessened greatly, and I finally found that I understood him a lot more than before.

Obi was a protector. Of me. Of his siblings. Of the boy he believed he’d failed. He was doing everything he could to build a safer world, even at the expense of his own happiness. But now that I knew about him, I was even more confident in what I said back in Kofler’s basement.

He was my shield. But I would be his shield, too.

“I forgive you.”

He released a breath and smiled. It stole the air right from my lungs.

After another quick kiss, I asked, “What time is it?”

He leaned over my shoulder to peer at the watch on the end table. “Around nine in the morning.”

We’d only been asleep for a few hours. What was everyone else doing? The girls had been up super late, so they might be still sleeping. But I could also imagine Fallon leaving at first light, as suddenly as she had appeared.

I nuzzled my nose into his neck. “I wonder if Fallon is still here.”

“I do not care.” His fingers tilted my chin upward so he could take my mouth in a deep kiss, sending tingles down my spine. I prayed I didn’t have morning breath.

“Can I ask you something?” I murmured.