Page 80 of The Empress

“I’m here. Shh… I’m here.”

His voice gets through to me, and I burst out in uncontrollable tears, the intense terror I felt in the nightmare still fresh in my mind.

“It’s okay. It’s just a dream.” He presses kisses to the side of my face while his hand brushes up and down my back. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”

Feeling safe, the horrible emotions begin to retreat, and I slowly calm down until I’m able to take deep breaths.

It’s only then that it sinks in that the bedside light is on and Leo is holding me.

For the past two weeks, he’s taken me on dates, and it’s given me time to get used to him. I’ve fallen into a routine of visiting Mom during the days and getting to know Leo better at night.

Things have been good, so I don’t understand why I had a nightmare tonight. Nothing upsetting happened that would trigger one.

When I pull back, I notice he’s only wearing boxers, and my brain short-circuits while my eyes take in every inch of his golden skin.

Sculptured dips and swells carve a perfect six-pack into his abs, and his chest makes my hands itch to touch him.

“Better?” he asks, tilting his head to catch my gaze.

“Ahh…” I keep staring at his chest, where there’s a tattoo that’s a black swash of ink with stars shining out of the darkness. “It’s beautiful.”

“What?”

“Your tattoo.”

Leo takes hold of my jaw and nudges my face up until our eyes lock. “What did you dream about?”

I shake my head, sucking in another deep breath of air. “I’m so sorry I woke you. You can go back to bed.”

His eyes flit over my face, concern tightening his features. “Don’t worry about me. Want to talk about what had you screaming like that? Did you dream that I did something to you?”

Realizing what he’s asking, I quickly shake my head again. “Oh no, it was nothing like that. I have nightmares all the time. It’s really nothing.”

The concern etched all over his face doesn’t lessen. “You get them all the time? I haven’t heard you at night.”

I slump back and rub my palm over my face. “I got therapy when I was younger, but since you shot Luciano, they’ve come back. I’ve had a good two weeks with no dreams.”

“Gesù Cristo. I’m sorry I triggered you.”

When Leo lies down beside me and wraps his arms around me, I snuggle against his chest. He’s so much warmer than me, and I soak up his heat like a sponge. I wrap my right arm around his waist, taking the comfort he’s giving me.

Even though the stitches have been removed and my wrist has mostly healed, I still take it easy with my left hand.

Lying in Leo’s arms, I think about everything.

Leo said Mom will be able to move into her own house at the end of the month. It’s situated near Mrs. Toscano’s place, but the garden needs a hell of a lot of work. Mom’s excited to start planting flowers. I’m not. I don’t enjoy gardening like she does.

My thoughts turn to last night. Since our first date, Leo hasn’t kissed me again, but after supper, while we were sitting on the couch watching a movie, I think he came dangerously close to losing control. He kept brushing his nose up and down my neck, and I’m pretty sure I might have a hickey.

Remembering how hot and bothered I felt, it doesn’t take long before the atmosphere starts to change. The ever-present tension that’s always between us skyrockets.

I rub my cheek against Leo’s chest, and his arms tighten even more around me. I feel his breath in my hair, then he drops kisses on the top of my head.

My abdomen tightens, and every nerve ending in my body comes alive, taking notice of where Leo’s body is touching mine.

Jesus, the attraction between us is going to drive me insane.

I won’t be able to keep him at a distance for much longer. Especially not after seeing him in boxers.