Page 124 of The Retaliation You Deliver

Reaching behind him, he drags his shirt over his head, allowing me to watch as his muscles ripple.

Lowering the fabric, he uses it to clean me up before lacing his arm beneath me and hauling me up as if I weigh nothing more than a feather.

When I’m on my feet once more, I get my first proper look at our surroundings.

“Lee, this place is insane.”

I’ve been in some fancy places over the years, but this is just incredible. On paper I’d say it would probably be cold with all it’s harsh angles and stark white surfaces, but the reality is the complete opposite.

Walking forward, I close the space between me and the floor to ceiling windows that showcase the glittering ocean in the distance.

“I didn’t have much choice at such a last minute booking but I think I might have lucked out.”

“Lucked out? Are you kidding?” I laugh watching as a runner makes his way along the otherwise deserted beach below.

“All ours for five days,” he whispers, stepping up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, placing his chin on my shoulder.

“You know, I might just change my opinion on Miami.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same.”

Spinning in his arms, I stare up into his eyes. The anger, the confusion, the pain from before is hardly recognizable any more.

The loss of his father, and now Richard, has helped him push some of that behind him. I’m not naïve enough to think that he’s not always going to be somehow affected by the past, but I can already see how much easier it is for him to deal with knowing that they’re gone and are no longer able to hurt him or those he loves.

No words are said between us for the longest time as we just stare at each other. The events of the past few weeks running around our head.

I never would’ve thought after that first night when I barged my way into Charlie’s room that I’d blink and end up here with my heart feeling fuller than I ever can remember and a wide, genuine smile on my face.

Sliding my hands up his chest, I cup his jaw, loving the feeling of the rough stubble against my soft skin.

“I love you, Leon Dunn.” He gasps but I’m not finished. “I love the scared little boy you think is weak, I love the broken man who you think is unworthy. I love the talented football player who can take life by the balls, and I love the sweet guy that I know you only let me see.”

“Mac—”

Pressing my thumbs to his lips, I shake my head.

“You’ve shown me what life can really be like. You’ve dragged me out of the shadows I was hiding in and proved that all the things I was scared of aren’t all that scary at all.

“I love you, Leon, and I can’t wait to turn our lives around and make a future with you.”

“Macie,” he whispers, his voice cracking with emotion as his eyes fill with tears. “I love you. I love you so much. You were right. We were meant to be. We were meant to find this. We were meant to find peace and happiness together.”

A sob erupts from my throat but he doesn’t let me cry, instead he takes my face in a tender hold and brushes his lips against mine before showing me that he can do soft and gentle lovemaking just as well as he can do hot and fast hate fucks.

Epilogue

Macie

Six months later…

The noise of the crowd around me rattles my bones as I watch Leon and the rest of the Panthers run out onto the field. He might be surrounded by the entire team, but he is the only one I see. Even with his helmet on, I can picture the fierce, determined set of his face, his dark eyes as he focuses on the first game of the season and how he, Luca and Kane are going to ensure they start off on a win.

My hands clap together until the skin begins to burn and I shout at the top of my lungs, cheering the man on as he scans the crowd looking for me.

It’s the first football game I’ve ever attended. Or at least one I can remember, I know I went to Dad’s as a baby but I was too young.

I know the second he finds me because a strong bolt of electricity shoots through me.