AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Leo turns back to the bar and I watch him as he leans across it to yell something to the bartender. Turning my back to him, I glance around the room, watching everyone dancing. A popular song sounds through the speaker that there is an actual dance to. I look and see that everyone is dancing in synchrony, following the rehearsed moves. Now it makes sense why there aren't many people sitting down.
There's a tap on my shoulder and I turn back to Leo. He sets the containers of food down and hands me a beer. I don't comment on the drink choice and I don't tell him I actually hate the taste of beer. Instead, I smile and take it. Leo takes a swig of his and his hand finds mine again. The song shifts to a new one and the floor clears off a bit. Leo leads me onto the dance floor, his hand leaving mine as he turns to face me. I'm a few feet away from him and I take the opportunity to drink him in.
Goddamn him for being so good-looking.
He begins to move his body to the beat as he throws back another mouthful of his beer. My fingers circle around the neck of my bottle and I hold on to it as I begin to move. Closing my eyes, I let the music slide through my veins and just begin to mindlessly dance. My hips sway back and forth and I hold my arms up as I begin to turn around. All the thoughts fade away from my mind. Suddenly my problems seem fairly insignificant. I forget about Griffin and how he may have been feeling with the way Leo interrupted us.
And then I feel his hands gripping my waist.
He hauls me backward until my back is pressed flush against his chest. His hands drop down to my hips and his fingers splay across the front of them as he holds me tight to him. His body feels firm and warm behind me. I melt into his touch, feeling myself relax against him. Tilting my head back, I take a sip of my beer and make a face at the gross taste of it. Leo starts to move with me, both of our bodies moving in perfect harmony together.
The song shifts, the tempo slowing down as it shifts into a slow song. Leo's hands are on my hips turning me around to face him as the music continues to play. It's some old school R&B song that is definitely meant for slow dancing. I lift my arms and hook my wrists behind the back of his neck as his hands settle again on my hips. We begin to move back and forth together, swaying side to side as he begins to slowly rock us around in circles on the dance floor.
I haven't been paying attention to anyone else and I don't bother looking around as we continue to move. I don't care who else is on the dance floor. I don't care if anyone is watching us. The only thing that matters right now is this moment with Leo. And I know it is one I need to hold on to because I already know this will never happen again.
It's just like that time we skated together in high school. This is what Leo does. He shows a softer side of himself and lets his guard down just enough to give me a peek inside. It makes my insides warm and fuzzy and I find myself melting into him. I'm sure it won't be long before he's putting his guard back up again and shutting me out. It may not happen tonight, but that just means I need to savor this moment and his warmth.
When we meet on the ice again, he will undoubtedly be just as cold as the surface beneath our skates.
It's Leo's MO.
"What are you thinking about?" Leo asks me, his voice soft and almost hard to hear over the sound of the music echoing throughout the room.
I tilt my head back to look at him. I can't tell him the truth—I can't tell him I was thinking about how it’s only going to be a matter of time before he’s shutting me out again. "I was thinking about our trip to Germany that is coming up soon."
Leo nods. "We leave in two weeks," he reminds me as his expression becomes unreadable. "Did you book a room and everything yet?"
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"No," I admit as I purse my lips. "It was supposed to be handled for me and then we canceled the reservation after Preston decided to take a leave of absence." I pause, feeling my shoulders deflate as I let out a sigh. "I didn't even think to try and rebook it."
"If you need a place to stay, you can stay in my room," Leo offers, completely catching me off guard. Who is this man and what did he do with the Leo I've known for years?
"I appreciate that, but I don't want to impose," I tell him. I appreciate his generosity, but I'm sure he'd rather not have me in his room. "I'll figure something out before we have to go."
Leo stares at me for a moment and I can't quite make out the emotions in his eyes before they abruptly vanish. He shrugs with indifference again. "If anything changes, just let me know. I'm here for whatever you need, partner."
We both fall silent as the sound of the music playing envelops us. The scent of his cologne tickles my nose and I inhale the smell. He smells like teakwood and the ocean. I don't know how to explain it. I'm not sure he's managed to find a cologne that has that smell bottled up, but he smells like a spa on the ocean shore. I find myself enjoying it a lot more than I should.
I need to come to my damn senses.
This is Leo Wells. He's a broody asshole who only really cares about himself and winning. He has the temper of a teenager who doesn't know how to control their emotions yet. I can't be thinking of him like this. I can't be reveling in the way he feels and the way he smells. Every moment with him is fleeting. We agreed to skate together and nothing more. I need to separate the two inside my mind. This is all things can ever be between us.
He was being nice. He interrupted my date and this night of dancing was his way of making it up to me. I asked him to take me dancing and he was simply complying.
I couldn't help but feel slightly deflated at the realization. I let myself get lost in the moment. I let myself be fucking delusional.
This meant nothing to Leo and I couldn't let him know it affected me in any way.
As the song comes to an end, I release my wrists from around the back of his neck and take a step away from him. Instantly, I feel his absence and miss his warmth. I resist the urge to step back into his space. His eyebrows scrunch and he gives me a perplexed look as his hands hang by his sides, one still clutching the neck of his beer bottle.
"Thanks for the dance," I tell him with a smile as I curtsey. I lift the rim of the beer bottle to my lips and tip my head back as I drain the beer. I chug what's left from the one sip I took earlier. It tastes bitter and disgusting, but I manage to keep a straight face as I momentarily block out the taste. I straighten myself as the bottle is empty and hold it up for Leo to see. "I think I'm going to call it a night."
He cocks his head to the side, blinking like he's trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I spin on my heel and march back over to the bar as Leo follows behind me. He stops beside me and I set the empty bottle down on the bar top. Leo looks at me. "Are you okay?"
I nod. "I'm good." I slowly turn my head to look at him. "Today has been a long day, so I'd better get home and get some sleep." I grab the containers of food and hold them up. "I need to get these in my fridge before the food goes bad."
Leo's silent for a beat before he finishes his own beer and leaves it beside mine. "I'll walk you to your car."
