Page 25 of Scar

When the buzzer finally signals that the exam time is over, the professor takes a look at the background of my camera view. I assume she's looking for Leon. "Dr. Aldon is a brilliant mind, you know? It's a waste for him to end up with someone that will end up being a gardener." She says when she doesn't see him in view.

I don't even have the chance to respond when I feel Leon pull on my bun, effectively tilting my head backwards until I'm staring up at him. His fingers dive into my bun and tug at my roots while he closes the distance between us, pressing his lips against mine.

I can taste a hint of bourbon on his breath, that mixed with the chili and his intoxicating cologne surrounds me. But what surprises me is the butterflies that erupt in my belly and the chills that overcome my body at the feeling of his lips on mine. He puts a hand around my throat, making me almost gasp in surprise, but he isn't squeezing, he's just holding me by my throat in some kind of possessive show for the professor.

When he breaks the kiss, I'm left staring up at him stunned, and based on how dilated his pupils are, I have a feeling he feels the same way. But he breaks our eye contact first, focusing on the laptop across my legs. "My future wife will not be a gardener, she wants to be a sustainability consultant. I know you know nothing about that, but fun fact it pays more than a low level psychology professor that will never be good enough to get tenure.” He states firmly.

This woman doesn't even have the chance to respond before he continues. “Even if she wanted to be a gardener, I would support that and my office would have the nicest property in all of Houston because I would be her top client." Leon brags. I'm not sure if I'm more shocked that he's sticking up for me, or that he just claimed that I will marry him some day. Pretty sure I have to be willing to do that.

This professor just gapes at us for far too long, not responding but also not moving. "How about we get those results? You're stressingout my dessert." Leon says with a cocky grin while his hand remains on my throat. His thumb keeps rubbing my pulse point, I assume to make sure this professor knows that I am his dessert. I blush at that, I didn't expect him to comment on what I had said when I snapped on this woman earlier.

Honestly, I'm not sure why I said it. I'm not sure why I'm jealous of a much more successful and age appropriate woman hitting on him.

But I am.

This woman clears her throat and focuses on the screen rather than on the camera view for a few minutes. "You passed." She announces flatly. I'm grinning like a darn fool, I passed all my exams? I passed my third year of college! "What's the score?" Leon asks, his voice is cold and clinical like when he reminds me of our situation, it's somehow even more terrifying when it isn't directed toward me. He's a terrifying man when he needs to be.

I visibly see this woman pale at his tone, her eyes shifting toward the screen again. "Environmental Conservation, 98" She reads off. She continues to read off all the scores from all nine finals I took today. My lowest score was biochemistry, and it was 78%. So I passed all my classes this year!

Leon gives a short nod, seemingly not impressed with my scores. It sends a wave of shame through me that he's not proud, but why would he be? He's a freaking doctor! I'm sure he passed all his exams with flying colors, and I bet none of them were about plants like the professor pointed out.

"Are we done here?" He asks her. His voice is still void of any emotion, and frankly I don't like it. I want to cower away from him and the way he's staring at the laptop with so little emotion. "We are done." The professor answers, but Leon has the laptop slammed shut as soon as those words were uttered.

His entire face changes to a softer one after that, as well. He smiles at me even! "You did amazing, ma fleur." He says warmly. I look up at him, smiling back and feeling my shame melt away at his praise. "Thank you." I say genuinely. I don't know if I'm thanking him for telling me I did well, letting me take my exams, or for sticking up for me. But it doesn't matter.

Leon offers his hand to me, one that I take willingly as he guides me to the kitchen table. "I just have to pull the cornbread out of the oven and we can eat, okay?" He asks. I nod at that, giving him the trust he asked for about my food being safe. I have to, I'm too hungry to be scared to eat again. Plus I'm too tired to cook an entirely new meal.

Chapter 35

Maeve's POV

Dinner was delicious, but it was hard to ignore the tension in the room. Leon keeps looking at me like he wants to eat me alive. Every time I look up, he's already staring at me. If it wasn't so arousing, it would probably be intimidating. But I refuse to initiate things with him, it feels like I would be giving up too much to let him know that I want him.

Leon cleans up the dishes, packing up the leftovers while I head toward his bedroom to get ready for bed. I had a long day, I've done nothing but stare at a screen basically since the sun came up. Nine exams, each exam was ninety minutes long and each had a five minute break in between. So I've quite literally been staring at a computer for almost fifteen hours.

I'm exhausted, I have a headache, and my back hurts from sitting in the same position for so long. But I know Leon is probably more uncomfortable. He had just told me two weeks ago that he isn't supposed to wear his leg all of the time, yet he wore his leg most of the day just in case I needed something. It was a sweet gesture and it reminds me of what he told me on the couch that day I was sick. He said something along the lines of waiting on me hand and foot during the day but treating me like his personal whore at night. That part had sounded good until he reminded me that I will never be free again.

I'm at the sink washing my face when Leon comes up behind me and starts to rub my neck and shoulders. "You did wonderful today, fleur." He tells me quietly. I sigh, relaxing into his touch. His hands feel like they're rubbing out all the tension I've been carrying with me all day. I drop my head and close my eyes, ignoring my skincare routine and basking in the feeling of his hands on me. "Finish getting ready and meet me on the bed. I'll massage you until you fall asleep." He says.

He lets go of my shoulders to walk away, but I hurry up and spin in his grasp. "It's okay, take a shower, take your leg off for the night. I'm fine." I promise. I feel guilty that he's worn it most of the day for my benefit and now wants to do even more for me.

"Join me?" He asks. I freeze. I don't know if I should join him in the shower, that feels like a step in the direction he wants me to take, one that I don't think I could step back from if I tried. "What is your plan with me?" I ask. Leon stops rubbing my shoulders, trailing his hands down my back until his hands settle on my ribs. "Right now or long term?" He asks instead of answering me.

Rolling my eyes, I stare up at him. "Both, I guess." I answer. Instead of immediately answering, Leon leans down and starts to kiss along my neck. "Right now, I'd like to get you in that shower and wash every inch of your delicious body before you let me get my dessert." He says, his lips still kissing and nipping along my throat. "Next, I'd like to take you to bed and fuck you to sleep." He adds in.

I know I'm blushing, I can feel how hot my face is, but I can't let him see me react to him. I can't let him know that his words and his touch have any effect on me. So instead I grip onto the bathroom counter until my knuckles are white. "And long term?" I ask rather than to react to him.

Leon steps away from me, making me immediately miss the contact. He turns the water on in the shower and comes back to me, standing so close that I can feel the heat from his body on my skin.

His hand trails under the strap of my tank top, pushing it off my shoulder until I take over. I pull my tank top over my head and sit it on the sink while Leon strips in front of me.

He throws his clothes from the day in the hamper, piece by piece until he is standing in front of me naked.

I want to react to the look of him, but I can't look away. I reach for him, tracing my finger across the scars on his chest. He has a large "Y" shaped scar starting at his collar bones and meeting in the middle at his sternum where it went straight down his chiseled abs. The straight line went right down the middle of his abs, stopping right before his pubic bone. He doesn't react to my touch other than his cock jolting when I touch him. "I knew you said she cut you open, but this wasn't what I was expecting." I say quietly.

Leon shrugs, holding onto the waistband of my shorts and dropping them down my legs until they poole in a pile on the floor, letting me kick them off. I follow him, getting in the shower first and letting the hot water rain down on me. He, however, stays out of the water while he takes his prosthesis off. I reach for him, letting him lean on me while he gets in the shower and straps his leg into the white plastic rest that was waiting for him. "Long term, I would like for you to fall madly in love with me." He starts. I suppress a laugh, letting him spin me around and start to get my hair wet. "That's ambitious." I say once my back is to him.

I feel Leon's warm lips on the back of my neck before I feel him start to lather shampoo into my hair. "It is, but I think we can get there. I want to be a family with you, I want everything with you." He tells me. I feel myself blushing, I feel goosebumps line against my skin and I visibly shudder.