Page 316 of Split or Swallow

He stepped closer.

“I want you all to myself. Why would I tell him?”

“Because it would hurt him.”

Leo shook his head.

“It would also hurt you. And I have no interest in doing that.”

“This is already hurting me, Leo.”

The words just slipped out—Tem didn’t even know if she meant them. But agony flashed across Leo’s face, and he whispered:

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tem sighed.

“It’s not you, exactly. It’s…”

He finished for her:

“Us.”

She sighed again, looking up at him.

“Yes.”

“Tem, I…” Leo started but didn’t finish. He looked deeply unhappy, and Tem didn’t know how to fix it. They both knew what she’d said couldn’t be unsaid. But Tem needed him to hear it—needed him to know how painful it was for her to be caught between two parts of herself. It was slowly tearing her in half.

Leo looked at her sadly.

“I know you have always doubted my intentions,” he said. “And I don’t blame you, considering my past. But know this: I will never do anything to hurt you.”

He leaned in.

“Know this also: I want you. And I know that’s not what you want to hear. And I know you don’t want me back—at least, not enough to justify betraying whatever connection you have with him. But I cannot live without you. Even if it means I only have some part of you—that is far preferable to no part of you at all.”

“Vera is the better match,” Tem whispered. “You should just choose her.”

“I’d rather have half of you than all of Vera. Even if it means sharing you for the rest of my life.”

Tem stared at him. Had Leo just…proposed?

Before she could process this, he spoke again:

“I know you belong to him, Tem. And I know I want you anyway.”

“Leo…” she whispered, but she had no idea what to say.

What was the appropriate response here? What could be said to such a vulnerable admission? Leo had always been candid with her about his feelings—always crystal clear with his declarations of favor. But this one was different. This one was permanent.

“Can we just…get through tonight?” she asked. “For now?”

A resigned smile twisted Leo’s lips.

“Of course we can, Tem.”

She knew they were limited by time and circumstance. She knew he wanted more.