Page 81 of Fractured Empire

“More chaos, of course.” I sigh happily. “We ran around the house for a while, playing tag and then I taught them the game hot potato but I don’t know if they’re old enough for it. We played with a squishy ball so nothing broke, but they can’t exactly catch it consistently. Leo seemed to find it more amusing when we would drop it, though.”

“Of course he did.”

“Oh!” I snap my fingers. “And we played the floor is lava game, which they adored. Being able to jump on the furniture and having to use pillows and stuff to navigate where they can walk was very fun for them. I don’t imagine they’ve been able to climb all over the couches, chairs, and tables before today which means I probably should have set some more ground rules but they were eating it up so I couldn’t take away their joy.”

Leon smiles, fond and slow. “As long as they were careful enough not to get hurt, I’m not upset. My brothers and I used to do far worse than climb on furniture, even at their age. Nico started playing with fire when he was four.”

My eyes flare wide and I try not to flinch at the idea of a four year old being given access to open flames. “I hope that’s a metaphor.”

“Sure,” Leon says through a chuckle.

“I’ll make it my life’s mission to keep fire out of Leo and Bastian’s hands,” I vow, more for myself than for him. More seriously—almost sadly—I add, “I don’t want them to grow up. They’re so sweet and playful and kind. I feel like I’m just getting to know them and also like they’ve been around my whole entire life. I’ll be so sad to see them lose their childhood spark.”

“Such is life,” my husband replies with a small frown. “I can’t thank you enough for giving them such a fun day. I can’t wait to hear about it through their words too. I know they value your time with them so much already.”

“I hope so.” I look down at my legs and shrug. “I want to do everything I can to make their life happy and memorable, but I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I’m doing enough. You’ve given me a gift I can never repay, Leon. This life…it’s only just beginning and it feels like something that I can never imagine going without.”

“You don’t need to repay me,” he states, voice firm and sure. “You’re giving me something I can never match either, Katya. Coming into this messy situation like you are, not many people would do that. Especially not with the pure intentions you so obviously have.”

Maybe they’re not all so pure.

Where the kids are concerned, of course. But with Leon? I find my thoughts have been more impure than not as of late. I’ve been thinking about my husband in all manner of unsavory positions late at night when I’m all alone in my room. Part of me thinks that I asked him to stay and talk about my day more so to look at him than to gush about how much fun I had with the kids.

I missed him today, perhaps even more than his sons did. Every time we switched into doing something new, I couldn’t help but imagine how things would go differently if Leon were with us. I wondered if he would pick me up and swing me around when he found me playing laser tag like I would do with the boys, or if he would be on my side during the water gun fight.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he would feel drawn to kiss me while I was cooking dinner, and if he would sneak bits of cheese for himself while I was preparing the ingredients. I wondered if I would smack his hands away playfully, and if he would catch them and kiss them all over.

“I’m sorry you had a long, hard day,” I whisper, my voice lowering naturally so that we don’t become too loud and wake up the children. “I know you said you don’t want to talk about it. But I’ll be here to listen if you change your mind.”

“I definitely don’t want to talk about it,” Leon replies, whispering in return. “My day has already been made a million times better, and I’d hate to ruin my mood now that it’s been lifted. Seeing you cuddled up on the couch with them…fuck, baby. It meant everything to me.”

My stomach flips hard and fast, sparkling with undeniable desire at the sound of the affectionate name on his tongue. “It was sweet,” I breathe, thinking back on it. “They tried so hard to stay awake for you, you know? They’ll be thrilled that you’re here in the morning. You will be here in the morning, won’t you?”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

My cheeks ache with my responding smile and I boldly reach for his hand. “I still can’t believe you carried me all the way up here without waking me up. I can’t believe you carried me up here to begin with, actually. You could have left me on the couch, you know?”

“Carrying you was no trouble,” Leon says, his voice suddenly sounding deeper. His fingers squeeze slightly around my hand, and it’s enough to make my heart beat faster. “But I did consider leaving you all where you were, not because it would have been easier, but because it was the best thing I’ve seen in months—if not years.”

My breath shakes as I inhale. “What do you mean?”

“You may have shifted something inside me that can’t be put back into place, Katya. Treating you like a mother for them and not like a wife for myself has never been harder than tonight. You’re impossible not to fall for, do you know that?”

You’re impossible not to fall for.

Fall. For.

“Leon, I⁠—”

“You don’t need to say anything tonight, Katya,” he interrupts in a husky whisper. “We can talk more about us tomorrow. I know I must be giving you whiplash with my changing stance on this topic, but I’m afraid I’ve never been a good liar when it comes to people I care about. I couldn’t pretend not to be drawn to you for any longer if I tried. I want you, baby. And if you don’t stop looking at me like you want to pull me into your bed, you’re never going to get back to sleep.”

Fuck sleep.

“If you call me baby again, I might not let you out of this bed to let me go back to sleep, Leon.” I hardly recognize the sound of my voice, the lusty edge to my tone, nor the burning desire rising up within me.

Still, it’s the only permission he needs to lean down and claim my mouth as his. Our lips meet in a rash, intense press, molding together desperately. Leon sends a thrill straight through me as he kisses me hard, putting an arm underneath my back to pull me closer as he leans over me. He has all the power in our position, looming down over my half-lying form like some kind of god.

A whimper crawls up my throat and vibrates into our kiss, making my lips buzz. Spurned on by the sound, he chases it and devours the taste of my neediness right from my lips. I can taste him too, but his minty flavor only floods my mouth fully when he parts my lips with his tongue and sweeps it inside to dance with mine.