Draw Me In (15 page)

“
Well, I don
’
t normally show up without warning.
”
His voice was thick with honesty and
it made me feel bad that I was feeding him lie after lie and he was eating it
like it was his last supper.
“
And
I don
’
t
normally do this, either.
”

Leo
smiled nervously, the tremble in his lower lip pinned back by his teeth, and
before I could register what his words meant, my wish about tasting that grin
from earlier was granted. Two full, warm lips pressed onto mine, sending a wave
of shivers running the entire length of my body like someone was tickling my
skin with a feather, drawing up goose bumps with each teasing stroke.

Leo
bent over me because he was so much taller, and something about doing so made
his hips press forward into mine and that, in turn, made me want to die. But if
I died, I would miss out of this amazingly unexpected kiss, so I started
praying and asking forgiveness and doing whatever else necessary to keep from
keeling over at this very point in time. I even threw in a few Hail Mary
’
s for good measure and I wasn
’
t a practicing Catholic.

With
our lips still connected, Leo wrapped his arms around my waist, tugging me
closer to him so we were chest to chest, our hearts thrumming erratically
against one another like they were having a drum off competition in a high
school marching band. I slid my hands up his arms to his neck where I could
feel his pulse point hammering out its own beat against my fingertips, that
thick vein that pulsed with the passion I could tell he was feeling just as
much as I was.

Every
inch of his body was all hard, defined muscle, but the way he yielded and
molded to my touch served as the world
’
s
biggest oxymoron. He was the most tender, yet firm, man I
’
d ever come into contact with, and it
did things to my insides that it probably shouldn
’
t. Considering he was my boss. And
considering I had a history of throwing myself at any man who asked for it.

After
I wrapped up my prayers begging to stay alive, I shot up another asking that
Leo have more willpower than me, because right now the only power I had in me
was driven by hormones, and those girls often escorted me to hole in the wall
clubs and seedy hotels and cocktail parties where you hooked up with random
guys as a
“
Thank
You
”
for buying you a Lemon Drop. My hormones were backstabbing bitches and I could
no longer trust them. Instead, I
’
d
just have to put all my trust in Leo.

When
he tugged my lower lip into his mouth, I let out a little gasp in the back of
my throat and apparently Leo heard it because all of a sudden he deepened the
kiss, delving his tongue between the seam of my lips, tasting my mouth eagerly.
Dragging my hands into his cropped, dark hair I jumped up in one gymnast-like
move and hooked my legs around his waist, using my elbows resting on his
shoulders to lift my mouth higher to his. I was all but begging for him to cup
my ass with those palms of his, but he kept his hands secured around my middle,
even though the effort to do so had to be intense.

His
lips were so full, his mouth so sweet like I
’
d imagined it would be, like fruit
dripping sugary juice. We played like this for a while
—
the back and forth
of tongues circling around the other, the tug and pull of swollen lips sliding
together in what had to amount to the best first kiss I
’
d ever had with anyone in my life. It
was no train wreck, that was for sure. It was more of an atmospheric explosion
of meteors because that
’
s
what I felt deep in my stomach. Some tingling buzz that pulsed throughout me,
shooting star-like jolts of electricity through my veins. One tiny cosmic
burst, then another.

This
man was a kissing god. Like how Poseidon was the god of water, and Dionysus was
a drunken party animal, and Apollo was into the sun and music. Leo was the god
of making out and I was tempted to create my very own marble statue of him to
commemorate this unreal talent he possessed. How he could leave me completely
satisfied with merely kissing alone proved he had superhuman powers. Everything
about what he was doing was totally tame, but it made me wild with an
excitement and desire I didn
’
t
even know possible. Yep, he was a kissing god and I worshipped his mouth like I
was his newest convert.

Then
reality crashed in on us. Grand cosmic explosion. Or it crashed in on him,
mainly, because I was suddenly still moving my lips against his in a way that
became awkwardly more one sided than the two person endeavor kissing should be.

Oh,
I think maybe he was trying to speak. But I couldn
’
t really hear because I swallowed up
every syllable that worked its way out of his mouth.

There
it was again.

Reluctantly,
I peeled my lips from his and withdrew an inch, figuring that was all the space
he needed to get the words out. I wasn
’
t
about to lose this close contact with this man.

“
I
’
m sorry.
”

What
a waste of words and breath. I dove back in for the kiss.

“
Julie.
”

Leo
slid me down his body until my feet touched the hardwood, but my knees didn
’
t lock into place like they should
and my muscles forgot how to be muscles and my bones were all Jell-O. He had to
hold me at the elbows to keep me somewhat upright.

“
Julie, I shouldn
’
t have done that.
”

Thinking
he was referring to the whole part where he so rudely stopped kissing me, I
summoned the help of my weary bones and legs and pushed onto my toes to bring
my mouth closer to his. I really needed to make out with that face again.

“
Hey.
”
Bending slightly at the knees, his
eyes dove down into mine.
“
Listen.
I
’
m sorry. I really shouldn
’
t have kissed you like that.
”

“
No. I mean, yes. I mean, is there
another way you
’
d
like to kiss me? Because I
’
m
all for experimenting.
”

I
was certain he
’
d
heard me, but Leo talked over my nervous stammer, his words heavier than mine,
pushing their way forward.
“
It
’
s just that I was at home eating
dinner tonight and was thankful for food that tasted like actual food after our
adventure at Namaste this afternoon and then I realized that every thought I
had was of you.
”
With the rough back of his knuckle, he swept a loose strand of hair off my
cheek and tucked it behind the curve of my ear. It might have been an
insignificant gesture, but it didn
’
t
feel like one.
“
When
I poured myself a glass of water I thought of you and how you would probably
dump it all over my kitchen. When I changed out of my work clothes and into
jeans I thought of you and how you helped pick them out. Hell, even when I
turned on my stove I thought of you and how you burnt down your uncle
’
s neighbor
’
s house.
”

Though
we
’
d
only had a handful of interactions, I had somehow worked my way into Leo
’
s brain, like he was intentionally
trying to make me fit. That had to mean something.

“
Basically, I can
’
t stop thinking about you.
”

He
paused. I froze.

“
I should go.
”

“
No!
”
I placed a hand on his forearm to
halt any action that he might be thinking of taking. Usually after declarations
like this, someone bolted. I was not about to have him bolt out of this
apartment. Not after the kiss that rocked my entire universe.
“
I haven
’
t stopped thinking about you, either.
”

Just
one eyebrow shot up to a point.
“
Yeah?
”

“
So you
’
re going to think this is really
creepy.
”
Oh no, Julie, please don
’
t.
“
But I drew something.
”

“
Me, right?
”

Jaw
meet floor.

How
could he know that? He couldn
’
t
know that.

“
How do you
—”

“
Ian brought it by the office.
”

It
was a shame I
’
d
never make it onto that plane to Italy tomorrow morning because tonight I was
going to be arrested for manslaughter. My brain scrolled through a list of
nearby places to dump a dead body.

“
He what?
”
I couldn
’
t swallow. I needed to figure out who
I might call with my one phone call down at the police station.
“
I can
’
t believe he
—”

“
It was insanely impressive. What you
can do with a pencil is nothing short of magic.
”

“
Well.
”
I figured I was blushing, but I wasn
’
t sure if he could even see it under
the cake of makeup that still camouflaged my face.
“
What your stomach can do with a
washboard is pretty damn magical, too.
”

Leo
did one of those silent laughs where his shoulders shrugged as though
embarrassed while he said,
“
I
’
m not sure if you realize, but it was
an incredible turn on to think of you taking the time to create something like
that. Of me.
”

“
Well, I was definitely turned on
while creating it.
”
Oh sweet mother Mary, I needed to shut up.
“
I mean.
”
There was no backtracking with that
one.
“
Never
mind. That
’
s
exactly what I meant.
”

“
I
’
ll take it as a compliment, that you
saw me fit enough to add to your repertoire of work.
”

“
Oh, you
’
re definitely fit enough. Probably
more fit than some of the actual statues I draw.
”

That
’
s not what he meant. Obviously. I was
not smarter than a fifth grader. I wasn
’
t
even smarter than a newborn at this point. It was all mindless babble that
trickled out of my mouth like gobs of baby drool.

Leo
’
s mouth shed a flustered smile.
“
I meant suitable.
”

“
Right. You look damn good in a suit,
too.
”

Crap!
These bitchy hormones were making me an incoherent mess. I hung my head,
muttering
“
Curses,
”
under my breath. This wasn
’
t going well.

“
Curses?
”
Leo still had his hands supporting
my elbows, though I
’
d
managed to regain the use of my most of my body again. Brain activity was still
questionable, though. Synapses were misfiring all over the place and poor Leo
had been caught in the crossfire.

“
Yeah, it
’
s something I say instead of actually
cursing. There
’
s
a long, boring story attached to it, but basically I got in trouble as a teen
for swearing so I had to come up with a replacement I could use when I wanted
to be defiant. Which was always because let
’
s face it, I was a teenager.
”

“
LOL,
”
Leo chuckled, looking right into my
eyes.