Filed To Story: Spit or Swallow: Kiss Of The Basilisk
“Your father is wrong, you know,” she said quietly.
Leo looked at her. “No, he isn’t.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“You were going to say that my father is wrong, that I’m not a child-that I’m capable of making my own decisions and that he should trust me to live my life the way I want to live it. But it’s not true. I am being utterly selfish in choosing you. There will be consequences for my actions. And if I know my father, they will not be pleasant.”
Tem took another sip of her drink. “I was going to say that you’re not ignorant. You’re one of the smartest people I know.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “Careful, Tem. Too many compliments and I may develop an ego.”
Tem rolled her eyes. “Please. We both know it’s far too late for that.”
Finally, Leo smiled.
They drank in silence for a while, and eventually, Tem said, “Has he always been like that?”
“My father? Yes, always. Why do you ask?”
Tem shrugged. “He’s so angry. I’m just surprised that you turned out…” She trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.
Leo was still looking at her.
“How did I turn out, Tem?” he asked softly.
“Like you,” she answered.
There was nothing specific in her answer. She hadn’t said anything, really. And yet it felt like she’d given him a compliment, and for some reason, she hoped he took it as one. Perhaps he did, because he asked, “Have I managed to impress you?”
Tem thought about how Leo behaved tonight. He’d treated Gabriel-someone far beneath his status-with kindness. He’d responded to her constant digs with nothing but humor. He’s always done that, she realized. All he’d ever wanted was to earn her favor, even though it was Tem who was supposed to be earning his. Leo’s vulnerability revealed a different side of him-a side Tem liked. So she whispered, “Yes.”
“I’m certainly glad to hear it.”
Tem found she was glad to say it.
The moment deepened. She was suddenly aware that they were alone, in her cottage, with nothing to prevent what happened next. Leo smiled fully, flashing his gold incisors. His gaze remained trained on hers as he said, “You’re difficult to please, you know.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Leo raised an eyebrow at her. Some of his usual attitude returned.
“Good thing I’ve always liked a challenge.”
Tem rolled her eyes.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you’re expecting to fuck me tonight, you can forget it.”
He laughed softly. “I wouldn’t dream of expecting that.”
She shot him a look, but he only smiled wider.
“What I expect and what I want are two different things, Tem.”
The words were familiar; he’d said them during the Frisky Sixty, when she’d refused to undress for him. How simple life had been back then.
“You’re not sleeping in my bed either,” Tem said bluntly.
Leo smirked. “A bed isn’t required for what I want to do.”
She glared at him. “You can spend the night in the kitchen. The chairs are hard as rocks.”
His smile widened. “Delightful. I look forward to it.”
Tem didn’t have anything to say to that, so she said nothing. It was obvious Leo was enjoying himself. To Tem’s utter surprise, she was enjoying herself too. She wasn’t exactly…having fun-too many emotional things had occurred tonight for that to be the case. But there was something satisfying about her back-and-forth with Leo: their banter felt natural, like she was competing against a worthy opponent. But she didn’t know what Leo wanted. And she doubted Leo did either. The wound with Evelyn was clearly still fresh. Yet here he was, in her kitchen, and Tem knew she didn’t want him to leave.
Tem downed the rest of her drink, and Leo downed the rest of his.
“We’ve established that I’m not going to fuck you,” he said. “But are you going to let me kiss you?”
Tem crossed her arms. “Will you stop that?”
He frowned. “Stop what?”
“Flirting with me.” She expected Leo to have an immediate comeback, but instead, he tilted his head.
“Does it really bother you?” he asked quietly.
Tem’s answer came against her will. “No.”
Leo shifted closer. The walls of the kitchen seemed to shrink. “Then why would you want me to stop?”
“Because when you flirt with me, I flirt back.”
“That’s the idea.”
“And when I flirt back, I feel like I’m betraying…myself.”
She wanted to say Caspen. But somehow, she couldn’t bear the thought of speaking his name in front of Leo. The prince was still watching her, his head cocked to the side. Tem sat silently, staring at her whiskey glass. When Leo spoke again, his voice was sincere, his teasing tone completely gone.
“I didn’t know it made you feel that way. I certainly don’t mean to assault you in your own home.”
He paused. Tem wanted to say something, but she couldn’t seem to breathe.
At her silence, Leo continued, “I’m grateful for your hospitality, so I will refrain from flirting with you tonight. But know this, Tem.” He leaned in, and she smelled his cologne. “Flirting with you is a pleasure. And a compulsion. One that, if I’m being truly honest, I doubt I can stop.”
Tem stared at her whiskey, unable to look him in the eye. Her throat was tight.
“Tem,” Leo said softly. “I understand, more than anyone, how you feel.”
“Don’t-“
“And I understand,” he said, cutting her off, leaning even closer, “that your loyalty lies elsewhere. Contrary to what you may think, it is not my intention to make that more difficult for you. I know what it is to have an occupied heart. But I cannot help how I feel. And you’ve made it very clear that I am not entitled to any part of you-that your heart as well as your body are to be earned. I ask only for the chance to do so.”
Now Tem was sure she was blushing.
“You may think he is right for you,” Leo whispered. “But perhaps I am right too. And should you choose to kiss me tonight, he never has to know.”
Leo was so good with his words. Always saying the exact thing that would give her pause. It was an infuriating talent and one that was serving him extremely well right now.
His breath feathered her cheek as he finished quietly, “So are you going to let me kiss you?”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.