Charlotte blushed. “Sorry. I just... I really had no idea how good you were.”
He tried to ignore the pang at that. She would have known. If she’d ever bothered to ask or to come watch him perform. He shoved those thoughts aside. When they were younger, he and Char had never been close. And then she was with Pete. It wasn’t likely that he’d have allowed his wife to go see her brother halfway across the country. So, Leo had to get over that. He hadn’t been into theater until he was in his twenties.
“Now you do,” he said. “What did you think?” He asked Evangeline. She’d been oddly quiet since he spotted them. Very unlike his minx.
“It was incredible.” Her eyes were a bit wide, a little shiny. Almost like she was star-struck.
His heart soared. Being on stage, it had been about him. About living the dream he’d harbored for ages. But he had felt Evangeline there, watching him. He didn’t know how, but he had known deep inside that she was there. Even if he hadn’t known she was in the audience, he would have known. It was such a weird feeling to be that attuned to another human being. He didn’t know how to cope with this level of intensity.
“I’m so glad you were here.” He cleared his throat. “So glad you were both here,” he added.
Charlotte’s smile faltered. Shit, he didn’t want to exclude her. That wasn’t fair. Her being here was just as important as Evangeline being here. But then Charlotte gave Evangeline an odd look, raising her brows as if to say see? I told you so.
He was definitely out of the loop here. “I see the shopping trip was a success.” He nodded his head toward Charlotte. “That’s very pretty.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“So, about those self-defense lessons,” Evangeline said, out of the blue.
Leo tensed. He hadn’t wanted her knowing about those. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe because she was convinced he was a good guy, that his violent tendencies weren’t dangerous.
“What about them?” he said carefully.
“They paid off in spades.”
“What?” He looked at Charlotte. “What happened?” he demanded, his voice rising.
“Nothing. Just... we saw Pete while at the store. I have no clue what he was doing there. Maybe he saw us in town and followed us in there. I don’t know and I don’t care. I took care of it,” she said with a smile.
Pride and rage warred within him. His sister had faced her abusive ex-husband and seemed fine, strong. But the fact that Pete had approached her meant that he wasn’t heeding Leo’s warning. And it also meant that he’d been within striking distance of Evangeline. The thought made him want to beat the hell out of someone.
“That she did,” Evangeline said with a wide grin. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing him again. Charlotte made it quite clear that she wasn’t afraid of him, and that she would make good on your threats if he came near her again.”
“You sure you’re both all right?” He couldn’t help the guilt slithering through him. They’d been confronted by a monster while he was busy preparing for this show. He should have been there to protect his sister. To protect both of them. But he’d been here, instead.
“Hell yes,” Charlotte said. “In fact, I feel better than I have in a really long time.”
“We’re good, Leo. Honest.” Evangeline raised her brows at him, then stared pointedly at his hands.
That was when Leo realized they were clenched tight into fists. He took a deep breath and released his fingers. Blood rushed back to his digits. He took a moment to glance up at the wall Charlotte and Evangeline had been facing when he came across the lobby. And sure enough, at the top of the wall, a bright gold plaque read Our deepest thanks to Benson Hastings for his generous donations to the Spartan Theater. We wouldn’t be here today without him.
He couldn’t help but smile. “Guess I have my brother to thank for tonight’s performance, really.”
Evangeline nodded. “Yeah. About three years ago, we were doing well, I mean, really well, financially, and the theater was in rough shape and the city was threatening to condemn it. He’d said he couldn’t let it happen. I knew that it was more than just supporting the local economy and arts scene. Now I think I know what drove him so hard.”
She meant him, of course. Benson hadn’t wanted the theater to permanently close because of Leo’s love for the stage. Thank you, again, brother.
“So, what’s next?” Evangeline asked.
“The cast and some of the crew are heading to grab some food and hang out at Josephine’s for a while.”
“Awesome. Well, we’ll see you at home, later, then,” Evangeline said without a beat.
He tried to ignore the little pang that came with her quick support. Didn’t she want him home with her? It would be the first night in a long time that they weren’t together in the bedroom or media room for at least talking. They didn’t have play time every night, but they always spent some time together before bed. He found that he would miss the hell out of that. Would she wait up for him? No, he couldn’t ask that of her.
“Absolutely,” he said, though his spirits were significantly dimmed now. “I’ll see you at home.”
Charlotte let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, let’s go. These heels are starting to kill my feet.”
Evangeline nodded and gave him a little squeeze on the shoulder. “You really were fabulous tonight. I hope they’ll keep you on through the rest of their shows here.”
Then she turned to Charlotte. “Ready?”
“Oh yeah. Any longer on my feet and you’d have to carry me home.”
Laughing, Evangeline led Charlotte out into the night, and Leo watched them go, trying to figure out what had happened in the last eleven hours that had made things awkward and chilly between him and Evangeline.
Evangeline woke with a soft pant, her foggy brain lost in the erotic haze of a wet dream. She shivered. She’d dreamed of being on that stage with Leo, with his dark eyes and words surrounding her, captivating her. But she and Leo had had a very different ending than the Phantom and Christine. She stretched in bed, her nipples brushing against her shirt and making her hiss. It had been a long time since she’d woken up wet from a dream. She had laid down when they got home, and despite her whirling thoughts, had apparently managed to fall asleep at some point.
She looked at the clock. It was close to three a.m. She reached immediately for her phone but saw no new messages. Was Leo home? She hadn’t wanted to sleep, but she’d been wiped when she got home. It had been a bit of an emotional roller coaster since last weekend, and she had crashed hard after tonight’s show.
She got out of bed and made her way quietly down the hall. Leo’s bedroom door was still ajar, and the room was empty. He was out, enjoying his life. Embracing the thing he’d given up for her. Her plan was working. So why the hell did she feel like bawling her eyes out?
She wandered around the house, checking to make sure he wasn’t somewhere else, trying to hide her disappointment as she encountered each empty room. When she confirmed the rest of the house was empty, she went back to her room and texted him.
Hey. You having a good time?
It was only a few seconds before his response came in. I did, yeah. I’m on my way home now. You weren’t supposed to wait up for me, minx.
I didn’t. I just woke up.
Good. You should go back to bed.
No.
Shit. She hadn’t meant to say that. She should go back to bed. She was supposed to be weening not only her mind but her body from Leo Hastings. Waiting up for him to come home because her body was desperate for his wasn’t part of the plan. Yet, she couldn’t deny that she needed him.
His reply was a little slower coming this time. Oh, minx. Why must you argue with me so readily?
Because you’re just that lucky, I guess, was her bratty reply. She really did enjoy defying him. And after last weekend, with the punishment that left her feeling utterly inverted, turned completely upside down, she wanted to push his buttons.
He didn’t respond, but she heard the front door open a moment later, and she shivered, anticipation winding its way through her. They would have to be quiet. She was getting pretty good at that, in fact. He was opening her bedroom door within a minute, and she relaxed against the headboard, a small smile on her lips, as he shook his head at her from the doorway.
He stepped inside and closed the door gently behind him. He looked like a conquering hero and the sight of him made her even wetter. She didn’t think she could handle a full work up at this point. She was already thoroughly aroused thanks to dream-Leo. Perhaps she should have behaved.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m glad you had fun.” She shifted on the bed to make room for him but didn’t get up.
He slowly walked across the room, and she swallowed hard at the dark heat in his eyes. Yes, please!
He sat and pulled her toward him. He was kissing her then, and she forgot all about her plans to push him away. To convince him to leave her. She let herself be consumed by the fire between them. By the feel of his hands threading through her hair, and the nip of his teeth along her bottom lip. She kissed him back just as passionately, determined to enjoy every second they had left together.
He broke the kiss and she moaned his name.
“I see someone’s already needy.”
“Mmmhmm.” She pressed her body against him, shifting until she was straddling his lap, her soft pajama bottoms sliding against his jeans. She rubbed herself against him until she was gasping. His cock was already rock hard against her. Just the way she liked it.
“I...” he stopped.
“What, Leo?” She stopped rubbing against him and held onto his shoulders, watching his face, only inches from hers, carefully. There was something more than desire in his eyes.
He swallowed hard. “I’m so glad you were there with me tonight.”
“Me, too.”
He licked his bottom lip. “I want you.”
“I want you, too,” she said. She had the distinct impression they were talking about more than just right here, now, between them. But she couldn’t be bothered to care.
He nodded, and then his hands were on her hips, gliding her forward and rubbing his cock along the juncture of her thighs.
“You’re wet for me already, aren’t you?”
She bit her bottom lip to stop a loud moan from escaping. “Mmhmm.”
“I fucking love how naughty you are.”
He ground his pelvis up against her and she arched back, begging for more. “I woke up wet.”
“Oh, really?” He stroked her against him over and over again.
“Mmhmm.”
“So. Naughty.”
She nodded. He reached for the hem of her night shirt and lifted it up. She raised her arms and let him remove it and toss the fabric aside. He took off his own shirt, then started working on the button of his jeans. She shifted to the side so she could take off her bottoms. Her panties were in fact wet all the way through.
“Come here, minx,” he ordered.
She climbed back on top of him and he grabbed a condom from the bedside drawer. They’d stashed them all over the house in the past six months since their agreement began, because they’d never been sure where they would end up. He sheathed himself and leaned back against the headboard.
“Ride me, Evangeline. Just like this. Until you come.”
Swallowing hard, she raised herself on her knees and angled him into her waiting core. She bit her lip to keep from crying out as he filled her. She wasn’t often on top like this. The angle was deeper. When she was seated, he leaned forward an inch and kissed her. She rotated her hips against him, moving his cock inside her and making him moan into her mouth.
She held onto his shoulders and slowly raised herself and lowered herself again. She let her body relax against him, lifting her head so she could move freely, and rode him deep and slow, for a long time. He gasped and shuddered beneath her, but he let her set the pace. Let her control their movements. Let her torture the both of them with the slow build of ecstasy.
She swiveled her hips as she rode him, rubbing his cock against the ridge of extra-sensitive nerve endings inside her, making her groan.
“Shh,” he reminded her.
She held her breath for a few heartbeats as she increased her pace, driving down onto him harder, faster. She was gasping in seconds. The need to come overwhelmed her, and she slumped forward into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He gripped her hips and helped move her up and down his cock, thrusting his hips up in time to her movements. She opened her mouth and bit down on his neck as the orgasm rolled through her. She shuddered and bucked against him as she came, licking away the sting of her bite as she moaned quietly in his ear.
He groaned softly and pulled her against him, holding her as she shivered. When the orgasm ebbed, he moved them, pressing her down onto her back and sliding in and out of her sheath. He worked her like this for a while, with her feet planted on the bed, her hips tilted, her body quaking. She bit her lip to stop from screaming.
He watched her from a few inches away, his dark eyes searing her to the soul.
“I... can’t...wait...” he groaned.
“Shh, it’s okay. Just let go.”
He increased his pace, driving deep and she lifted her hips to meet him. She wrapped her arms around him, and he groaned as he came, shuddering above her. He buried his head against her neck and licked and kissed at her skin. She held him like this for a very long time, both of them wrapped around the other, breathing into the silence.
I think I might love you, Leo Hastings.
She refused to let the words escape, though they clawed at the back of her throat.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Two weeks. For two glorious weeks, Leo played the role he’d always coveted. Sure, it wasn’t on Broadway. But that mattered a lot less than he’d thought it would. Tonight would be his final performance at Spartan Theater, his last time playing the Phantom. He couldn’t pretend he wasn’t sad about that, but he’d done it. He’d done the one thing he’d wanted for over a decade. He had embodied the lead role in the longest-running Broadway production of all time.
And that did not suck at all. Playing such a dark, seductive character was heady. He’d loved every minute of it. Especially opening night. Knowing Evangeline was there, watching him. Hearing him. Witnessing the side of him he didn’t share with a lot of people he dated, outside of other theater people. Still, this felt different. That first performance, the rush of being back on stage, coupled with the high of feeling her gaze on him all night... it had been exceptional. His whole schedule the past two weeks had been screwed up by night performances, and a few matinees.
And every night, when he got home, Evangeline was there. He’d changed from texting her as soon as he got up in the morning with her orders, to making it the last thing he did before falling asleep, and she was making her own breakfast and lunches, and eating them without issue. Every night since that first night of the performance, things between him and Evangeline had been different.
He was so proud of all the progress she’d made. And also, selfishly, exceptionally sad. Yes, he wanted her better, whole, and self-sufficient. Strong, independent, the way a little minx like her ought to be. But that left him wondering how long she would let him stick around. How long she would let him stay her Mister.
He wasn’t sure he could handle it if she decided she was strong enough without him. That she didn’t need him anymore. His chest burned at the thought, and he fought to take a deep breath. He didn’t want to give her up. Didn’t want to let her go without a fight. But what could he do?
He couldn’t order her to stay with him. That wasn’t fair. He’d tried to convince himself that she would always want Benson more than him, but at this point, he just didn’t care enough. That wasn’t enough of a reason to let her go. He wanted this life they’d started together. Even though it had begun under the most ridiculous of circumstance
s. He wanted her. He wanted them.
His phone rang, yanking him from his thoughts. Reg’s name flashed across his screen.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hey, Leo. How are you?”
“Good. I’m good,” he lied, even though his chest was still aching, fear of losing Evangeline gripping him tightly. “What’s up?”
“Just checking in and seeing if you’re ready for tonight’s performance?” Reg asked.
“Yes. Of course.” This was odd. Reg hadn’t called him in the past two weeks. Leo had a schedule, just like the rest of the cast, and he stuck to it. He glanced at the clock, momentarily terrified he was late. But it was still hours before he was supposed to be to the theater.
“Good. That’s great. I’ve really appreciated what you’ve done for us. More than you can know. I’m glad the Equity Contract could be rolled over for these weeks. It’s been really wonderful having you step in for Quint, and he agrees.”
“He does?” Leo had chatted with the other man throughout that first week especially, getting the ins and outs of working with the rest of the cast, talking about the show, and what Quint brought to the role, as well as what Leo was bringing to it. So, it wasn’t that shocking the other man appreciated it, but Leo couldn’t help feeling that a small part of Quint must hate him for taking his job. Even temporarily.
“Absolutely,” Quint’s voice sounded from the background.
Oh, lovely, he was on a speakerphone ambush. “Oh, great.”
“So, listen, I know you’re going to get a bit of a late check for the past couple weeks of work, but it is coming, I promise.”
“Okay. I wasn’t necessarily looking for a paycheck.” He chuckled. Maybe he should have demanded it up front. But this had been about realizing a dream when Fate had dropped it in his lap. It hadn’t been about money.
“I wasn’t going to let you work for free. Obviously neither was the union. You saved our skins, and you’ve been working your ass off, kid. It’s really the least I could do.”
Kid. It was funny to hear someone call him kid. That hadn’t happened in a long time, but Reg had about twenty years on him, so Leo couldn’t take great offense. “I appreciate it.”
From Sir, With Love Page 26