by Krista Lakes
A camera flash interrupted his words and accenting how public our setting was.
“-But the auction should be front page news. Not us,” he finished, spinning me away from the camera. “I'll just have to be content with holding you until later. Then I want to kiss you again. And again.”
Happy bubbles filled my chest and if it was possible for a person to die of happiness, I was certainly close. Leo wanted to kiss me again. He wanted me. My willpower was going to be severely depleted by the end of the night. All I wanted to do was pull him off the dance floor into a dark corner and have my way with him.
I sighed. The gala would go on for hours. There was time for that later. I'd waited ten years for this. I could wait a couple more hours.
“Is there anything you're bidding on at the auction tomorrow?” I asked, trying to distract myself from how close his lips were and how good he smelled.
“Small talk, huh?” He tipped his head just enough that I could see the beginning of a kiss and I held my breath. “Good plan. Yes, there are several things I plan on purchasing.”
The song ended and a round of applause surrounded us for dancing.
“Another, please?” I asked, not wanting to go back to the table just yet. If I couldn't kiss him, at least I could be in his arms.
“How much work do you have to do tomorrow? I'd like to see you,” Leo said, twirling me to the music. Several more couples joined us on the dance floor.
“I have to help during the day. Once the auction is complete, the auction house will take care of everything and I'll be done.” I sighed. “I can't wait. I believe in this auction so much, but it has been a lot of work.”
“You've done a fantastic job,” Leo murmured, taking us to the corner of the dance floor and out of limelight. The other dancers would keep the photographers' attention as long as we didn't do anything too out of the ordinary.
“Thank you,” I said, flushing with pride. It was one thing for my brother to tell me I had done well, but Leo saying it made it feel real. “Are you doing anything other than the auction tomorrow?”
“I was planning on taking my boat out and enjoying the island for a bit. The items I want aren't on sale until the end of the auction anyway,” Leo explained.
I paused. “Which boat?” There was a boat of his that I did not like. A dangerous boat. I sincerely hoped he meant his yacht or a sailboat. Or even a paddle-boat. Anything but his racing boat.
“The one you hate,” he teased, confirming what I was dreading.
“I hate it because it's dangerous, Leo.” My happy feelings were quickly disappearing. I felt a little cold, even despite the warm Caribbean air. That boat was bad news.
“You're just a worry-wart,” Leo started. This was a familiar argument. One we'd had at least a hundred times before. He usually just stepped around me and did whatever he pleased, but I wasn't going to let it slide. Not this time. Not when he said he wanted to kiss me.
“I worry because I care!” I stopped dancing and stepped away from him. “Your boat was designed to break the water speed record. A record with an eighty-five percent fatality rate, Leo. No sane person takes those odds.”
I hated even thinking about it. The water speed record was the fastest a boat had ever gone. There was a good reason why no one had beaten the record of 317mph set in 1978- everyone who tried usually ended up dead on the water. Going speeds that fast, the water turned into cement and the smallest wave, a stray piece of kelp, or a moment's distraction could send the boat hydroplaning into the water. With a fatality rate of eighty-five percent since 1940, trying to break the water speed record was a death wish. Yet, Leo insisted on playing with the boats capable of doing it.
He picked my hands back up and spun me back into the dance. “I'm still here, aren't I?”
“That's not the point,” I said, a scowl filling my face. My steps back into the dance were slow and unwilling. “It's dangerous.”
Leo sighed. “Charlotte, I'm not racing. I go out, I get some speed, and I come back in. I'm not trying to break the water speed record. I'm just enjoying the boat.”
“A boat that is designed to break records. It's not exactly a normal speed boat.” I paused, hating the sinking feeling thinking of his boat always gave me. “I've seen you crash on the water, Leo. The last one put you in the hospital.”
“For a day, Charlotte,” Leo snapped, getting frustrated. He spun me around, but the motion was angry rather than graceful. “And the doctor said that was overkill. I'm fine. You can tell Bastian not to go out on the water, but not me.”
I thought of how Bastian went out paddle-boarding every morning and how I would get so angry at finding his broken boards or other evidence of him being dangerous out on the water. Bastian, Leo and Gabe were my only family. If anything happened to them...
“Do you know why I ask him not to go out?” I asked quietly. My feet shuffled to the music, not really dancing. I couldn't meet his eyes and instead stared at his suit jacket. He had a dark gray handkerchief in his pocket folded into an elaborate design. “I don't care that he's paddle boarding. I don't even care about the sharks or the rogue waves or what could happen. I ask him because I'm selfish.”
“Selfish?” Leo asked, surprise filling his voice. His step faltered. “You are one of the least selfish people I know. You put your life on hold for this auction, even though it's Bastian's.” He stopped dancing and put his hand under my chin, gently forcing me to look up at him. “Why, Charlotte? Why do you ask him not to push the limits when it's what the three of us were born to do?”
The memory, the nightmare, flashed to my memory.
I wake up from my nap to see the neighbor lady slowly getting up from the raggedy chair by the TV. Someone is knocking on the door.
It's a police officer, his uniform wet with rain. He says something to the old woman. She smells like cats, but she's the only one who can watch me when Mommy and Daddy have to leave. I hate when they're gone. They always come back smelling strange.
The old woman covers her mouth with her hand and looks over at me.
There's terror and heartbreak in her eyes that I don't yet understand.
But I will.
“It's because I can't lose him,” I whisper, avoiding Leo's eyes. “Bastian is my foster brother because I lost everyone when I was six years old. They left one night, and never came back.” There was more to it than that. It was complicated and something I wasn't proud of, but the truth was still there. I slowly raised my eyes to meet his. “I don't want to lose you, too. Not to some stupid boat.”
Leo's blue eyes softened and his expression shifted from exasperation to concern. “You've never told me that part,” he said softly. His hands went to my shoulders and he kissed my forehead. “Okay.”
“Okay, what?” Tears were trying to form in my eyes at the memory of being alone. I never wanted to be alone like that again. I was glad there were several other couples on the dance floor so we weren't just standing there with me about to burst into tears.
“Okay, I won't go out on the boat. For you.” He pulled me in close, his arms wrapping around me and keeping me safe. “Because I care about you, too.”
“Really?” My voice was muffled by his suit jacket as I pressed my face into his chest, not caring if I smudged my mascara on it.
“I kissed you today, didn't I?” he said softly. He looked down, a soft smile filling his handsome face. “And all I want to do is kiss you again.”
I smiled back, blinking the tears out of my eyes. “Me too.”
I nestled into his shoulder, letting him hug me more than dance. With his arms around me, I was safe. The nightmare memory faded until it was just static in the back of my mind. Leo wouldn't leave me. He never had, and he never would.
The song ended and another round of applause scattered through the tent as the new dancers took their bows.
“More,” I demanded, knowing I sounded like a petulant child. I wasn't ready to leave his arms yet.
Leo sigh
ed. “Unfortunately, dessert is here, and Bastian looks like he's slightly concerned about what I'm doing to you.”
“That's because your hand is on my ass,” I informed him.
“Do you have a problem with that?” he asked.
“Nope,” I replied with a naughty grin. “In fact, I encourage it.”
“Just you wait.” He grinned back at me for a moment before releasing me and offering me his arm to take me back to the table. “I have some other ideas you might encourage.”
Chapter Nine
Leo reluctantly let go of my arm to pull out my chair for me. I tried not to shiver as he brushed his hand along the bare skin of my back as he left to take his own seat. Heat built in my core at the slightest of his touches.
In the center of the table was a beautiful bowl full of meringue covered ice cream. The caterer gave me a nervous smile as she cut an orange peel into a long thin string. After pouring liquor on the meringue, she dipped the string of orange peel into a saucer of Grand Marnier. With a deep breath, she lit the orange peel on fire.
The sweet scent of alcohol and orange filled the tent as she set the pretty dessert danced with blue and orange flames. The caterer carefully made sure nothing burned, definitely hyper-aware of the danger of the flames. It was a beautiful dessert and as the flames slowly died, the scent of sugar hit me.
The caterer let out a small sigh of relief as everyone clapped. She grinned at me before carefully placing seven small cups of perfect crème brulee on a serving plate and hurrying off to the next table.
Bastian scooped the ice cream, cake, and meringue concoction onto plates. The sweet scent of orange still lingered as I took a bite. It was a delicious mixture of hot and cold mingled with wonderful sweetness. This was why we had hired the caterer. It was absolutely divine.
The table fell silent for a moment as everyone tasted their desserts. The Baked Alaska was perfect and the crème brulee thick and creamy, yet with the perfect sugar shell crunch characteristic of the dish. It was almost as good as kissing Leo.
Almost.
It was painful to have him sitting across the table, yet not be able to touch him. Beside me, Ava and Bastian were holding hands. I wanted to do that with Leo. On my other side, Emma and Jack were gazing at one another with adoration. I wanted to do that, too.
But I had to sit, staring at the man of my dreams, knowing that we could be off kissing somewhere and being unable to do it. For the first time in my life, I hated my job. I hated that we had to have a public face and that the cameras were always watching.
Knowing that I could have everything my heart desired, that Leo wanted me and that we had to sit here and make polite conversation, was torture. All I wanted to do was kiss him again. I wanted my love story to begin.
Leo's phone started to ring. He patted his pocket, turning it off and looking embarrassed. “I told Toby not to bother me unless it's an emergency. Please excuse me.”
With a smooth motion and a pleasant smile, he stood from the table and put the phone to his ear. He said something into the mouthpiece as he navigated away from the noise of the tables and to the far corner of the tent.
I tried to pay attention to Emma as she described the adorable antics of her niece, but I couldn't. My eyes just kept going back to where Leo had disappeared out of the tent. I wanted him to come back to the table and laugh along with me. I wanted another dance, and I desperately wanted to end the evening walking back with him.
It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the party. Any other night, I would have been ecstatic for the opportunity to giggle with Ava and Emma, to dance with my brother and Gabe, and to enjoy the food.
But Leo had kissed me tonight. And now, that's all I could think about.
Movement at the edge of the tent caught my eye. Leo was coming back.
I held my breath for a moment, waiting for him to return. He paused at the edge of the tent. His face was pale and the whites of his eyes were huge. He wiped sweat from his brow, despite the fact the air conditioners were keeping the room almost chilly. I'd never seen him look so shaken. He was always the epitome of cool and calm. Something unpleasant had happened in that phone call. He looked up and our eyes met.
He froze. I smiled, hoping he would return to his easy smile and laughing eyes. He licked his lips and his brow darkened. Instead of smiling back, he shook his head and tapped his phone.
Bing. A new text.
I carefully pulled my phone out of my dress and read his message.
Can't stay. Eat my dessert for me. I'll see you tomorrow at the auction. You did great today, and I want to kiss you again.
I frowned, confused at the message. He wanted to kiss me again, but he was leaving? I didn't understand. When I looked up, Leo was gone. The only indication he had ever been there was the tent door slowly fluttering to a standstill.
I didn't want any more dessert. The idea of eating actually made me a little queasy. What was wrong with Leo? Was he having second thoughts about us? Why else would he leave? I glanced back down at my phone, searching for a better answer as to why he had left. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with one. Whatever that phone call was about, it was important enough for him to leave.
I hoped it wasn't me.
For a moment, I considered getting up from the table and going to look for him. He couldn't have gotten far and he was most likely headed back to the place he was renting on the island. I set my napkin down on the table, determined to find out what was so important to Leo that he would ditch out on an important dinner like this.
“You okay, Charlotte?” Gabe asked, cutting into my thoughts. “You look worried.”
I looked up at Gabe. I had practically grown up with him since he moved in next door to my foster family. He and Bastian and been inseparable as kids and his little sister was my closest girlfriend.
“I'm fine,” I said, putting the phone back in my pocket. “Just trying to figure out why Leo left.”
“Don't worry about Leo. It's his loss for leaving.” Gabe stood from the table and moved to offer me his hand. “Besides, it's my turn for a dance.”
I wanted to chase after Leo, but I had responsibilities here. It would be noticed if Bastian's sister and assistant disappeared. I had done just as much as Bastian had to make this gala and auction happen and it would be odd for me to leave. A flashbulb went off as yet another photographer took my picture.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I would be able to feel if it vibrated with Leo changing his mind. I glanced one last time at the tent door and then around at the party. I couldn't leave. Not really.
I had responsibilities. Besides, Leo probably had a good reason. He always did. Leo was the most dependable person I knew. He'd helped me out more times than I could count, and I knew he had done the same for others.
One of his friends must need help, I thought to myself. Yes, that made sense. Leo was just helping someone. I didn't know if it was true or not, but it made me feel better. I remembered how he had helped me study for a test I was sure I was going to fail and I knew that I was right. Leo wouldn't leave without a good reason.
I tried to smile and be happy. Leo was probably saving the world. I could stay here and smile for the photographers and do my part to make the gala a success.
Taking Gabe's hand was easy, but I still wished it was Leo's hand instead. As a consolation prize, Gabe was an even better dancer than Leo was. As he twirled me around, I decided to have fun tonight, even if I couldn't go chase after Leo. It was really the only thing I could do.
Another camera flash went off and I knew I had made the right decision to stay.
Besides, I'd see him tomorrow. After he was done helping his friend, just as he had helped me that night...
Chapter Ten
3 Years Ago
“I'm going to fail, Leo.”
“You are not going to fail,” he promised, sitting down at the table across from me. He looked wonderfully handsome in his dress shirt and slacks. “You are going to ace th
is test and graduate with honors.”
I banged my head on the book in front of me, wishing I could just absorb the information that way. Damn Professor Blanks and his stupid final. This was the last class I needed to graduate, but due to my work schedule, I hadn't gone to very many classes. It hadn't seemed like a big problem since it was supposed to be an easy course to meet my English requirement.
Except it hadn't been that easy, and now I was paying the price. The Theory of Literature wasn't exactly something I could ingest overnight. Numbers, business, and accounting all made sense in my head, but the finer points of literature were a bit more tricky. It was so subjective that my objective brain rebelled even thinking about it.
“No, seriously, Leo- I'm never going to get this.” I banged my head again. “I'm sorry I called you. You should go on your date.”
Leo reached out and took my hand. I kept my head on my book, trying desperately to ignore the electricity running through me at his simple touch. He didn't feel that way about me, no matter how much I wished he did.
I was his friend's little sister. A friend. Nothing more. That's all I'd ever be.
My brain realized this, but my heart and body just hadn't gotten that memo yet.
“Charlotte,” he said softly. “I believe in you. You can do this. You've managed to help us set up Kindling and get all your course work done. You're amazing. Don't let this one test stop you.”
My chest squeezed hard on my heart. I wanted to believe Leo.
“I just...” I raised my head and looked at the book in front of me. It looked more like gibberish than actual words. “How am I going to learn all this in one night?”
“I'm going to help you.” Leo said it without hesitation. “I even brought energy drinks and flashcards.”
I looked up at him. He was serious. Those blue eyes were smiling at me, but they were serious. “Really?”
“You called me and said you needed help.” Leo handed me an energy drink. “I'll stay here all night if you need me to. You're going to pass this test, Charlotte.”