Page 58 of End Game

Leo gently brushed a finger against my jaw, lifting my face back up to meet his. “Hey,” he murmured, “I’ve taken care of that, too. Come here.” Then he reached for my hand and dragged me toward the couch, his dimple visible from the grin he was sporting. And that was when I noticed another black box resting on the coffee table, this one a bit slimmer in width but tied with the same golden bow. “Sit,” he directed, and I did so without thought, my mind frozen as I tried to take in what was happening.

Keeping a hold of my hand, Leo lowered himself to the floor in front of me, kneeling on one square knee as it pressed into the rug. He tugged at the ribbon until it pooled around the edges of the box, and my eyes threatened to mist over as he revealed its contents. Inside were a pair of elegantly pointed heels made up of small, golden gems. They sparkled in the sunset glow beaming in from the large windows, making my breath catch. “Oh my god,” I whispered.

Leo slowly reached in to grab one of the shoes with his free hand, pulling it out of the box before he turned his long torso toward me. “I picked these up for you, hoping they would pair well with the dress,” he explained. He let go of my hand, lightly trailing his fingers down the back of my right calf before wrapping his palm around the arch of my foot and pulling it against the thigh of the bent leg in front of him.

The fabric of his pants whooshed against my skin. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears as Leo lowered the shoe onto my foot, making careful work of getting it into position. His fingers slid around my ankle as he worked to fasten the small buckle of the strap, sparking goosebumps up my whole leg. He must have noticed my reaction to his touch because his eyes met mine, whirling with desire. “I’d say they pair well,” I forced out.

He smirked, and it knocked me senseless. “Yes.” He nodded, keeping his focus on my face. “So beautiful.” My thoughts jilted at the words as my blood simmered. After another moment that seemed to stretch time, Leo cleared his throat and reached for the other shoe. He pulled it out of the box and worked to get it on my left foot with a devastating tenderness. I’d never in my entire life felt so . . . cared for like this.

And the sight of Leo kneeling in front of me . . .

I had to tear my gaze away from him to stop from melting right into the couch—this couch that had already seen so much between us. It felt like my body was heating from the inside out and I didn’t know how to stop it, how to let out some of the mounting pressure. Leo finished fastening the second shoe, and his knuckles brushed against my leg as he stood back up.

“One more thing,” he said softly, holding a hand out. I looked up at him and found his eyes glinting. I entwined my hand with his and let him help me to my feet, now standing four inches higher than before. Leo smiled. “Are they comfortable?”

Shifting my weight between each leg, I considered. “They’re not bad for heels,” I jested.

He nodded, his eyes falling down to the sparkling shoes before he looked up toward the kitchen. “Stay here.” I watched him move to grab something off the marble island before he was back in front of me, a black velvet box clutched in his hands. “One final touch,” he said, and then he opened the box.

Inside was a necklace with stones that increased in size as they dripped down toward the center, where the largest one twinkled brightly against the fabric it rested on. “Oh my god,” I whispered, “tell me those aren’t real diamonds, Leo.”

He huffed a small laugh. “May I?” His eyes blazed in question, and I realized he was nervous. Which had to mean they were real. Real diamonds! I’d never seen anything so beautiful. All I could do was nod—my throat was constricting with too much emotion to force any words out. His fingers carefully pulled the necklace out of the box and hundreds of tiny rainbows glinted around the room as the glow from sunset shattered through it. My nose stung with tears as Leo moved to stand behind me, gently clasping the chain around my neck and sending a wisp of prickles along my skin. “There,” he murmured.

I turned to look at him, feeling wildly out of sorts. “Leo, this is too much,” I breathed. “Please tell me everything is returnable . . . I should never have agreed to this dinner knowing I don’t own the right attire?—”

“Mara,” he interrupted me, “I’m quite certain you would have gotten through the door in one of those little bartending outfits I like so much—you have quite the knack for disarming people. Even still, I’m the one who asked you for this relationship. It was my father who made these reservations without much consideration for others. And it happens to please me to do nice things for you. So, please, consider this all a gift. A token of my gratitude.”

Heat swirled around us. Leo was stubborn enough that he’d never change his mind to help me return any of it, and the alternative would be to sell the items myself. But the thought of trading any of this for cash behind his back made me feel gross, even if it meant returning the money to him. It was all way too beautiful to pawn off like that.

And deep in my heart, I already knew I’d treasure it forever.

I’d find another way to repay him, I decided. I would make sure Larkspur’s revenue continued to grow so that he made ample profits, even with his lowered percentage of ownership. I already regretted asking him to walk away from the day-to-day operations after this agreement was over—he deserved to be a part of the success. To feel as significant as he’d so effortlessly made me feel.

“Thank you,” I replied softly, entwining our hands and squeezing lightly.

He swiped his thumb along my fingers as a flush crept from beneath his stark white collar. I felt the sudden urge to press my lips to the spot. “We’d better get going,” he said, leading me toward the front door.

Dolly meowed loudly from where she was now sprawled out on the floor. I looked over my shoulder at her, and swore I caught her smiling at me.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Leo hired a driver for the night, which meant that instead of riding shotgun in his Bentley we were both tucked into the back seat of a black SUV, intently focused on the view outside of our respective windows. My nerves rattled within me as we got closer and closer to the restaurant, caused by both the intoxicating smell of Leo and this impending dinner.

It wasn’t that Alaric and Christine made me nervous—I could handle myself around people like them. But I was supposed to be Leo’s girlfriend, which meant I should probably act like I cared what his family thought of me. It would be both impolite and unhelpful to Leo for me to sharpen my weapons and make this any more uncomfortable than it needed to be.

But the way they treated their son irked me beyond measure.

And the way Leo took it, like he might have deserved it, made me see red.

When the SUV pulled up along the curb in front of NoMu, Leo strode around to open my door, then held a hand out for me. The air outside caught me off guard as soon as I was out of the car, but I hardly felt it. I was too focused on ensuring my steps were confident, that I looked the part of a billionaire’s girlfriend in more ways than simply what I was wearing.

I caught Leo watching me, the corners of his mouth tugging up enough to indicate his approval. He rocked back on his heels as he swept those bright blue eyes over me with a look like Now or never, then said, “Ready?”

I wound my hand around the crook of his elbow and settled into him, grounding myself in the warmth of his body for a moment before looking up at him. A flash of white sliced across his face, and I laughed.

“What?” he asked softly as he leaned a little closer.

“You have a shit-eating grin on your face right now, Leo. It’s about as subtle as a brick wall.”

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