Page 66 of Vicious Redemption

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LEO

I wake to the sound of a bird whistling outside our balcony doors. As I rise from my dreamless sleep, feeling rested for the first time in days, I find Tia nestled in my arms. Her soft skin is warm and inviting against mine, her naked body molding perfectly against mine as I spoon her.

Last night was what I needed desperately, and though that heavy blanket of loss settles over me once more, I feel as though I can carry it far more easily after the respite.

I brush my lips across the curve of Tia’s neck, and she releases a warm, contented hum.

“Morning,” she murmurs sleepily.

Rolling until her shoulder finds the center of my chest, Tia smiles up at me with dreamy bliss. And god, but what I wouldn’t give to spend the day reliving our exhaustive amounts of sex from last night. But I have a schedule to keep.

Leaning in, I capture her lips in a slow, sensual kiss, silently telling her all the things I intend to do to her when I’m finished with my work tonight. Tia’s delicate fingers find my wrist as I cup her cheek with my palm.

Things aren’t going to get any easier until I’ve received the autopsy results and resolved the rebellion that’s been causing so much trouble. Still, I’m sure about one thing again—I can trust Tia. She’s shown nothing but compassion and concern for me. She’s stood by my side—even showing me support when it’s her family I’m fighting.

And I love her for it in a new and fathomless way. It seems every time I think I’m starting to grasp my feelings for Tia, she finds another way to unlock a deeper affection within me.

With considerable reluctance, I draw back, breaking our kiss so I can look into her onyx eyes. “I have to go,” I murmur.

Tia’s lips curve down in the softest of pouts, her disappointment apparent, though she’s trying to hide it. “Okay,” she agrees.

Then she lifts her head off her pillow to steal another kiss.

I chuckle softly as our lips linger. I don’t know if she’s trying to tempt me to stay, but it’s working. If I don’t stop now, I might not win this battle of wills. I stroke my tongue between her lips for one last tantalizing kiss. Then, with a groan, I force myself to move away.

Rolling away from her, I climb out of bed before I can change my mind and head straight for the shower, ready to take a cold one that will help me get my head in the game. Still, I can’t help but steal a glance back at her as I reach the archway.

Tia smiles coyly from the bed, her lower lip trapped between her teeth as she modestly holds the sheets up around her breasts. She leans casually on one elbow, looking entirely too enticing. The slight color in her cheeks tells me she’s been watching me, thinking about my erection that’s unavoidable when I sleep with her naked body pressed against mine.

I have half a mind to invite her into the shower with me, but I don’t have the time. I already slept past the time I should have been ready and out the door. Thankfully, I’m my own boss, so the people I need to speak with will just have to wait. But authority requires discipline, so I turn without a word to clean up.

It’s a quick and rather unenjoyable luke-warm shower, and by the time I step back into the bedroom to get dressed, Tia’s out of bed and wearing her silk robe—the one that comes down just low enough to reach the tops of her thighs. It rises slightly, teasing me as she reaches up to casually sort through her outfits hanging in the walk-in closet.

Forcing myself to look away, I head to the dresser and pull out a pair of boxer briefs. Removing the towel wrapped around my hips, I toss it aside and don my underwear. She heads to the dresser a moment later, standing beside me as she pointedly opens her lingerie drawer and starts to riffle through it.

To avoid temptation, I switch places with her, heading into the closet and picking out a suit at random. Donning my pants, I then turn my attention to my dress shirts and grab one off its hanger.

“I was thinking maybe I should find something fun to wear for tonight,” Tia says playfully as I shrug into it, leaning against the closet threshold and giving me a proper view of how loosely she’s tied the front of her robe closed. The collar is open nearly to her navel, showing off her creamy chest and just barely hiding the dark circles of her nipples. But I can see the hard points pressing through the shiny fabric. “You know, something you could look forward to.”

She steps out of the closet, allowing her hips to sway with purpose as she approaches me. The girl I married has become a woman before my eyes. Her innocence is gone, and she’s been replaced by a seductress who knows just how to turn me on.

All my hard-one control is undone in an instant, my cock swelling in my briefs as she stops in front of me, peering up through her thick, dark lashes.

“Or maybe I’ll wear nothing and see if you come home sooner,” she says cheekily, running her long, delicate pointer finger down my chest. Then she grants me another coy smile.

She’s teasing me, and I fucking love it. Because once again, she’s trying to lighten my load, this time with a bit of levity.

Before she can slip away, I grab her, spinning her in my arms. She releases a giddy shriek as I bury my lips against the curve of her neck, nipping her playfully.

I tickle her ribs, letting my fingers play across them as I refuse to let her escape. “I dare you to go an entire day without clothing. I won’t be able to think about anything else,” I say darkly, my cock pressing adamantly against her back to prove my point.

Tia gives a rare, girlish giggle that contrasts her usual poise and maturity. But it would seem she can’t help herself now, as she’s trapped in my iron grip and at my mercy. She’s ticklish, and, for some reason, discovering that feels like stumbling upon a hidden treasure.

My first meeting of the day might just have to wait longer for me after all.

“Leo, stop!” she squeals between bursts of laughter, squirming in my grip until her robe starts to fall open.

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