Page 4 of Leo, My Partner

The guy whose bag I tripped over runs to get me some napkins, apologizing while tucking his backpack away. A little late for that.

Leo kneels in front of me, taking my hands in his. His hands feel fucking amazing—large, gentle and so warm.

His fingers ghost over the skin of my palm that’s bleeding, and I try to pull back so he’s not touching my blood, but he holds my hand steady, swiping his index finger through the coppery liquid. “Let’s get this cleaned up. I have a first aid kit.”

Leo’s eyes flick up to mine, and I’m entranced. I would have said yes even if I didn’t need first aid. I’m not sure what kind of hold he has over me after only thirty minutes in his presence, but it’s dangerous.

Funny, I’ve always shied away from danger before.

CHAPTER 2

TYSHAWN

I’m unable to pull away, even if Leo running his finger through my blood is a little weird. I follow him to the back of the coffee shop after grabbing my basket.

He leads me into a bathroom that looks old but clean and turns on the water before sliding my hands under the cool spray. Leo doesn’t shy away from the bleeding, washing my hands with the nice-smelling soap on the sink. I should think it’s weirder than it is, but for some reason, I like him touching me.

Okay, now that is weird. I don’t know him. I shouldn’t like him touching me. But I can’t help how my body responds to him, blooming in a way it hasn’t in years.

Tamping that down takes effort, but I do before he can see in my eyes that I’m thinking all kinds of filthy thoughts about him. I look up at him in the mirror, taking in his handsome features, how his eyebrows are furrowed as he concentrates on cleaning me up. His lips are tipped down, almost in a frown, but that doesn’t stop his dimples from making an appearance. Fuck, how can a man have such deep, sexy dimples? It gives him a boyish appearance, but it’s obvious Leo is all man.

His big body crowds me in the small bathroom, but I don’t mind. The heat coming off him is making it harder for me to keep my babbling musings to myself. I manage it but barely.

Leo’s gaze meets mine in the mirror suddenly, and I visibly start, jerking my hands out of his, causing a splash of water to wet the front of my pants. “Shit,” I mutter, reaching for the paper towels so I can clean up and make a break for the door. It seems like I’ve been embarrassing myself a lot today. I would like to leave this meeting with some dignity intact.

“Let me,” Leo says, smoothly snapping a few paper towels from the holder. He sinks to his haunches, dabbing the water from my pants. Like a fool, I allow him to do it, trying to keep my breathing normal. I know he’s not doing it for the reason I’d like him to, but Leo on his knees in front of me is hot as fuck. I threaten my cock that I will cut it off if it gets hard. It mostly listens, twitching miserably but staying soft.

“There,” he says, rising to his feet and tossing the paper towels away. “Let’s get a bandage on your hand.”

The bleeding has mostly stopped now, only small dots of blood here and there. “I think I’m good.”

Like he did before, Leo grabs my hand and wipes his finger through the blood droplets. “You’re still leaking. Come on, it won’t take long.”

Guess he’s going to bandage me up.

Leo drags me to his office, sits me in the chair behind the desk, and kneels in front of me. He needs to stop that. My dick can’t differentiate between help and head.

He pulls a first aid kit from the bottom drawer and extracts a gauze pack, tape, and an alcohol wipe.

Quickly, he swipes the wipe over my torn flesh, and I hiss, not expecting it to smart as much as it does. It’s been a while since I’ve skinned my hand, probably not since I was a kid. As a baker, I get burns more than anything else, and that’s a whole other level of pain.

Leo’s eyes flick up to mine, searching my face with his gorgeous blue-green stare. “Does that hurt?”

“Stings a little. But of course, alcohol stings. I expected it to sting since I have an open cut, but I wasn’t prepared for it.” I snap my lips shut to stop the babbling pouring from my lips.

“Sorry,” Leo murmurs, then purses his lips and blows on my hand to dispel the pain. My eyes lock on his mouth, and again, I have to tell my dick not to get hard as his plump pink lips form a perfect O as he tries to rid me of discomfort.

With Herculean effort, I pull my eyes from his lips and look around the office, trying to find something else to focus on. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know. I want to.” Leo puts pain relieving salve on my hand before applying the gauze and tape, making sure to cover all the skin that was torn in my fall. “You lived here long?”

Huh? “Um, no. I’m from Corpin, like seventy miles away? My roommate and I moved here after my mother died. I wanted a fresh start, but I couldn’t afford the rent on my own.”

“Where’s your dad?” Leo grabs my other hand, swiping it with the alcohol pad. The skin isn’t too badly damaged on this hand, so after he cleans it, he puts a small bit of ointment on it, foregoing a Band-Aid.

“He’s still in Corpin. Even though I was close with both my parents, my mother and I had a tighter bond. He also has a new girlfriend, and I’m not really okay with that yet.”

I know people move on with their lives after a loss, but I didn’t think my dad would get a girlfriend six months after my mother’s death. It made me feel like he didn’t love her as much as he said he did.

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