Page 15 of Falling for Them

Leo was naked.

The sight before me left me frozen… but only my muscles. Other parts of me werenotfrozen. I didn’t know if it was the man himself or some post-breakup voodoo at play.

Sex with my ex had been decent enough, but never once had I looked at Justin and gotten turned on in the way Leo was turning me on at the mere sight of his dripping wet body.

Leo grabbed a towel and began drying off, oblivious to my stares. His back was to me, and I’d never seen such a glorious specimen in my life. My mouth hung open like a cartoon character as I took in his exquisite ass and the family coat of arms tattoo that spanned his entire back.

I’d seen him without a shirt the night before, but this was different. He was wet and his body was on full display.

Had there been some kind of fumes that had come from the spilled lube the night before that had altered my brain without me knowing? I didn’t walk around ogling guys. Yet there I was, being a voyeur and watching my boss without his permission.

With that thought, my legs started working again, and I went into the closet that was right next to the bathroom. The custom closet was the size of a small bedroom and had built-in cabinets, dressers, and custom hangers that matched.

Shutting the door most of the way, I got to work taking out my clothes and admiring them as I laid them across the center island. I couldn’t even remember half the things I’d bought. Between the wine at lunch and the complimentary champagne one of the stores had given us, I’d happily purchased almost everything I’d tried on. It helped that Ethan had an eye for fashion and what would look best on me.

My wardrobe had just gotten a major upgrade. I typically hated anything that wasn’t pants, but the dresses and skirts I’d tried on looked too good to pass on. Now that I was going to be working in an industry where my clothing might be the difference between someone giving us a donation or not, jeans weren’t an option anyway.

After folding my empty bags and leaving them on a shelf, I turned to grab a handful of hangers, only to find Leo leaningagainst the doorframe watching me intently, his arms crossed over his naked chest and a slate gray towel wrapped around his waist.

“Hi,” I squeaked, at least an octave higher than normal.

His lips turned up in a smirk. “Hi.”

He pushed off the doorframe and came toward me, causing me to hold my breath. He brushed past me, the faint scent of lavender wafting from him as he went to where my new clothes were laid out.

“Did you take a lavender bath?” Why was he even taking a bath anyway? He didn’t strike me as the relax in a bubble bath type. “Why are you in my room? There are other bathrooms with bathtubs.”

He delicately ran his fingers over a blouse. “I didn’t see your name on the door… plus it’s bigger. Bigger is better.”

“Right.” I wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing, but he looked through my clothes, stopping on the red dress and pulling it from the stack. “Well, um… I’m going to get going. I just wanted to drop off my new clothes.”

I turned to leave, not wanting to stay and watch the towel fall off him. It was perched precariously on the shelf of his toned ass, and all it would have taken was one small breeze or movement in the wrong direction and it would be a goner. The last thing I needed was to be face-to-face with his dick.

“Did Ethan pick this out?”

I spun back around, eyeing him suspiciously as he held it up. “Why?”

His green eyes met mine. “I find it curious that a man in love with you would pick something like this for you to wear to work when he knows I want you.”

“Wh-what?” I spluttered.

“Ethan. He’s in love with you.” He stepped toward me, and I stepped back but didn’t make it very far before bumping into thewall next to the door instead of escaping. He held the dress up in front of me, his brows furrowing as if he were trying to picture me wearing it.

I swallowed the shock of his words, my eyes falling to the floor. Ethan was my best friend. My ride or die. We couldn’t be in love with each other and still have that same relationship. Romantic feelings complicated things and love had the potential to destroy people.

It destroyed my mom.

“We’re best friends, and with that comes a certain level of intimacy,” I whispered.

Leo lifted my chin, the warmth of his touch sending a shiver through me. His gaze bore into mine, and I felt myself getting lost in his eyes.

“This is more than best friend intimacy… why do you think he hates me so much? I’ve done nothing to him.” He dropped my dress and leaned his arm against the wall right next to my head like Ethan had done during the impromptu photoshoot. “It’s in the way he looks at you... touches you... protects you.”

I gulped as he slid the hand that had been touching my chin to my hair. His fingers dug into my hair, angling my head slightly, his eyes on my lips.

I knew I should pull away, but there was a part of me—a very hungry part of me—that wanted him to kiss me. My heart was racing as he leaned in closer, his warm breath fanning across my face. Every nerve ending felt alive, hyper-aware of his proximity and the way his fingers were digging into my hair.

He was my boss and my brother’s friend. In the dictionary, his picture would be under off-limits, and yet, all of those rational thoughts seemed to melt away.

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