Page 30 of Dared

Leo’s gaze flew to mine, and I nodded encouragingly. I saw him square his shoulders, and then he moved, crossing the room towards me with his gaze fixed on mine. As he drew near, I saw his eyes darting around, a panicked expression coming over his face, and I instantly realised what had him so stressed.

Widening my legs, I patted the newly created space in between them. It meant that my thighs were pressed against Bennett on one side and against a chair leg on the other, but the minimal discomfort was worth it to see the relieved expression on Leo’s face as he stepped over several pairs of legs and lowered himself down in front of me.

My arms came around him straight away, and his body melted into mine as he exhaled a shaky breath.

“Okay?” I murmured in his ear, and he nodded against me, accepting the controller Travis handed to him. When I glanced up at Travis, he was staring between us with his brows raised.Okay, I knew how this probably looked to him, but it wasn’t like that.

Fuck off, I mouthed discreetly, and he smirked at me before turning his attention to Niccolò, who stared at his controller blankly before asking Bennett how he was supposed to use it. With the attention away from me and Leo, I relaxed a little, pulling Leo closer and tucking my chin over his shoulder so I could see the action on the screen more easily.

“Okay. Rules. I know we went through them before, but I’ll repeat them each time so everyone’s clear about what we’re doing,” Travis said.

“Thanks, Dad!” came Liam’s shout from the sofa behind me, and Travis gave him the finger before continuing.

“50cc race, Mario Kart Stadium. Your choice of vehicle and driver. Next round will be 100cc, so I don’t want to hear any more complaints about these rounds being too slow,Ander.”

“I’m built for speed!” Ander called, and Liam laughed.

“I feel sorry for your boyfriend. If you want any tips about slowing down and making it good for him, I’m happy to advise.”

“Fuck you, Holmes. I feel sorry for Noah, having to be dicked down by a sloth.”

They both dissolved into laughter while Travis rolled his eyes.

“Is this what it’s always like?” Leo whispered to me, and I could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Sometimes, yeah.” Most of the time, probably.

I reached up, brushing aside some of Leo’s hair that was tickling my cheek, and he stiffened.

“I need a haircut.”

“I like your hair. It was just tickling my face. It looks good, though. I love the colour.”

He twisted around to stare at me, his eyes wide. “You do?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Me too,” came a voice from next to us, and we turned in unison to see Niccolò, the little eavesdropper, smiling brightly at us. “It’s so pretty. I tried to dye mine that colour, but it didn’t turn out like I wanted it.” He pouted, and Bennett was quick to kiss his cheek, instantly wiping his pout away.

“Oh. Um. Thanks.” Leo gave the floor a shy smile and then twisted back around, settling into his original position against my chest. He seriously was so fucking cute.

Brain. Stop.

Thankfully for my brain, the game started up. Leo leaned forwards, intent on the screen as the countdown started. Next to us, Nic had persuaded Bennett to take his turn, Bennett’s arms coming around him to hold the controller, while Nic gave “helpful” advice about mushrooms and shells, but Leo didn’t pay them any attention. It reminded me of when we were gaming together, how wrapped up he could get in a campaign, and it was like the outside world no longer existed.

Leo won the race easily, grinning against me as he sailed across the finish line, almost half a lap ahead of the others.

“What the fuck! How did you manage to get that far ahead?” Liam shouted from behind us, and I laughed. Because Leo was now burrowing into me, doing his best to become invisible, I replied for him, twisting so I could see Liam while I held Leo in place with my arm.

“Sore loser, Liam?”

He smirked at me. “Think you can do better? You’re up next. And you’re up against my boyfriend, who’s the undefeated champion.”

I shrugged. “Can’t make any promises, but I’ll give it my best shot.”

When I turned around again, Leo leaned into me, his head tilting to the side so he could speak into my ear. “Do you want me to move?”

No.

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