Page 56 of Remade

I owed Leighton. He’d been brave enough to take the initiative before, first expressing he wanted more with me, and now this.

It was my turn.

I hooked two fingers behind his belt and tugged him closer, between my legs. “These past few weeks, I’ve been focusing on two things. Not fucking up this thing between us, and…not fucking up your training.”

His mouth twisted into a rueful smile. “Let the record reflect that I still find your lunch rule dumb.”

I knew he did, but it was important to me. “You need to be the best operator you can be. I’m already gonna be worried sick when you graduate and start taking on fieldwork. We can have lunch together when you’re an operator. For now, I want you to study and create bonds with your fellow recruits. Some of them will become your colleagues. A few will even be part of your extended family.”

He nodded with a dip of his chin, thankfully taking this seriously. “I hear you.”

“Good.” I cleared my throat and pressed forward. “I reckon this is a good lesson for us too. The further you get in your training—you’ll become more unreadable too. So we gotta be real open and honest with each other. And I’m saying this mostly to myself now, because you’ve been braver than me in that department.”

He tilted his head, puzzled. “You haven’t been honest?”

“I sure as shit haven’t lied,” I was quick to say. “But you remember the day I snapped at everyone and closed myself in the gym for four hours?”

Something in his gaze softened, and he nodded. “The anniversary of Vince’s death.”

“Right. I should’ve told you about it before I let the day drag me down.”

It wasn’t in my nature to share shit like that—and much less in a preemptive strike before it could cause problems. Case in point, a few minutes ago inside, at the table, when Leighton had said, “If you notice I’m quiet…”

“I’ll get better at that,” I promised. “Starting right now, by saying…when you said you were going to Washington for Christmas, of course I wanted to cuff you to me and tell you you’re not leaving my side.”

That made him grin, and it was a good look on him. Downright fucking adorable.

I slipped my hands around his hips and gave his ass a squeeze. “I’m fucking crazy about you, Leighton. I wanna be with you all the time. But I’m a dumbass. I figured, if you wanted us to tag along, you’d invite us—and you didn’t. But it never occurred to me that something in my behavior might hold you back. And since you’re always the one taking that first step, it’s my turn now.”

He turned a bit sheepish and draped his arms around my neck. “I’m listening. Tell me more about how crazy you are about me.”

I chuckled and nipped at his chin. “So crazy that I considered ranting to Doc about it.”

“Why would you need that?”

Here we go, I guess.

Even though I wasn’t particularly worried, I still felt my stomach tighten with nerves. Talk about uncharted waters for me.

“Because I’ve never loved anyone outside family.” I kissed his jaw. “And I think that’s changin’.”

He shivered and pulled back enough to lock eyes, and the hope was unmistakable.

I was going to hate the day he learned how to mask his emotions, because I knew it was gonna become his default setting. It happened to all of us.

“Yeah?”

I smiled. “Yeah.”

He kissed me with the cutest fucking grin, and he pressed himself as close to me as I wanted him.

“It’s changing for me too,” he mumbled into the kiss. “I feel it every day.”

Fuck me. I stood up and squeezed him to me, and I deepened the kiss.

We needed more of this. Time for just him and me. Of-fucking-course Alex had to be my priority, and I kinda loved having her in my life these days, responsibilities included, but I hadn’t taken advantage of the babysitting offers much lately. At most, she spent a few hours with Ma after school in case I wasn’t done working yet.

Unable to help myself, I backed Leighton into a dark corner of the porch, where I could kiss him silly and knock the air out of his lungs. Those were the moments he let his guard down and became my needy boy, clinging to me, acting all desperate.

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