Page 68 of One Night Together

CHAPTER 29

CASSIE

Cassie was deeply moved by Leo’s story. It wasn’t surprising he wanted to give back to the favelas. She couldn’t imagine how lonely he must have been when his father brought him to England. Knowing his story helped to understand him better, but he had more to tell her.

“Here we are.” Juliana returned with a platter of appetizers.

Leo kept his eyes on her as Juliana explained what all the dishes were. Juliana’s voice blurred in the background as Cassie held his gaze.

“I’m so glad you’re here, meu menino.” Juliana gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Leo turned his face up to Juliana with a boyish grin. There it was. His smile was more than just attractive—it could be seductive with a touch of innocence. No wonder social media was obsessed with him. She doubted he was aware of the power of his charm, and that made him even more irresistible.

He turned back to her with slightly pink cheeks. Who knew Leo Sutton could be shy?

She leaned her chin on the heel of a hand. “Tell me more.”

“I think that’s enough right now.” He took a sip of his drink. “We’ll talk some more later.”

She learned so much about his background, but she still didn’t know why Leo reacted the way he did after their night together.

“Here,” Leo said, scooping a few different appetizers on a plate for her.Leo held a tear-shaped, deep-fried appetizer. “This is one of Brazil’s most famous street foods. It’s a blend of shredded chicken and cheese that’s breaded and deep fried. It’scalled a coxinha.”

She’d never heard anyone speak Portuguese before, but listening to Leo say anything in Portuguese might become her new favorite thing. “How do you pronounce it?”

He placed it near her lips. “Say after me, “Co-sheen-ya.”

“Co-sheen-ya,” she repeated. Her lips parted, and he put it in her mouth.

“Now eat.” His eyes focused on her mouth.

She chewed slowly and smiled. “Wow,” she said with her mouth full. “I could eat a pile of these and be a happy girl.”

Leo grinned. “There’s a lot more to try.”

And there was more. Juliana made several trips to their table to drop off platters of barbecued ribs covered in a pineapple salsa, corn cakes filled with spicy shrimp, and grilled Brazilian sausages and onions.

“I can’t eat all of this. My butt’s too big already.” She regretted saying it as soon as the words tumbled out. The last thing she wanted to do was call attention to her flaws.

“Look at me, Cassandra.”

She lifted her eyes to his. She’d expected to see judgment, but there was only concern.

“There’s nothing wrong with your body.”

Despite his words, shame flooded through her. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Leo’s brows knitted together. “Food is meant to be enjoyed. It makes me happy to see you eat the food I love most in the world. I’ve seen your body. Fuck,” he said, scrubbing his face. “Now I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about it.”

She gazed at him in wonder. A man like Leo, who was famous for being, well, perfect, was attracted to her full figure. Years of self-shaming released its hold a bit. “Then it’s your job to feed me anothercoxinha and repeat the name over and over again.”

He grinned and picked up another coxinha. “Open your sexy mouth for me, and I’ll say coxinha all night long if it makes you happy.”

Warmth spread through Cassie’s belly and headed straight between her thighs. They had so much to discuss, yet all she could think about was being naked with him again. She smiled and parted her lips as he placed a coxinha inside her mouth, and she contentedly chewed.

“Now, tell me about you. What kind of work are you doing now?” He popped a coxinha in his mouth.

“I’m working at Worldwide Witness. It’s a non-profit dedicated to preserving archeological and cultural property. The job isn’t an ideal fit, but I’m working with a team that repatriates ancient works of art to their country of origin.”

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