LOGINLeonardo’s POVWith the way he’s been looking at me, I just need to tell him the truth.He’s been sitting across from me for the last five minutes, arms crossed, studying my face like he’s trying to read something I haven’t said out loud yet. He knows me too well for his own good. Years of building this company side by side does that to two men. It strips away the ability to hide anything, even the things you’d rather keep buried.“I don’t like that woman Victoria.” I said.The words came out heavier than I meant them to, like they’d been sitting in my chest for days waiting for permission to leave.He looked at me, confused, his brow pulling together in that way it does when something doesn’t add up for him.“You aren’t even supposed to like her, it’s just a contract.” He said, like he was reminding a child of the rules of a game.“I don’t want the contract anymore.” I replied.I watched the words land on him.
Leonardo’s povI got to the office earlier than usual that morning. The glass doors slid open with their familiar soft hiss, and the polished marble floor of the lobby reflected the early light streaming in from the tall windows. A few of the staff were already at their desks, heads bent over screens or murmuring into phones.As I passed the reception area, they looked up one by one. Greetings rose in a low chorus.Good morning, sirMorning, Mr. Leonardo,I answered with a short nod, the same way I always did. Nothing more, nothing less.I kept walking, my shoes made quiet, even sounds against the floor.Behind me, just loud enough for me to catch if I chose to listen, the background talking s&z
Leonardo’s povI woke to the sun rising and everywhere was bright. The light spilled through the tall windows in soft golden streams, painting the room in shades of warmth that made the shadows retreat into the corners. For a moment I simply lay there, blinking against the sudden clarity of morning, my body still heavy with the remnants of sleep. Then I turned to my side and saw Amelia sleeping comfortably facing the other side of the bed. The sight of her settled something deep in my chest. Oh, it wasn’t a dream. The steady rise and fall of her shoulders, the way her dark hair spilled across the pillow, the faint crease of the sheet where her arm rested all of it was real. I tried to read her breathing and it was stable, quiet and even, which meant she could still be sleeping. I watched her for a few long seconds, letting the reality of last night settle over me again. The way she had looked at me, the way she had trusted me eno
Leonardo’s povWhen she said she had never done this, everything stopped. The words left her lips so quietly, so simply, that they hit me harder than any confession I had ever heard. Her head moved in that small, hesitant shake, and everything inside me shifted. She looked so innocent in that moment, eyes wide, cheeks flushed, body still trembling from what we had started, that the thought of continuing made something tight and heavy settle in my chest. I will forever feel bad if I make her do all this. The knowledge sat there like a stone. She had no experience, no frame of reference for the things my hands had already begun to ask of her. Pushing forward now would not be passion; it would be taking something she was not ready to give. I refused to be the man who left that kind of ma
Amelia’s povThe moment I shivered, he stopped. His hands, which had been exploring me with a tenderness that set every nerve ending alight, went still against my skin. I felt the sudden absence of that heat like a physical loss, and my breath caught in my throat. For a few long seconds he simply looked at me. His eyes searched my face in the dim light of the room, and I could not read what lived in them. Concern? Surprise? Something deeper that made my stomach twist with uncertainty?Then his voice came, low and careful. “Have you ever done this before?”I shook my head. The motion was small, almost reluctant, but it was the only answer I could give. No, necery. Not like this. Not with anyone who made my pulse race the way he did. The sing
Amelia's POVThe contact was soft at first, careful, as if he were giving me time to pull away. His mouth met mine and the rest of the room disappeared. I felt the gentle pressure of his lips, the warmth of them, the way they fit against mine like they had been waiting for this exact moment. My eyes closed on their own. The kiss deepened just enough that I could feel the careful intention behind it, the way he held himself still except for the slow movement of his lips. My hand, without any real decision from me, found the edge of the sheet between us and curled into the fabric. Heat spread from my face down my neck and into my chest. I could taste the quiet of the moment, the shared breath, the soft sound that passed between us when the kiss shifted again.He didn’t rush. He stayed close, the kiss lingering, and I stayed right there with him, every earlier doubt and daydream dissolving into the present. The cei







