Against All Odds Choices (2ndt in a series of contemporary romance books for Kindle) (7 page)

I stopped and
let the words sink in Jack. He continued to gaze at me with a blank face. Then,
understanding came across his features. He closed his eyes and sighed.

“You're in
love with him.”

I blinked. At
first, I was going to deny it. But then I thought, I didn't want to lie to him
anymore. Jack deserved the truth.

“Yeah, I am,”
I agreed.

“Bridget,” he
grunted, opening his eyes and frowning at me. “How could you possibly let
yourself fall for him? After what you've been through with Ryan –”

“He's not
Ryan,” I cut him off. “Leo won't hurt me like that piece of crap did.”

“Violence is
in Leo Russo's blood. How can you be sure that he won't hit you when he gets
mad? Have you even seen him angry enough that he'll throw a raging fit? And
when he does, what assurance do you have that he won't let it out on you?
Because Ryan sure as hell bruised you up pretty good whenever he was crazy mad
– and he was like that all the time.”

I couldn't
bring myself to speak. I was so frustrated at Jack because I felt like he just
poured a bucket of ice cold water to my face. I hated everything he said. And I
hated myself more for letting all the things he stated happen in the past.

I opened my
mouth to defend Leo and claim that he was nothing like my asshole of an
ex-boyfriend when I looked up and saw his expression change from heated to
something else. He was staring at something behind me. I quickly turned around
to see who heard our conversation and my eyes widened at the sight.

His beautiful
blue eyes were blazing in rage, while his eyebrows was knitted tightly. His
lips were in a tight line and his jaw was clenched. His hands were curled up in
fists.

The times I've
seen him angry, irritated, and upset were nothing compared to this. If I
thought his cold look sometimes scared me, this was completely on a different
level. This was something else.

He looked
actually ready to kill someone with his bare hands.

“Leo,” I
mumbled.

How much did
he hear?!

“What the fuck
did you mean by that son of a bitch bruising her up?” Leo practically growled,
taking several steps until he was just inches away from Jack.

I've never
seen Jack afraid, but terrified would be the right word to describe him now. I
had to admit, hearing and seeing Leo this . . . murderous gave me the chills.
For some odd reason though, I wasn't worried that he'd hurt me because I was
confident that he wouldn't.

“He, uh,”
stammered Jack, glancing at me. “He hit her when they were still together.”

“For how
long?”

Jack rested
his eyes on me, quietly telling me to answer.

“A few
months,” I murmured.

“A few
months,” repeated Leo under his breath. “Fucking dickhead.”

Jack looked at
Leo, a little confused. “Didn't you know?”

“If I did,
he'd be in the hospital by now,” said Leo with a gritted teeth. “Or worse.”

I didn't want
to think about the 'or worse' part, so I focused my attention on Leo.

He looked away
from Jack and ran a hand through his black hair. I studied him closely and
realized that he was somewhat shaking. He was trying very hard to control his
temper.

“Jack, give us
a minute,” I whispered, not taking my eyes off of Leo. “Cover for me, please.”
When Jack didn't move, I glanced at him and gave him a pleading look.

He sighed and
reluctantly left. As soon as he was out of sight, I neared Leo.

“Leo,” I
whispered softly, coming up in front of him.

For a moment,
he stood still. Suddenly, he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up against him.
He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tight as if I was some sort of life
line. I was right though, he
was
shaking.

“I'm so sorry
I wasn't there to protect you,” he murmured against my ear. He sounded really
upset. “I should've been there. I would've never let him lay a finger on you.”

“We didn't
know each other back then,” I reasoned, hugging him back.

I felt safe
whenever I was in his arms. It was like, I fitted perfectly.

“It doesn't
change the fact that he harmed you,” he said.

We were silent
for a moment. Then, he spoke again.

“I want to
hurt him, Bridget. I want to fucking kill him.”

My heartbeat
accelerated after hearing his words. For a second, I was scared because there
was a tiny part of me that wanted him to. I was even more scared because I knew
that he was capable of doing it.

However, I was
still my father's daughter.

“No,” I told
Leo in a solid tone. “I won't let you do it.”

“I figured,”
he sighed dejectedly. “That's why I needed to feel you in my arms so I could
calm down.”

“Is it
working?”

“A little. I
still want to pound his head against the wall.”

Wow. He made
something ferocious sound so casual.

I tutted. “So
violent,” I teased, keeping my voice light.

He halfway
through sighing when he chuckled quietly.

“Sorry, I
can't help it.”

“I
understand.”

Hugging him
like this, I realized I didn't want to let go. I wanted us to be this way
forever, if possible. I wanted to tell him how I felt. I wanted us to be
official. I was willing to take a chance on us if ever he felt the same way I
did.

I realized
that when you were in love, you just wouldn't care about your loved one's
background anymore. You wouldn't care about his past. You would understand and
accept. After all, you fell in love with him for a reason. It wasn't just some
silly infatuation.

It was him –
him as a person, him with you – that you truly fell in love with.

“Do you still
love me?”

I froze. Did
he just . . . ?

He pulled away
from me, just far enough for us to see each other. He had a crooked smile that
I adored so much on his face. He didn't look furious anymore. Instead, he
looked quite amused – and a little shy.

So he heard
that part my conversation with Jack. I should be embarrassed, right? And I
thought I was. But thinking about it, I was glad that it was finally out in the
open.

“Eavesdropper,”
I muttered.

He laughed.
One of his hands flew to a stray lock of hair on my face and put it behind  my
left ear. He didn't move his hand from there, and his thumb began to trace my
jaw line.

“Can you be my
girlfriend?” he asked softly.

I sucked in a
breath. My eyes widened.

This was it.
This was what I'd been waiting for. I couldn't believe it was happening
already. I was just thinking about it, for goodness sake!

“Because I've
fallen in love you,” Leo continued, looking into my eyes, “and I can't stand
the thought that you're not mine, even when it feels like it does.”

Oh, my God.

He felt the
same way.

He loves me.

I grinned
broadly, feeling like I would burst from happiness.

“See, that's the
thing,” I said slowly, teasing him a bit. Then, I added, “I've been yours from
the very beginning.”

The smile on
his face became wider, while his eyes twinkled in delight.

All of a
sudden, I felt Leo's lips on my neck. On reflex, I tilted my head to give him
more access. His hands slowly traveled down my body, to my legs, and inside my
skirt. He pulled my skirt up until they were by my hips. While doing that, he
continued to nip and suck the same spot on my neck.

I moaned.

I was so into
the mood that I let him push me gently against the wall. He pressed himself to
me, and I could clearly feel the hardness of his manhood. His hands cupped my
smooth butt and caressed them. Then, he halted to a stop.

“You're
wearing a thong?” he breathed out in a very husky voice.

Dang, his
voice alone could make me have an orgasm.

I looked up
through my hooded eyes and saw that he had a hungry look. I couldn't speak with
his handsome face looking at me and looking so turned on like that.

So I nodded.

“Fuck.”

With that, he
continued where he left off. He kissed me so ravenously that it took my breath
away. I gasped. He didn't waste any time, he took the opportunity and his
tongue plunged in to explore my mouth.

I could feel
my knees beginning to weaken. He probably felt it too, because in order to
prevent me from sliding down, he placed his knee between my thighs. His hands
traced the lacy lines of my panties and I heard a snap.

I wasn't
wearing any panties anymore. At the moment, I didn't care. I only cared about
Leo touching me. I didn't want him to stop.

One of his
hands went around to the front, between my thighs.

“You're
already soaking wet,” he murmured against my lips, while two of his fingers
teased my wet folds.

“Only for
you,” I managed to say in a mumble. “Oh, God,” I cried out when his thumb
rolled around my clitoris.

He continued
the onslaught by his fingers, causing me to bite my lip to prevent myself from
being loud. His lips returned to the spot on my neck he was focused on earlier.

“I can't have
you go outside and dripping like this,” he cooed.

My good God,
his damn deep voice was going to throw me off the edge.

He knelt down
in front of me, then pulled the skirt up. It was pencil cut, so I didn't have
to hold it up. He spread my legs open for him.

“Mmm,” he hummed,
getting a whiff of me.

I could
practically feel the tip of his nose on my mound. And when he did the first
lick, I lost myself in pleasure.

After I had
redone my hair into a bun and retouched my smudged up makeup, I couldn't help
but notice the satisfied toothy grin on my face. I turned to Leo was
re-arranging his tie. I'd always like to watch him dress. He looked quite sexy.
Well, he always did.

God, he was
finally mine – officially.

He raised his
head and caught me staring, making him smile crookedly. He walked closer to me
and pecked my lips.

Hmm. He
smelled so good.

“I don't want
you to worry about Ryan,” Leo told me soothingly.

I looked at
him sternly. He saw the look on my face, and sighed.

“No, I won't
do anything to physically harm him,” he assured me. Then, something flashed in
his eyes. “But doesn't mean I don't want to.”

“Leo . . .” I
whispered.

“Seriously,
don't worry about it,” he said with a softer voice. “I'll have Michael and the
others help me take care of him – in a legal way,” he added before I could make
another look.

I considered
it. But then, I remembered I didn't want his friends to think I was using him
to help me solve my own problems. It wasn't right.

So I told him
this.

“Plus, Thomas
doesn't like me enough as it is,” I added.

I didn't like
to sound insecure and unsure of myself. Because most of the time, I was
confident and had a high self-esteem. However, Leo's friends . . . and Leo
himself . . . He made me feel inferior. And I wasn't used to this kind of
feeling at all.

Leo snorted.
“Thomas is just being an ass because that's what he is sometimes.”

“I don't
know,” I murmured reluctantly, looking away.

“Let somebody
else take care of you for once,” he said, his hand gently pulling my chin up so
I could look at him. “You're not alone, Bridget. I'm here.” He looked down,
sighed, and returned his eyes on me. “And I love you.”

With him
looking at me like that, there was no way on earth I would be able to refuse
him. Honestly, he could ask me for anything and I wouldn't hesitate to do it.

I guessed deep
down, I was tired of taking care of everything myself. I wanted someone to
protect me for once. I wanted someone to make me feel secured.

I honestly
didn't know that I wanted a 'someone' like that until Leo came. He made me
realize things I haven't had the chance to stop and think about before. He made
me open my mind to so much possibilities I didn't even know was probable.

I still have
my responsibilities, of course. But with him, it felt like I wasn't carrying
the weight of the world anymore. It felt like the weight of duties I had since
I was sixteen grew lighter, and became more manageable. Leo taught me that I
could live my life at the same time.

I found myself
with him.

Looking at him
now, I felt so lucky. Despite everything I had been through, he was like a
blessing for all the tragedies I had to put up with.

A smile made
its way to my lips.