Chapter 54: Chapter 54

In the elevator, Leo looked down at Paige, feeling tense. He felt like hugging her, kissing her, and doing so much more. It was choking him up inside. Because they were at the office and he could do none of that.

Regardless of his behaviors in the past, Leo had never entertained such ideas in the office.

Leaning into the elevator, Leo gripped his leather bag tightly and stole a glance at Paige. Paige was hugging one of her arms and smiling sheepishly oblivious to her environment, nor the torment within him. Leo wondered what she was thinking that was making her smile like that. He wanted to be a part of it.

If he couldn't kiss her here, he could at least hold her hand, Leo thought as he reached out a hand to touch her when suddenly the elevator doors slid open, Leo retracted his hands.

The noise startled Paige, and she turned and caught his stare. Leo swallowed as she turned those happy smiles towards him. Her eyes bright, and her plump lips stretched. He liked seeing her like this, so full of life.

She must have noticed that because her smile spread further, if such a thing was even possible, and then to Leo's disbelief her eyes lowered briefly to his lips, and lingered so short he's convinced it might not have happened. But the resulting reaction to that was that Leo's face took on a look of yearning and desire so compressed, it shook his body.

Her lips parted, and she sucked in a breath and with that, the atmosphere turned sexual.

Everything happened in a matter of seconds, but it felt like an eternity because of how prolonged it felt, and had Leonardo not heard the distinct voices of his staff and the sound of the elevator doors closing he would have lost his head right there and then.

Jesus Christ.

He pulled himself away from their locked gaze and hurriedly tried to stop the doors from closing. After he succeeded, he turned to Paige to discover her biting her lips. An unbecoming color on her cheeks.

"You better get out before the elevator closes its door again."

She nodded her head.

Leo stepped out first, fighting the urge to claw at his hair. What had just happened in there? Seeing his staff, he schooled his feature until it resembled a blank mask. They greeted him, but he was not interested in their greetings.

He turned his head to look at Paige and noticed she was swarmed by her colleagues, who greeted her. He understood they had not seen her in weeks, but what he did not understand was why she wasn't looking at where she was going. He worried she was going to run into something and wound herself.

Stepping into his outer office, Leo planted his hands on his waist, then remembering he hadn't closed the door, used his leg to kick it shut.

"Ahhhh." He heard.

Abruptly, Leo turned to see his assistant cradling her forehead, wincing. His eyes softened, and he stepped closer to her, and pulled her into the office, removing her hand from her forehead.

"Did it hit you?"

"Not really."

"I'm sorry. Here, let me rub it for you."

Leo muttered, his face etched with concern.

Replacing her hand with his own, he massaged her forehead. His touch, tender and firm. She glanced up at him. Her lips parting. Leo stared back; he didn’t pretend not to. He wanted to keep her attention like this. Her baby blue eyes fixated on him. Leo didn't try to hide his feelings as he stared at her, and wondered if she could read anything from his eyes.

“Leo,” she murmured, her voice was shaky. And she was calling him his name, which made Leo happy. But she didn't say anything else.

With great effort, Leo removed his hand from her forehead. His emotions clinging to his voice. “There you go," he mumbled. Letting the back of his fingers trail down her cheek, and then fall to his side. "Now it wouldn’t hurt anymore.”

“Hmm.” She nodded her head and gazed up at him. Those baby blue eyes were on him again. “Thank you,” she murmured.

Leo watched her turn towards her desk, her body first, then her head. Her mannerism of one who was moving against her will. Leo swallowed. Should he stop her?

Reluctantly, she got to her desk and sat down, casting him one last gaze from under her lashes. Leo stood there, his hands by his side steading his erratic heartbeat. But what if that look wasn't what it meant? He closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned towards his office. How long before he gets to date her. Then he wouldn't have to worry about overstepping her boundaries.

Contrary to what people believed, mainly his friend Wesley and, at one point, himself.

Confessing feelings for someone you loved wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

The fear of rejection almost had him taking an oath of silence. Keeping his feelings to himself and enjoying whatever he thinks he could get from her without leaving himself vulnerable.

But he wanted to be with her, regardless.

That was why he was doing what he thinks would work best. Releasing his emotions slowly in situations like this until he no longer feels uncomfortable with saying the big word. Or he becomes so obvious he would have no choice but to confront her with it.

Sighing, Leo dropped into his swivel chair and threw his head back. Who would have thought he would get whipped like this? Man, the woman made him nervous. Whenever he was around her, he felt like a high school kid who was finally around his crush. He was a grown man, but it was happening to him. Leo turned towards her and, coincidentally, their gaze met.

She looked away first. A blush appearing on her cheek and started arranging her desk, which Leo noticed was already arranged.

Leo sat up straight, his fingers gripping the armrest, as he remembered that kiss she had given him by the pool. To this day, he never got to confirm if the kiss meant something to her. He had been convinced at that point it had. Even now he was.

Leo sighed and spoke into the intercom.

"Can you get me a cup of coffee, please?" Suddenly feeling tired.

"Right on it," she replied him, and Leo sank into his seat rubbing his temples.

Few minutes later, his door opened, and she stepped inside with his coffee in her hand, and he sat up straighter. It was happening again. That tingling sensation of awareness anytime she was within the vicinity. His heart was pumping more blood than usual. He was vitally alive to her nearness and the intimacy that it inevitably created in her receptive senses.

As she handed him the cup, He let his fingers deliberately brush her hand, and she sucked in an audible breath. Which Leo noticed immediately. Ah, so there was something there. Perhaps he can work with that.

Perhaps he should start with the basics, like Wesley suggested. Wooing. Dating.

*********

"Let me take you home," Leo said at the close of work. He had cornered Paige as soon as she left the office building, though he made it seem like it was a coincidence.

"You want to take me home?" Paige's voice rose an octave in the most delicious way it warmed Leo's heart.

Leo nodded, and she turned away and cursed swiftly. Something in the lines of, "If I had known I would have declined."

Leo frowned.

Turning to him then, she winced. "I'm sorry but i have a prior engagement with someone."

Engagement? With someone? Leo wanted to ask if that someone was a man or a woman, but he didn't have the courage to do so.

Just then a Tesla pulled smoothly into the parking lot, screeching to a stop. A man came out of it, one hand resting on the roof of the car.

Spotting them, the man stood up straight and frowned. Leo returned the favor. Paige was facing him, so she couldn't see this man.

"Prior engagement? You mean with that guy over there." Leo indicated.

She turned to the place he was pointing and faced him again with a wince. Scratching her head. "Yeah, he is my friend."

He will have to be the judge of that Leo thought, and judging by what he could see, that man didn't seem like he was Paige's friend. If anything, he looked like he was interested in Paige.

Any man with two working eyes who was interested in a woman is bound to know when someone else was interested in her.

It wasn't anything in particular, but that masculine instinct that lets you know when someone else is interested in what's yours. And if he was right in his assumption if he delayed Paige any longer. Tesla guy would make his way over to them to intervene.

"Well, i should be on my way." Leo looked down at Paige with a frown. She said that, but she was still standing there staring at him, her eyes running through his face. Was there an expression he was exhibiting right now he didn't know about? Perhaps his annoyance was showing.

Paige turned to go, and he caught her hand. Pulling her closer. Leo glanced over to the side. Tesla guy was making his way over. So he was right? This was going to be a problem.

Was he wrong by thinking he was the only one after Paige romantically?

"I..i should go," Paige muttered. Leo looked down, realizing he was still holding onto her. Reluctantly, he released her hand, and Paige turned to go. Tesla guy met her halfway, locking gaze with him, they sized each other up.

The man had green eyes and was as tall as he was, with a face full of beards. He looked scholarly because of the way he was dressed, but Leo bet that guy can fit in anywhere if he wanted to.

As he watched tesla guy directed Paige to his car. He opened the door and helped her inside. Closing the door, he stood there and gave Leo a challenging stare, and Leo got the impression he wasn't liked. Well, that made the two of them. Leo's mouth tightened in annoyance.

Bouncing over to the other side, Tesla guy stepped into his car and he drove off. Leaving Leo standing there with an ugly expression on his face.