He looked back over at her and heard her give a soft snuffle. Even the sound of her snoring was dainty.
You have it bad, Perez.
God, it was only three days and he was caught up by a woman, who would have thought it? Sure as hell not his brothers and sisters, that’s for damn sure. His mama would be nodding her head, saying ‘of course, mijo.’ His mom would already be planning a wedding. Leo laughed to himself. She had been trying to marry him off for the last four years; it had been killing her not to have all of her chicks married.
He got up from the desk and went into the bathroom to check his messages. The only important message was from Kane who was texting to check up on him. Yesterday had been long, and they’d only gotten about four hours’ sleep before getting up at ten this morning. Then he got here by one o’clock. He sent back a brief note asking when he was needed back. Kane said tomorrow would be soon enough, which Leo appreciated.
The other messages were to be expected. But one from his sister Rosa cracked a big smile from him, seeing his niece Olivia eating her first birthday cake. It looked like she was washing her hair with the pink icing.
He quickly texted Rosa back to say how beautiful her daughter was, and how he couldn’t wait to give her his gift in person. He had it stuffed in the back of his closet. It was a lamp that projected butterflies on the wall and ceiling of the nursery. This was the seventh time he’d been made an uncle, and he loved this duty and took it seriously.
He went back into the bedroom and saw that Daisy now had tried to take up all of the bed, her arms and legs splayed out. But she was such a tiny little thing, she’d still only taken up half of the bed. Leo took off his pants and folded them up and put them on the ottoman with the rest of the clothes and got into bed beside her. He pulled her in close and she immediately cuddled up. It felt good.
He started to replay what he’d seen and heard this morning, and then when he had gotten to Daisy’s room. Was it possible they were connected? If she knew that her father had been beaten, it would explain Daisy’s shattered mood when he had arrived, but how would she have found out?
She cuddled even closer, and the scent of orange and vanilla wafted from her hair. The smell sank into his bones. She felt so warm and soft against him, he found his mind starting to turn off and focus on the woman in his arms.
Daisy couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so good, so unencumbered. She nuzzled Leo’s neck, taking in his unique masculine scent. She wanted to remember this moment always. It was a moment out of time. How had she ever gotten this lucky? But now it was back to reality. Now it was back to the horror that she had witnessed. She drew in a deep, shuddering breath.
“You’re awake,” he said softly, as his lips brushed against her temple.
“Yes,” she murmured. “So are you. Do you know what time it is?”
He lifted his arm so that they could both look at the sturdy watch on his wrist. “Five p.m. Do you know how long we slept?”
“I’d say three hours if I had to guess. I wasn’t really paying attention to the clock.”
She rolled over so she could get a good look at him. A smile was playing on his lips, but he wasn’t making fun of the situation—he looked like a man who was happy with the world. If Daisy had to guess, she had a similar expression.
“I don’t mean to break the mood, but I need to go use the bathroom.”
Leo grinned. “In that case, I have to break the mood too, because I’m hungry. Wanna order room service?”
She pushed up from his chest and smiled. “I like you, Leo Perez.” She got out of bed and wandered over to the coffee table and grabbed the room service menu. When she spotted her sleep shirt folded up on the ottoman, she was touched. She went to grab it.
“Don’t.”
She looked up and saw Leo with his hands folded behind his head, leaning against the headboard.
“What?”
“Don’t get dressed, at least not until you have to. You’re gorgeous the way you are.”
She could feel a blush starting from her chest heating upwards to her cheeks. She walked back with the menu. “Read this, I’ll be right back.”
Daisy swore she could feel his eyes on her the entire time it took her to walk to the bathroom. And….she was pretty sure she liked it. By the time she got back into the bedroom, Leo was sitting up with the phone in his lap.
“What kind of food are you in the mood for?” he asked.
“Surprise me.” This time she did pick up her shirt and shrug it on, then went to her suitcase to grab a fresh pair of panties.
“Hey, I thought we had a deal,” he griped.
“I’ve got to see what the e-mail fairy gifted me with, and I refuse to sit naked on the chair, it just seems wrong.”
Daisy tuned Leo out while he was ordering and focused on the forty-three new e-mails that had come in since she’d last checked. She forced herself not to think of the video that she had seen. After years of practice, she was pretty good at compartmentalizing, and she would use that
