Emboldened by the obvious approval in his eyes, she let her hands fall away.
Lust flared over his face as left the bed and his hands went to the buttons of his shirt. Halfway down, he lost patience and ripped the remaining buttons. He shrugged out of the sleeves and then tore impatiently at his pants.
She sucked in her breath and held it when his boxers, with his pants, slipped down and his turgid manhood came into view. Then it stuttered out, a silent staccato in the quiet as he moved closer to the bed. He spread her knees and fit his body to hers, settling between her thighs as he came down onto the bed. Hot, silken and yet rough in a heady, masculine way, his skin clung to hers, burning her, making her move restlessly underneath him.
They kissed again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, prolonging the mating of their tongues. Soft and wet, clinging and dueling, a precursor to the dance their bodies would yet perform.
"I've never met anyone who makes me feel so out of control," he admitted. "So restless and out of my skin. You make me crazy, Suzy. I have to have you."
"Yes."
The softly whispered surrender slid from swollen lips. His mouth skated downward to her neck and then over the slope of her shoulder. He moved, lowering his body so that his lips found her breasts. She stared up at the ceiling, the intricate painting blurring as pleasure overtook her. For several long seconds, he lazily tongued the rigid peaks, and then he blazed a wet trail with his tongue down her midline to her belly. He toyed with her belly button for the briefest of seconds before traveling even lower.
She tensed when his mouth found her soft femininity, the very essence and core of her womanhood. Helplessly she arched into him, seeking more of his bold tongue. He chuckled and gave her another soft nuzzle.
"Please, Leo," she begged. "Take me."
"I want you to be ready for me, Baby," he said as he trailed one finger over her damp flesh.
"Take me," she said again as she looked down and met his gaze. "I'm all yours."
Her words seemed to push him beyond his control. He slid up her body, spreading her legs and fitting himself to her in one deft movement. One moment he was probing, the next he slid inside her. He thrust forward again. She relaxed beneath him, letting her hands glide over his shoulders and to his neck. Pleasure, sweet and yearning, bloomed, spreading like fire in the wind.
His lips found hers again in a gesture of reassurance, molding sweetly to hers, suddenly gentle and tender. "Move with me, Suzy," he urged. "Wrap your legs around me. Yes, that's it."
Her skin came alive, crawling and edgy with need. Leo planted his elbows on either side of her head and held his body off her enough that she didn't bear the full brunt of his weight as he moved between her legs. Breathing became hard. She panted against his lips as their mouths met again.
"Come with me," he whispered.
Helpless to do anything but follow the winding pleasure building so earnestly, she cried out as he stiffened above her. He gathered her softly against him, crushing her to his hardness. Murmured words fell against her ears, some she understood, some slipping away.
And then he collapsed, pressing his warm body to hers. For several long seconds, their ragged breathing was the only sound that filled the room. Then he raised his head to stare down at her. He kissed her lightly then shifted, easing his body from hers. "I'll be right back."
She watched lazily from the bed while he strode nude to the bathroom and returned a moment later with a packet of wipes to clean them off.
___________
The car was filled with the gentle hum of the engine as they drove down the highway, the neon glitz of Atlantic City fading into the distance. Susan sat quietly for a moment, staring out the window, her thoughts racing. She couldn't shake the mix of emotions swirling inside her. The weekend with Leo had been exhilarating, but now reality was creeping back in.
"So what happens when we get back home?" She couldn't stop herself from asking, her voice tentative.
She'd had the best time with Leo during the weekend, and she didn't want it to end, even though she knew everything about her relationship with him was wrong.
Leo's grip on the steering wheel tightened ever so slightly, though his expression remained calm. "We go back to the way things were before we left," he replied, offering a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He had asked himself the same question the previous night. While Susan had been sound asleep, he'd been wide awake, thinking of her, and how he'd let things go this far between them and here they were. He'd admitted to himself that he cared deeply about her, and with the kind of life he lived, he knew she wasn't safe if they continued.
Susan's chest tightened. His words sounded so definitive, so matter-of-fact. "What does that mean?" she pressed, glancing at him. She wasn't ready to let the conversation end so quickly. After everything they'd shared, she needed clarity. Were they a couple, or just two people who went on a trip and ended up having sex. Mind blowing sex… Every chance they could.
Leo exhaled, his jaw tightening as he kept his gaze fixed on the road. "It means you don't have to worry about the counterfeit bills anymore," he said. "You're done with that."
The answer caught her off guard, but she tried to stay calm. That wasn't the only question she had, but this was on her mind too, and she suspected Leo knew that. "Okay," she said slowly. "But… did I do something wrong? Is it because I got angry when I saw Asher and Connor at the casino?"
Leo's lips twitched in a brief smirk, though his eyes remained serious. "No, Suzy. You didn't do anything wrong. If anything, you handled yourself better than I expected. I wasn't sure how you'd react, and you had every right to be angry that I didn't tell you everything before we got there." He cast her a quick glance, his expression softening. "You have a strength I didn't see coming."
The compliment surprised her, but it didn't answer the question burning in her chest. "Then why?" she asked, her voice growing steadier. "Why am I done with the bills? Why does it feel like… like you're trying to put distance between us?"