Hate, actually ✔

Chapter 28

In Bora Bora, I wasn't as abnormally giddy as I am now about his amazing body because at the time, I thought that he was unattainable. It was very much a 'you can look but you can't touch' type of situation. But now...

Leonardo greets Melissa, the swimming instructor, and he asks all the polite questions.

He then eyes me and Kira. "How are my two favourite people in the whole world?"

Before I can even respond, he's already spinning the poor kid in the air, and she's squealing in pure excitement.

"Leo she probably hasn't fully digested her food yet!" I say in panic.

Both Leo and Kira pout at me like I'm some sort of buzz kill.

Melissa laughs at them and turns to me. "My husband is the exact same and the kids think I'm so boring for bringing it to a stop."

I smile. Are we really having an afternoon wife's club moment right now?

"Women are the superior gender, that's it," I assure her.

Melissa laughs again, nodding. She and Kira make their way over to the shallow far end of pool to start their lesson.

Now, I don't know how the heck Leonardo got behind me, but I just feel a pair of two strong arms lifting me from behind.

I'm laughing uncontrollably. "Leonardo Beau Romano, put me down!"

"Oh, are you really going to pull the middle name card right now?" He asks in a rather threatening way.

"Yes," I say cheekily.

And then he throws me into the icy, massive pool. He barely exerted any effort either, he just tossed me in there like I'm a rag doll.

When I resurface, he's in the water too smirking at me. I can only hope my glare is as scary as I'm trying to make it right now.

Leonardo tries to pull me towards him but I refuse for the sake of theatrics. "You used my middle name, which you know I despise so you kind of deserved that."

I try to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, still doesn't justify you tossing me into virtually an ice bath."

He very indiscreetly checks me out. "At least you have your swim suit on."

I smack his arm playfully. "Eyes are up here, mister."

He rolls his eyes.

"Truce?" He asks, holding his pinky finger out to me. I always use this strategy to make him forgive me. Copy cat. Pinky fingers hold so much power.

My fake resolve breaks and I link my pinky finger with his. He can win this one.

He's looking at me with those stupidly beautiful eyes and it's making me all jittery.

"Can I get my hug now?" He asks, looking devastatingly handsome.

I roll my eyes just to be dramatic but I wrap my arms around his neck anyway. When he puts his own arms around me, I lay my head on his chest.

"Cara was waiting for me outside my office today."

My eyes widen but I maintain composure. "Really? And what did she want?"

"To have lunch with me - platonically," he says. "I said no. Obviously. I told her things are going great with us and I don't want her to be a part of this chapter in my life."

My heart is beating so fast, I wonder if he can feel it. I look up him. "You told her about... us?"

He nods. "Yeah I did. I hope that's oka-"

I cut him off. "No that's great. If I was there, I would have said it myself."

Leo looks amused and he leans to dwn to give me a butterfly inducing kiss. I am so obsessed with him.

When he pulls away he smiles at me. I smile back at him and we just sort of look at each other like two kindergartners on Valentine's day.

"At that event, the day you told me about you and Kai, I was just trying to make you jealous when I said I'd go to her place."

I wasn't expecting him to admit that. I laugh. "What did I even do to deserve that?"

"Nothing, really. I just wanted you to feel the way I felt when you told me about Kai."

"Well it worked," I say. "I cried the entire car ride home."

Leo frowns in surprise. "I didn't even reali-"

I cut him off again. "Don't feel bad, it was a bit of a wake up call on how much I like you."

He scrunches up his nose in distaste. "You had me acting like a live sick middle schooler."

I laugh. "Yeah me too. It's weird really, that some of the things - the chemistry we had - that I thought I was imagining this entire time is as real as death."

Leonardo rests his forehead against mine. His intense stares always make me look away in nervousness. "Yeah well. My feelings for you are as real as death."

I have so much adrenaline coursing through my veins, I never knew it was possible to feel like this for another person.

I smile, feeling rather shy. "Well I'd hope so, we are married with a kid after all."

He throws his back and laughs. That rare, full bellied laugh I always go on about. It's the most beautiful thing in the world, I wish he'd do it more often.