18. Clementine

Clementine

My eyes were locked on Leyland as he put himself squarely between me and James. It was so rare to see him look anything but calm, yet there he was, his gaze hard and posture set, like he’d defend me against the world if it came down to it.

Leyland’s defense struck deeper than I expected, and I felt something I couldn’t quite name tugging at my heart.

James, possibly sensing this shift, had stepped back, jaw tight.

“I’ll leave,” he said, glancing from me to Leyland. “But let’s talk soon, alright?”

His tone was almost calm, softened, maybe because he knew that talk would be a farewell or he hoped it wouldn’t. I wasn’t sure about him anymore and nodded, more out of respect than the need to say goodbye.

There hadn’t been an emergency at all, nothing other than me not being where he’d thought I’d be on my off day.

How were we going to work together now?

The weight of the evening hung between me and Leyland after James left.

“You good?” he asked, tucking his hand under my chin to keep my eyes on him.

“Yeah,” I muttered, still feeling that strange tug. “It’s becoming a lot though. He’s not the person I thought he was or maybe I turned him into that.”

His fingers tightened slightly and my lips parted.

“You didn’t turn him into shit, tiny. He hid himself well, nothing more or less. Got it?”

I nodded, core clenching at his sternness.

“Come home with me for the night. The guest room can be yours.”

Even though his words promised a safe distance, the thought of staying the night under his roof stirred something deep inside me.

“Are you sure?”

His hand slid from my face slowly as he began to back away.

“I’m positive,” he said. “It’ll make me feel better knowing we’re under the same roof and you aren’t alone. If you need anything, get it now.”

I bit my lip and ducked into the house to grab something to sleep in, an outfit for my brunch with Kayla in the morning and scrubs for the shift I had later.

Leyland was leaned against his truck with the passenger door open when I returned, his gaze lifting once I made my presence known.

"Come on," he beckoned, and somehow, that simple invitation felt like a promise.

And as we drove back to his place, the silence between us intensified that feeling. His calm presence melted away the tension left by James, and by the time we arrived, I was as much at peace as I could hope to be.

The comfort of his place, especially after an evening like this, was exactly what I needed. There was something so familiar about being with him, being here , like we could both just… let everything else go and exist. Together.

Once inside, Leyland walked me to the guest room like he had twice already today.

“If you need anything …” he lingered in the doorway. “I’m right up the hall, alright?”

I nodded and watched him step back and shut the door.

Standing there for a moment, I allowed myself to absorb the quiet and wasn’t sure if I liked it—if I liked being alone when he was so close to me. But I couldn’t let those thoughts consume my mind.

A shower would help, I told myself, peeling off the layers of the night and disappearing into a cloud of steam. Under the stream, the weight of what I wanted washed over me.

I wanted to be with Leyland, to feel close to him, to experience the love I felt he so badly wanted to give me.

My heart raced as cleansed, rinsed then dried off; my decision solidified with each step in my after shower routine, down to when I found my way to his door and knocked softly.

He opened it and the look in his eyes made every decision up to this point worth it.

“Clementine,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble that wrapped around my name, sending a shiver through me.

Without a word, I stepped inside, feeling the pull between us grow electric. I met his gaze, and that was all it took—suddenly, we were close, so close while his hands cradled my face with a tenderness that stole my breath.

The expected kiss was gentle at first, then deepened with an urgency that matched the fierce beat of my heart. The moment was everything I’d imagined, and yet, it felt entirely new, his touch both unfamiliar and like something I’d known all my life.

We paused, our breaths mingling in the silence, the weight of the moment pressing around us. Leyland’s hands gently held me in place as he looked into my eyes, his voice barely a whisper. “If we go any further…”

I could feel the tension in his body, the restraint he was exercising. But I didn’t need his restraint. I needed him.

A low groan escaped his lips as I initiated contact this time and melted into him, my hands sliding up his chest and around his neck as he walked us backward toward the bed.

When the backs of my legs hit the mattress, Leyland paused, his forehead resting against mine.

"You're sure?" he asked one last time, his voice rough but still so gentle.

In response, I grabbed the hem of my sleep shirt and pulled it over my head in one fluid motion. Leyland's eyes darkened as they perused my newly exposed skin, hands resting on my hips as his thumbs traced slow circles that sent shivers through me.

"I missed being this close to you so fucking much," he murmured, before capturing my lips again.

While his hands roamed, leaving trails of fire in their wake, I arched into the flames—craving more of the burn. Needing more of everything he was willing to offer.

“Lay back,” Leyland ordered with a gentle push that did the work for me.

He followed, body hovering over mine as he settled between my thighs. He took me in from this angle then slowly, reverently, began to explore.

And I couldn't stop watching his every move, reacting to his every touch.

Like the way his lips closed around my nipple, the way his tongue swirled and teased it with gentle bites that felt connected to my clit. Or the way he kneaded my other breast, using his thumb to toy with the sensitive peak.

“Y-Yes,” I whimpered, fingers clutching the back of his neck as his hand lowered between us and I spread wider in invitation.

He finally touched me where I needed him most and I all but lost it.

“You’re so goddamn wet,” Leyland groaned, lifting his head to admire his fingers as they expertly stroked my pussy.

“Please,” I begged, not sure what I was asking for but needing it anyway.

His eyes locked with mine as his fingers slowed their pursuit, while he kissed his way down my body.

I whimpered something incoherent and he wasted no time parting my slick folds with his tongue, pausing to put pressure on my clit along the way. He went back and forth, over and over, alternating between broad strokes and teasing flicks that had me trembling beneath him.

Leyland gripped my hips as I began to thrust into his mouth, losing my fucking mind from the sensation alone. He held me in place and continued devouring me like nothing I’d ever experienced before.

“Fu-Fuck, Leyland,” I moaned, one hand clutching the sheets as the other held the back of his head.

He hummed in response while gently sucking my clit, the vibrations sending shockwaves of pleasure through me. My thighs quivered around his head and I could’ve sworn I heard him chuckle, but the thought quickly disappeared when he pushed one then two fingers inside me, curling them to hit that sweet spot.

Leyland moaned, almost daringly, while he sucked and slurped and stroked my walls into submission. I rocked my hips against his face as the pressure built low in my belly, the dual sensations close to pushing me over the edge.

"I'm gonna... Ley-Leyland, I'm—"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

My words dissolved into a cry of ecstasy, wave after wave of pleasure coursing through me. And Leyland wouldn’t let up until I pushed at his shoulders and begged for a moment of reprieve.

He obliged, placing a tender kiss against my clit that triggered a less intense but noteworthy orgasm, and made his way up my body.

Leyland’s eyes were dark with promises I couldn’t wait for him to fulfill as he gazed down at me with a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

I drew him into a kiss as I secured my legs around his waist. He was hard as a brick through his boxers, his arousal pressing insistently against my core—easily reigniting the fire he’d just quenched.

"I need you," I begged against his mouth. “I… want you.”

"Tell me how you want me, baby."

"Inside me," I pleaded without qualm. "I want to feel all of you. Every inch."

Leyland didn't need to be told twice.

He slid from the bed, stepped out of his boxers and moved around to the nightstand. I found myself transfixed by his languid movements, by the thickness of his erection—the way it stood at attention.

I licked my lips in anticipation as he returned with a condom and sheathed himself.

“I don’t want to pretend anymore,” I blurted when he settled himself between my thighs again, the tip of his dick poking at my core.

Leyland lifted an eyebrow in question, despite a tiny, knowing smile playing on his lips.

“I want to feel everything you’re feeling.”

“You want me to fuck you like we’ve done this before.”

I wanted it so badly.

“Yes…”

He thrust into me, filling me completely without pause.

We both cried out, my hands finding their way around his neck, while his gripped the space between my torso and leg.

I rolled my hips after a second, urging him to move too.

“You’re mine,” he whispered against my ear. “And…” He started with slow, deep strokes that had me gasping for air. “I’m yours.”

I clung to him, my fingers digging into his shoulders as I met his deliberate thrusts with urgency. The intensity in his eyes never wavered while he watched me, drinking in every reaction, every gasp and moan.

He felt so good.

"I’m yours," I breathed, arching my back to take him deeper. “And I accept you as mine.”

He groaned, burying his face in my neck as he increased his pace. I could feel him completely, stretching me just as I wanted. My legs tightened around him, changing our angle slightly and eliciting cries from both of us. The fullness and friction overwhelmed me, but he knew exactly how to move to keep me in place.

"Fuck, Clementine," Leyland panted against my skin. "I missed this pussy."

His hand slid between us, fingers finding my clit and circling it in time with his thrusts. I immediately began to spiral towards another orgasm.The tension building, coiled tighter and tighter in my core as Leyland’s movements became more urgent, his breathing ragged.

"Look at me, baby," he murmured, pace slowing slightly.

I opened my eyes, not realizing I'd closed them, and found his intense gaze.

"I want to see you," he said softly, one hand coming up to cradle my face. "I want to watch you fall apart."

His thumb brushed my bottom lip and I took it into my mouth, sucking gently. Leyland's eyes darkened, a low groan escaping him as he picked up the pace again—hitting that perfect spot inside me over and over.

"Right there," I gasped. "Don't stop."

"Never," he promised. “Now let go for me.”

His command pushed me over the edge. I cried out his name, my body unsteady beneath his, the orgasm more intense than before.

“Your turn,” I whispered against the shell of his ear, wanting him to chase his own release. “Don’t hold back.”

He didn’t.

With a final, deep stroke, he burrowed himself inside me and came with my name on his lips. And when our eyes met after we caught our breath, I knew I’d never be the same. That no man could ever live up to this… live up to him.