Free Leopold: Part Five by Ember Casey, Renna Peak

choose to embrace what is right in front of me.”
    I stop right against her, so close I can feel the heat of her body.
    “There are no guarantees in this life,” I murmur. “And I refuse to run from things simply because they might one day be taken away from me. I prefer to take each moment for what it is and accept what happiness and pleasure I can.”
    My hands rise to either side of her face, and her eyes flutter closed as my fingers skim across her cheeks.
    “Not all of us can think that way,” she says without opening her eyes.
    “Humor me,” I whisper.
    Her hands come up to my sides. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”
    I smile. “It’s been a long time since you called me that. I was starting to miss it.” My face lowers toward hers. “Don’t leave, Elle. Stay here with me.”
    “Three months—”
    “One day,” I counter. “Agree to stay here for one day, and then tomorrow you can decide if you want to stay another. And the day after that you can decide if you want to stay one more.” I intend to make her time here so pleasurable she’ll never even consider leaving again.
    “One day,” she agrees softly, tilting her face up toward mine.
    I kiss her gently at first, brushing my lips lightly against hers once, twice, three times. I don’t want her to see what it did to me, knowing how close I was to losing her again. But when I feel her fingers tighten on my jacket, pulling me closer, I start to lose control. The next time my mouth meets hers, I growl and push her firmly up against the wall, pressing my body against hers.
    I haven’t forgotten the promises we made to each other when I left for supper. I hadn’t intended for things to happen here, like this, but I’m not about to be picky. I drop my hands from her face and slide them down her body, gliding my palms over the soft heat of her curves.
    She’s here with you now , I remind myself. She isn’t going anywhere tonight.
    But it’s hard to convince myself of that entirely. My body thrums with a sort of carnal desperation. She was nearly taken from me, and I won’t be able to rest until I’ve possessed her fully again.
    She seems just as eager. Her hands tug at my clothes while her mouth meets mine with a passion that matches my own. I slide my fingers beneath her shirt, starving for the feeling of her bare skin. But it’s not nearly enough.
    There’s a settee beside us. I grab her and throw her down on top of it, then lower myself on top of her. It’s not nearly large enough for both of us, but I don’t care. Our mouths find each other again, and then I’m only concerned with getting her out of her clothes.
    She’s wearing pants, curse her. If she were in a skirt, I’d already be inside of her. I tug at her zipper with one hand and my zipper with the other, all while her tongue teases mine in a way that sends a jolt of need all the way down to my toes.
    By the time I get her pants down her hips, I’m nearly blind with my desire. My fingers slip between her legs, and I’m relieved to find that she’s just as ready as I am. Thank God. I don’t think I could have waited another moment.
    I shove my pants down and shift on top of her, trying to position myself on the settee without pulling my mouth away from hers. I end up with one leg hanging off the front of the small sofa—silently cursing whoever designed it to be so damnably narrow—and with her opposite leg hooked over my arm. If I had the patience, I’d try rolling her over onto her hands and knees instead, but I don’t think I can wait any longer. I sink into her, groaning as I feel her wet heat around me once again.
    She throws her head back against the cushions as I begin to move. Her hands cling to me, urging me on, but nothing encourages me more than the soft, sweet sounds rising from her throat. I lean forward and kiss her again as our hips rock against each other. The settee creaks beneath us, but nothing can stop me now.
    She’s mine , I think. She’s