CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 401 I WANT MORE ★

Before she could say anything more, he bent closer, drawn to her as if she were the only warmth left in the world.

He kissed her.

It was not rushed. It was not desperate. It was slow, tender, and impossibly deep, as though he wanted to taste every part of the emotion she carried for him.

Bella’s fingers curled against the front of his shirt as she tilted her face, kissing him back with the gentleness only she possessed.

But then Leo’s control snapped.

In one smooth, fluid motion, he shifted their position, lowering her back over the piano bench and leaning over her, his body caging hers without ever feeling heavy. The kiss grew warmer with every passing second, his hands sliding to cradle her waist, pulling her closer until her softness pressed against his firm chest.

"Leo..." she whispered between breaths, her voice barely a sound, her eyes shining up at him.

And he only kissed her deeper, as if sealing the promise she had just made, that she chose him, that she was not leaving, and that she was not afraid of his darkness.

"Let’s... go to our room..." Bella whispered softly, cheeks glowing with shy warmth, because kissing in his father’s music room felt too strange. Leo chuckled at her embarrassment, nodding as if he had been waiting for her to say it. He lifted her easily into his arms, his motions smooth and confident, and kissed her again, slow and deep, stealing her breath all the way until they reached the safety of his room.

The moment the door closed behind them, he lowered her to her feet, but she hardly had time to stand before he pressed her back gently against the wall. His mouth found hers again in a hungry kiss, his breath brushing her lips, his hands framing her waist as if he could not bear to let even an inch of her slip away. Bella tried to kiss him back, her lips soft and warm against his, but his intensity overwhelmed her, making a small, helpless whimper rise in her throat. The sound only made him kiss her harder.

His palms slid over her waist, stroking over the tiny strawberries printed on her white shirt, feeling the outline of her curves through the thin fabric. Then, slowly and deliberately, he slipped his hands beneath the hem and touched her bare skin. The coolness of his fingers against her warm stomach made her gasp, her body arching instinctively into his touch. His hands felt large and warm as they glided along her sides, mapping every soft curve.

Their breaths tangled in the dim room, both of them breathing too hard and too fast. Bella clung to him, one hand wrapping around his broad back while the other slid into his thick hair, fingers curling tightly as she pulled him closer. His low exhale brushed her neck and a shiver ran through her, warm and sharp, all the way to her toes. Everything about him felt overwhelming and delicious...his heat, his scent, the strength in his body, the way he kissed her like she was the only thing he wanted in the world.

"Bella..." he breathed as he finally pulled back, his lips damp with the taste of her and his chest rising in uneven waves. There was a rough edge in his voice, something hungry and shaken, something that made the air between them feel warmer. She looked up at him through her lashes, cheeks glowing, lips parted in a soft daze.

"Hmm?" she whispered, almost shy, and the sound only made his eyes darken further. His gaze slid over her face, down her neck, lingering on the gentle curve of her collarbone. She felt heat crawl up her spine the moment his eyes wandered lower, and she instinctively lifted her hands to cover herself, overwhelmed by the weight of his attention.

"Leo..." she whispered again, breath unsteady.

He gently caught her wrists and lowered them with a slow, deliberate confidence that made her entire body tremble. The way he looked at her, deep and possessive and utterly captivated, made her knees weak. Without breaking eye contact, his fingers rose to the first button of her strawberry-print pajama shirt.

"I want more, Bella," he murmured, his voice thick with longing, every word brushing against her skin like a warm breath. "I want to feel you closer."

She nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "O-okay..."

The small button slipped open beneath his fingers, then the next, and then the next. With each one undone, the heat in her cheeks bloomed hotter, her skin slowly revealed in the soft light of the room. When the fabric finally parted, he exhaled sharply, shoulders rising as though he had been holding his breath for too long.

Her body glowed softly under the dim light, smooth skin and delicate curves and the gentle slope of her waist. The sight seemed to steal every ounce of restraint left in him. He sank to his knees before her, worshipful in hunger, his hands sliding around her waist as if he needed to feel her warmth with his own.

"Bella..." he whispered again, his voice almost breaking.

Before she could speak, his lips touched her skin just above her navel. The kiss was soft, but the effect was devastating. Her breath hitched, fingers curling into his hair as his mouth lingered there, warm and slow and unbearably gentle. He looked up at her from where he knelt, and the devotion in his eyes made her heart twist.

Her yellow bra framed her chest so sweetly that Leo’s eyes softened and darkened at the same time, as if he were torn between awe and desire. "You’re beautiful," he murmured, voice hoarse, and the sincerity in those words made her entire body tremble.

His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer, and his lips brushed her stomach again, slow strokes of warmth that made her toes curl. A small sound escaped her, soft and breathy, and the moment he heard it, something bright flickered in his eyes, something so intense it made her dizzy.

Her moan was not loud. It was sweet, fragile, almost shy, and it shook him to the core.

"Bella..." he whispered, lifting his face to hers slowly, as though he wanted to memorize every shade of her skin, every breath she took, every flutter of her lashes.

He rose from the floor with aching slowness, his hands sliding up her sides, his breath brushing her lips, and the space between them melted away as if the world itself was pulling them together.

"Let me feel you," he whispered again, leaning in until his forehead rested against hers, their breaths mixing, their hearts beating too fast and too close.