CHAPTER 411: CHAPTER 411 CLINGY (1)

Morning light slipped gently through the curtains, casting a pale gold glow across the room. Bella blinked slowly, her lashes fluttering as her mind floated somewhere between waking and dreaming. She tried to shift, but something warm and heavy anchored her in place.

Her face could not move.

Her cheek was pressed firmly against a broad, warm chest, and a strong arm was wrapped around her neck in a loose but unbreakable embrace, holding her exactly where he wanted her. Her mouth brushed against his shirt, his scent filling her senses, clean, warm and familiar. She froze for a second, confused, then tried to lift her head.

She couldn’t.

His grip was too tight.

"Leo," she whispered, her voice soft and muffled against him. She pushed lightly against his chest, but all that did was make him tighten his arm around her instinctively, as if she were a blanket he refused to let go of.

Her legs moved next, or rather she tried to move them and discovered another problem.

They were tangled completely. His legs were wrapped around hers, their limbs woven together as if he had tried to merge their bodies in the night. One of his feet was hooked around her ankle, the other resting on top of her calf, making escape impossible.

"Leo," she hissed, shaking him harder now, her face still smothered against him. "Wake up."

He didn’t move. Not even a tiny twitch.

Instead, his deep breath fanned across the top of her head, and he made a soft sleepy sound, something halfway between a sigh and a possessive quiet hum. His chin rested on her hair, his hand splayed open across her back, keeping her glued to him like she was his personal pillow.

Bella puffed her cheeks, annoyed and flustered. "Leo, I can’t breathe. Let go."

A low grumble finally escaped him, so quiet she barely heard it. His arms tensed, his hold somehow growing even tighter for a moment before loosening slightly. He buried his face in her hair, murmuring something incoherent, his voice gravelly and thick from sleep.

She tried again. His grip didn’t budge. Not even an inch.

Bella let out a tiny helpless whine. "Leo, why are you hugging me like a giant octopus"

Still no reaction.

Except one.

He tightened his arms once more, protective, warm, possessive, pulling her even closer until her whole body molded against his. This time he whispered her name in his sleep, soft and husky, making her heart thump loudly in her chest.

Her irritation melted instantly.

She lay still, breathing quietly, feeling his heartbeat beneath her cheek.

Finally, when Bella’s little squirming became too obvious to ignore, Leo exhaled a sleepy sigh and loosened his hold. The moment she slipped free, she didn’t just get up, she bolted. She hopped off the bed like a startled bunny finally freed from a warm cage, her feet pattering against the floor as she dashed straight to the bathroom. Leo opened one eye and watched her flee, his lips curling slightly in amusement at how fast she moved.

An hour later, she stepped out of the bathroom looking fresh, composed and softly glowing. She wore a simple beige dress that hugged her lightly, making her look serene and pretty in the most effortless way. She had combed her hair neatly and this time she made sure her neck was checked twice in the mirror. She dabbed concealer gently over the hickey spots he had left behind the previous night, trying her best to hide the tiny reminder of him.

Just as she lowered her hand from her neck, a pair of heavy warm arms slipped around her waist from behind, pulling her firmly into a solid chest. Bella gasped, her breath hitching before she froze. Leo’s presence enveloped her instantly, his scent, his warmth, the weight of his touch. He buried his sleepy face against the side of her neck, his breath warm against her skin, his stubble brushing lightly.

"Why did you wake up early," he murmured, rubbing his lips against her neck in a lazy half asleep motion that sent a soft shiver through her. His voice was still heavy with dreams, deep and husky, as if the night had not fully let him go yet.

Bella’s hands immediately flew to his arms, trying to pry them away but ending up just holding them instead. "We have to," she said quickly, her voice high and flustered as she tried to sound responsible. "We are supposed to have breakfast with Jay and Jace, so everyone can leave together."

Leo let out a low displeased growl right against her neck, making her shoulders jump. He didn’t loosen his hold. If anything, he leaned into her more, his arms tightening around her waist as he nuzzled her hair.

"Okay," he grumbled finally, his voice thick and gravelly with reluctance. His breath brushed the shell of her ear, sending tiny tingles down her spine. "But I didn’t say I am letting you go right now."

"Leo, we are going to be late," she whispered, her cheeks warming.

"Good," he muttered, pressing another soft rub of his lips to her neck. "Let them wait."

Bella’s heart fluttered helplessly as she realized he was in his clingy morning mood, warm, protective, lazy and absolutely unwilling to share her with the world yet.

And even though she tried to appear annoyed, her fingers curled lightly over his forearms, not entirely unhappy about being held like this.

In the end, Bella had to practically drag Leo toward the bathroom by the wrist, scolding him until he finally gave in with a low reluctant grumble. Even then, he tried to hold her waist halfway to the door, and she had to push his chest lightly and remind him that they were already late. After ten minutes of bargaining and one promise that she would stay nearby, he finally bathed. When both were ready, they stepped out of the room together, walking down the stairs side by side.

Except side by side wasn’t the right word.

Leo walked so close that a sheet of paper could not have fit between them. His hand rested on the small of her back as if guiding her, and Bella looked up at him every few steps with a helpless sigh that only made him draw her closer. They moved through the hallway like two people strolling through a garden, not a mansion where half the household was watching them with open mouths.