CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 419 I JUST WANTED YOU CLOSE

She bit her lip as she tightened the top button. "You don’t forget business strategies, but you forget THIS? How?"

Leo dipped his head lower, the shadow of his lashes soft against his skin, his voice coming out low and warm enough to melt her defenses. "Maybe," he murmured, each word slow and intimate, "I just wanted you close."

Bella froze.

Her fingers stopped right over the button. She could feel the rise and fall of his breathing under her palm, and suddenly her own breaths felt fast and uneven. A warm blush spread across her cheeks, blooming up to her ears.

Before she could look away, Leo moved.

His hands slid gently around her waist, firm but tender, pulling her toward him in one smooth motion. Her small gasp disappeared as her body pressed fully against his, her hands trapped between them. She tipped her head back, eyes wide, startled by the sudden warmth of his hold.

Leo lowered his gaze, tracing her face slowly, taking in her flushed cheeks, her parted lips, the tiny wrinkle of surprise in her brow. His hands tightened slightly at her waist, holding her as if she were something precious.

"You always run around helping everyone," he whispered, his breath brushing her forehead softly. "So sometimes... I have to pull you back to me."

Bella’s heart fluttered violently.

"Leo..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

He lifted one hand from her waist and gently tilted her chin upward with his knuckle, guiding her face so she looked directly at him. His thumb brushed the corner of her lip softly and slowly, as if he was memorizing the shape of her smile.

Bella’s breath hitched. "W-what are you doing?"

Leo didn’t answer.

His eyes were locked on hers, dark and burning with something that made Bella’s knees weaken. His gaze didn’t waver even once, as if every tiny movement she made was pulling him in deeper.

Then suddenly he moved.

His hand cupped the back of her head, the other tightening around her waist. Bella gasped softly, her hands instinctively grabbing his fabric—

And he kissed her.

It was deep and urgent, the kind of kiss that felt like he had been craving her for far too long. His lips pressed against hers with a hungry intensity, making her breath catch as he pulled her impossibly close, eliminating every bit of space between them.

Bella’s eyes fluttered shut and she clung to him, her fingers curling into the fabric at his shoulders. The world tilted around her as Leo angled his head, deepening the kiss with a slow, irresistible force that sent warmth spiraling through her chest.

He kissed her like a man starved, like someone finally tasting something he had wanted for months. His breath trembled against her lips, hot and uneven, as if even he was surprised by how badly he needed her.

Bella whimpered softly against his mouth, overwhelmed, and Leo’s hand slid to the small of her back, pressing her tighter, grounding her in his arms as if saying:

Stay. Don’t pull away.

He kissed her again, deeper this time, his thumb brushing her jaw in a way that made her entire body warm and shaky. She felt surrounded by his heat, his scent, his intensity, everything.

And when he finally pulled back, he didn’t let go.

He stayed close, breathing hard, his forehead resting against hers. His eyes were half-lidded, dark with affection.

Bella whispered breathlessly, "Leo..."

He smirked faintly, still catching his breath, his voice low and husky. "If you look at me like that again... I won’t stop."

Bella’s face burned, her heart pounding wildly, her lips still tingling from his kiss, when Leo’s eyes dropped to her lips again.

And before she could even steady herself, Leo pushed her gently but firmly back against the wall of the changing room.

Her back hit the cool surface with a soft thud, her breath catching in a tiny gasp. She stared at him with wide, startled eyes, her fingers gripping the fabric of his suit automatically, her heart pounding loudly.

Leo stepped closer, one hand braced beside her head, the other sliding around her waist to keep her exactly where he wanted her. His body hovered just close enough for her to feel the heat rolling off him.

He lowered his head slowly, dark eyes locked on her lips with a hunger he didn’t bother to hide.

"Leo..." she breathed, barely a whisper.

He didn’t answer.

His breath brushed her cheek, warm and shaky, and then he kissed her again.

This time harder.

Deeper.

As if he had lost the ability to hold himself back.

Bella whimpered softly against his mouth, her hands fisting in his shirt as he kissed her like a man starved, like he had waited too long, like her taste was the only thing capable of calming the storm inside him.

He was addicted to her.

He could feel it..every inch of him leaning into her, craving the warmth of her lips, the tiny sounds she made, the way she melted against him without resistance. His fingers tightened at her waist, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss with a slow intensity that made her knees weaken completely.

Her breath mixed with his, small and uneven, trembling.

Leo tilted her chin up with two fingers and kissed her again, slower this time but so much deeper, savoring her, tasting her, losing himself in the softness of her lips.

He whispered against her mouth, his voice low and rough, "You don’t know what you do to me..."

Bella didn’t move.

She couldn’t move.

Her fingers clung to him as if he was the only thing keeping her standing.

Leo kissed her once more, a long, lingering kiss that left her breathless, before finally pulling back by an inch. His forehead leaned against hers, his breathing uneven, his eyes dark and unreadable.

He looked ruined.

Addicted.

Like he could kiss her a thousand times and still want more.

"Leo..." Bella whispered weakly.

He brushed his thumb over her warm cheek, still breathing hard.

"Don’t look at me like that," he murmured, his voice trembling in his chest. "I’ll lose control again."