"Do you know how difficult it was for me to remain there acting like I wasn't affected by the things you said to me? Like I wasn't falling more and more in love with you. The gentle way you talked to me, your understanding."

He swallowed nervously.

"Don't you understand it, Leo? You confused me like no one has ever done before. You did kiss me at times when I was sure none of your family members was watching and then say nothing later. No explanation. And of course, I couldn't tell you that it was bothering me, that I was in love with you lest it turns out you reciprocated no such feelings for me too and was only pretending to, as the charade required. When that happens, I feared you might feel uncomfortable with me, and eventually might want to lay me off after the charade was done and I needed that job!"

"I had no idea, Paige. Truly, I didn't."

"Of course you didn't. How could you have known I was dying inside every day from love unspent. And when we had sex, oh lord Leo, and you said you would marry me if a child ever came out of it. What was i to think?"

"That I wanted you," Leo said passionately. Reaching out a hand to touch her. "And as such, everything that came with you."

"You don't understand it," Paige wriggled out of his reach and his face fell. "I'm not a mind reader. And you were very tight-lipped about things like this how was I to know? Do you know how long I suffered inside? After all those months, I finally told you about my feelings and you won't even believe me."

"Good lord, Paige—"

"Don't come any closer to me. She wiped a lone tear with her thumb. Slowly drawing backward as he advanced forward towards her. I didn't tell you i was pregnant because I would have hated for you to marry me for the sake of a baby."

"Paige—"

"I said don't come any closer to me," Paige shrieked. However, it was already too late because in the next second Leo stretched out a hand and dragged her into his arms. His breath harsh over her head. Her purse fell as he crushed her in his arms.

She pulled away from him, covering her face with her hands. "Oh God, I can't believe I said all those things out loud." Embarrassment at last reaching her.

Leo pulled her back into his arms fiercely, resting his chin on her head and caressing her back with the most, most gentle of touch as she cried. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Easy for you to say. You aren't the one who poured out their feelings."

At that, he paused and pulled her away from him, caressing her hair away from her face before his hand found its resting place at her shoulders, and he wiped her tears with his thumb.

"If it would make you feel good, I wasn't any better, Paige. I had fallen in love with you long before we returned to the states, but was too conflicted about my feelings for you, about how to approach you, seeing we had so many issues then," he waved his hand in the air. "Lolita suddenly seducing me in the pool, and you being so disgusted when i told you I would marry you if you got pregnant."

How can he think that? "I wasn't disgusted—"

"Let me finish."

Paige clamped her mouth shut, sulking. A look of dissatisfaction appeared on her face.

Leo sighed. "When i finally settled on what to do about my feelings for you, I met Finn," He swallowed. "Who at the time I thought was romantically involved with you. You should understand that as a man who desired a similar relationship from you, I felt jealous."

Leo's jaw worked, and he clenched it tight as though relieving that moment. Paige's lips parted in surprise. She had no idea it had been like this for him.

"And it didn't help that I was constantly piled with work and barely had time to see you. However, any little time I got I sought you out Paige, only to always find you with Finn. Which...Which lead me to become insecure about my situation. About where I stand with you."

As he said that, his eyes never left her face. And so revealing was it she could see what he must have felt those times he was talking about.

The room was suddenly filled with silence and Paige bit her lips, trying to take everything in.

"That day i left tulips at your apartment," Leo took a step forward. "I had wanted to ask you out."

"Then why didn't you ask me?"

"Let's say Finn had something to do with it." Leo's eyes narrowed as though remembering the existence of the man in question. After that they both fell silent, contemplating on what the other had said, until Paige muttered, disbelief evident in her voice.

"I can't believe you love me." Breaking the silence.

Leo chuckled. "It's that all you held on to form that long epistle of mine."

Nodding her head vigorously, Paige grabbed his collar and rose on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his.

Stunned by her sudden movement, Leo's body was stiff against hers until Paige lowered herself to her feet. Gripping his shirt tighter.

"Kiss me back, Leo," she whispered.

His eyes were upon her. "I shouldn't."

But he must have seen the unspoken question in her eyes because the next thing he said was, "I'm worried the moment I do, I—I'm afraid I would want to ravish you. Kissing you won't be enough for me. And we recently only cleared the misunderstanding between us. And I didn't want us to—"

Paige started to grin, which cut his speech short. "Are you trying to say you find me irresistible?"

Leo cocked his brown head to the side as though he had to think about it. "You put it in better words than I."

Hearing that, Paige's grin stretched further. "You flatter me, my love."

"Say it again?" His eyes darkened.

"What? My love?" Paige murmured coyly.

A smile fluttered across his face, the kind that lighted up his whole face, and made his eyes shine brightly. Paige stared at the transformation, at the man she recently found out was in love with her, and rested her forehead on his chest. "Now kiss me before i expire right here on the floor."

Tipping her chin back, he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and then kissed her with such shocking force and potency that all the air in her body seem to trap in her lungs. Paige's stomach clutched as he pressed himself into its quivering softness. Then his lips left her mouth and found their way to her jaw, where he nibbled and kissed her, raining feathery kisses on her jaw.

"Oh God, how I have missed you Paige," he breathed out.

"I missed you more." Paige returned with hushed breath, shrugging off his white shirt. Which fell to his hips, and she gathered it with one impatient hand and wrenched it away.

"Easy girl," he murmured in an out-of-breath voice. Paige smiled against his skin and then lifted her face and locked her lips with his. Taking a particular interest in his lower lips which she sucked and bite to torment.

A groan tore from Leo's and his large hands went rampant on her back caressing, and kneading her skin.

Simultaneously, Paige's arms went around his neck, and she tangled her fingers into the hair at his nape. Pressing her body even closer so that they touched everywhere while she devoured his mouth with such apparent hunger that would have warranted a little child to cover their eyes had they been watching.

It could be said that she was like a woman who, having reached the shores of water, wanted to quench her thirst.

In the past, Paige hadn't been able to touch Leo the way she wanted. Even when she did, it didn't feel the same as it did now because then, she didn't know his love for her. And was worried about how it will label her if the intimacy he offered her wasn't because he loved her. She dared not be bold.

But now,

Creamy hands left Leo's neck and trailed down the muscles of his back, caressing Leo's back and at the same time digging her nails into his back as she kissed him.

Somehow, Leo must have gotten his hand into her right bra, because he pinched her nipple, causing Paige to moan and squirm in his arms. Rewarding him with the same energy as the movement of her hands at his back became faster, they were everywhere accompanied by her cry of passion as Leo found the other nipple and gave it the same attention.