Page 33 of All In

“I’m not done being a little bit annoyed,” I tell him honestly. “I think I’m allowed a day or two of residual annoyance. But I don’t think I’m angry anymore. Not really.”

“I’ll take residual annoyance,” he says. “That seems fair, given the circumstances.”

“Good. Because I was promised a breakfast tomorrow, and I expect you to still show up for it, regardless of your tax bracket.”

“I wouldn’t dream of standing you up.” He brings my hand up, presses a kiss to my knuckles, slow and deliberate. “Forbes list or otherwise.”

chapter

ten

Leo

I’ve only been back in my room for about twenty minutes when the knock comes. I open it to find Juniper.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Yes. I just… I’m not tired. As it turns out and well, I thought we could, maybe⁠—”

She doesn’t have to spell it out for me. I lift her up by her bottom and she immediately wraps her legs around my waist. I kick the hotel door closed behind me as I walk her to the King-sized bed.

“I’m really glad you’re not tired.”

“Me too.” She buries her face in my throat, then I feel the distinct dampness of her tongue on my skin.

“Juniper,” I breathe.

“Is this okay, Leo? I don’t want to pressure you.”

That makes me chuckle. I on the edge of the bed, her now straddling my lap. “Did you come up here to seduce me?”

My room is dim, just the lamp by the window on, throwing everything into soft gold and shadow.

“And if I did?” she challenges.

“Then I am prepared to be thoroughly seduced. Debauched, even.”

She laughs. “You are annoyingly likeable.”

My brows raise. “I’m sorry?”

“Don’t feign modesty on my account. We both know that you’re pretty damn amazing.”

I shake my head. “You’re the amazing one. And I should thank you. For tonight. For not giving up on me after I gave you every reason to.”

“You didn’t give me every reason to.” She wraps both arms around my shoulders, leaning closer to me. “You gave me one bad reason and about a hundred good ones. The math worked out in your favor.”

“I’m not sure I deserve that math.”

“That’s not really your call to make.” She says it gently, but there’s a firmness underneath it. It’s the same mettle she displayed in the vendor hall when she tore Eric apart without even meaning to defend me. “I get to decide what I think you deserve, Leo. That’s the whole point of trusting someone. You don’t get a vote in how generous I am. Or how stingy.”

And just like that, I know I’m all-in with this woman. I could search the entire world, cross universes and dimensions and never find anyone I want more. I kiss her before I can find a way to mess up a moment that good with more words.

She kisses me back immediately, her hands finding my shirt, fisting in the fabric like she’s been waiting all night to get her hands on me. She bunches the fabric into her palms and I break the kiss long enough for her to pull my shirt off my back and head. She tosses it somewhere behind us.

Then it occurs to me… the other secret. I mentally roll my eyes at myself.

I should tell her now. Before this goes any further. I’ve never had to say it to anyone before—never had to, because there was never anyone I let close enough to need the explanation. And this is certainly not the thing I’d confide in to my cousins or even my father. No, this is, as it turns out, a secret just for her.