Forced Affection

Leo began to leave the office first; I stole one more glance at Craig and then turned and followed suit. I closed the door and followed Leo. I wasn’t sure about what to do, but before making a conscious decision I yawned so loudly-I think sleep was needed. Walking with my eyes closed, exhaustion finally hitting me I ran into a solid warm body in front of me.
‘What?!’ I snapped looking up to see Leo smiling.
‘Bedtime I think’ he smirked. Immediately from the smirk I got a tingling sensation in my body that I knew I shouldn’t.
‘What time is it?’ I whisper as I place my hands on his chest and push him to walk backwards towards our door.
‘Time for bed’ he whispered coyly. I had never seen him behave this way, well I had. I had never been his subject of flirting with though. I was so use of this being another girl.
‘Nice try, but even if we were going back to bed, it will be too sleep’ I whisper turning slightly red thinking of the alternative that you can do in a bed.
‘What? Of course sleep is what I was thinking about! Why what were you thinking about?!’ Leo said shocked pulling an exaggerated facial expression.
I couldn’t help but turn even redder. He smirked down at me and in one swift move grabbed me up in his arms. Opening our bedroom door he carried me in bridal style, there however was no gently placing down on the bed or attempting to seduce me. In fact he smirked before throwing me on my side of the bed.
I landed with a thud and knew I would never be the object that Leo would fantasize about or desire. I took off the jumper I had put on and crawled back under the blanket trying to get warm. Leo climbed into the other side of the bed in just his trackies.
Lying on his back, hands under his head he stared at the ceiling.
‘Cortez’ he began. I had my back turned to him at this point.
‘Hmmm, what’ I mumbled eyes closed wanting to fall asleep.
‘Want to go out for lunch or dinner tonight?’ he asked. To anyone else it would have sounded bored, but I could hear the nerves in his voice. I smirked to myself. I rolled over and faced him, lying on my side I smiled at him.
‘With you?’ I questioned. He now rolled onto his side and faced me looking at me as if I was the biggest idiot ever.
‘No with Drew. Of course with me?!’ he said apparently confused.
‘Hmmm just you, no one else?’ I say sounding dumb.
Leo by now had caught on, ‘Yes just me’ he said moving closer to me.
‘Yeah I don’t think so. I umm have plans with someone else’ I say mucking around.
‘Good’ he whispered leaning in closer.
‘Parker I said no’ I said realising he hadn’t been listening to me.
‘I know. I choose to ignore it and pretend I heard yes’ he mumbled in a tone that I had not expected desire-lust. He placed his hand on my cheek and pulled my head gently up to meet his lips. His graciously brushed against mine. My heart beat increased dramatically and I felt Leo’s lips smile as he gently pushed them against mine. Slowly he kissed me as his other hand wrapped under my body, around to my back and pulled me closer to him. I was now pressed up against him in the bed and had no plan of pulling away. This was the most we had ever done. And we were both sober, in full mental capacity not trying to prove a point. This may have been our first real genuine kiss.
Leo pulled away first ‘Is that a yes now?’ he whispered into my ear. I nodded slowly and leant back up to kiss him again. He moved his head though and stopped me, looking deeply into my eyes he scared me-I had never seen him look so frightened.
‘Marry me, please’ he whispered again, not faulting or looking away.
‘Leo we have to get married, I don’t get a say in this’ I say quietly scared of his reaction.
‘Tell me you want this, because Hallie Ann Rosalie Cortez I have never wanted anyone more than I have you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I can’t imagine it without you and I don’t want to. I want this marriage to be mutual. Please marry me because you want to, not because you have to’ he whispered with so much hurt in his voice almost expecting me to say no.
‘Leo Parker, are you proposing to me?’ I whisper with a smile toying on my lips.
‘Yes Hallie Ann Rosalie Cortez I am’ he said quietly, still not blinking or looking away from me. I stared into his dark brown eyes and felt warmth I had never seen there before.
I had never wanted to say yes to anything more in my entire life, but I was so afraid of this being a prank. And to be perfectly honest I would not put this horrible, heartless prank past Leo Parker-my enemy, who I was to kill before he turned 21.
I knew he saw the doubt flicker into my cold grey eyes; I couldn’t help but put my guard back up. I was so afraid of all of this and what it could possibly mean.
‘Hallie I love you’ he croaked, fearing my rejection was about to come. But I could not do this to him.
‘Generally the proposal comes after the declaration of love’ I whisper so afraid this was a prank and I was to be made a fool at any moment.
‘Yeah well we are far from general’ Leo said in a cold tone as he removed his hand from my cheek and rolled back over-he assumed rejection was to come next. I knew I was suppose to have said that I lo...that I felt the same as him but I could not bring myself to say those three little words-they were to life changing, they could alter everything I was supposed to do, what I was trained to do and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
I knew Leo was unhappy with my reaction but I smiled and placed my cold hand on his warm chest and placed my head above his heart.
‘Yes’ I said quietly but knew he would have heard.
‘What?’ Leo asked as he picked me up like a rag doll, now with his hands on both sides of my arms I faced him. His eyes burning mine, wearing a frown on my face I knew this was not the time to make any jokes.
‘Yes, I want to um marry you’ I whisper looking away from him. ‘Please don’t make this any harder, you know I don’t do feelings’ I say only briefly glancing back at him.
‘Please, I can pick on you about this forever. I’m Leo freaking Parker, afraid of commitment and notorious playboy and I asked you to marry me. And you were afraid of saying yes, you were no doubt thinking you should say no’ Leo said smiling as he stared at me with the biggest grin on his face I’d ever seen.
‘Shut up Leo freaking Parker. I was scared it was some prank and at any moment you would say “just kidding I don’t mean it”. I would not put it past you’ I say still looking down at him, shaking as I felt the adrenaline running through my body.
‘Wow that hurt. You really thought I would do something that cruel?’ Leo said, no doubt partly shocked.
‘A couple of months ago I would not have put it past you. In fact I probably would have expected it’ I whisper quietly again as I’m a bit afraid of his reaction.
‘True, I was a jerk back then. And no doubt I still will be at times, but I’m your jerk now because I can not think of any other girl let alone touch one without thinking of you. I swear it is a curse or something. You are all I want now’ he says as I place my head on his arm looking into his eyes, him smirking.
‘Does that mean I get to wear the ring now?’ I ask smile lighting up my face now.
‘Sure and you can deal with my mother and her questions, and accusing glares’ Leo said leaning down and kissing me again. His hand fiddles with the draw of the bed side table and pulls out the chest our rings are in. He grabs the engagement ring, all while still kissing me and slowly slips it onto ‘that’ finger.
My heart rate increases again and I wrap my arms around his neck, running my hand through his hair. He rolls me under him so know he is one top, kissing me not letting anything stop us. He pulls away and kisses my neck, for the first time I don’t hesitate or get tense from the touch. I trusted Leo, even with my blood running quickly under a thin layer of skin that he could tear through in a second.
I pulled his hair roughly to bring his lips back up to meeting mine; I forced his lips back down onto mine, pulling him as closely as I could. He nipped my lips gently, his teeth brushing my lower lip and his tongue pushing mine. I knew this was exactly what I wanted. My hands on his bare back I couldn’t help but feel happy. I wanted him and he wanted me. I smiled. He stopping kissing my lip and again kissed my neck, I let out a low moan as I arched my back, my body closer to his. He apparently liked this reaction, he smirked and I felt him get harder, the pressure now growing near my thigh where his legs where either side of mine. I wasn’t planning on stopping, I was aware that I was about to lose my virginity to my enemy, my fiancé, to the man I had hated for so long.
‘Leo, I think you and Hallie should...oh god. I’m sorry. I should knock’ Arianna said shocked walking in to our unlocked room. Quickly she turned around and walked out; I guess they were so use of us not being friendly let alone this friendly.
‘I should have known she was coming in’ Leo said getting off me and rolling back to his side of the bed, I guess this had gotten hotter and heavier than either of us had expected.
‘Yeah you should have’ I smirked now knowing the affect I had over Parker.
‘Whatever, go out and make sure she is ok. She might have a heart attack or something’ Leo said to me nodding to the now closed door.
‘No she is your mother. Why do I have to go out there?’ I whispered knowing she could hear us.
‘You have the ring on. It can distract her and then we don’t have to face the immediate embarrassment of being caught’ Leo smiled smugly.
‘I so want to wipe that smug look of your face’ I mumble climbing out of the bed. Making my way to the door Leo flew to my side and pushed me up against the wall. I naturally squealed.
‘Oh do you?’ he smirked as he kissed me again. Again my arms went around his neck. My squeal though alerted Arianna, opening the door again.
‘Oh goodness, I’m really sorry’ she said looking down to the ground.
‘No need to be mother. Look Hallie is wearing a ring. Get excited about that’ Leo said yawning as he began leaving the room. Arianna was at my side before I could even move. Looking at the ring she smiled bigger than I thought possible. She looked down at it, holding my hand staring at it.
‘It is beautiful. I’m glad you found something that represents you both so well. Oh he proposed didn’t he?’ Arianna said to me. I tilted my head to the side.
‘Yes’ I whispered afraid Leo had been made to do it.
‘Oh that is beautiful, that was why he didn’t want me to look or why you didn’t wear it immediately. Wow I never thought I would see him in love and yet here we are’ Arianna smiling proudly.
‘Did he ask your father for permission?’ Arianna questioned me.
‘Yeah he did. He, or my father didn’t tell me but Jake did. Apparently Jake overheard Leo asking dad and he told me. Neither know I know’ I whisper knowing it would be impossible to keep it a secret from Leo now.
‘Oh this is so romantic. Oh Craig’ Arianna shouted hustling out of the room. I made my way out of the room down the staircase into the kitchen; Leo was drinking milk from the carton.
‘How long have you known?’ Leo asked me indicating to the ring.
‘Ummm before we left to come back here. Jake told me’ I replied walking up to him leaning on the counter he placed his hands either side of me and leant down and kissed me again.
‘I’m never going to get sick of this’ he whispered leaning his forehead on mine with his eyes closed.
‘Rae knows as well. Your father told her’ he whispered kissing my forehead. The kitchen door opened.
‘Ahh the happy couple, great does that mean you two will be all lovey dovey now? Like in the honey moon stage or something?!’ Jensen asked disgusted.
Leo’s eyes narrowed. And I smirked.
‘Please it will only last a few hours before we want to kill each other. Or something else happens’ I say knowing damn well this wouldn’t last.
‘Good. I quiet enjoy the drama that follows you two around’ Jensen said taking the milk from the bench and pouring a glass.
‘Drew’s mother is on her way, she rang before. Her and Skye are coming for lunch. Sorry to be the bad news bearer’ Jensen said taking a drink.
‘Great, like I said wouldn’t last long’ I say, pushing one of Leo’s arms and walking away to the door-may as well go get presentable.
‘Hallie, get over it. Get changed. We can just go out for lunch’ Leo snapped grabbing me around the waist.
‘No I think it is a good idea if you stay and present a united front. Besides do you really want to leave the house with this media circus?’ Arianna asks as she graciously flows into the kitchen.
‘Well I would much prefer to be out there with them, then in here with Skye’ I mutter.
‘We can hear idiot’ Leo said to me as he rolls his eyes and lets go of me.
‘Um I think I might leave you two alone’ Arianna said leaving the room as quickly as she entered it.
‘’Stop being so jealous, you have the damn ring’ Leo snaps at me as he rubs the bridge of his nose out of frustration.
‘That Parker is not jealousy on my behalf. I just don’t like being treated badly for something I didn’t do directly. And if the ring is that big of a deal-take it back’ I snap impulsively as I throw it at Leo and leave the room. None of this goes to plan with Leo’s super speed. Before I had gotten 2 feet he had the ring in his hand and back on my finger kissing me.
‘Get off’ I say pushing him away.
‘We are going out for lunch. Get ready’ he says. Leaving me in the kitchen confused as all hell with Jensen. Happier than usual but still confused.