Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Morning Tension & Soft Walls Cracking
Soft. Hungry. Desperate.
She hesitated.
Panic stirred at the base of her spine.
Was it real?
Melanie stood at the stove, flipping pancakes in an attempt to distract herself.
She buried her face in his chest, mortified.
She padded to the bathroom, splashing water on her face, staring at her reflection like it held the answers.
Because he wanted it too.
“You okay?” he asked finally.
She jumped slightly, turning. “Pancakes. Thought I’d make breakfast. Hope that’s okay.”
But her body remembered it. Her lips did. The heat of his hands on her back. The gentle tremble in his voice when he whispered her name.
What happened?
She clutched the stair rail briefly.
She turned away and caught her reflection.
Leonard’s POV
Then he was gone.
She stared at his face—the way his brows relaxed in sleep, the faint trace of stubble on his jaw, the way his lips parted slightly.
God, she kissed him.
He leaned back in his chair as the meeting continued, staring at the table.
Melanie’s POV
“Getting me upstairs. Not… making it weird.”
Because you wanted to.
One of the maids peeked in. “Ma’am, the driver’s ready whenever you are.”
She turned back to the mirror, fixing her hair, her fingers trembling slightly. As she applied light gloss to her lips, she whispered:
He didn’t push.
Leonard smiled faintly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You said I was handsome.”
She was gone.
Her fingers ghosted her lips.
“Something smells good.”
God, her kiss.
“I can’t fall for him,” she whispered.
Because to him, it had been the most real thing they’d shared so far.
He had returned a day early just to see her. To be near her. And though she didn’t remember the night clearly—he did. Every second. Every sigh. Every kiss.
Why didn’t I stop? Why did he let me?
He woke to an empty space beside him.
And yet…
He should’ve stopped it. Should’ve reminded her she was drunk. That it wasn’t real.
She was beginning to feel.
“Why did you come back early?” she asked softly, needing to anchor herself with something practical.
She grabbed her bag, pausing only once more before exiting the room. Every step down the staircase echoed louder than necessary, like her hesitation was begging to be heard.
And that scared her more than anything.
“Melanie… if you ever want to talk about anything, you can.”
She didn’t hear him enter until his voice broke the silence.
And him, a fool, indulging like a starved man.
He pressed his palm to his mouth briefly.
She nodded, unable to speak.
“Do you remember anything?” he asked gently.
Not really.
A temporary arrangement.
Except… nothing about last night felt temporary.
Her chest tightened.
Her heart pounded.
Her face flushed. “I must’ve been really drunk.”
Leonard ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Board meeting was rescheduled. I figured I might as well come home. I wasn’t expecting to find you… half-asleep and covered in flour.”
A knock on the door startled her.
Her mind fumbled for details.
She turned away quickly, grabbing plates.
Their eyes met.
He kept checking his phone, expecting a message that never came.
The tension stretched between them, taut like a thread about to snap.
She saw it.
She nodded, not looking up. “Yeah. Just tired.”
Leonard’s POV
Warmth. That was the first thing she registered.
She wasn’t just breathing.
Melanie in his arms. Her kiss.
Her stomach flipped.
Maybe last night was just a moment.
Eyes wide. Shoulders tense.
And he kissed her back.
He watched her carefully. “It wasn’t weird.”
He couldn’t afford to want more from her. But the longer she stayed, the harder it became to remember that this was a contract.
His brow arched. “For?”
Something in Melanie’s eyes this morning lingered with him. A quiet fear. A hesitation.
He nodded once. “Right.”
Why did she feel like something fragile had cracked open between them?
She stabbed a piece of pancake. “Did I say anything… stupid?”
And she kissed him first.
If she was going to fall—he would be there to catch her.
And yet, her heart betrayed her—fluttering with something dangerously close to hope.
He tasted real. He felt real.
“Don’t read into it. Don’t hope. Just breathe.”
Few minutes later…
Then the strong, steady rhythm of a heartbeat against her ear.
The boardroom was filled with voices, but Leonard wasn’t listening.
Her eyes fluttered open.
Melanie nodded. “Thank you. I’ll be down in fifteen.”
His phone buzzed on the nightstand. A reminder for the board meeting at 10 a.m.
Downstairs…
He couldn’t push her.
Bits and pieces flashed in her head. Wine. Cookies. The couch. Him waking her up. Her… kissing him?
His eyes scanned her face.
He paused near the doorway, looking back.
But he couldn’t.
His hand grazed the cool sheet. The weight of her absence settled quickly.
She clutched the sink edge.
He stood first. “I have a meeting. I should go. The driver will drop you.”
She was curled into Leonard—his arm wrapped securely around her waist, her head resting against his chest, her leg draped slightly over his. The blanket had half-slipped off during the night, but neither of them had moved.
Melanie stood by her window, watching the driveway empty as Leo’s car disappeared through the gates.
He chuckled, but something behind his smile faded.
“Not really,” she lied.
After a moment, she added softly, “Thank you… for last night.”
She tried to sit up slowly, carefully, but the arm around her tightened instinctively. His breath was steady, slow.
And yet, part of her still felt like she hadn’t left at all.
Even if she didn’t want to believe he would.
“Thanks.”
Maybe she imagined it all.
And if she remembered even a fraction of it—
She pressed a hand to her chest.
Why did she care so much if he remembered the kiss?
No. This is temporary. It’s all part of the contract.
Was she falling for him?
No.
No. He looked too peaceful. Too unguarded.
They sat in the breakfast nook, the air heavy with unspoken words.
He shouldn’t hope.
But he couldn’t let her drift away either.
But her reflection gave her away.
He pushed it aside.
As she entered the foyer, she slowed her pace. The staff greeted her politely, none of them mentioning the soft pink hue still clinging to her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if they knew, or if they suspected anything had shifted between her and Leonard.
“More than okay.”
Leonard sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair. The memories rushed in like a wave.
“Ma’am?” the driver said, holding the door open.
Was he pretending?
Still asleep.
She nodded quickly, forcing her feet to move. As she settled into the backseat, her eyes drifted shut for a brief moment. The car pulled out of Westwood Manor, the gates shutting quietly behind her.
She looked up.
Still, the memory of her voice, breathy and dazed, whispering, “Even in my dreams… you make me feel safe,” echoed louder than anything else today.
She swallowed and slowly untangled herself, lifting his arm gently before slipping out from under it. Her feet hit the cold marble floor and the shock sobered her instantly.
