Chapter 54.

Chapter 54.
Leo's POV

The first aid kit arrived, and Lexi began fixing me up. I didn’t have a major injury since I made sure that bastard became my landing pad. Desmond… I swear when I get my hands on that asshole, he’s gonna beg to die.

"I'm yet to finish nursing your eyebrow and now you got yourself injured again," Lexi nagged, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"It's just a scratch," I said dismissively.

"Yeah, I can see how much of a scratch it is," she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

My lips curled into a smile at her playful banter. There was something blissful about watching her. The way her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, the focus in her eyes, that mix of annoyance and concern... I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

"Lexi…" I called, and she raised her gaze to meet mine.

“Why are you doing all of this?” I asked, needing to know if there was more behind her actions than mere obligation.

"Why are you asking?" she shot back.

"So I can come to a conclusion and know what to do next," I answered, my voice steady.

"Why else do you think I'm doing this if it isn't for humanity's sake? If it were someone else, I'd do the same," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Plus I can’t put a dead man behind bars," she added. 

"Liar," I said, searching her gaze for the truth.

"You're not just doing this out of empathy or goodwill… You’re beginning to have feelings for me," I stated.

"What if I say no? Will you finally let me go?" she asked.

“Do you want me to let you go?” I answered, locking onto her gaze with intensity. 

She paused, her expression unreadable. After a moment that felt like an eternity, she tore her gaze away, returning to her task in silence. 

When she finally finished, she stood up, taking a step back as if to create physical distance. But then she paused, turning to face me. "You should let me go. We can never have a future together. The only future we have is when I finally put you in jail."

"I'm your enemy, always remember that... and deal with me that way, because that's how I'm going to start treating you. This moment... marks the end of whatever familiarity or nonsense we've shared," she concluded, her voice steely as she turned to leave. But I swiftly reached out and held her hand.

"You've said your piece; now let me say mine," I replied, rising to my feet, determination coursing through me.

"Those words..." I began, locking my gaze with hers. "Say them again. But this time, look deep into my eyes."

"Leo, this doesn't make any sense," she insisted, her brow furrowing as she tried to pull away.

I tightened my grip, closing the distance between us, the unspoken tension crackling in the air. "You haven’t done what I asked."

Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape, but then she looked deep into my eyes. I could see the flicker of uncertainty in her confidence.

A sharp knock echoed through the room, jarring her focus. She attempted to leave, but I didn’t let her go. "Leo, there's someone at the door," she urged, struggling a little more.

"The person can wait," I replied, my voice steady.

"You can wait, too," she countered, her resolve clear.

"My heart can't," I confessed, my words hanging in the air, heavy with longing.

The knock on the door came again, more insistent this time. She pushed to break free, and once more, I held firm.

"Fine!" she relented, frustration creeping into her tone. "You want to hear it, right? You'll hear it." Her resolve seemed to wane, and I watched as she steeled herself.

Looking directly into my eyes, she started, "Everything I said to you earlier, I meant every word. And like I said, this moment is the end of whatever familiarity or nonsense we’ve shared. Every silly memory you have of me...just destroy it because—" 

I cut her off, pressing my lips against hers. 

Her soft, tender lips ignited a warmth that melted away the tension between us. The unexpected sensation sent my heart racing, urging me to deepen the kiss. The taste of her mingled with the adrenaline from the chaos that had led us to this moment, and I couldn't help but lose myself in her.

At first, she hesitated, her body tense with disbelief, but then, I felt her respond. She softened slightly, melting into the kiss for just a heartbeat before she pulled away, breathless and wide-eyed. 

“Leo, what are you doing?” she whispered, her cheeks flushed.

“I’m doing what you couldn’t say,” I replied, my voice low and steady. “You don’t want me to let you go. Not really.”

“Didn’t you hear me earlier?” she snapped, her voice sharp, the persistent knock on the door adding to the tension in the air. “You asked me to repeat myself, and I did. What more do you want from me before you actually understand?!”

“I heard you...” I interjected softly, raising a gentle hand to her lips, cutting through the tension in the air. “And I understood you.” I brushed my finger across her lips, a gesture both tender and pleading. “But you don’t mean what you said. This anger...it’s not the truth. You’re just trying to convince yourself that it is.”

In that moment, I saw her eyes soften, a flicker of confusion dancing within the storm of her emotions. I took a step closer, feeling the weight of what hung between us.

“This moment…” I began, my heart racing, “it marks the beginning of our love story. I love you—truly, deeply, with all my being, Lexi.” 

I meant every word. No woman has ever driven me this insane; I’ve never been so obsessed with anyone as I am with her. My heart aches with a longing I've never known...she’s the first and only woman who ignites such fierce fire within me. Only she brings me both exquisite joy and heart-wrenching pain, and I craved her like oxygen.

I leaned in closer, capturing her lips once more in a kiss that spoke volumes, a sweet but desperate mingling of passion and unchecked need, an undeniable acknowledgment of the emotions we had tried to push down. Her hands found their way to my shoulders, pulling me deeper into the embrace, while my own encircled her waist, drawing her closer.

For a fleeting moment, everything outside this room dissolved—there was no anger, no fear, just the unbreakable connection we shared. 

But just as the world around us faded into blissful silence, the door burst open with a loud thud, shattering the intimacy of our moment and Sam strode in.