Page 42 of Under Her Protection

Vivienne did not move.

Vivienne did not step away.

Sparks flew between them. Leo knew she was crossing a line, but she couldn’t seem to stop what was happening between them.

Vivienne's chin lifted, a fraction.

"Mademoiselle Cole?” Vivienne’s voice was breathy. “Leo, what are you doing?”

“You know exactly what I am doing,” Leo’s voice was low and gravelly. “Tell me to stop if you don’t want me to kiss you.”

Vivienne didn’t respond. Her lips were beautifully shaped and inviting.

"Tell me to stop if you don’t want this,” Leo moved closer. They were so close now, Leo could feel Vivienne’s breath on her skin.

Vivienne's voice, low, very low: “I need you.”

Leo leaned down and kissed her.

It was not gentle. She did not want it to be gentle. She had been standing in this house for two weeks with her hands by her sides, and she kissed her mouth-first, no question about it, one hand still flat against the wall, the other finding her jaw and holding her face exactly where it was.

Vivienne kissed her back.

She kissed her back exactly as hard. Her hand came up, found the lapel of Leo's jacket, and closed. Her nails were short. Her mouth was hot. Her tongue was not asking. For two seconds neither of them breathed. Vivienne let out a moan into Leo’s mouth.

A fucking beautiful little moan.

Leo pulled back.

She should not be doing this. What had Dominique said about exactly this? This was not Leo- Leo could control herself, couldn’t she?

She did not want to pull back. She made herself pull back. Her hand came off the wall. Her hand came off Vivienne's jaw. She stepped a foot and a half away. She stood at arm's length, breathing through her nose, and looked at Vivienne, whose mouth was a degree flushed and whose hair was still up and whose pupils were blown wide to the edge of the grey-blue.

Vivienne looked at her.

Once.

Hard.

Her mouth opened a fraction, closed, did not say a word. Her hand went to the cream silk of her own shirt, smoothed it, once, against her sternum, as if putting down a piece of paper she had picked up by mistake. She did not look away. She did not invite. She did not dismiss.

Her eyes said: I see you, Cole. I see what you did. I am considering what I will do about it.

Leo held the look.

"I apologize," Leo said, and her voice was lower than she liked.

"Do not."

"Madame."

"Do not apologize to me for kissing me."

"I was not apologizing for kissing you."

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I’m apologizing for what I didn’t do.” Their eyes met and Vivienne’s looked darker than she had seen them.