Leopold: Part Four Read Online Free PDF Page A

nothing more than to be alone with her, to lay all my cards on the table. To hold her and kiss her and try to chase away this hollow feeling that took root in my chest the day I ran away from her.
    My eyes move to Elle. I won’t attempt to speak for her.
    She looks up at me with those wide eyes, and I can see the indecision on her face. She’s already refused my offer once, but maybe now that she’s overcome her shock at my arrival, she’ll give me one more chance. I’m sure my desires are plain on my face, but I still refuse to say a word.
    Finally, she turns to Paul.
    “Thank you, but Leo and I already have plans.”
    Her words make my heart soar. Who knew I’d ever feel such a rush from a woman simply accepting my offer of a date?
    “You two have fun, then,” Paul says with a smile.
    It takes some time for the others to finish their cake and filter back out—both Margaret and Steven approach me and attempt to continue our earlier conversations—but finally, Elle and I are alone again.
    The moment the last person has left, I take her hand and bring it to my lips.
    “You won’t regret this, Elle,” I say. “I have a very special night planned for us.”
    She pulls her hand away from my mouth, but she keeps her fingers in mine. “I’ll go on a date with you, but only because we need to talk. Don’t get any ideas about anything else.”
    She said something similar before our last “date,” and my lips curl up as I remember how that turned out. If I hadn’t accidentally started a fire, she would have let me take her right there in the middle of her kitchen.
    “We’ll take it at whatever pace you desire,” I say. “Though I should warn you that your friend Margaret is already planning our wedding.”
    She laughs and pulls her hand out of mine. “Like that would ever happen.” She turns around. “I should finish packing up my things, then we can go. Oh—and am I going to need to change? I’m not exactly dressed to go out or anything.”
    “Don’t worry—I have everything you’ll need on my jet.”
    She freezes, then turns slowly around to face me again. “What do you mean your jet ?”
    “Our transportation for the evening,” I say, a smile spreading across my lips. “As I said, Elle, I have a very special night planned.”

Elle
    S omething about this feels like a trap—and not a bit of it makes any sense. Not that I would expect it to—this is Leo, after all.
    Watching him charm the people I’ve worked with for the past several months makes me remember how he won me over in the first place. But none of this is real—he’s the ultimate bullshit artist. I need to make sure I remember that tonight, if this date even happens.
    I edge around him and head for the door without saying anything about the jet. There’s no way I’m going anywhere with him—it’s bad enough he showed up in my office at all. And the only reason I had agreed to any of this tonight was to get him to go on his merry way. If I know anything about Leo, it’s that he’s more stubborn than I am, and I know he won’t be leaving by choice until he gets what he wants.
    One date . I can do that—I can force myself to spend a few hours with him. It would be nice to have some closure on everything that’s happened between us, anyway. But I never said anything about getting on his fancy private plane with him. That is one part of his life I’ve never wanted anything to do with. I’m sure there are plenty of girls out there who would swoon over stuff like that. But it only makes me feel like I want to puke—it touches off something in the back of my mind that tells me I’m not worthy of someone like Leo. It’s a part of myself I’m actively trying to get to shut the hell up.
    I walk through my office and head for the back door. I don’t even check to see if he’s following me—I just begin my walk back to the dormitory where I and the other temporary medical workers live in this small town.
    He catches up to me a