All Grown Up (16 page)

Chapter Seventeen
Interruptions and Lingerie

Leo

I quickly turned my head
. My father was standing with his eyebrows raised, looking back and forth between Chloe and I.

Thank
God it wasn’t Kenneth!

I took my hands from either side of her head
, stepping back from her. I looked to Chloe, who was biting her damn lip again.

Ugh! She needs to stop.

Her eyes were locked on my father.

"Leo, do you think that I can talk with you for a
moment?" He motioned his head for me to come with him. "Excuse us, Chloe." He smiled.

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it as she looked at me quickly in panic and forced a smile. As I left the kitchen
, I glanced back to see her bending over to pick up the Cool Whip she dropped. I battled internally to stop myself from running back and pressing into her lifted ass.

Robert snapp
ed me out of my dirty thoughts.

"What is going on
, Leo?" His arms were crossed over his chest.

"Nothing," I shrugged.

He sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair, a habit that I had inherited from him.

"Chloe is close to this family and I don’t want there to be any problems becau
se of something inappropriate–"

"There is not
hing inappropriate about this–"

"Oh, I thought it was nothing?" He smirked.

I sighed and dropped my head.

"Look it’s kind of…I guess
it’s kind of new."

"How is it ‘kind of new’? How long has it been going on?" He took a seat at the dining room table and motioned for me to sit with him.

"For me or for her?" I chuckled.

He smiled. "I see."

"I don’t know if you do," it was my turn to run my hand through my hair. "Ever since we came back over the summer and I saw her, I’ve seen her differently than when she was the little kid running around with Mina. I thought it was just feeling protective like I am with Mina but I realized that it’s not that simple. It's way more complicated." I sighed. "I tried to just be friends with her, Dad, I really have tried. And, technically, we still are. But, I think I want more."

"Son, I
love you, you know that right?"

I nodded.

"You have a pretty ‘unique’ record with women and this isn’t just someone or something you can play around with. She is family, Leo." I nodded again.

Was he really trying to lecture me about who Chloe was? I knew that if I fucked around with this that I would be better off if the gates of hell opened up and swallowed me than to face my family
…or hers, for that matter.

"If you are both happy then of course I am happy for you, but take this slow
, Leo. It looked pretty intense when I walked in. She is still young." He smiled, stood, walked over and patted me on the back as he went to the kitchen.

I stood up, needing to talk to Chloe, among other things.

Chloe

After picking up the Cool Whip and quickly heading upstairs with it, I threw myself into Mina’s room.

"What the fuck took so long? Did you have to make the
Cool Whip yourself?" Roni laughed.

"Leo happened," I said as I pushed the
Cool Whip to Roni, whose eyes got big and gleamed. "Don’t get too excited, Robert happened too." I covered my face with my hands.

Mina spit ice c
ream out everywhere in a spurt.

"What?" she choked out.

"Oh, you heard me," I said through my palms.

"What did Robert do?" Roni asked at the same time Mina asked, "What were you guys doing when he walked in?"

"He had me pinned against the fridge about to kiss me and then Robert brought his presence to our attention." I sighed. "He asked Leo to come and talk to him and I headed back here as fast as possible." I pulled the spoon from the Cool Whip container and shoved it in my mouth.

"Oh. My.
God." Mina said bug eyed. Her mouth opened again, but then there was a knock at the door. All of our heads turned.

"If that is your
Dad I am going to die," I whispered to Mina who shook her head in agreement.

"Chloe?"
I exhaled in relief, it was Leo.

I got up and opened the door to be met with that smile.

"Hey," I said.

"Lip biting," h
e smirked and I immediately stopped. "That’s better, unless you want Mina and Roni to watch me…"

"Uh, is there a r
eason you came up here?" I asked, mostly to interrupt what he was about to say.

"Everything is okay. I just wanted to tell you that." He smiled
, again.

"Okay, thanks." I stood there
, feeling really self-conscious all of a sudden.

Leo leaned his head in the room "Mina, Roni," both of them looked as if they weren’t already listening to the conversation
, "I’ll return her in a few minutes."

"Huh, what are…?" He grabbed my arm
and pulled me towards him, shutting Mina’s door behind me. "What are you…"

"This," he smiled crooked
ly and pressed his body into mine against Mina’s door, capturing my lips.

Oh
God, he smelled so good; honey, sex, honey, sex…Mmhmm.

I felt him smile against my lips and realized that I had made that noise out loud and into his mouth.

When his tongue entered my mouth, I grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him closer to me. His taste was superb.

Forget the
Cool Whip, I’d like him on my ice cream; or ice cream on him….Mmhmm.
He smiled again.
I really need to keep my sounds under control.

He pulled back smiling and I
, unknowingly, was biting my lip. His forehead was pressed to mine as his fingers traced my lip.

"Chloe, if you insist on biting your lip like that then you are going to have to be the one to explain to my sister why a few minutes turned into a few days." I pulled my lip out of my mouth and he licked it. My eyelids fluttered. He
planted a quick kiss on my mouth and then slowly walked backwards, away from me.

"I’ll miss you." He winked and turned around.

I went back into Mina’s room, closing the door behind me.

After being bombarded with questions from Mina and Roni
, we settled back into ‘girl talk’. A few hours later, Roni and I headed over to our room to get ready for bed. I tossed and turned for about twenty minutes before I finally felt sleep start to take over.

A muffled scream woke me from my sleep. I opened my eyes quickly
and started to sit up when I saw Roni smacking the shit out of Max while she yelled at him in a hushed voice.

"You fucking idiot!"
Smack. "That is not funny," smack, "what if Kenneth would’ve come in here?" Smack.

"
Oww, woman! Quit hitting me!" He grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides as he pushed her back on the bed, laying down with her. "Can I help it if I don’t want to spend one night without you?" I heard Roni grumble and covered my mouth, hiding my laughter.

I rolled over and smacked my head against someone else’s head. "Son of a—" I yelled as Leo groaned and covered my mouth.

"Do you want Kenneth to come in here and shoot me?" He whispered and moved his hand from my mouth.

"How the hell did you get into my bed without me knowing?" I was still rubbing my head.

"Is it my fault that you sleep like the dead? I think not." He moved my hand and kissed my forehead. "That kind of scares me, by the way."

"Scares you?" I questioned as I felt him shift
, pulling me over to lie on his chest.

"Yeah
, that someone can get into your bed so easily." I smacked his chest and he groaned then laughed. "How’s your head?" he continued to laugh quietly.

"If I had known you were in my bed
, I would’ve hit you harder," I grumbled, trying to move away from him. He held tight, not allowing me to move.

"That’s not very nice." He started tickling me.

"Stop," I squealed out. "Unless you want everyone to wake up."

"Keep it down over there!" Max yelled across the room.

"Shut up!" Leo yelled back.

"So
, what? You guys are tag teaming now?" I questioned.

"Nah…just partners in crime."
He kissed the top of my head and we fell asleep after that.

Max had to return for football so he and Leo left the next day to head back to Seattle. Roni stayed another night before she headed back. Mina and I had a lazy rainy Sunday, watching movies and eating junk food. Monday arrived too quickly and it was time for school again.

The weeks flew by and Christmas was coming upon us quickly. Mina had dragged me along shopping so many times that I was sure that all the stores at the mall had her credit card number memorized. She insisted on stopping at every store there was in the damn place. I had gotten most of my shopping done for Christmas when something dawned on me.

"Mina?"

"Yes, dear?" She responded while digging through another rack of jeans.

"Leo isn’t…um…getting me something for Christmas
, is he?" I was embarrassed to ask.

"Of course he will. Why…" Her head shot up to look at me.

"I have the perfect gift, Chloe!" She shouted, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the store that I would have never thought to get Leo a gift. In fact, I was still not thinking about it.

"I don’t think it will fit him." I laughed and she rolled her eyes.

"It’s for you to wear for him." She smiled sweetly.

"Mina
, you're out of your mind!
No
!"

She held it up
, shaking the fabric and wiggling her brows.

"
No,
Mina!"

"Come on
, Chloe, it is perfect and you know it!" She smiled widely.

"
No." I crossed my arms over my chest in refusal.

"He will absolutely love it
and you can’t deny that." She was trying
that
tactic now.

I sighed.

"Tell me I’m wrong." She shrugged her shoulders.

I was silent.

"That’s what I thought!" She wiggled her brow once. "Now, get it!"

"No
, Mina! I certainly am not going to buy that. You can buy it for Oliver!" I threw back at her.

"I already got his present. Unlike some people, not that I’ll mention any names, I remembered
." She winked at me.

I scoffed at her. "You are evil woman!"

"I’ve heard that before." she smiled. "So?"

"Um…let me think about it
.
No
!"

"Damn it
, Chloe! Quit being so stupid and buy the damn thing now!" She shoved it into my arms.

"This," I held it up, "Is not me. I don’t do," waving my hand around in front of it, "this!" I crinkled my face up.

She rolled her eyes.

"Give me a break and channel your inner slut for fuck’s sake!" She grabbed the red lacy bra and underwear set that came with a ‘festive’ Santa hat and stomped to the counter throwing it down and paying for it.

"I am not wearing that," I grumbled.

"Oh yes you will, unless you want me to really put together one of my evil plans
." She smirked.

"You wouldn’t?" I grimaced at her.

"Try and test me, Chloe. Just try." She started laughing.

"You evil little traitor!"
I yelled at her.

"Flattery will get you nowhere
, my dear." She giggled as we walked through the mall to more stores she wanted to ‘browse’ through. Ugh, lingerie.

Chapter Eighteen
The Holidays
 

Christmas
- Chloe

I survived the many shopping trips Mina took me on. I even got out of the trips with Judith and Christy by babysitting Michele. Having channeled the shopping energy from Mina, I went crazy purchasing gifts for Michele.

Mina and I were off from school, on break, for the holidays and didn’t have to go back until after
the New Year. Roni was arriving tomorrow with Leo and Max on Christmas Eve. They also would be around until the day after the New Year.

Christmas Eve I was sitting at Mina’s computer working on upgrades to get rid of some of the glitches in her fashion program
, when she burst into her room.

"Guess what?" she almost sang as she threw herself down onto her bed.

"What?" I mumbled out over the pen that I clenched between my teeth.

"Oliver is coming here," she smiled brightly.

"He’s not spending the holidays with his family?" I had pulled the pen out of my mouth.

"I guess his family is going overseas for the holidays and he didn’t want to
." She shrugged, still smiling. "By the way, don’t leave that pen here. The last thing I want is a chewed up pen left for me to grab. Ew!" I licked the pen and threw it at her.

"Oh
God, that is so gross!"

I laughed.

"Let Christmas begin…the best present of all has arrived!" Roni shouted as she strutted into Mina’s room from the balcony. We both ran and hugged her.

We spent the next couple of hours catching up with each other. Mina and I talked about school, Roni talked about her classes and then she told us about her and Max. Apparently Max had finally decided that
he and Roni were an official couple, no more dating other people.

"It’s official, hell has frozen over," Mina laughed.

"Hold on," I put my hands up, "So, you are telling me that you, Veronica one-nighter, has stepped down from super slut to monogamous girlfriend?" I pretended to gasp in shock and she grabbed the magazine next to her, tossing it at me.

"Shut the hell up," she laughed. Mina rolled around her bed laughing and I ducked so I wasn’t smacked by the magazine
.

"Hey! That’s the new issue of Vogue," Mina cried. Roni and I busted into hysterics.

Mina and Roni had headed downstairs to ‘watch a movie’, which was really code for Mina trying to run into Oliver. I finished the last upgrade to her computer then headed to meet them downstairs, as I promised I would.

I was halfway to the main staircase when I heard a door open. Before I could look toward the noise
, I felt arms around me, pulling me. Leo. After he got me into his room, he smiled at me widely.

"I have the best timing ever," he beamed proudly
as I shook my head. "What? I do." He shrugged.

"Well, hello—
" I was cut off by the sound of him using his foot to push his door closed.

"That’s not a proper greeting," he placed a kiss on my lips. "I’ve been gone for weeks
."

H
e kissed me hard and then slipped his tongue into the crease between my lips. I opened and ran my hands up to his hair. As I gripped his hair, he groaned into my mouth, guiding us in the direction of his bed.

The back of my legs met with the side of the bed and he bent over me as he leaned us onto the bed. Once my back was on the bed
, he didn’t hesitate in lying between my legs and putting some of his weight on me.

He leaned on his right forearm as his left hand cupped my face. H
e moved his hand from my face and down my neck, until he had cupped my breast and lightly ran his thumb back and forth over my already aroused nipple. I arched my back, pushing my breast into his hand and he pressed his erection into my center.

Loud thumping from the other side of his bedroom door interrupted.

"Leo, I know you have her in there, let her go! We are watching a movie, so get moving." Mina yelled as she pounded on the door again.

Leo dro
pped his head onto my shoulder.

"Damn cock-block!" he grumbled
next to my ear. My body shook with laughter. "Oh God, Chloe, don’t shake like that or I definitely won’t let you up."

"We could skip the movie," I whispered into his ear as he growled low and kissed my neck.

"Come on," Mina yelled. "I will break in and drag you guys out!"

"Damn it, Mina!
We. Are. Coming!" Leo shouted at the door.

He huffed and pulled me up with him as he stood. He kissed my forehead and then he opened the door. Mina stood there
with her eyebrow raised at him.

"See. We are coming
." He was completely irritated. It was hard not to laugh at them.

"Well it’s about damn time," Mina poked him in the arm as she walked passed him.

Leo took my hand and led me with him to the basement where Mina had set up the movie. Roni and Max were curled up in the oversized leather chair that Elaine had bought to replace what Leo had taken to Seattle. Mina flitted around the room putting in a DVD, setting up bowls of popcorn and drinks, before heading to the lights. Leo pulled me down to the couch, immediately pulling us into lying down with my back against his chest.

It was only the afternoon, but when Mina turned off the lights the lack of windows made the TV the only form of lighting. Mina sat next to Oliver
, who was on the loveseat, leaving an obvious space between them.

About twenty minutes into the movie
, Leo pulled me tighter to him and I could feel that he was either still hard from earlier or had gotten hard again.

"That is what you do to me," he whispered lightly into my ear. His breath across my ear caused me to s
hiver. "Are you cold?" he asked, drawing the blanket over us.

"No
, I’m not—"

"Oh, I think you are."

After pulling the blanket up under my arm, he slid his hand along the bare skin of my side, cupping me over my bra. I had to fight back a moan as he placed his lips on my neck.

"How quiet do you think you can be?"
He whispered.

My eyes widened
and I turned my head to look at him. His lips pulled into a wide smile.

"Don’t you…." It was too late
, I felt his hand slip under my bra and graze my nipple. I bit my lip to hold in the gasp of pleasure from his hands. "What did I tell you about that lip biting?" he growled quietly into my ear.

His hand slid down my stomach and unbuttoned my pants before I could even speak. I grabbed his hand to stop him, but he just leaned in and kissed me deeply before moving his lips over my jaw and down my neck. My grip loosened from the sensation of his lips on my skin. I kept biting my lip to hold back the moans. His fingers traveled to my center and ran lightly back and forth over my underwear. "
Mmm…you’re already getting wet," he growled low into my ear.

I quickly returned my eyes in the direction of the TV
, darting them around the room to see if anyone was aware of what he was doing to me. I was both relieved and slightly shocked to see that Roni and Max were wrapped up in a blanket kissing passionately and, from the movements of their blanket, Roni was too busy to pay attention to me. Mina was in a blanket by herself, leaned up against Oliver. If I hadn’t been looking so intensely to avoid my own embarrassment of getting caught, I would have never noticed that Oliver’s arm had disappeared into Mina’s blanket, his head leaning against hers.

Leo slid his fingers past the barrier of my underwear and pushed one finger into me
, pulling my attention back. On their own accord, my hips slightly bucked into his hand and a heavy breath escaped my lips. I felt him chuckle behind me as he continued to assault my neck with his lips, teeth and tongue.

Not to be the only one about to explode
, I reached back and gripped him through his pants, causing him to gasp against my shoulder.

"
Oh God," he whispered, "Chloe…"

I used my ring and pinkie finger to push his zipper down and slide my hand into his pants. He was straining against his boxers
, so I slid my hand through the front and ran my fingers lightly down his shaft. Leo pushed forward at my touch, pressing his hardness into the palm of my hand. I gripped him firmly and stroked him repeatedly. He was breathing heavily into my shoulder as I quickened my motions.

He withdrew his
finger, pushing two into me while his thumb worked circles on my swollen clit.

"I want
," low gasp, "you to come with me," he whispered.

With that, I had reached my peak, hovering over the edge. His teeth bit down on my shoulder lightly as I felt him twitch in my hand, his release dampening his boxers.
I quickly fell over the edge and he pressed his lips firmly against mine, stifling my moan. I used his release to pump him until his final shudder as we both came down from our high.

He moved his hand to rest on my stomach and I brought my arm back around
. He grabbed my hand and squeezed.

"I feel like a high school kid again
," he laughed quietly.

"I am a high school kid
." I nudged him with my elbow.

"Too bad they don’t make you wear uniforms," he chuckled and I slapped his arm. "Oh
, come on, that would be extremely hot." I turned to look at him and he was smirking. I was about to say something back but his lips preoccupied me.

Elaine called down to us when dinner was ready
, everyone stretched out. Everyone also seemed to have to do some readjusting of clothing. I didn’t even want to think about what had gone on under everybody else’s blankets. It was embarrassing enough to know what I had participated in.

"I’ll meet you upstairs," he said as he kissed my cheek and then he headed for the restroom. I went to the upstairs restroom to clean up for dinner.

Christmas Eve dinner was uneventful and the typical routine. Kenneth, Judith, Christy, Randy, Michele and K.C. were all there and the conversation was light and happy.

After dinner
, Kenneth and Judith had Roni and me leave with them. Judith would not be happy if we didn’t all wake up together at the house. She even had Randy and Christy staying over with Michele. Not that I was complaining, having Michele there was going to be a great time.

Roni and I played with
Michele until we exhausted her, then we told everyone goodnight and headed to bed. We decided that we would exchange our gifts on Christmas Eve instead of in the morning with everyone else, so after we were ready for bed we sat on Roni’s bed and had our exchange. Mina showed up right as we were opening them up.

"I can’t believe that you guys didn’t wait for me," she pouted.

"We didn’t know you were coming over." Roni rolled her eyes at her.

"Sorry
, Mina," I stuck my bottom lip out.

"I’ll forgive you if you give me my present
." She winked.

Mina sat and joined our gift exchange. We all lay together on the bed talking
and, before I knew it, I was being shaken.

"What?" I groaned.

"Chloe, get up," Mina whispered.

"Why?" I rolled to my side and covered my head.

"Just get up," Mina shook me again.

"Fine.
I’m up." I hit the bed with my hands as I sat up. "What the hell do you want?"

Mina was giggling quietly and then pointed to my bed. There was Leo. He patted the bed for me to come over. I looked over to see that Roni was gone.

"Bye," Mina winked as she headed out on the balcony.

I threw myself down onto my bed, still not completely awake.

"Remind me to never wake you up," Leo laughed in a hushed tone.

"Shut up," I groaned. "Couldn’t you just leave me over there to sleep?"

I felt his lips on my neck and I shivered. He chuckled.

"I can’t give you your Christmas gift if you are asleep," he whispered and I felt him place something on my stomach.

"Leeeoo," I whined, "I don’t like you getting me a gift."

"Too bad, now open it," he nudged me.

I sighed, sat up and reached to my lap, where it had rolled to. It was a small square box. I lifted it so I could see it and bit my lip, slightly nervous about opening a small box that could only hold a couple of things: a ring (shudder), necklace or earrings.

Leo kissed me firmly. I looked at him when he pu
lled away.

"Lip biting," he smiled at me
and shrugged, "it’s your fault."

I shook my head.

Returning my attention to the box, I pulled off the bow and the paper. I pulled the box open and a velvety blue case slipped out. I hesitated before flipping it open. It was a small circle charm attached to a thin silver chain.