CHAPTER 377: CHAPTER 377 JUST FEEL

But Bella did not even hear him. She was too busy waving her hands at the invisible angels on either side of her. Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips moved quickly as she mumbled what sounded like a heated debate between three people. "No. You are wrong. I am not listening to you anymore," she said, pointing sternly to her left. Then she turned right, eyes wide. "And you, stop acting so innocent. Both of you just go away."

She swatted the air dramatically as if she were shooing away a pair of stubborn butterflies, her long hair flying around her face in the process.

Leo rested his elbow on the table, his chin on his palm, utterly charmed. His eyes followed her every exaggerated movement, the way her nose scrunched when she argued, the tiny pout that stayed even after she was done. She looked ridiculous and absolutely adorable.

He did not understand how anyone could imagine something this vividly or how she could look so serious while doing it. But somehow, the sight of her, half drunk, red-cheeked, muttering to her imaginary angels, made him laugh quietly again, his heart softening in a way he did not expect.

When she finally dropped back into her chair, letting out a dramatic sigh of victory, he said in a low, amused voice, "Did you win, Bunny?"

She looked up at him with dazed pride. "Of course I did. I am the final boss."

Leo smiled faintly, shaking his head. "You really are something else."

Bella could not stop staring.

The soft golden lights from the floating lotus lanterns brushed over Leo’s features, making every line of his face sharper, warmer, impossibly handsome. His usually cold expression was softened by that faint smile he kept trying to hide, and it struck her all at once just how dangerously good-looking he really was.

Tall. Brooding. Hot.

Every shameless whisper her bad Angel had told her two minutes ago suddenly replayed in her mind, loud and unfiltered. Her cheeks warmed instantly, the wine making everything feel a little hazy and bold. She blinked at him, realizing she was openly checking him out, from his jaw to his shoulders, to the way his sleeve hugged his bicep when he leaned forward.

And Leo, who had been watching her with the concentration of a hunter tracking his prey, noticed every flicker of her gaze.

The tiny smirk that touched his lips was slow, knowing, and far too confident.

"Like what you saw?" he asked softly, his voice dipped in amused arrogance.

Bella froze.

Then, drunk and hopelessly honest, she nodded her head with zero hesitation, wide-eyed and starry-eyed, her whole face glowing like she had just discovered the meaning of life.

Leo’s smirk deepened, dangerous and warm at the same time, his gray eyes darkening as if her innocent little nod had flipped a switch inside him. For a moment, he simply looked at her, at her flushed cheeks, at the way her fingers toyed with her dress, at the way her lips parted slightly in drunken awe. Something fierce, something hungry, sparked behind his steady gaze.

"Good," he murmured, leaning in just enough for her breath to catch, "because I have been looking at you the same way all night."

Bella froze for a heartbeat when she heard him say those words.

The teasing warmth in his voice sank straight into her chest. Her breath caught, soft and shaky, as if he had reached inside and brushed against something tender she did not even know she had. Her cheeks heated immediately, blooming with a blush she could not hide even if she tried. The alcohol loosened all her shields, and for the first time she did not bother pretending.

She nodded, slow and dreamy, her eyes filled with unfiltered admiration, knowing he had been looking at her the same way too.

And Leo’s smirk deepened.

"Let’s dance bunny," he said, his voice dropping so low it curled around her like velvet.

For a second she could not even move. Her legs felt strange, her fingers tingled, and her heart fluttered wildly like her bad Angel was fanning little dangerous flames around it. She stood up slowly, almost floating.

He rose too, straight and tall, and her stomach flipped at how effortlessly handsome he looked even in the soft quiet of the lakeside.

He extended his hand toward her, and the moment her hand slid into his, she felt that familiar heat of his skin grounding her.

His thumb stroked over her knuckles in a way that sent sparks dancing along her arm.

Then he lifted his phone, tapped the screen, and suddenly soft romantic music spilled into the cool air, gentle and intimate, the kind that made every breath feel heavier and sweeter.

Bella’s eyes widened again. "Leo... you... you planned this too?"

He did not answer. He just placed his phone on the table.

He moved closer, sliding his hands around her waist. The warmth of his palm settled against the curve of her hips, pulling her closer until she could feel the steady rise and fall of his breath. Her arms hovered awkwardly until he took them gently, guiding them upward so they rested around his neck. He leaned a little closer, his forehead nearly brushing hers, and began to sway with the music.

Her body softened without her realizing.

Her heart, however, felt like it was trying to escape her chest.

She looked up at him, her lashes trembling, and for a moment she forgot alcohol, forgot air, forgot the world. His gray eyes held her quietly, deeply, as if he were memorizing every expression she made.

Her breath came in tiny little gasps she hoped he could not hear.

But he heard everything.

Then, with a smooth motion, he spun her lightly. Bella let out a small gasp, half surprised, half thrilled. Her white dress swayed in a soft circle, brushing against his leg as she turned.

Before she even steadied herself, he pulled her back with a single firm tug.

Her back collided gently with his chest.

His arm wrapped around her waist.

His body molded behind hers.

And then his lips brushed close to her neck, not kissing, just resting in the warm space between her shoulder and jaw, breathing her in like she was something rare and intoxicating.

Bella’s knees nearly gave out.

A shudder ran through her, sweet and sharp, curling low in her belly. The soft brush of his breath, mixed with the faint scent of wine on him, made her head feel light and dizzy.

She whispered his name without meaning to. "Leo..."

He tightened his hold on her waist by a fraction, his breath slow and controlled.

"Relax," he murmured against her skin. "Just feel."

And Bella did. She felt everything, his warmth, his breath, the fast beat of his heart against her back, the slow rhythm of the music, and the way her own heart seemed to melt in her chest.