CHAPTER 386: CHAPTER 386 CHAOS

He didn’t think.

He didn’t blink.

He didn’t even breathe.

"Sorry," he said immediately.

Bella lit up with a ridiculous, adorable smile. "Good! Good!"

She loosened her grip on him, ready to step back—

But he moved faster.

His hands slid to her waist, fingers curling into her softness, and before she could gasp he pulled her against him in one firm, powerful motion.

Bella’s breath hitched as every inch of his body pressed into her. Her bare skin brushed his warm torso, her thighs brushed his, and the only barrier between them was the thin towel hanging dangerously low on his hips.

Her eyes flew wide.

She felt everything.

And the look on Leo’s face...It wasn’t teasing anymore. It wasn’t innocent. It was something dark, heated, barely held back.

She felt his hands adjust the blanket behind her, pulling it around both of them like a cocoon, closing them off from the world and wrapping them in shared warmth and tension.

"Bunny..." he murmured, his voice molten, his breath brushing her cheek as he leaned closer.

She swallowed hard, caught between fear, delight, and a tingling warmth that made her knees weak.

The blanket slipped a little lower.

His grip tightened a little more.

And her heart thudded so loudly she felt it echo between them.

"W-w-what are you doing!" she squeaked, clutching the blanket tighter even though her hands were trembling.

She felt his warmth press deeper against her, every breath he took brushing her bare stomach, every shift of his body making the thin towel more useless by the second.

Leo tilted his head slowly, almost lazily, as if her panic amused him. His eyes were half-lidded, that dangerous softness swirling with something hungry, and a small curl appeared at the corner of his lips.

"What am I doing?" he repeated, his voice deep and velvety, the accent brushing through every word like a warm touch. He leaned in closer, his forehead nearly touching hers, his breath sliding across her lips.

"You tell me, bunny," he murmured. "Who pulled off my towel just now?"

Her eyes shot down—

And to her horror, she realised she had tugged the towel while grabbing the blanket.

Her face turned crimson.

"I—I didn’t mean—!"

He moved his hands slowly up her waist, thumbs brushing her skin in long strokes that made her shiver.

"Then why," he whispered, his voice thick with heat, "are you holding me this close?"

Bella opened her mouth but nothing came out..not even a squeak.

Because he was right. She was clutching him. And she was pressed against him. And she could feel... everything.

Leo lowered his head a little more, his lips grazing the edge of her cheek.

"Hmm?" he asked, soft and sinful. "Tell me, bella. What exactly do you think I’m doing... when you’re the one touching me like this?"

Her knees almost buckled.

The blanket slipped another inch. He caught it with one hand without even looking, while the other stayed firm on her waist, holding her against the length of his body so she couldn’t escape.

She didn’t even know if she wanted to.

Ringggggg. Ringgggggg.

Leo’s jaw tightened. The sound cut right through the warm tension that had wrapped around them, and his expression darkened as if someone had stolen something precious from him. He reluctantly released Bella, fixing the blanket around her shoulders before stepping back to secure his towel firmly around his hips. His annoyance rolled off him in quiet waves as he strode toward the nightstand, muscles flexing with every step.

He snatched the phone up.

One glance at the caller ID made his brows twitch.

"Bark" he muttered under his breath, the single word soaked in irritation.

Bella squeaked and grabbed the bag of clothes he’d given her, almost tripping on the blanket as she rushed into the bathroom like a startled rabbit. Leo watched the door click shut with a long exhale, then pressed the phone to his ear.

"What," he said flatly.

"Brooo!" Jay’s dramatic wail filled the room immediately. "Mom and Dad and Nonna are here!! They’re eating my brain alive! When are you coming back? Come fast! And tell Bella Bell I miss her!!!"

Leo closed his eyes.

He regretted answering.

"What are you missing her for," he snapped, "and why does it matter to you where we are?"

"Bro," Jay gasped, "why do you sound angry?? Did my call disturb you two? Huh?? Did it?? DID—"

"Talk," Leo growled.

"Okay okay! So basically..." Jay lowered his voice dramatically. "Mom and Nonna are currently discussing whether there’s a baby coming into our house."

Leo froze, his brows slowly drew together.

"Baby?" His tone sharpened, confused and slightly alarmed. "What baby?"

"Your baby, bro!" Jay said proudly. "Duh! They’re debating whether Bella Bell is pregnant yet."

Leo stared at the wall in complete disbelief.

Before he could speak, Nonna’s horrified gasp burst through the speaker. "Pregnant? Madre mia1, no! Bella is just a child! Per l’amor del cielo2, who is putting such nonsense in Nardo’s head? We never spoke about my granddaughter-in-law being pregnant!"

Then his mother’s voice layered in, firm and scolding, "Jay, stop it. Your brother has enough self-control not to do anything foolish. Don’t make it sound like he dragged the poor girl into something."

From the background, his father mumbled something like, "Leo isn’t an animal. He knows better."

But Jay jumped in immediately, loud and dramatic, "Still! He’s taking Bella Bell out every single day... soooo, what do you expect people to think?"

Leo closed his eyes again and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Chaos.

His family was pure, unfiltered chaos.

Did they really think he was some kind of beast who couldn’t control himself? As if he would ever push Bella into something she wasn’t ready for. None of them seemed to understand how carefully he held himself back every night, how he lay awake in the dark while she slept curled sweetly against him, trusting him completely. They didn’t see how much restraint it took, or how hard he worked to protect that innocence rather than take advantage of it.

And he wasn’t stupid. If anything deeper ever happened between them, he would be the first to make sure it was safe for her, gentle for her, something she could trust without fear. He would never let things slip into recklessness. He would never take risks with Bella—never.

Meanwhile Jay kept yelling, "BRO, BACK ME UP! I didn’t start this, okay? Mom and Nonna were the ones talking about babies fir...."

Leo finally snapped, "Jay. If you don’t shut up, there won’t be any baby for the next twenty years."

A gasp echoed on the other end.

Nonna’s voice followed immediately, "DON’T SAY SUCH THINGS, NARDO! MY HEART—"

Leo hung up.

He tossed the phone onto the bed, running a hand down his still-damp hair.

Literal: For the love of heaven Meaning: For heaven’s sake / Please, what nonsense is thisLiteral: My mother Meaning: Oh my God / Oh dear