Chapter 146: Chapter 146 Dangerous curiosity
But Leo said nothing — he only watched her, silently and unmoving. His hooded gaze kept dropping to the pink flush high on her cheeks. A drop of sweat slid down the line of his throat and disappeared beneath his collar. He felt it — the way his body tensed at the sight of her big brown eyes looking everywhere but at him. A tiny thought he tried to shove away curled inside him: Would she look that shy if he pressed her against the wall right now?
Ridiculous.
But that didn’t stop him from licking his lips slightly, heat flaring when her eyes flicked there and then darted away just as fast.
Bella swallowed, trying to remember why she’d come here in the first place. Her voice was so soft Jay had to lean forward to hear her. "I—I wanted to ask... if I can go shopping... today."
Jay raised a brow. "Shopping? For what?"
She squirmed under Leo’s stare. "Um... just... things. A dress."
Jay laughed lightly. "A dress? You want more pretty clothes, huh? Sure, you can go, but—"
"I’ll decide," Leo interrupted, his voice low and smooth , the same voice that made Bella’s knees threaten to give out. He pushed away from the punching bag he’d been leaning on and stepped closer, closing the distance between them until Bella could feel the heat radiating from his damp chest. She had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
"Why a dress?" he asked, his voice a shade too intimate. "Haven’t you bought enough?"
Bella’s lashes fluttered. "I—I just want one. For... for tonight."
Something dangerous flickered in Leo’s eyes. He dipped his head lower, his lips a breath from her ear. "To impress someone?"
She shivered, her fists balling at her sides. "No—no! It’s just..."
Jay, half amused, half annoyed by the thick tension, cleared his throat loudly. "Hey, hey, save the honeymoon vibes for later! Let her buy her dress, bro. What’s the big deal?"
Leo’s gaze dragged away from Bella to Jay, but his hand lifted to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind her ear — his knuckles grazing her heated cheek. "Take a guard," he said finally, voice rougher than he wanted it to be. "And stay close."
Bella could only nod, her pulse thudding so loud she was sure they could hear it. When she pulled away, she missed the way Leo’s eyes lingered on the soft curve of her neck, his jaw tight as he forced himself to step back.
After Bella left — practically fleeing with her cheeks still pink — Jay let out a low whistle, glancing at his older brother with a sly grin. He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his arm. "When did our innocent little Bella get so bold, huh? Eyes wide like a puppy... but they sure didn’t stop staring at your muscles."
He muttered it under his breath, half to himself, but Leonardo’s head turned so sharply Jay flinched.
"What did you say?" Leo asked, his voice calm as he grabbed the bottle of water the guard handed him. He cracked the cap open, tilting it back to drink. Jay watched the line of Leo’s throat move, the water sliding past his adam’s apple, the way his hand flexed around the bottle. The man looked carved out of stone, with that single bead of sweat rolling down his jaw.
Jay knew that look: dangerous curiosity.
"Ah—well... nothing!" Jay held up his hands innocently, backing away a step. "Forget I said anything, bro. Not important—"
"Tell me."
The edge in Leo’s tone cut off Jay’s excuses. His eyes — stormy grey, still dark with that unknown glint, pinned him in place.
Jay coughed into his fist, rolling his eyes like a bratty younger brother. "Fine, fine. I just said Bella couldn’t stop staring at your muscles, alright? She was looking at you like she wanted to take a bite."
A muscle ticked in Leo’s jaw as he slowly recapped the bottle, but he didn’t say anything. Jay squinted.. was that the corner of his brother’s mouth twitching? Did the Devil King just smirk?
"Is that so?" Leo murmured under his breath. He looked away toward the spot Bella had been standing in moments ago, his mind replaying the way her big brown eyes had focused to every drop of sweat on him, the flush on her soft cheeks, the way she’d tried not to stare and failed spectacularly.
Dark, quiet satisfaction flickered in his eyes like a flame.
Jay threw the empty bottle at his brother’s chest with a scoff. "You’re so annoying, man. It’s pathetic."
Leo didn’t even blink. He just caught the bottle midair and that tiny, satisfied smile stayed on his lips for a moment longer before his face returned to stone.
"Get back to work," he said, voice cold again but his mind was already somewhere else entirely, following Bella’s footsteps in his thoughts.
****
"Bella! Focus!!!" Scarlett’s voice nearly echoed through the tiny speaker of Bella’s phone.
On the screen, Scarlett looked ready to jump through the call and drag her best friend by the ear. Meanwhile, Bella was standing frozen in the middle of the mall walkway, eyes sparkling like a kid in a candy store.
A few steps away, the window of a plushie shop was bursting with fluffy bears and round, fat seals. Bella swayed toward it, big eyes glued to a mountain of huggable cuteness. "They’re so soft..." she mumbled dreamily, hugging her phone to her chest.
Scarlett’s jaw dropped. "Bella! No! We’re not here for you to adopt an army of stuffed babies. Dress! Remember? You want to look so good that Stella shrivels up like a worm in salt, right? Dress first — plushies later!"
Bella pouted, her shoulders drooping like a scolded kitten. "But they’re so cute..." she whispered, her eyes still on the glass.
Scarlett pinched the bridge of her nose on camera. "I swear you’re going to give me grey hair before I turn thirty. Dress first!"
"Okay..." Bella sighed, taking one reluctant step away from the plushies — only to freeze again. Her eyes widened as they caught something shiny just across the walkway.