It was only after the shoe was off that Summer saw the bruises and swelling on the back of her foot. That happened even with the protection of her snow boots. It just showed how much Vicky hated her.
Leonardo’s face collapsed, and he looked up at her with malice in his eyes.
“It doesn’t hurt at all…” Summer shrunk back. Thinking of the time she sprained her ankle before, she swallowed. “Well, just a little.”
Leonardo said nothing and simply put her sock back on. His face was still dark as the night sky, but his actions were gentle.
She started to think that he was not as bad as he looked. Thinking of what happened in the elevator, she curiously asked, “What did you do to the elevator? Did it just fall? Will Vicky be alright?”
“She’ll live,” he said faintly.
Those three words sent a chill up her spine. That meant Vicky was going to be severely injured.
…
Back home, Leonardo placed Summer on the bed and found a tube of ointment somewhere. Since Summer sprained her ankle previously, a filled medical emergency kit had been kept in the bedroom.
Leonardo sat in front of the bed on the carpeted floor with his leg crossed and placed her injured foot on his knee. He squeezed some ointment on his finger and gingerly rubbed it on her swollen foot, keeping his head down the entire time.
Still in his business suit, Leonardo looked like a corporate general even though he was sitting in a position to meditate.
The persona was inborn. From where she was sitting, Summer could see his neat short hair, his eyelashes, and the tip of his nose.
She tilted her head to the side a little and saw his knitted brows. He pursed lips as he focused his entire attention on her foot like he was working out a solution to one of his projects.
Despite his tough and cold appearance, she could now sense the gentleness in him.
More often than not, the tougher one looked on the outside, the more affectionate one was on the inside. It reminded her of the first time she met Leonardo; he had barged into her room with his frivolous looks and voice. Never had she imagined that one day, the same man would treat her with care and tenderness.
“Leonardo.” Summer felt an urge to say his name.
He responded with an “Mm” without looking up, his hands still working on her foot. He thought she had something to say. He waited, but there was no word from her. So, he looked up at her just as he was about to finish applying the ointment. Before he could even open his mouth, a pair of lips were planted on his.
Summer had never made the first move in the past until now. He was frozen for a second. As he came to grips with it, he got to his feet and pinned her down on the bed.
It was probably due to Summer’s unusually passionate response that Leonardo’s breathing switched to a higher gear. Just as their lips melted together and they were seemingly inseparable, Leonardo suddenly pulled away. His eyes were burning with passion, and his voice was hoarse.
“Let me wash my hands first.”
Summer looked on as he disappeared into the washroom, wondering what washing his hand had to do with kissing. Soon, she realized the intricate relationship.
Leonardo almost had it down to a fine art when it came to love-making. He took her clothes off in one fell swoop instead of piece by piece. Before Summer knew it, she was as naked as a jaybird. He started by slipping his fingers down and into her.
She let out a soft moan, and he looked at her encouraging reaction. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as his fingers explored deeper into her. He had seen Summer’s puzzled expression when he went into the bathroom earlier. Twitching his fingers a couple of times, he brazenly asked, “Now you know why I needed to wash my hands?”
Her already rosy cheeks now turned even pinker. She bit her lip, shooting him a look. That brief response of hers aroused him even more, and he bent down to kiss her again.
“You know you like it.”
Summer felt ashamed and a little angry. Before she could talk back, Leonardo had sunk into her. She groaned as her fingernails scraped his shoulders, leaving behind streaks of passionate tattoos on his skin. Revved up, Leonardo worked even harder.
…
The next day, Summer woke up at seven in the morning as usual. She was just about to get out of bed when the man beside her pulled her back in.
Leonardo asked her with his husky voice, “You’re not working anymore. Why are you getting up so early?”
Only then did Summer realize she had quit her job in Jarrett Group, and she felt a sense of emptiness inside her. As she thought of it in her mind, she unknowingly said it with her mouth.
Leonardo was sitting up and about to get out of bed, so he heard what she said and replied, “I can stay home and fill your emptiness.”
She rolled her eyes. She reached out to touch his slim waist and hurried him up. “Go to work now!”
“You weren’t like this last night. Now that you’ve gotten laid, you’re shooing me away?” He was spewing shameless nonsense, but his face was straight.
Summer was almost certain she could never be as flagrant as Leonardo was in her entire life. Thinking of what he did to her last night, she blushed again and shrank back into the comforter, wrapping herself up like a dumpling. “Get away from me, now!” she snapped.
“That’s rude.” Leonardo smiled, moving over to hug and give her a peck on the cheek. “You may sleep a little longer.”
After that, Summer heard the water running in the bathroom, and she slowly fell asleep again accompanied by the blipping rhythm of the water. When she opened her eyes once more, she was woken up by Ava.
“Mrs. Emerson, are you awake?”
She thought Ava was there to wake her up for breakfast or something. She prodded herself up and spoke in the door’s direction, “I’m coming right away.”
A few seconds of silence later, Ava spoke again outside the door, “Mrs. Emerson, Grandpa is here.”
Summer scratched her head. Which grandpa was it? “Which grandpa?”
“It’s Grandpa from the old residence,” Ava added.
Grandpa Emerson? Her heart skipped a beat, and she was totally awake now.
“I’m coming now.”
She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. After cleaning herself up, she flew into her clothes and headed downstairs at once. She did not put on any makeup since she was at home.
Arriving at the upper floor landing, Summer could just about make out Charlie sitting on the sofa in the living room. Ava was serving him tea, and two bodyguards were standing stock behind him like two threshold guardians.
Summer was trying to work out the purpose of Grandpa Emerson’s visit in her mind as she went downstairs. Grandpa Emerson must have known that Leonardo was not home at this time of the day. So, did that mean he was there for her?