Sarah woke up in a now familiar position . . . snuggled up to Levi with him holding her securely in his embrace. Morning light from outside was starting to stream into the room through the window, but she didn’t move. She didn’t want to disturb Levi, and she wanted time to process everything that had happened last night now that her head was clear and her thoughts were no longer clouded by panic and fear.
She wasn’t surprised that Dylan had found her. She’d been more shocked that he’d been bold enough—and stupid enough—to try and abduct her right at work. He’d never been the brightest guy, and his actions last night had proved as much.
She couldn’t deny that she was grateful that both Levi and Mason had been there to diffuse the situation, to make sure that she was protected to the best of their ability. She owed them both for keeping her safe when things could have ended much differently.
Was she still worried that Dylan would come after her again? A part of her was concerned, yes, because it was always a possibility, and there were no guarantees. But during the course of the night, she’d kept wondering what it would be like to stay with Levi, to stop running and just live life happily. To be a part of his family and finally feel as though she’d found a place where she belonged. More than anything in the world, she wanted that. She wanted Levi. And he loved her.
Remembering his emotional confession stole the breath from her lungs. Now that she wasn’t overwhelmed with anxiety, her heart acknowledged that admission, and she didn’t doubt his sincerity for a second. Levi was honest and real, a man who stayed true to his word—something she’d seen firsthand.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled his now familiar scent and listened to his steady breathing. Her past was filled with people she’d trusted who’d rejected and disappointed her. Who’d made promises that they’d never followed through on that left her devastated. It had become a recurring pattern in her life, something she’d come to expect and anticipate. Even with Levi, and that hadn’t been a fair comparison when she’d never given him a real chance.
Even as she’d tried to push him away over the past six weeks since initially meeting him, Levi had refused to accept defeat. He’d persisted, even after taking a bullet for her. He’d given her a place to stay—insisted, actually—after discovering where and how she lived. He’d protected her when he learned about Dylan. Not once did he make her feel like an inconvenience, and most importantly, he didn’t give up on her, not even last night when she’d panicked and shunned his declaration of love.
Instead, he’d showed her how much he cared, how much he wanted her, how emotionally invested he was in her. In them.
She swallowed hard, realizing she was at the most important crossroad of her life. She could leave and walk away from Levi because she was too afraid to believe he wanted her in all the ways that mattered, or she could stay and open her heart to all the possibilities that lay ahead of her with this amazing man supporting her.
This time, there were no fears complicating her decision. No doubts or hesitations or confusion. No, her feelings came to her with such clarity, she knew that she loved him, as well. How could she not, when he was the best man she’d ever known, despite his own messed-up childhood? If he could open his heart to her after everything he’d been through, then she was willing to take that chance with him, as well.
She just hoped that she wasn’t too late after her adverse reaction to his declaration last night.
The ringing of the doorbell startled her, and beside her, Levi roused ever-so-slightly. It was only eight in the morning, and she couldn’t imagine who was there, unless it was someone from Levi’s family.
A firm knock sounded, and Levi woke up completely. With a grumble and a curse, he rolled out of bed, put on a pair of sweat pants, and walked out of the bedroom without a shirt on and his hair disheveled from her fingers twisting in the strands last night.
Curious to know who was at the door, she slid out of bed, too, and put on one of Levi’s T-shirts that was long enough to fall to mid-thigh. As she walked down the hallway, she heard two male voices—Levi’s, and . . . another familiar one. Rick, the leader of Sacrosanct.
Her skin prickled with trepidation, her knees went weak, and she pressed her back against the nearest wall so she didn’t collapse to the floor. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, and she strained to hear their conversation, which started with Rick introducing himself in that pleasant way of his that had always made her feel distinctly uncomfortable, though he’d never hurt her, personally.
“How did you find my place?” Levi demanded to know, his voice sharp and authoritative. “And what the fuck do you want? If you’re here for Sarah, you’ll have to get through me first, and I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t get very far.”
“I found your place because, like you, I have my sources. And I’m not here for Sarah, or to issue threats,” Rick said in a calm, placating tone of voice. “But to reassure you that Dylan will no longer be bothering her. He can be a bit . . . obsessive, and I just found out from one of my assistants that he’s been harassing her.”
“Damn fucking straight he’s been harassing her,” Levi said, not doing anything to subdue his anger. “In fact, he threatened to take her back to Sacrosanct, where she was held against her will.”
“That had to be some kind of mistake.” Once again, the leader’s tone was modulated, as it always was. “We don’t hold people against their will. Our main gates are always locked, but everyone is free to come and go as they please.”
“I’m gonna have to call bullshit on that, considering I know all about the ongoing investigation with the FBI and ATF,” Levi said, sarcasm lacing his deep voice as he acknowledged what he was already privy to. “But right now, all I care about is that Sarah is completely left alone.”
“I understand. I don’t want any problems, either, or another investigation.”
Which was exactly why Rick had made a personal appearance, Sarah knew.
The leader continued. “Your brother made his point with Dylan last night,” he said meaningfully, letting Levi know that he was well aware of what had gone down at Kincaid’s. “We just picked Dylan up, and he’s being put on probation and will be transferred to another community. He won’t be back.”
“I don’t even want to know what any of that means,” Levi replied. “But if he does come back, I can guarantee I will rain the wraths of hell down on you and your community.”
“Duly noted.”
The conversation ended, and Sarah heard the front door close. She stepped out around the corner, and Levi stopped in his tracks when he saw her, his gaze immediately turning cautious.
“I heard everything,” she said before he could ask.
Levi slowly closed the distance between them, shaking his head. “Is he always so . . . agreeable?”
“He doesn’t want to draw any negative attention to the community, so in this case, yes. I’m sure he’s trying to cover his ass since you’re a cop.”
“Too late.” Levi grinned. “Trust me, it’s just a matter of time before ATF is up his ass again. From the things I heard from my contact at the Eighteenth District PD, Rick and his community won’t be around for long.”
Levi stared at Sarah, his gaze searching hers, as if looking for answers to everything that had transpired last night. He looked nervous, and she understood why. He was anticipating that this morning was going to be the end of them.
She put him out of his misery. “I’m not going anywhere, Levi.”
He didn’t look as reassured as she’d thought he would, and his expression remained tentative. “What does that mean, exactly?”
She gave him a soft smile. “It means that I’m staying right here, with you, despite my fears and hang-ups because of my past.”
“Sweetheart, we all have hang-ups.” He gently brushed her hair away from her cheek. “All I want is for you to give us a chance, and that’s something I’ve never asked another woman to do, and you want to know why?”
The emotion shining in his eyes was unlike anything that had ever been directed solely at her, and it was so easy to bask in his affection. “Why?”
“Because you are everything I need in my life, but didn’t know until you were a part of it,” he stated simply. “For five weeks, I pursued you because there was something about you that I wasn’t willing to give up on. Something so sweet and genuine, and then I discovered how similar our pasts were, and it all made so much sense why I was drawn to you. I’ve shared things with you that no one else knows, not even my brothers. I want to share everything with you.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if she ought to pinch herself to make sure that this was all real. That Levi was real and not some figment of her imagination. When she opened them, the answer was right in front of her, smiling at her with hope in his eyes and his heart on his sleeve—proving that everything about this moment was real, and she wanted it all with him.
She smiled back at him. “I love you, Levi Kincaid.”
He blinked at her in surprise. “Yeah?” he asked huskily, though there was a distinct happiness in his eyes that warmed her from the inside out.
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, and for the first time in a very long time, everything felt perfect and right.
