“THIS IS UNREAL.” I shake my head in utter confusion as I pass the papers back to Lev. “How are you doing with all this?” It’s a stupid question and I wish I hadn’t asked it.
“I’m okay,” he says softly.
“No, you’re not,” I argue. “No one in your situation would be okay.” I take his hand from across the table. “I know you’re probably not ready, but I’m here if you wanna talk about it.”
I fell asleep while getting a back rub from Maddox and woke up to the sound of shit breaking downstairs. When I got down there, I saw Maddox beating the fuck out of everything in his dad’s office. Now, Ridge is inside calming Maddox down and I’m sitting in a chair in the backyard with Lev. He filled me in on everything, then handed me proof that Maddox’s dad lied in his witness statement. I don’t think any of us should jump to conclusions and automatically assume he did something terrible, but we also can’t figure out why he’d have Lev’s sister’s blood on his shoes—and then lie about it.
“He did it,” Lev says out of nowhere, his head shaking at his own disbelief. “I can feel it. Maddox’s dad fucking murdered my family.” Before I can even register what’s happening, Lev’s chair is screeching across the patio, and when he jumps to his feet, it tips over. The sound of metal colliding with the cold concrete reverberates off the surrounding trees and my body jolts at the loud thud.
I can see in his eyes he wants to run. He wants to fight and kill the man that did this. Hell, I want to do the same. Instead, he clenches his fists then walks back and forth on the patio, from one end to the next, and I wait with bated breath for him to say something. He needs to get out his pain instead of holding it in. After reading through all of this, I’m sure the only thing he can do is let his mind keep replaying that day as he tries to put together all the pieces.
“There’s no way he was there,” he finally says, his hand running through his hair and his eyes downcast. “I’d remember seeing him. Maddox’s parents didn’t show up until after the medics and police arrived.”
“I believe you,” I tell him honestly. “Now we just have to figure out why he was there, and why he lied.”
“He was making it look like I did it. That’s what he was fucking doing. But somehow, throughout all the statements, he failed.”
“Lev,” I say his name softly, as if I’m trying to calm a wolf whose teeth are already bathed in blood. His eyes lift and I ask, “Do you really think Maddox’s dad killed your family?”
There’s not a bit of hesitation when he says, “Yes.”
“Then let’s fucking prove it and destroy that son of a bitch.”
The morning sun beams through the vaulted window of the room I’m in and it takes me a second to realize where I’m at. Turning my head to the left, I see Lev sitting up on the bed, his eyes on me.
“Sleep well?” he asks.
I scoot up until I’m sitting beside him. “Actually, I think I did. How about you?” The bags under his eyes answer my question, but I wait for his response anyway.
“Nah. Haven’t slept.”
I reach over and take his hand and he watches intently as he twirls his fingers around mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay up with you.”
His eyes bolt to mine. “Don’t apologize for sleeping. You’ve been through hell and need the rest.”
A lump lodges in my throat and I fight the tears that threaten to break free. I hate that he’s hurting. “So do you.” My voice is almost a whisper.
“I’m just glad you stayed with me. It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone care as much as you do.”
“Lev,” I say sternly as I turn my whole body toward him, “so many people care about you.”
“Oh yeah? Name a few.”
“Me, Ridge, Maddox…”
“And the list ends there. Face it, Trouble. I’ve got nobody. Which is fine. This is my life. It’s been this way for years.”
“Well,” I squeeze his hand tightly, “I’m not going anywhere and neither are Ridge and Maddox, so you’ve got us for life.”
The corner of his mouth twitches with a smile. “You mean that?”
“Hell yes, I do. We’re all in this together. For the long run.”
There’s a beat of silence before he looks at me and says, “I know I fucked things up—”
“Stop it,” I spit out. “Don’t even go there. We’ve all fucked up.”
“True. But I was going to say, I know I fucked things up, but I really like where we were headed before I did.”
His words pull at my heartstrings, eliciting a smile to my face. “I did, too.”
Lev leans in slowly and presses his lips to mine. It’s gentle and soft, and not at all like any other kiss I’ve shared with Lev.
My eyes close and I bring my hands around his head, cradling it in my palms so he can’t pull away. I want this feeling to last. The butterflies in my stomach. The tingles shooting through my core.
Lev turns more toward me then lowers his body down on mine, blanketing me with his warmth. One hand glides up my side beneath my shirt and goosebumps break out on my skin.
My insides quiver in anticipation of what’s to come, and God, I hope something more is coming. Then I feel his erection pressing into my thigh and I’m certain he wants this is as much as I do.
The timing is terrible, but maybe this is exactly what we both need. We deserve to feel love and happiness despite the hell around us. Isn’t that who we are to each other? The calm in the storm, the breath of fresh air after a wave sweeps you under. And there’s nothing I want more than to breathe him in until he’s as much a piece of me as my heart is.
I run my hand down his back then move it around his waist, dipping my fingers beneath the waistband of his boxers. My heart is hammering in my chest as I slide lower, feeling the silky smoothness of his head and the cool steel of that piercing I love so damn much. The feeling alone is enough to have me panting already.
Lev lifts his head, bright blue eyes peering down on me. “I need you, Trouble.”
I respond by wrapping my hand around his girth, stroking in slow, subtle motions and flicking his piercing with my thumb when I twist. He lifts his hips, giving me room to work.
His mouth trails lingering kisses down my neck and jawline. A wave of heat floods through my body as his hot breath touches my skin.
I keep stroking him, feeling the metal of his piercing graze against my palm. I forgot how big Lev is, and he is really fucking big. My pussy clenches at the thought of him being inside me. It’s both terrifying and exciting at the same time.
I’ve had sex with Lev before, but it was a time when there wasn’t much passion. Right now, I feel every emotion surface. He lifts his body off of mine and I’m forced to let go of him.
Before I have time to complain about his heat not being on me, he grips the hem of my shirt and rips it off in one motion, tossing it across the room. I’m not wearing a bra or panties, and I’m thankful for that because I don’t want to waste a single second. My insides are literally screaming for him to fuck me.
I watch him keenly as he kicks out of his boxers then bites the corner of his lip, his gaze lost on my naked body. He fists his dick in his hand, pumping it as he looks down at me with a sinful expression that has me trying to press my thighs together. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he says breathily.
My cheeks flush with heat at the compliment and I reach out, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him back down to me. “So are you.” He is. Lev is so damn beautiful. And sexy—mysterious, crazy. He’s perfect.
I fist my hand in his hair as his body presses to mine. “Now fuck me.”
He tsks. “So impatient.” Then he slides his hand down my stomach and I suck in a deep breath. Shivers dance across my skin as he parts my legs and his hand explores the wetness between my thighs. His lips cover mine and our tongues dance in a rhythm I feel like we’ve always known.
The tips of his fingers prod at my entrance and my hips rise off the mattress, desperate for him to push deeper. My heart rattles against my rib cage as he continues to tease me, rubbing circles around my pussy without giving me what I’m craving.
I growl into his mouth and he lifts his head, breaking our kiss, a devious smirk on his face. “What is that you want, Trouble?”
My response is immediate. “You.”
His face buries into my neck and as he sucks on my delicate skin, he says, “I’m gonna need you to be more specific.”
“I want all of you,” I tell him breathlessly. “First your fingers, then your dick.”
The next thing I know, he’s knuckle deep inside me and I’m crying out, nails dragging down the skin of his back. “Oh, fuck. Oh god.” My back arches in a mixture of pain and euphoria while his eyes stay glued on me, soaking in every ounce of pleasure he gives my body.
Curling his digits, he hits just the right spot, driving in over and over. I can feel my walls start to grip him. His pace picks up and my jaw drops open in bliss…so much so that I see stars. My body is not my own as I come undone within a matter of seconds since he entered me. I can’t control the trembling in my body that builds with every thrust. Suddenly, I’m swept away, lost in a whirlwind of pleasure, as proof of my orgasm gushes out of me like it never has before.
“Fuck, Trouble. You’re fucking soaked,” he says in a mixture of awe and surprise.
As I come out of the state of ecstasy he put me in, my cheeks flush red. I’ve never squirted like that before. I know it’s a thing, and I’ve always made a little bit of a mess, but never to the point that it sloshes up onto my stomach. “I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He grabs my face with the same hand that’s covered in my arousal. “Don’t you dare be sorry. It’s sexy as hell. And,” he pauses as he spreads my legs wide and slips his enormous dick inside me, making me gasp, “it feels so damn good around my cock.”
My hands fly out to my sides, gripping the sheets as he slides in and out.
Lev pants and groans as his chest rises and falls rapidly. His grip on my face moves to my throat and it tightens while he presses his other hand to the mattress, bracing himself. I watch the contours of his abdominal muscles as he works himself inside me, each roll of his hips and every thrash against my core.
“Fuck, Trouble.” He growls. “You feel so good.”
He pounds into me harder and faster, and I feel his head swell inside me while my walls envelop around him.
His mouth falls open and he holds my gaze as his fingers tighten and black spots dance in my vision. The silence between us filled with only his short, sharp breaths as he releases.
My head falls back, and suddenly, I’m floating in another universe as another orgasm bursts out of me, coming right along with him. He releases me just in time for me to moan his name and cry out in pleasure.
His hot breath fans my skin and he thrusts one more time before collapsing on top of me.
A minute later, his body softens as he rolls onto his side, one arm flung around me. I turn to face him and push a strand of hair out of his face before planting a kiss on his lips. Contentment begins to settle into me, and I know I’m right where I’m meant to be.
