Levi was released from the hospital on Monday morning and home and in bed by lunch. Hayes hadn’t let him lift a finger to do anything, and when he tried to get her to cuddle with him, she’d told him his mother was coming by, and they were cooking his meals for the week because she had to go back to school on Tuesday for final grad prep. Whatever that meant.

By Tuesday, he was restless and jonesing to get out of the house, so he skipped his pain meds in the morning and drove to the shop. Big mistake. Sophia’s sister Elianna was in rare form and driving everyone crazy all damn day. Especially Asher.

“Stop being such a bitch, Eli!” was the first thing Levi heard as he stepped out of his car.

“Then give me back my shit! Egotistical bastard! Can’t stand a woman being better than you at anything!” she shouted right back at the man.

Levi stood off to the side and watched as they bickered back and forth, amused that they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, admit to the sexual tension between them both. He had a feeling that if either of them ever got their heads out of their asses, they’d see it and embrace it.

“Maybe if you guys hopped in bed, the yelling would stop?” He tossed the idea at them. The looks on their faces had him laughing. A mixture of disgust and hope matched each other.

“Shut up, Levi,” Eli snapped and stormed off. Asher shook his head and continued with what he’d been doing before she likely exploded on him.

“Levi!” Sophia had called before he was through the front door.

“Hey, girl, how you doing?” She always made him smile.

Waving his question off, she rounded her desk. “How are you? What are you doing here?”

“I was getting restless. Needed a change of scenery.” Hayes was going to have a fit when she found out he’d left home.

“Bro, what the hell are you doing out of the house? You drive here?” Loch asked, coming through the side door wiping his hands.

“Stop fussing. I’m alright.”

“My ass.” Nox chimed in from behind him.

“Christ. Stop acting like a couple of mother hens. I’m getting enough of that from Hayes.” He’d complained about it but didn’t really mind that she fussed over him. It kept her by his side, and that made him a happy man.

“So, what are you doing here?” Soph asked again.

The chiming over the door interrupted anything he was going to say. “Grand fucking central,” he muttered under his breath, turning in time to see Sage and her mother with two other men entering the building.

Sage’s gaze was glued to Loch as she walked on through with her head down. Her long-ass dress and huge bulky sweater covered anything that indicated she was a woman, or rather a girl since they suspected she was underage.

“Hi. Welcome!” Sophia’s chipper voice eased the scowl on the mother’s face. “How can we help you?”

The older man ignored Soph and looked between the three brothers before settling on Nox, who didn’t look as young as Loch and definitely wasn’t as beat up as him.

“The engine ticks. My wife says you’ve fixed her vehicle before.”

“Yes, sir, I have. So has Lochlan.” He nodded to the man whose eyes were trying to avoid Sage. “He can give you a hand. I’ve got a phone call on hold that, unfortunately, can’t wait.” Nox walked away before the man could protest.

Loch looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Meanwhile, Sage had the softest smile he’d ever seen on a girl’s face. She may be young, but in her, he saw a girl who was so deeply in love she would do anything for what she wanted.

Clearing his throat, Levi knew this was one of those times he was going to have to step in for Lochlan. “Mr. Marlowe, how about you show my brother and I what you’re talking about, and we’ll try to get you out of here as soon as we can?”

“You work here?” His disdain was crystal clear.

“I’m an owner, actually.”

“Father.” Sage’s delicate voice interrupted the moment, and as soon as the man turned to her, she shrunk back. Loch stiffened. “He was kind last time,” she continued on. Levi doubted the cold man could hear it, but her voice shook with terror.

He turned and walked out, his wife following closely behind. The other man that had come in with them gripped Sage’s arm with such force that Levi had to shoot a warning glare at Loch before he stepped forward and removed the douchebag’s arm from his body.

The entire encounter had both him and Loch on edge after they tightened the vehicle’s battery lines and spark plugs. With a quiet warning to Sage about how dangerous what she was doing could be, the family was gone.

Lochlan looked ready to pound nails after the way she had been treated by the men.

“Don’t do anything stupid, bro,” he warned him as they parted ways in the office. His brother only grunted in response.

Knocking on Nox’s door, Levi entered the room and told him about the family’s weird behavior towards the girl. Nox was just as worried as he was.

“Why are you really here, Levi?”

“I haven’t been happy, Nox.” His brother smirked like it had been obvious. Hell, maybe it was. “I started fighting because I felt empty. Something integral has been missing, and until Hayes knocked me on my ass, I didn’t even know what it was.”

“I assume it’s her?”

“Yes and no. Mostly yes. I don’t feel the same need to drive my fist through another man’s skull as I did a month ago.” He paused, concerned with what he was about to say next. “I love the shop, Nox, and I’m glad we opened it together.”

“But it’s not for you.” Nox finished for him. No condemnation in his voice, only understanding.

“Basically, yeah.”

“What do you want to do?”

Excitement flowed through his veins as he explained the premise behind what would become Hogan’s Cage, the boxing gym he planned to open. The role he wanted Hayes to play in it, and how he wanted Nox and Loch to be a part of it the same way he was with the shop.

“Count me in, kid.” Nox seemed to be just as excited as he was.

“You sure?”

“Hell, yeah.”

The nervousness he’d felt about Nox being pissed at him floated away as he left the shop and went to pick up Hayes. He knew she was going to be upset that he was out of bed, but he didn’t care. He was done lying around. He needed to be planning his gym, he needed to be showing his girl who the man was; not that she didn’t already know.

Being injured was new to him. Aside from bruises and cuts, everything had always been superficial. The pain in his ribs had lessened and dulled but hadn’t dissipated, and as he drove, they were making themselves known.

Parking in front of her school, he had an hour to kill, so he lay across the bench seat in hopes of stretching out and loosening the muscles in his ribs. Unfortunately, it did just the opposite, and by the time she was out, he was a whimpering mess of fucking regret.

* * *

She probably should be laughing at him as she watched the way he squirmed around on the front seat of his car. Sophia had sent Hayes a text message just after lunch saying Levi had gone all macho and decided he didn’t need to be at home resting anymore.

She had known immediately that he would come to pick her up. Now, as he struggled to alleviate some of his pain, she was slightly amused at how well he fought it.

“Levi,” she called his name softly so as not to startle him into making a sudden move.

“I’m good,” he told her, not moving.

“Sit up then.”

He moaned, groaned, cursed a blue streak, and got about an inch in the air before he fell back onto the seat.

“I thought so.” She giggled a bit when he growled at her. “Move over, I’ll drive.” At least she hoped she could. She’d never driven anything bigger than her mom’s sedan.

“A girl driving my car,” he bitched as she climbed in, and he strained to sit up. “Don’t hit nothing.”

“Quiet down.” He shot her a dirty look at the instruction but did as she said and relaxed against the seat as she drove them home, only hitting one pothole and making him cry out like a baby. She had a suspicion that while he was in pain, he was also exaggerating some of it so she’d continue to coddle him once they were home.

“Alright, Levi, we’re here and in one piece. Not a single dent on your baby.”

She got out of the car and circled around to his side after opening the door from the garage into the house. Stopping dead in his tracks as he draped his arm around her shoulder, he murmured in her ear. “Not my baby. My baby will be inside you soon enough.”

“Oh my,” was all that left her mouth at his words. Kids had never been on her radar. Now that he planted the seed in her mind, she could see them in their future.

Helping Levi up the stairs and into their bed, she left to get him his pain medication and water before making her way back down to start on dinner and do a little online shopping to see if she could find a suitable dress for her graduation ceremony on the weekend.

Her mom had been hounding her for months to wear a dress just this once, and up until recently, she hadn’t been too keen on the idea. With Levi there, though, she wanted to be girly and pretty. She wanted to be someone he would want to show off.

A little while later, Levi came wandering down to the living room in nothing but his boxers, where she was still frustrated with trying to find something to buy. Even with all the bruising, he was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. Her eyes devoured the way he moved, muscles rippling and flexing as one hand scratched his abs and the other rubbed the back of his neck.

The man was built. Not overly muscled, but enough that a person only had to look at him to know his strength. His face was covered in scruff due to his injuries, but she suspected he also kept it that way because she loved brushing her fingers through the coarse facial hair.

Easing down onto the sofa next to her, he took the laptop from her hands, moving it onto the table and leaning in to kiss her. His breath was minty fresh, and she knew he’d come down with a plan.

“Missed you.” His murmured words were a breath away from her lips. His body pressed her to lay back into the cushions as his hands wrapped around her waist.

Gingerly, her fingertips grazed the skin of his chest, gliding around to his back as he covered her form with his own.

“You should be resting.” He was breaking her resolve to not jump his bones. A girl could only handle bathing her man so many times before her hormones got the best of her. And that’s exactly what had been happening since they came home early Monday morning.

“No, baby.” He nipped the skin of her throat. “I should be rocking inside of your sweet little pussy, hearing your moans, feeling you clench around me as you cum on my cock.”

“Ohhhh.” She breathed. Coherent thought had left the building.

“You have this taste,” his words were mumbled in her ear, “like fine wine and peaches.” His tongue grazed her ear making her moan. “Or maybe powdered sugar and blueberries.” His lips were on hers again. “I need more.”

They were lost in sensation and bliss as he plundered her mouth. His body devouring hers completely. Their hands were fused together above her head as he licked and sipped at her skin. Moving lower down her body as he kissed. When he got to the fullness of her breasts, he growled into her cleavage, mumbling something she couldn’t discern with the pleasure ringing in her ears.

“Levi!” Her gasp was loud in the otherwise quiet room when he bit her nipple over her shirt. He chuckled at her shock.

Pulling back, he sat up with a grimace on his face. Grasping her hand in his, he encouraged her to stand in front of him. “Need you to strip for me, sugar.” He was sitting back, relaxed as Hayes stood nervously. “I want every glorious inch of you naked for my perusal.”

Biting her lip, her gaze roamed his body. From his unruly hair, down his magnificently bruised chest, and to his hardening cock beneath his boxers. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pulled her tank top up and over her head, tossing it to the floor behind her.

“God damn.” He groaned, one hand squeezing his cock over the material as her bare breasts were revealed to him. She hadn’t been wearing a bra. “Pants.” His voice was raspy.

Untying the strings, she let them drop to the floor, revealing her tiny green thong to him. It was hardly big enough to cover her sex. With the way his breathing picked up, she figured he liked it.

Levi’s hands were gripping his thighs as she slowly slid the material down her legs, kicking it and her pants to the side. One of his hands came forward to lightly brush across her hip, over to her pelvis, then down to her neatly shaved pussy. His eyes were riveted, worshipful, as his finger caressed down into her folds. Her moan was forced from her lungs when he brushed across her nub repeatedly.

“Come here, sugar.” One hand pulled her forward while the other positioned her leg across his shoulder in a surprise move as he shot her a sly smile and dove head first into her pussy. Eliciting a cry from her lips, he kissed along her slit.

“Mmm, sweet as cherry pie.”

Her head rolled back on her shoulders as Levi ate her out. It was dirty and raw, and oh so delicious. The way he drew her pleasure from small kisses and laps of his tongue. She was close to the edge when he finally wrapped his lips around her aroused nub. Sucking the sensitive flesh into his mouth and lightly licking with his tongue, her body tensed and released, repeatedly, as he groaned against her flesh.

Physically spent, he finally let her go in order to place one of her knees on either side of his hips. She wasn’t prepared when he pushed his thighs wider so hers would spread even more. His hands smoothed up and down her sides sensuously as she found her balance on top of him. The grazing of his cock against her folds drew a whine from her lips as his hips strained up towards her.

“Give me your sweetness, Hayes.” His grin was mischievous.

“Are you sure you’re up for this, Levi?” She was already lowering herself onto his hardened cock. His body heat swamped her while she took him into her tight pussy.

“There’s nothing I want more than to be buried inside of you so deeply that we blend together.” His eyes were crystalline as they met hers. His words calmed her nerves.

* * *

Between the pain in his ribs and the torture of not being able to pump in and out of Hayes’ silky little cunt, Levi was ready to explode with frustration. The combination of her need overriding her modest innocence drove him crazy.

With her pelvis flush to his, hands on her hips, he began moving her back and forth on his lap. A sweet slide inside of her was just what he needed to forget his anger and pain over the shit he’d been put through. Being inside of Hayes was the best medicine he could ever get. Her syrupy honey was all he’d ever need to survive.

Gaining confidence in her movements, her hips started to slowly rise and fall as their mouths clashed together. Her chest rubbed against his with every pass of her hips. Their tongues played cat and mouse as they chased their own pleasure. With every downward stroke she made, he pumped his hips upwards so he’d glide deeper into her snug channel, hitting her swollen g-spot. His grip on her hips tightened as he felt her walls pulse, and he started slamming her down onto his cock as she moved.

With her head thrown back and a constant stream of pleasure-filled moans spilling forth from her mouth, he wrapped his lips around her nipple. Sucking and biting as she cried out from her second orgasm.

Pummeling her body down onto him, she rotated her hips in his lap, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from coming too soon. He wanted their loving to last, be drawn out.

When her body went lax in his embrace, her head resting on his shoulder, her breath puffing out harshly against his neck, he took control of their encounter. Forcing her hips to move back and forth, her walls kept tightening as he continued to rub against her clit and g-spot simultaneously.

“Oh Levi,” she sighed just before she was taken over the edge again. Her walls clenched him painfully, driving his need for her higher and higher.

When she finally caught her breath, he guided each of her hands to his knees. Her head was too heavy for her told up, and she let it roll back on her shoulders, so her hair tickled his thighs. Leaning forward, he captured a nipple in his mouth while spinning her hair around one hand and pulling so her chest was arched even further.

“Hang on, baby,” he growled out just as hips started pounding up into her supple body. She was slick with their combined fluids making the assault that much easier. Her thighs widened even more, making her drop lower, and his cock hit higher inside of her.

“Oh shit, oh God.” Her screams were loud. He grinned.

“More, Hayes.” His words were animalistic. Raspy.

His body tensed moments before he let go of his release, unable to help the force of his thrusts into her body. His eyes closed as sparks of white light clouded his vision. The grip he had in her hair tightened and her hips continued their up and down motion as he stopped thrusting. Drawing out their pleasure.

“Oh fuck,” he groaned into her neck when she collapsed against him. He could feel their fluids leaking out of her and couldn’t be happier about it. The caveman in him was pounding his chest that they’d worn out their woman with pleasure.

“Let’s go to bed, sugar.” His words even sounded exhausted.

“Mmmkay.” They never did make it up the stairs that night.