Chapter 24

 

 

Elle

 

“She should be pulling in to the driveway any minute now.”

Levi and I had arrived back at his place just over thirty minutes ago and about twenty minutes after we returned, I received a text message from Leah telling me that she was leaving her place.

“Thank you again for allowing her to stay the night here in your home,” I stated for the second time that night.   

“You don’t need to thank me, sunshine.  I just want you to be happy.”

I leaned into him and squeezed my arms around his waist attempting to let him know just how happy he made me.  Levi held me tight, silently reminding me just how much he cared about me.

“I couldn’t wait to get back from the tour to be around the people that make this place a perfect place to call home.  Thank you for going on tour with me, but more importantly, thank you for bringing me home.”

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.  Levi moved to open it and I followed along beside him.  Leah walked in with a weekender bag carrying some things for her overnight stay.

“Did you find the place alright, LP?” I asked.

“Yep.  No problems at all,” she answered me before turning her attention to Levi.  “Thanks for allowing me to spend the night tonight.  I’ve really missed spending time with Elle and I appreciate you giving us this time together.”

“It’s not a problem at all,” Levi declared.

He then turned his attention to me and explained, “I’m going to lock up everything and head up to bed so you two can catch up.”

“Oh, now I feel bad,” Leah broke in.  “We’re making you go to bed early and alone.”

“I’ve got to get up and head into the office early tomorrow morning, so it’s not a big deal,” Levi started.  He didn’t take his eyes off me when he wrapped a hand around the back of my head and continued, “I won’t be alone all night, right?”

“No,” I whispered.

With that, Levi leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips.  “Wake me when you come to bed, sweetness.”

I dipped my head in acknowledgement of his request.

“Good night, Leah,” he expressed as he started walking away.

“Night.”

Levi took off to lock up and head to bed, while I ushered Leah into the family room.  Before she arrived, I got out a few snacks and a bottle of wine.  I figured a bit of alcohol might help in this situation.  I poured each of us a glass and we made ourselves comfortable on the couch.

“So, tell me everything.”

I took in a deep breath.  “Oh, where do I begin?  Ok, so you know what happened in the beginning.  I was receiving the flowers with cards that had creepy messages and there was the whole knife in the back and attempted kidnapping situation.  We initially all assumed that the person responsible for everything was a man.  Trent, who is part of Levi’s team and a computer genius, has been monitoring everything on my accounts.  When I did a live session while I was on tour, he ended up finding out that this Becky Blunt woman watched it.”

“Yeah, but E, you’ve got thousands of followers.  What made him pick her out of the crowd?”

“The day I left to go on tour, Trent started going through all of my followers on social media that had those initials from the notes I’d been receiving before I even left to go on tour.  By the time I did the live session, he had gotten through everyone and there wasn’t anyone who stood out as a possible suspect.  Trent went through the people who watched the live session and saw her name.  He realized she wasn’t one of my followers and decided to do some digging.  As it turns out, the bitch is crazy.”

Leah face changed.  She looked panicked and worried for me.  I quickly tried to quell any fear she had and explained, “On the surface, if you looked at her social media accounts, you wouldn’t think anything of it.  Now, if you set hers next to mine, you’d see the similarities, which are overwhelmingly alarming.  She is obsessed with me.  Beyond obsessed.  When you look at each of our profiles you’d see the connection, it’s just irritating.  But when you add in the fact that she’s sending the notes, having me held at knifepoint, and more, it’s downright frightening.”

“Why would someone do this?” Leah wondered.

I let out a sigh and declared, “That’s the million-dollar question.  I wish I knew.  It’s the one thing I keep asking every time something else happens.  I’ve gotten a scary phone call where a voice changer was used and she’s even managed to invade my privacy by accessing the private messages on my social media accounts.  To top it off, she’s hinted at me being deserving of sexual assault.  I just don’t understand why anyone would ever want to spend their lives constantly focusing on someone else.  Wouldn’t life be so much more enjoyable by actually concentrating on yourself?  It’s exhausting, LP.  I’ve had thousands of questions and scenarios run through my head trying to figure it out and none of it makes sense.”

I paused, dropping my head back on the couch to stare up at the ceiling and giving her a moment to process everything I had said before I continued, “Of course, there’s the obvious explanation.”

“Which is?”

I brought the glass of wine up to my lips and took a sip before I turned my head toward her and concluded, “Jealousy.”

Leah stared at me for quite some time before she admitted, “Gosh, E, this is making my head spin.  I can’t imagine having to deal with this; yet somehow, you’re managing to keep it all together surprisingly well.”

A small laugh escaped the back of my throat.  “Talk to me after you’ve witnessed me finding out a new piece of information on this case.”

She gave me a knowing smile and countered, “I can only guess how that goes down.”

“You’d probably be right in your assumptions,” I began.  “But in all seriousness, it’s Levi that’s helping me stay sane.  Throughout the entire tour, he was so good about making sure I didn’t become overwhelmed with the stress of not just touring, but also this whole situation.”

“Sounds like you’ve finally found Prince Charming.”

I closed my eyes briefly and took in my best friend’s words.  She was right.

“Yeah, I have.  And I’ve got Becky to thank for that.  If this hadn’t happened, I’m not sure Levi and I would have ever gotten together.  I guess that’s the silver lining in all of this.”

“I’m happy you’re finally getting what you deserve,” Leah added gently. 

“Ok, enough about me.  What about you?  How is everything at the clinic?”

She rolled her eyes at me.  “That’s the only thing in my life that I understand.  Animals.  Everything they do is based on instinct.  On the bright side, animals do not provide the drama that people do.”

“Still no luck figuring out how to break the news that you don’t really want to be a vet?” I pressed.

Her eyes filled with tears.  “I don’t want to disappoint my family.  I’m afraid they’ll see me in a negative light if I don’t do what’s been expected of me for so many years.  Sure, I care about the animals, but I don’t feel fulfilled doing this every single day.  Something is missing.”

I hated this for her.  I couldn’t imagine living my life doing what made someone else happy or feeling like I couldn’t do what would truly make me happy because the people in my life who are supposed to love and support me would judge me instead.

“I know we’ve had this discussion about a billion times, but do you have any idea on what you’d want to do?”

“Not really,” she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders.  “It’s not like it’d matter anyway.”

I shook my head in disbelief.  “You ask how I’m managing to deal with what I’m going through, but I sit here and wonder how you do it.  How do you put on a happy face every day knowing that you’re essentially dying inside?  They’re your family; they should support you no matter what you choose to do, and they should do it without passing any judgement.”

“I know.  And there’s the rational part of my brain that tells me that, but there’s the other part that believes they’ll think anything else I might do with myself is beneath me.”

There wasn’t much I could say to change her mind.  We’d done this for years.  She’d tell me how she really felt, but she’d never tell the people who needed to hear it.  Seeing her mood grow somber, I decided to change topics.

“How are things on the dating front?”

She scoffed, “I told you the only thing I seem to understand in life right now are animals.  Don’t even get me started on men.”

“No luck?”

She shook her head.  “I went out on a date that first night you were on tour.  I thought it went well and the guy said he’d call, but I never heard from him again.”

“I’m sorry, LP.  You’ll find your Prince Charming soon.”

“I won’t hold my breath,” she retorted.

A crazy thought flashed through my mind and my eyes rounded. 

“I’m not sure if I like that look,” Leah worried.

A devilish grin spread across my face and I explained, “I just had the greatest idea.  Levi’s entire team is single.  We should set you up on a date with one of them.”

“Really?  That guy Dom is so hot,” she shared, her face lighting up. 

“He’s a crazy motherfucker, too.  At least, that’s what I’m told.  But beyond that, he’s a really nice guy that’s super laid-back.  I’m thinking he’d be perfect for you.”

My best friend was back in good spirits.

Mission accomplished.

Leah and I spent the next hour catching up on everything, filling up on wine.  I gave her more of the specific details of Becky’s shenanigans and the fun from the tour.  She listened, particularly when I spoke about Dom, and then brought me up to speed on all the gossip that I missed out on while I was away.

After we consumed the entire bottle, I finally showed her to the guest bedroom at the opposite end of the hall from where Levi’s bedroom was.  Since Levi had a couple of spare rooms, I thought this was better than sticking her in the room I had stayed in my first night here.  Once I got Leah settled, I made my way down the hall to Levi’s room.  He was sleeping, but had asked me to wake him when I came to bed.  I felt bad doing it, but I knew he’d probably be pissed in the morning if I didn’t.

After stripping out of all my clothes and pulling a nightie over my head, I climbed under the covers and scooted across the bed toward him.  He was on his side with his back to me.  I pressed my front to his back and wrapped my arm around him.  I slid my hand from his chest, down his abdomen.  I only made it a few inches before he seized my wrist and rolled in the bed so that he was facing me.

“Everything good between you and your girl?” he whispered.

“Yeah,” I whispered back.  “Thank you for giving me that time with her tonight.”

Levi’s hand slid up my back into my hair.  “Anything, Elle.  I’ll always give you anything I can.”

We were in the dark, but I managed to make out the features on his face.  I leaned in and kissed him on the lips while I slid my hand down his abdomen to his hardened length.

“Taking charge here, sunshine?”

“It’s the half a bottle of wine I consumed,” I answered, trying to relieve my sober self of any blame.  “You said you’ll give me anything you can.  I want this and I want to give you some honey, love.”

I felt him smile against my lips.  “How do you want it?”

“On my side with you behind me,” I replied, my voice a breathy whisper.

Levi slid his hand down to my hip and pushed me to my back.  He wrapped his arm around my waist and turned me so that my back was now against his front.  Levi wasted no time in sliding my nightie up and out of his way. Then, he positioned himself at my slick center and entered me.

Once he began to move, I interlocked my fingers with his and closed my eyes.

“I love you, sweetness,” he rasped in my ear.

I turned my head toward him and gave him my mouth, while he continued his delightful, languid thrusts into me.

“So good,” I murmured.  “You’re so good to me.”

He melted my heart when he said, “You give back just as good as you get.”

Knowing I made him feel just as good as he made me feel, not just physically, filled me with such joy. 

I couldn’t focus too much on the emotional bliss I was feeling because it was being overpowered by the physical pleasure he was giving me.

I moaned as he pushed in and pulled out of me, all while squeezing my fingers in his and peppering kisses on my cheek, my jaw, my neck, my mouth, and my shoulders.

Arching my back, I pressed my ass into his lap.  Now, it was his turn to moan.

“This is my home, Elle.  Right here…” he bit out on an inward thrust.  “With you is my home.”

It was on those words my body took over and I climaxed.  Tears leaked from my eyes, my soul touched by the words he spoke.

Feeling the reaction my body had to what he said, Levi found his release and buried himself to the root inside me. 

The two of us stayed connected like that for a very long time, Levi’s arms tight around me as my hands gripped his firmly.  Levi eventually pulled himself from my body and fell to his back.  He turned me and took me with him. 

Minutes later, without any more words, our breathing evened out and we both fell asleep. 

It was early the next morning when I felt the bed depress and heard Levi call, “Elle?”

I turned toward the sound of his voice and opened my eyes. 

“I’ve got to get going, sunshine.  I need to get into the office and take care of some things that I want to research on your case.  I’ll set the alarm before I leave.  If you and Leah decide to go anywhere, please call me first.”

“Ok,” I agreed, my voice husky with sleep.  “What time is it?”

“Just before eight.”

“Will you kiss me before you leave?”

He leaned in and divulged, “Planned on it.”

Levi touched his lips to mine as I wrapped my arms around his neck.  He gave me a kiss that was intended to last until he returned later.  When he pulled back, I questioned him.  “Are you expecting a long day?”

“I wish I had an answer for you, but I’m not sure yet.  There are quite a few things I want to look into, one in particular that’s not sitting well with me.  It’ll just depend on how long it takes me to fully investigate those things and alleviate the concerns I have with them.  I’ll call you throughout the day just to touch base.”

I didn’t like this sudden shift in his mood.  It seemed he had thoughts about what was going on that he hadn’t filled me in on. 

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing I want you to be concerned with just yet.  Give me the day to scrutinize some stuff and I’ll fill you in when I get home.”

“I get the feeling I should be worried,” I admitted.

His face softened.  “I’m sorry.  Just trust me to research this properly so I can ease both of our minds.”

“I do.”

Levi bent over me and gave me a quick kiss.  “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the room. 

I stayed in bed for quite some time thinking about the last few weeks of my life.  Everything from the stalker and security team, to love and Levi.  After all of those thoughts filtered through my head, I decided to get up and check in on Leah. 

I walked down the hall to the guest bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Yeah?” she called from inside the room, but I was already walking in.  As I stepped inside, I saw that she had just gotten out of the shower and was just about ready to start her day.  

“Morning, LP.  Sleep ok?”

“Yeah.  I’ve got to get to the clinic, but I’m not heading in until around ten.  I figured if Levi’s got all the ingredients here I could whip you both up a batch of my waffles.”

I grinned huge at her and reminded her, “Levi left a little while ago to head into the office, but I’m more than willing to have your waffles.  I’ll come downstairs with you to make sure he’s got everything here and then, if you don’t mind, I’ll run back up here to shower quick while you make them.”

“That works for me.”

Leah and I made our way downstairs to the kitchen where we found that Levi did, in fact, have all the ingredients she’d need for making her waffles.  After making sure she had everything she needed, I went back upstairs and hopped in the shower.  I made quick work of my shower duties, so that I’d have a few minutes to dry my hair without having to let my breakfast get cold. 

As I walked back out into the kitchen not much later, I found that I had timed it all perfectly.  Leah had just set the waffles on plates.

“Perfect timing,” she started.  “Breakfast is ready.”

“I’ve been salivating since you said you wanted to make these.  I think it’s been easily six months since I’ve had your world-famous waffles.”

She held out a mug with tea for me and said, “Enjoy!”

At that, we dug in.

As was not uncommon, I overate.