Chapter 7

 

Elle

 

It was approaching dinner time when I pulled into the driveway at Levi’s place.  I was happy to see that he had arrived back home because I didn’t have a key and, quite frankly, I wasn’t keen on waiting in the car until he returned.  This was something about which I was going to need to have a chat with him.

I turned off my car and walked through the open garage door to the man door that led into the house.  I twisted the door knob and walked in to find Levi at the kitchen island, leaning against the back of the barstool with his arms crossed over his chest.  He did not look happy.

“Hey,” I greeted him, caution resonating from my voice with just that one word.

“Hey?” he repeated.

Yep. 

He was not happy.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

He tilted his head to the side and assessed me.  Other than the head tilt, he hadn’t moved from his position on the stool. 

“I don’t know, Elle.  Can you think of anything that might be wrong?”

I looked around the kitchen.  I didn’t believe I’d find the answer there, but his angry gaze was beginning to make me uncomfortable.  I came up with nothing.

“I can see you are upset about something,” I started as my gaze drifted back to him.  “I’m not sure what it is, though.  Considering that it’s nearly time for dinner and I’m feeling particularly famished, it’d really be nice if you’d tell me what’s going on so we can discuss it because I would like to go up, strip out of this bikini, take a shower, and eat.”

His expression changed as his eyes traveled the length of my body and his face softened.  The warmth lasted not even a minute before he went on to explain his mood.

“I got back here about thirty minutes ago,” he began.  “Imagine my surprise or, more accurately, worry when someone who has a psychopath actively stalking her, isn’t here.  It didn’t make me feel very good to get home expecting to see someone I’m beginning to care a great deal about and then have no clue if something bad happened to her because she was nowhere to be found.”

Someone he was beginning to care a great deal about.

“Levi…” I started, but then trailed off when I saw the look in his face.

“I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer your phone.  Thankfully, I’ve got cameras in this house.  Slightly panicked that something could have happened to you, I immediately went to check the video feed.  I saw that it was not long after I left when you took a call, had what seemed like a pleasant conversation, and then you left the house on your own.  To say I no longer felt sick to my stomach is an understatement.  The longer I’ve sat here, I’ve been trying to figure out why you wouldn’t simply give me a call before you left to let me know.”

“I didn’t think I needed to ask permission to leave the house.”

“Elle, I’m not some asshole who demands that a woman asks me for permission to go somewhere, but considering the nature of your situation right now, I thought you’d at least give me the courtesy of a phone call and a heads up.”

He was right.  There was still too much that was unknown with this whole stalker situation.  I should have let him know I was stepping out of the house for a bit just so he didn’t worry unnecessarily.  My eyes welled with tears.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.  “I didn’t think, Levi, and I certainly didn’t mean to worry you.  Leah called to check in on me after what happened last night.  She found out that I was here alone and asked me to come over to her parents’ house since she is staying there while her parents are away.  The roofers are there and she was bored to tears.  And I didn’t intentionally ignore your call.  The battery on my phone died.”

I looked down at the ground, trying to regain my composure.  I hated feeling like Levi was disappointed with me and I was surprised at how much it bothered me that he wasn’t happy with me.

I managed to take in roughly two and half settling breaths before I saw Levi’s feet in front of mine and felt his finger under my chin and his thumb in front of it.  He lifted my head and looked in my eyes.  If I wasn’t mistaken I could have sworn I saw a bit of remorse in his.

“Sunshine,” he said, the single word instantly comforting me.

“I’m sorry, Levi,” I rasped.

His face warmed and he pulled me into a hug.

“I don’t need you to apologize, Elle.  I was worried and might have had a slight overreaction just now.  I know it wasn’t your intention to take off without telling me simply to make me worry, but I am going to ask that until we have this situation dealt with that you check in with me.  Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

“Didn’t like it,” he stated after a few minutes of silence.

“What?” I asked as I pulled my face back from his chest.

“The way I felt when I didn’t know if you were safe or if someone had taken you.”

I gave him a small smile before putting my cheek back to his chest and wrapping my arms tight around him.

“I’ll reach out to you next time, but rest assured that I was only with Leah today and nobody took me.  Other than one of the roofers who approached us when we were out by the pool and wanted to take me out on a date sometime, I was only with Leah.”

Levi’s body went solid.  

“May I ask what you said to this roofer that wanted to take you out on a date?”

I tilted my head back while Levi dropped his eyes to me. 

“After he expressed his interest in me vocally, which I was grateful for, I told him I was seeing someone.”

“You were grateful he expressed interest in you?”

“No.  I was grateful that he spoke to express it instead of continuing to stand there and stare at me like a creep.  It was uncomfortable.”

“Let me guess -- you were in the bikini you mentioned a few minutes ago?”

“You would be correct.”

Levi’s jaw clenched.

“He gave me his card and told me that if things ever changed I should call him.  Then, he walked back to the house and started working again.”

“Where’s the card?”

“What?”

“His card.  Where is it?”

A grin spread across my face when I answered, “I threw it in the trash when Leah and I got back inside the house.”

Now it was Levi’s turn to grin.

“You said you wanted to take the suit off and take a shower before dinner.  How do you feel about a little company?”

“In the shower?” I asked quietly.

Levi nodded.

“That could be fun,” I admitted, my voice hoarse.  “That is, as long as you are no longer angry with me.”

“I wasn’t angry, Elle.  Worried?  Yes.  Concerned?  Sure.  Angry?  Not a chance.  I’m sorry if I came across that way.”

“Considering you explained that I’m someone you’re beginning to care a great deal about, I’ll let it slide.”

His face moved closer to mine and he smiled at me.

With his lips inches from mine, I whispered, “Just so you know, I like that you are beginning to care a great deal about me.”

Levi dropped his head and gently brushed his lips against mine.  I was certain he could smell the scent of my candy apple lip balm I reapplied before leaving Leah’s because he wasted no time in moving from gentle brushes of his lips against mine to full-fledged, open-mouthed, lip-nibbling, tongue-exploring kissing.  His arm around my waist pulled me tighter to his body.  He groaned into my mouth and I swallowed his sounds.

My hands went to the hem of his shirt, where I pushed it up his body.  He separated his mouth from mine and helped me remove the shirt.  My hands instantly went to his body, but couldn’t explore for long because Levi bunched my sundress up on my sides before he lifted it over my head, forcing my arms in the air.  He tossed the dress to the floor with his shirt and took in my bikini.

“Shower and dinner are on the agenda tonight, sunshine, but you’ll be occupying my pool with me very soon.”

Wanting to tease him a bit, I turned around, looked back at him over my shoulder, and asked, “So, you don’t think this suit makes my butt look big?”

His eyes traveled to my ass and I watched as his jaw clenched.  He brought one hand up to squeeze the cheek of it, and praised, “I think it makes it look fucking phenomenal.”

Levi’s hand that had been resting on my ass moved around my waist.  He pulled me against his half-naked body, my back pressing against his front, my ass settled nicely against his erection.

I tilted my head back to him and wrapped my arm around the back of his head.  I brought my lips to his and kissed him.  His free hand came to settle just at the base of my throat and slowly moved down to my breasts.  As his finger flicked across the fabric of my swimsuit covering my hardened nipple I moaned and pressed my ass further into his lap.

Levi groaned, pulled his mouth from mine, and bent down to pick me up.  He carried me upstairs, straight to his bedroom, and right through to his master bathroom.  After setting me down on my feet, he ordered, “Suit off, Elle.”

I did as he asked while he moved to the shower and turned it on.  By the time he turned back to me, I was standing there with nothing on.  He kept his eyes on mine as he brought his hands to his belt.  Levi made quick work of the belt, opened the button and zipper on his jeans, and let them fall to the floor with his boxer briefs.

Not liking the distance between us, I walked toward him.  My arms went around his neck while his hands came to my waist.  Levi lifted me; I wrapped my legs around his waist.

Just as I was about to kiss him, he pulled back.

“Wait.  I need to put you down.”

“Is something wrong?”

“These fucking eyes are going to get me in trouble, sunshine.  I’m planning to fuck you in the shower.  I need to grab a condom.”

I bit my lip and nodded.

Thank goodness one of us was being responsible. 

I was on birth control, so I wasn’t concerned about that.  I only had two other partners and I was never unprotected, but I didn’t know Levi’s situation.  Discussing his sex life before I came along was something I was not comfortable or, more accurately, interested bringing up at the current moment, so I unhooked my legs as Levi set me back down.

Levi walked out of the bathroom and came back not even thirty seconds later.  He wasted no time in stalking toward me, guiding me into the shower, and getting my back against wall.  His face was buried in my neck, one of his hands at my hip, the other at my breast.  Levi’s mouth worked its way from my neck down along my collarbone, and down my chest.  He stopped at my breasts, where I fit perfectly into his hand.  His thumb stroked back and forth across my nipple, the pink bud hardening under his deliberate touch.  The ache between my legs grew more intense as Levi’s mouth covered my breast and sucked.  The pace of each swipe of his tongue across my nipple alternated between slow and savoring to quick and needy and was somehow synchronized with the pace of his thumb on the other side.

Someone I’m beginning to care a great deal about.

As the thought flittered into my brain, I dug my nails into his shoulders.

Levi growled.

He pulled his mouth from me, gripped my hips in his hands, and lifted me.  The moment my legs wrapped around his back again, Levi used one arm to hold me up while one hand went to his hardened length between us.  He positioned himself directly at my core, brought his eyes to mine, and pushed inside me. 

I closed my eyes and dropped my head back as I moaned.

“Eyes, Elle,” he demanded.

I brought my head forward again and just barely managed to open my eyes.

“Liquid honey,” Levi rasped.

Levi thrusted into me relentlessly.  My thighs squeezed his sides while my arms wrapped around his shoulders.

His eyes bored into mine until he finally claimed my mouth.

It was frantic.

All of it.

The kissing.

The touching.

The sex.

His words from earlier were still swirling in my brain.

His hips were continuing to power his cock inside me.

It was building and I knew I was going to crash hard.

“Levi,” I said, trying to catch my breath after pulling my mouth from his.

I was close.

It was coming.

My head went to the side. My eyes closed. 

“Give them to me, sweetness.”

He wanted my eyes.

I turned my head and gave them to him.

He smirked and declared, “That’s my girl.”

Sweetness.  My girl.  Someone I’m beginning to care a great deal about.

My breaths came quicker. 

My muscles began tightening. 

“Take it, sunshine.”

I took it, crying out his name as the heels of my feet dug into his backside.

Since I knew it was what he wanted, I kept my eyes on Levi throughout it.  It was difficult, but the reward of seeing his heated gaze staring back at me added to the pleasure.

It was as I just barely started coming down from my orgasm when Levi found and groaned through his release.  He pumped into me a few more times, his pace incredibly slow but still very strong. 

When he stopped moving inside me, his eyes held mine a moment before his mouth captured mine.  He kissed me hard.

After pulling his mouth from mine, he admitted, “Candy apple was a good flavor.”

I ran my fingers through his wet hair and shared, “There are so many flavors left to try.”

“Well, the peaches are still on top for me.  I’m looking forward to seeing what flavor is going to beat them.”

I gave him a knowing smile and said, “I’m glad you joined me in the shower.”

“Me too.”

Levi pulled out of me as I dropped my legs from around his waist.  Once I was steady on my feet, he let me go and dealt with the condom.  I went about my shower business.  Levi did the same. 

We finished in the shower, toweled off, and I walked back out through Levi’s bedroom to the guest room.  With the towel still wrapped around me, I rummaged through the drawers and found a pair of cotton shorts and a camisole.  I snagged a pair of underwear, grabbed the clothes, and walked across the hall to the guest bathroom. 

After slathering the moisturizer on my body, I put on my clothes and searched for moisturizer for my lips.  I figured it was best to go with a new flavor, so I settled on grape.  As I was applying it, there was a knock on the door.  I walked over and opened it to find Levi in a pair of loose-fitting sweats and a t-shirt.

His eyes immediately went to the tube in my hand that was being held at my lips. I stopped applying the lip balm and rubbed my lips together.  Levi watched my mouth the entire time.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He looked at me and responded with a question. “What flavor?”

“I think it’s more fun when you taste test to find out,” I teased.

“You ok with me doing that now?”

I nodded my head furiously.

Levi slid his hand in my hair, which was still wet from the shower.  He lowered his head to mine and brought his nose close to my lips.  After taking a deep inhale, he confessed, “I love grape.  As a kid, whenever there was candy or popsicles that offered grape as a flavor choice, that’s always what I picked.  The best part about it is that so many people hate grape.  Neither Zane nor Cruz liked it, so I always lucked out.”

“I am partial to strawberry with stuff like that, but if grape were the only flavor left I wouldn’t turn it down.  That said, on the occasion that I’m buying chewing gum, I always pick grape gum.”

Levi just stood there staring at me.

After several beats of silence, he spoke.

His voice was deep and gravelly when he asked, “Do you have your nighties in one of the drawers in the guest bedroom?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“You’re in my bed tonight and every night from here on out for as long as we’re both happy with what’s happening between us.  I made room in one of my drawers for you.  Move your nighties there before you come downstairs.  I’ll get dinner started.”

I made room in one of my drawers for you.

“Levi,” I started before he cut me off.

“Don’t argue with me about it, Elle.  Just move them.”

“I wasn’t going to argue.  I was just going to ask what you planned on making for dinner tonight.”

“Are you hungry for something in particular?”

I looked away and tried to act indifferent when I responded, “No.  Whatever you’re planning will be fine.”

“Look at me, sunshine.”

I brought my eyes to him.

“What do you want to eat?” 

“Earlier today while you were getting ready and I was making breakfast I made note of what you had in the kitchen.  I saw the chicken breasts in the freezer.  I moved them to the refrigerator this morning.  I hope that was ok.”

“You want chicken?” he asked, shock in his tone.

I smiled and answered, “Yeah.”

“What am I missing here?” he continued.

“Well, obviously, we know you have the eggs.  I also noticed this morning that you have flour and the seasonings needed to make really incredible fried chicken.”

“Fried chicken?” he repeated.

Levi looked ready to run.  I decided to compromise.

“It doesn’t have to be fried.  We could bake it in the oven instead.  And we can have a salad with it.”

“If you move your nighties to my drawer, we can do half of the chicken baked and the other half fried.”

A grin spread across my face as I looked up at him through hooded eyes.  “You don’t mind?  It’ll make your house smell.”

“Elle, I’m probably going to regret telling you this, but if you’re ever looking to get your way with me, all you have to do is look at me with those rich, honey-colored, bedroom eyes.  You do that and I’m never saying no.”

I approved of him sharing this information.  “That’s good to know.”

“Please don’t exploit my weakness.”

I pushed up on my toes and with my mouth inches from his I insisted, “I would never do such a thing.”

Then, I pressed my grape-flavored lips to his. 

Levi groaned the second he tasted me.

After giving him what I felt was sufficient time to explore and taste this new flavor on my lips, I pulled my mouth from his and announced, “I’m going to go move my nighties.  Then, I’ll come down and make the chicken.”

  He gave me a gentle squeeze and said, “Ok.  I’ll go down and get everything pulled out. While I’m waiting for you, I’ll get the salad ready.”

“That works.”

With that, Levi gave me a quick kiss on the lips before moving to the steps to head downstairs.  I went to the guest bedroom, loaded my arms full of my nighties, and moved them to Levi’s drawer.

They fit perfectly.

Minutes later, I joined Levi downstairs where we made a batch of oven-baked chicken and a batch of fried chicken.

It was exactly what I had been craving.