Chapter 21

 

 

Elle

 

“That’s the last of it,” I murmured.

I zipped up my suitcase and moved to the bed.

Levi and I arrived back at the hotel not long ago.  We showered together as soon as we got back.  Shower was all that we did, though.  I think we were both lost in our own thoughts over what happened at my show tonight.  After we showered, the two of us took to packing up our suitcases since we had an early morning flight out of Vegas back to Wyoming.  This was only after I blasted out an update on my social media accounts, letting my fans know what happened and that I was ok.  Of course, I also apologized to the fans who attended the final show in Vegas that it got cut short.  As much as I hated certain aspects of touring, I knew I was going to come back to Vegas at some point in the future to deliver another show for these fans.  They deserved that from me and I was sure to tell them that.    

I couldn’t wait to get home.  This was, without a doubt, the only time throughout the entire tour that had me looking forward to getting on a plane.

Climbing into the bed, I pulled back the covers and settled myself underneath them.  Levi, who had finished packing his suitcase quite a bit before me, crawled into bed beside me and turned off the bedside light.  He wrapped an arm around me and pulled my body toward him; my front was pressed to his. 

My body was tense.  I knew he could feel it.  I knew because his was only slightly more relaxed than it had been when we were at the venue tonight and I knew that my tension and anxiety were not helping him find any peace.

Quite some time later, we were still there in the dark, our bodies pressed together, and neither of us was any closer to finding sleep. 

He broke the silence when he whispered into the top of my head, “I’m sorry, sunshine.”

The sentiment was a pained one.

“Sorry?” I questioned, confused at the apology.

“You were right in your assumption that she got into your account and I didn’t act appropriately based on your instincts.”

I didn’t want him punishing himself over this.  He explained his reasoning behind the reaction he had and I wasn’t going to hold it against him. 

“It’s ok, Levi.  I understand why you responded to it the way you did.  You can’t dwell on it now.”

“No, Elle, it’s not ok.  I put you at risk tonight.  If something had happened to you…” he trailed off. 

I pressed a kiss to the upper part of his chest.

“Nothing happened to me.  You made sure of that,” I reassured him, my lips still just barely touching his skin.

His body was still rock solid. 

“I should have had Trent look into it further when you said something about it this morning.  I’m so sorry,” he repeated.

I sighed.  “Let it go, Levi.  Please, let it go for me.  I’m here in your arms and it’s the place I feel the safest.”

He relaxed only slightly.

“Just hold me tight and keep me close to you tonight.  In the morning, take me home.”

Levi’s arms tightened around me and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

“Love you, sweetness.  Love you so much.”

“More, my hero.  I love you more.”

Levi’s hand slid up my back and into my hair before he gently tugged and pulled my face away from his chest.  It was too dark in the room to see the expression on his face, but I didn’t need to see him.  I could feel his emotion.

“Already told you, Elle…that’s not fuckin’ possible.”

My insides warmed at hearing him say this to me again.  I stayed quiet and settled into that warmth.  Levi wrote off my gut feeling and hours later there was a serious threat to my safety.  After he considered the devastatingly harsh reality of that, I believed he needed this win. 

I let him fall asleep that night believing that he loved me more than I loved him.  Deep down, I knew that wasn’t possible.

No sooner did I fall asleep when I was being woken by the incessant chime from Levi’s alarm.  We needed to get up.

Home.

I was finally going home and I could not wait.

I missed my family.  I missed my friends.  I missed being carefree, not having to worry about the pressures of a scheduled life.  Today, Levi was taking me home and giving all that back to me.

“Morning, Levi,” I practically sang as I watched his eyes flutter open.

“Sunshine,” he returned as he fell to his back and pulled me on top of him. 

My excitement was too much to contain.  “We need to get up and get moving.  We’ve got a plane to catch.”

“Never thought I’d see you so excited about flying,” he shot back.

“I’m not excited about flying.  I just can’t wait to get home and see my family and friends.  I miss my hometown fans. I miss Lou’s.  I miss sleeping with you in your bed.  I miss being able to spend my day as I wish, whether heading out shopping for lip balm or lounging by a pool.  I miss feeling like I’m in control.”

A gorgeous grin spread across his face before he teased, “You miss my bed?”

“No.  I miss my bed.  I miss sleeping with you in yours,” I clarified.

“Right,” he started.  “Once this situation with Becky gets sorted, I’ll want to try out your bed.”

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly and agreed, “Works for me.”

A feeling of sadness swept through me.  While I was beyond thrilled to finally be going home to Wyoming today, I hadn’t been to my own place in weeks.  I missed it.

Levi, nothing the shift in my mood, assured me, “I’m going to be trying out your bed very soon, Elle.  I know you haven’t been in your own space for quite some time, but now that we’re heading home I’m going to make certain we get this case wrapped up as quickly as possible.  We are getting close; I just need you to hang in there with me a little bit longer.”

“I know.  I’m hanging.”

“If it helps, I have to admit that I like having you in my bed.  If it weren’t for the creepiness and safety factor, I’d be inclined to let this situation go so you wouldn’t leave me to go back to your place.”

I loved him.

And I loved him even more when he said things like that. 

“I’m not leaving you; I’m just going home.”

“I’m looking forward to the time when home for you is with me.”

“Levi…” I trailed off softly.

He held my eyes a moment before he did an ab curl and sat up in the bed, taking me with him.  Levi pressed a sweet kiss to my lips and affirmed, “Love you, sweetness.”

“I love you, too.”

“Let’s get you home.”

I nodded and moved with Levi to get ready so he could take me home.

It was a couple hours later when our plane landed.

Home.

I let out a sigh of relief, turned to Levi, and gave him a huge grin.  I got back as good as I gave.

After we got our luggage and got in the truck, Levi turned to me and stated, “I know you probably want to get back to the house right away since you have your performance tonight, but I wanted to make a quick stop at the office to go over a few things with the team before tonight.”

“Sure,” I conceded.

I did want to get back to the house, but I also looked at this as an opportunity to meet some of the other members of the team.  Aside from Levi, Cruz, Pierce, and Dom, I hadn’t met any of the others.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the lot at Cunningham Security.  Levi parked, came around to open my door, and walked me inside.  Upon entering, we were greeted by a woman with auburn hair in a stylish pixie cut sitting at the front desk.

“You’re back,” she exclaimed from behind her desk.  “And you’ve decided to share her with the rest of us.”

Levi’s arm, which had been wrapped around my shoulders as we walked through the lot, dropped to my waist as he said, “Elle, this is my receptionist, Deb.  Deb, this is my girlfriend, Elle.”

Deb stood, rounded the desk, and pulled me into her arms.  She was an older woman, maybe in her late forties, and she was definitely one of those people that aged well. 

With her mouth at my ear, she whispered, “It’s so good to finally meet the girl that’s put a smile on his face.  He wasn’t ever unhappy, but he never smiled like he does now.”

Deb’s words filled me with such joy.  Because she gave me that, I hugged her back and shared, “He’s done the same for me.”

When she pulled back, she gave me a genuine smile and looked to Levi.  “I’m so happy for you, Levi.”

“Thanks, Deb.”

She nodded before she surmised, “I assume you want to talk with the boys?”

“Quickly…before Elle’s performance tonight.”

Deb turned her attention back to me.  “They can’t wait.”

When my brows pulled together in confusion, she went on to explain, “Just about all of them are planning to be there tonight.  Most had already planned on it, but after last night…the rest of them refused to sit back when they knew someone was terrorizing you more aggressively.”

I felt myself grow tense.

I had tried to put last night out of my mind.  I knew it wouldn’t stay there forever, but any reprieve I could get would be welcome.  Coming home, I should have expected that it was going to be brought up in discussions and that would likely continue until Becky was found.  I sure hoped that happened soon.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, sweet pea.  These boys will keep you safe.  I’ve seen it happen on more than one occasion.  You can trust them,” she assured me.

I relaxed a bit, looked up at Levi, smiled, and whispered, “I already do.”

A few moments of silence had passed before Deb’s voice filled the reception area again.

“Oooh, Lord.  That look,” she started as she began rounding the desk again to move back to her seat.  “Oh, do I hope this is the start of something good around this place.  Too many men here not settling down.  I could get used to seeing these looks.”

Levi’s head turned toward Deb and he gave her a look.

“Don’t give me that face, boy.  You know I’m just telling the truth.” She brought her gaze to me and continued, “This many beautiful men in one building and I’ve got nothing.  Not a single scrumptious detail about what happens when they aren’t here.  I might be old enough to be their mother in some cases, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good thing when I see it.”

I started to laugh.

Levi did not.

“Alright, Deb.  Nice chat.  We’re walking away now.”

With that, he brought his hand to the small of my back and gently nudged me forward, out of the reception area and down the hall.  He stopped in the doorway of one of the offices and the guy who had been sitting behind the desk with three computer screens on it stood and was staring down at his phone as he walked toward us.

He must have realized we were there because he finally looked up at us.

“Didn’t realize you were stopping in,” he informed us.  “Good to see you back, boss.”

He looked to me and offered his hand.  I placed my hand in his and shook when he said, “Nice to finally meet you, Elle.  Trent Michaels.”

I froze.

This was the guy.  He was the one who found Becky.  Or, at least, he found her social media accounts that indicated she was the one who was stalking me. 

I dropped his hand and threw my arms around his neck. 

“Thank you,” I rushed to express the minute I had my arms around him.  “For finding her and for everything you’ve been doing since then.”

I pulled back, grasped his hands with mine, and continued with tears in my eyes, “Thank you for looking out for me last night.  If you hadn’t been watching…who knows what could have happened?”

“What’s going on?” I heard someone call from behind me. 

Before I could turn to see, I heard the same voice say, “Bro, why is Michaels holding hands with your woman?”

Cruz.

I was still looking at Trent.  He squeezed my hands and smirked at me.  My eyes rounded and I immediately dropped his hands.

My head snapped to Levi to find him looking less than impressed at what he just witnessed.  

“Hey, Elle.  Welcome back,” Cruz broke through the silence.

“Thanks, Cruz.  I’m happy to be back,” I offered in return. 

Cruz turned back to Levi and reported, “Got an update last night from Dom and Reynolds.”

I walked back to Levi and slid my arms around his waist.  He instinctively pulled me close to him by wrapping an arm around my shoulders. 

Cruz went on, “I’m happy to see that Elle wasn’t hurt.  We’re all planning on being at the show tonight.  With this bitch continuing to target Elle, none of the guys are willing to sit this one out.”

“Oh no,” I blurted.  “I’m the reason everyone is going to be working tonight.  I guess it’s safe to assume I’m not going to be anyone’s favorite.”

“You’re my favorite,” Levi reminded me with a gentle squeeze of my shoulder.

I leaned further into him and rested my head on his chest.

“The entire team isn’t far behind,” Michaels added.

Shocked, I asked, “What?”

“I might have been the one keeping tabs on everything online, but once the guys found out that you were doing live sessions, they’ve all been watching.  It’s been a great source of entertainment.”

I felt my face flush.

Cruz tried to help ease my embarrassment by mentioning, “It’s cool, Elle.  I think once we watched the pool scene in Vegas and the guys here saw that you appreciated what not only Levi, but also Pierce and Dom had done for you…well, that sat well with them.  Besides, when it comes down to it, you aren’t the reason we’re working tonight.  Becky is.”

Levi piped up, “Speaking of which, I’d like to discuss the game plan for tonight.  Everyone around?”

Trent answered, “Other than Dom and Pierce, everyone is here.”

“Great.  Let’s round everyone up and meet in the conference room in five.”

Trent and Cruz gave Levi a chin lift.  Levi ushered me out of Trent’s office and down the hall to his own.

Once we stepped inside, I waited for him to the close the door and I burst out with a rapid-fire apology, “I’m sorry, Levi.  I hope I didn’t upset you back there.  I didn’t even think anything of it.  It was a bit of a shock to my system meeting Trent.  I mean, I knew I was going to eventually meet him, but it caught me off guard.  I had tried to put last night’s events out of my head for the day, but then Deb was talking about it and I couldn’t help it.  Meeting Trent…all I could think about was that if he hadn’t been watching that feed last night, something really bad could have happened to me.  I swear, Levi --”

“Calm down, Elle,” he cut me off.  “I didn’t like watching you hold hands with Trent, but I already knew and understood where your head was.  It’s ok.  Don’t get all worked up over something that isn’t necessary.”

I let out a sigh of relief.  “I thought you were upset with me and that’s why you told the guys you wanted to meet in the conference room in five minutes and not right away.  I figured you wanted to talk me about what happened there.”

Levi’s face softened. 

“Sunshine, I love that you appreciate the work my guys are putting in for you.  Again, that doesn’t mean I’m happy about the hand holding, but that’s not why I wanted you to come in here. I wanted five minutes so I could bring you in here and taste those lips.”

“Oh.”

My belly began to tingle at the prospect of being naughty in his office.  I took the two steps toward him to close the distance between us and slid my hands up over his solid chest and shoulders until my fingers ran up along the back of his neck and into his hair.  Then, I let Levi taste my lips.

He groaned into my mouth almost immediately.

I concluded he liked the way I tasted.

With an arm around my waist and the other at my ass, Levi lifted me.  I quickly wrapped my legs around him while he began to walk, not ever breaking the seal of our mouths against one another.  The next thing I knew, my back was against his desk and he was hovering over me.

His lips were still against mine, his tongue still in my mouth.  He was hard between us; my hips were moving against the solid length of him.

I moaned as I continued to search for a way to get closer to him, my fingers itching to remove the clothing from his body.  My guess was Levi’s hands were itching to do the same because one hand remained at my ass while the other slid up my side to my breast and squeezed.

Lately, I’d been feeling as though I was suffocating with everything happening around me.  I hated it.  Now, I felt completely breathless and didn’t care if I ever took another breath of oxygen.

Unfortunately, Levi pulled his mouth from mine and rested his forehead against mine.

“Christ,” he started.  “Fucking birthday cake.”

In my head, I gave myself a pat on the back.  I knew he liked how I tasted. 

“This was a bad idea,” he continued.

“What?” I whispered.

He pulled his head back from mine so he could look me in the eyes.

“I need to go down the hall and have a meeting with my team so everyone is on the same page for tonight.  The problem is that I need to be focused on that meeting and not on the fact that you taste like a celebration.  You really do own every flavor ever made, don’t you?”

I shrugged my shoulders and feigned innocence.

“Not now,” he went on.  “But you should note that we will be finding time in the very near future to fuck on this desk.  I think I like the idea of knowing I’m going to come in here to work and your delicious ass was sitting on it.”

I nodded in agreement to this because I really kind of wanted him to fuck me on his desk.  I would have preferred this precise moment, but with the meeting he needed to have and the fact that I needed to get back to his place to get ready for a performance tonight at Lou’s, I could settle for knowing it was on the menu.

“How long is your meeting going to take?” I asked, my throat tight. 

Levi cocked an eyebrow and answered with a question, “Who wants to know?”

“Your honey maker,” I rasped with a roll of my hips against him.

He growled.

“I’ll make it as quick as possible,” he promised.  “We’re going straight to my place afterward.”

I lifted my head to his and gave him one last taste of birthday cake.  After getting his fill or, at least, as much as he could have without someone coming to look for him, Levi stood and helped me off the desk.  We made our way to the conference room, where Levi and his team discussed the details of my case up to this point and their strategy moving forward. 

I sat back and looked around the room.  My stalker situation sucked, but on the bright side, I was in the company of some incredibly beautiful men, who were doing everything in their power to keep me safe. 

Best of all was my man.  I hated what Becky was doing and how her actions were negatively impacting my life, but I had to admit that what she did only seemed to make my life better.  The reality was that Levi and the members of his team would find Becky and put a stop to her harassment and threatening actions.  Once that stopped, she will have been nothing more than a blip on the radar and I’ll be happier than I can ever remember.  Part of me wanted to know why Becky was doing this and I was certain that curiosity would never leave me, but another part of me was beginning to think that if I got the opportunity I should thank her.  There had been an attraction between Levi and I for quite some time now, but it wasn’t until Becky that we acted on that pull to each other.  That attraction turned into love.

A love that resulted in Levi finishing his meeting quickly because I tasted like a celebration.

A love that allowed me to give Levi bedroom eyes and honey.

A love the likes of which I’m unsure how I ever lived without.