by L. B. Dunbar
“Sweet girl,” he whispers before stilling and closing his eyes. His forehead comes to mine, and he jolts inside me. Every pulse is a sensation like none I’ve felt before. I imagine him filling me with more than that thick length—giving me his seed—and tears spring to my eyes with the fantasy. I close the lids to force the liquid away, but one leaks from each eye, slowly rolling to my hairline.
“Hey, baby, what’s this?” Levi asks, lifting his head and stilling his body over mine. He swipes at one tear and licks at the other.
I shake my head, my thoughts catching up to what my body just experienced. Two weeks ago, I thought I was getting engaged, and now I’ve slept with another man. My eyes open to find the darkest gems looking back at me, puzzled and questioning.
“Was it awful?” he asks, and the concern in his voice makes me giggle.
“It was wonderful.”
Slowly, a smile curls his lips, one side higher than the other, and a dimple breaks free. “That why you’re crying?”
I shrug, dismissing the smirk growing on his face. He knows I thought it was amazing.
“So three times, you say?” I question him, and his brows arch. “You have more condoms?” It’s crass, considering my head wants to overrule my body and remind me of my recent relationship status so quickly overturned. However, my body supersedes all rational thought, and Levi replies, “I have more than enough.”
His voice deepens, as if he’s implying something other than condoms. Quickly, I brush away thoughts of us being anything other than this night. This long-awaited night of finally coming together with the boy—now a man—of my dreams. One night will be more than I ever imagined possible.
And I brace myself for a long, lust-filled night.
14
[Levi]
Once was definitely not enough. As we lay on our sides, Katie’s foot connects with my left leg, sliding along my skin until she feels the stump of my right with her heel. She doesn’t hesitate, just reverses direction and then repeats the motion. Like her foot skimming my shin when we were on those rafts in the river the other day, she’s turning me on again.
“Ready for more?” I mutter, and she purrs. My hand coasts up her belly, massaging one luscious breast before pinching the nipple. Her hips jolt, hitting me square in the dick with her backside. She likes the little pinch, and it makes me wonder how far I can push her. When her hand lowers for my upper thigh, and she drags my right leg over her hip, I have the opening I want. I lower my fingers for her.
“So wet, sweet girl,” I murmur into her neck, and she giggles softly.
“I’m never like this,” she admits, and I wonder what she means, but I don’t want to talk about some other schmuck and how dissatisfied she’s been in the past. This is now, and I want to fulfill some fantasies.
“Hang on.” I roll for the packets I tucked under the pillow and quickly sheathe myself again. I didn’t even know I had these condoms in my duffel bag, but I’m so grateful I did. “Now, where was I?”
“Here.” Katie tugs my leg up her thigh, hitching it at her hip, and I rub my dick against her firm ass. She’s perfection, taking care of her own body like I’ve heard she takes care of others with her PT services. I lower my dick to rub through her slick folds, ready once more for me.
“Like this?” she questions, and I wonder what she means.
“On our sides?”
“I’ve never . . . I mean, it’s always been a bit functional.”
I snort. “Not discussing him,” I command, reminding us both she had another man in her life only two weeks ago. She seems pretty content that it’s over, but I know how things go. There might come a moment of regret, of second chance, of I-missed-you-and-made-a-mistake-take-me-back. It didn’t happen with Alicia, and I’m actually grateful to be finished with her dramatics.
Holding onto my dick, I position it where I need to go and easily slide in.
“Oh God,” Katie moans, and I love how this is a first for her. She clamps her legs together, holding onto the back of my thigh, not repulsed or turned off by my stump so close to her. As we move as one again, her hand curls over my knee, dragging my leg up her side a bit. She’s skating close to the danger zone as I call it, and I don’t want her freaked out to find I’m missing parts that used to be there.
“Katie,” I warn, losing my rhythm a bit, but she ignores me, rocking back into me. Her hand slides lower on my leg, curving over the stump and cupping it with her hand. She’s lost to our connected motion, but she’s worshipping this part of me at the same time. Using her position as leverage, she hitches my leg higher, driving me deeper into her, and I’m losing my mind over her. She feels incredible in so many ways.
Eventually, her hand releases me, skimming back behind my knee and rocking my leg once before sliding to the back of my thigh and digging in her nails.
“Fuck,” I hiss, knowing I’m getting close faster than her. With a hand on her hip, I roll her to her back while I stay on my side, keeping our legs entwined and us attached. She loops one leg up over my body to my shoulder, and my fingers meet her clit, rubbing at her while driving into her.
“Oh, God.” She purrs. “Like this.” Her head rolls to the side as her hips rock, her channel clenching around me. She’s squeezing me so tight I’m ready to burst, but I hold back, holding out until I feel her let loose around me.
“Levi,” she cries out softly, coming over me again, and I smile to myself.
“That’s it, sweet girl.” She’s milking me until I can’t take it. I shove at her hip, and she rolls away from me. With a hand on her waist, I push at her back until she’s flat on her belly.
“My turn,” I whisper, pressing a kiss to her shoulder as I climb between her thighs, which spread for me, and then I command, “Knees.”
She bends up on them, giving me a fine view of her ass, and folds up to her elbows.
“Stretch out,” I say, skimming a hand down her spine, forcing her upper half to lower for the mattress. Katie reaches for the edge of the bed and curls her fingers over it. “Hang on.”
My hand retracts down her back, and I surge into her. Her body shifts forward, but I clutch her hips. Lost to the sensation, I hammer into her, causing the bed to squeak and Katie’s purr to turn to a stuttering groan.
“So deep like this,” I admit. “So good. Need more. Need you.” I’m stammering with sputtering thoughts, matching my rhythm of filling her over and over again. When my lower back tightens, and my balls clench, I still, giving in to the pulsing rush of release filling the condom. Damn, I want to be free inside her, but that could lead to all kinds of trouble. For now, I relish the feel of her around me, and the jolting of me inside her.
“Sweet baby,” I mutter, collapsing over her a moment before rolling to my side and taking her with me.
“Hmmm,” she hums, and I love that I’ve fucked the words out of her, but I’d still like to know her thoughts.
“Round two?” I question, wondering what she thought.
“Want a score?” she teases, her voice lazy and sated.
“One to ten.”
“Twelve,” she whispers, and I smile again, dipping my nose to her shoulder and circling her skin.
“Still want a third time?” I don’t even know if I can pull it off again. She’s drained me dry.
“Soon,” she whispers drowsily, and we slip into sleep for a while.
+ + +
I’m woken with fingers tickling down my shaft, and my eyes slowly open.
“Whatcha doing, naughty girl?”
She hums in a satisfied kitten way. “Just inspecting.”
“Whatcha see?” I question, wondering what she thinks of my damaged body. The spot where I was stabbed but healed. The part where I lost my leg. The tattoos that cover my entire arm. Her fingers trail back up my abs, through the thin trail of hair leading to my belly button.
“I like this,” she says, still sex kitten sounding while her nails comb through the fine hairs. Her palm flattens
and coasts over my chest, climbing my body until she reaches a pec. Her fingertip swirls around my nipple, and then she lowers to suck it into her mouth.
I hiss. I’m sensitive here.
“My nipples aren’t usually sensitive,” she says to me. “Are yours?”
“Yes,” I exhale as her nail flicks over me again. “Why aren’t yours?”
“I don’t know. Some men are all about breasts, and I’m like what’s the big deal. After last night, I might understand a little better.”
“Yeah, you like me pinching you.”
“I like everything you’ve done to me.” Her fingers lazily travel down my middle again, heading through the treasure trail and leading to the promised land. Her eyes follow her path, watching her nails gently scratch through the coarse hairs before a finger swipes at my tip.
“There’s something I’d like to do to you. May I?” Her hand wraps around my heavy dick as her head shifts so she’s looking up at me.
“Fuck, baby. You can do whatever you want to me.” Katie starts to move, but I stop her with a hand at her back. She looks up at me as she perches on an elbow. “Just don’t break my heart.”
“Never,” she whispers, finishing her descent down my body and slipping between my thighs. Her head lowers, and her hands punish me, dragging out the torture before her mouth finally opens, and she draws me to the back of her throat. She takes me deep and fast, and my hips buck. I hear her gasp.
“Sorry. Just, damn, sweet girl.” My hand strokes through her hair, combing it back as she works me with that wicked tongue and supple mouth. Back and forth, she sucks, tapping the edge of her throat and then returning to her lips around the crown. My eyes roll back, and as much as I want to finish big and deep in her throat, I want inside somewhere else instead.
I hook my hands under her armpits, forcing her off my dick with a pop. “Hey, I wasn’t finished.”
“Finish up top,” I demand, turning my head to slip my hand under the pillow, searching for the final condom. Katie takes it from me, rips the package, and rolls the rubber down my length, dragging out her seduction.
“My turn,” she whispers, teasing me like I told her earlier. She holds my dick upright, positions her entrance at my tip, and then slowly lowers, drawing me into her. I want to buck and bob and thrust into her like a bronco let loose, but Katie’s in control here, and she takes her time, moving over me like a slow dance. Her hips roll, her rhythm leisurely. She’s swiveling like we have all night, and I definitely don’t have anywhere else I want to be. I let her lead, getting to where she wants to go. Her clit hits my pubic bone in a way her beats increase. Her hips rock faster. Her fingertips dig into my pecs for balance. Her hair tumbles over her shoulders.
“You are stunning,” I whisper, noting the freckles on her sun-kissed skin. Once, I considered them cute. Now I find them earth-shattering gorgeous.
She purrs as she rides me slow and steady, her channel clenching as her nails dig deeper into my skin.
“Gonna come,” she mutters like I don’t know that’s where she’s heading until she breaks again. Her head tips back, hair hanging down her back as her face lifts toward the ceiling. The slight light of dawn coming soon lights the room, and she’s a vision of sensuality and love.
I freaking love this girl because it hasn’t been just a week, but years of longing in my head and my heart. Now, my body joins the mission. I want her. I want everything with her.
Once finished, she faces me, and her eyes open wide. I can’t read her expression.
“Levi?” she questions as if she knows it’s me but doesn’t understand something between us.
“I got you, sweet girl.” I tip my hips, making my own rhythm of thrusts and jolts, keeping her over me and staying deep within her. We’re in that sweet spot, and I realize we’re making love more than desperately fucking. And while she’s never done it on her side, I’ve never done it like this, slow and steady and so much more.
My hands slide up her sides as I increase my pace, tapping her deeper. Her hips respond, dancing with mine until I’m about to break.
“Get there,” she whispers, but she has no idea I’m already there.
I’m already so in love with her, and I won’t be able to let her go on Sunday.
15
[Katie]
As I pull into the parking lot, a text comes through my phone.
Levi: Something was missing in this bed this morning.
Me: What?
Levi: You.
Me: I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you.
Levi: Where are you?
Me: On Saturdays, I volunteer at a place, and I couldn’t get my shift covered. It’s fine as I hate to miss my patients anyway.
Levi: Sounds secretive. What is it?
I hesitate a moment, wondering how to spell all this out over text.
Me: I give my time to VetGym in Grand Rapids.
Levi: You went back to your place?
He knows I live here, about two hours south of Elk Lake City.
Me: Reason the bed was empty.
Levi: Will you be back tonight?
Even without hearing his voice, I recognize the concern. Something happened between us during the night, something I don’t want to define for fear I’m jumping ahead too far in our story, but I can’t dismiss how I feel for him. I’m in love with him and have been my entire life.
I loved Derek as well, I really did, but I see the difference. I feel the difference. With Levi, it’s everything about him. It’s him with AJ and him with my family. It’s his silent strength and unknown resilience. He’s the very definition of a hero without accepting it about himself. He’s a survivor, someone who persevered, someone who lived on and fights daily for a better life. He’s a warrior in deed, but also at heart. He’d fight for Tricia or Lys or me, and he’d take a bullet for AJ, I’m certain of it.
Me: I’ll be back.
Me: That sounded very Terminator-ish.
Levi: I’ll be waiting.
The words remind me of when we kissed in that alley. I told him I’d been waiting—waiting on the hero I knew he’d be, on the man I’d known he’d become. It wasn’t that Levi had run off and had adventure in the military as much as Levi needed to fight some demons in his past. Maybe even his present at the time. AJ was his destiny, though, and his son has changed him. He won’t be the father he had or his brother either.
Levi: What do you do there?
Me: I offer PT services and work with a few people on their ASL skills. American Sign Language.
Levi: You know how to sign?
Me: Selective mute, remember?
Levi: I need details, but what I’m most curious about is why there? What is the place?
Me: VetGym is an organization for veterans and active personnel in the area. They organize fundraisers, offer all kinds of support, host events, and teach skills. I volunteer as I said.
The three dots appear as he types something, and then they disappear without a message. As I’m still sitting in my car in the parking lot, I’m cutting it close to my scheduled time, and I turn for the passenger seat to gather my things. When I don’t get another response from Levi, I leave a final message for him.
Me: Gotta go in. I’ll see you tonight.
Maxwell Hudson is the organizer of this location, and he greets me inside the door. As I sign in, registering for the day, Victor Smoltz gives me his typical flirt while I accept the volunteer badge.
“Still not married yet,” the eighty-something-year-old man teases me.
“Still holding out for you someday,” I tease back. His liquid blue eyes remind me of a grandpa I can’t possibly remember who died before my dad and I moved back to Elk Lake City.
“Too bad I have a wife,” Vic reminds me.
“Too bad,” I tease, blowing him a kiss, which he always pretends to catch. Instead of slapping it to his lips, though, he acts like he’s tucking it in the pocket of his shirt.
“Safekeeping.” He pats the m
aterial near his heart where he’s collected my blown kisses for the four years I’ve worked here, every Saturday, nine to one.
Maxwell shakes his red head, chuckling at our antics. “Gotta give him credit. He’s consistent.” Max is in his forties and former military, and I’m reminded of Levi in the way he smiles at me. He walks with me to the classroom I use. VetGym is in an old school with plans to expand the gymnasium, so we have two.
“How are things going?” Max has worked hard on fundraising ideas and has a Fall Ball coming up with high-end ticket sales and a dinner-dance combination hoping to tag sponsors for his gymnasium build project. It’s black tie and swanky, and although I’m a volunteer and allowed to attend for a substantial discount, the reduced fee defeats the purpose. I’ve bought a ticket and asked my parents to attend. They’ll be coming down to stay with me.
“Great, but I need help. I need someone who understands computer technology and marketing, kind of a combined position. We had an intern this summer, and he’s great but still in college. I adore Vic, but he’s hopeless at the modern age.”
I stop in my tracks, getting ahead of myself in my thoughts. “Computers, you say?”
Maxwell goes on to explain the technicalities of some computer system he wants for collecting information on the members, especially medical information that could assist any support staff who attend appointments with veterans, and he also needs some marketing and promotion support via social media.
Suddenly filled with hope at this opportunity, I’m wondering if Levi would consider it. Throughout the week, he’s made reference to how he isn’t married to his job, and he’s also mentioned wanting to own some land, maybe have a horse someday. While downtown Grand Rapids won’t offer such a thing, there are plenty of suburbs in the area with space. Plus, he’d be closer to home and family, and I’m sensing he could use the support, especially with AJ. It’s a bit of a jump and a huge assumption on my part, but I speak up.
