The Fall Up

by Aly Martinez

  She licked her lips, and I was forced to kiss her again. When I finally came back up for air, I continued.

  “My name is Samuel Nathan Rivers. I’m twenty-seven. Aquarius. No criminal history. I have a clean bill of health. I’m a democrat, but for God’s sake, do not tell my mom. I own a furniture shop and clear six figures a year. I’m not interested in your money. I’ll show you my tax return if need be. I’m also not a super-fan interested in your fame. But, for the love of all that’s holy, I need you, Designer Shoes, to come home with me.”

  Her eyes lit. “Devon would have a stroke.” She pushed my hands off her face in order to take my mouth again.

  A frustrated growl rumbled in my chest. My cock wasn’t concerned in the least about Devon’s health.

  “Levee,” I grumbled as she folded her arms around my shoulders, pressing her chest against mine. “Devon can—”

  “But you can come home with me.”

  God fucking bless America.

  Suddenly, I rose to my feet with her still wrapped around me. “Check please,” I called out loudly, digging into my back pocket for my wallet with one hand while she clung to me, giggling.

  I couldn’t help my smile as she buried her face in my neck and slid down to the ground.

  “I’m going to the restroom. If you must, now’s the time to smoke. I don’t want you to have a heart attack before I get you naked.” She innocently batted her eyelashes at me as if she hadn’t just whispered sweet nothings directly to my cock.

  I bit my lip, watching her ass sway as she walked away.

  Scrubbing my face, I tried to get myself together while fighting the biggest shit-eating grin known to man. When I looked up, Devon was glowering at me with his arms crossed over his massive chest.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” I told him as I tossed a wad of cash on the table.

  “I don’t fucking like this,” he snarled. “She’s drunk and not thinking straight.”

  “She’s tipsy,” I amended—just as much for him as for me.

  She isn’t really drunk. Is she?

  Whatever. I was a stand-up guy. I liked her, and judging by the way she had been rolling her body against mine, she liked at least part of me, too.

  “Look, man. I realize this is the first time we’ve met, but Levee and I have been seeing each other for the last week…. Kinda. Or…something like that.” I scratched the back of my head. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “Bullshit,” he growled.

  I pointedly lifted my eyebrows. “You know what you do need to worry about though? Her going up that bridge every night. One of these days, she’s not going to come back down if you don’t do something about it.”

  “Excuse me?” He took a menacing step in my direction.

  I stole a glance around him at the empty hall Levee had disappeared down. “Look, you did not hear this from me, but I know for a fact that she’s considered jumping. I’m not sure if she’s suicidal or just depressed, but she needs help. I’m doing what I can to keep her walking down every night, but I need you to get word to her family or whoever she’s close to that she needs serious help.”

  “No way,” he scoffed, but I could tell his gears were spinning.

  “I like her, okay? A lot. Even before I knew her name. But I don’t know her like you do. I can only do so much.”

  He narrowed his eyes and stared at me suspiciously, but the seed had been planted.

  “Do not take her back to that bridge alone anymore. If I’m there, I’ll take care of her. I swear. But if I’m not, you drive her anywhere in the world but that bridge.” I held his stare, trying to transfer the truth. He had no reason to trust me, but he also had no reason not to.

  Finally, his shoulders slacked and he thrust a rough hand into his jet-black hair. “Fuck,” he hissed under his breath.

  I heard the door to the bathroom open, so I busied myself by digging my cigarettes out of my pocket. “She just needs help,” I whispered one last time.

  “I’ll take care of it,” he responded, still notably shocked, but my anxiety melted away.

  I was going to do whatever I had to do to make sure Levee never stepped off that bridge, but it was no longer my sole responsibility. I didn’t know where this thing with her was going. She could disappear on me tomorrow, but now, I could sleep easier knowing that someone else knew what was going on in her head.

  I would have killed for that tip about Anne.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I purred as Levee rounded the corner, her eyes flashing between Devon and me.

  “Everything okay?” she asked with freshly painted-red lips.

  “It is now.” After looping an arm around her waist, I pulled her against me and kissed her cheek, catching a whiff of fresh mango on her breath when she sighed. “I’m going to smoke. I’ll meet you in the car.” Tossing her a wink, I slid my hand down to her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze before sauntering out the back door.

  I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I couldn’t even explain it to myself. But I knew that, if I didn’t strip Sam Rivers naked in the next thirty minutes, I was going to implode. I hadn’t been with anyone in well over a year, and while I could easily blame my insatiable desire on being hard up, that would have been a complete and utter lie.

  I’d spent the last few hours staring at various parts of his body until I had been physically unable to take it anymore. Whether it was his inked forearms, which flexed each time he lifted that beer, the way those plump lips wrapped around the mouth of the bottle, or even the way he purposely raked his teeth over his bottom lip each time he placed it back on the table, I had no idea. But watching that man drink a fucking beer, much less two of them, had been damn near excruciating. He’d talked and made jokes while I’d dreamed about his callused hands gliding over my skin. That had been the easy part though. He was rugged and gorgeous. I couldn’t help but to be physically attracted to him.

  The hard part was when I envisioned Sam actually wanting to stay with me once the novelty was gone. My life was chaotic, and not just because I lived it in the public eye. I brought on most of the craziness myself, exhausting myself on stage, existing on nourishment from vending machines, and fighting back tears at the bedsides of dying children.

  But that night with Sam, my life didn’t seem so overwhelming.

  Maybe it was the sangria, but I thought it had more to do with him.

  I wasn’t usually the type of girl to take a man home, but Sam did things to me, most of which started with his mouth, and as I watched his lean body strolling back to my car, I hoped they all ended that way, too.

  I didn’t want to get laid just to share an orgasm with another warm body.

  I wanted Sam.

  All of him.

  But I really just wanted to keep him.

  “Fuck,” he bit out as I slung my leg over his hips the moment his ass touched the leather seat.

  I silenced him with my mouth, gliding a hand up his nape and into his hair. His dick became beautifully thick between us.

  “Levee, wait,” he moaned into my mouth, but he palmed my ass, rocking me forward. “Wait. Wait. Wait. Not here.”

  “Yeah. Please not here,” Devon deadpanned from the front as he pulled out of the parking lot.

  I laughed and rested my head on Sam’s shoulder. I wasn’t embarrassed. It was Devon. I’d done full wardrobe changes in the back of that SUV. He’d caught more than an eyeful of me, but never like that. When it came to transportation, though, I didn’t have any options. Huffing, I cursed my lack of a driver’s license and my inability to leave the house alone.

  “Look at me.” Sam tipped my chin up to study my eyes. “How far away is your place?”

  “Twenty minutes.”

  “Shit,” he huffed. “And, just so we’re clear, we can’t go back to my place? It’s, like, two miles away.”

  I opened my mouth, but Devon got there first.

  “Not a chance in hell.”

  Smiling, I lowered my v
oice to a whisper, “He has a really scary vein on his forehead that’s probably twitching right about now.”

  Sam rolled his eyes then sighed. “Put your head in my lap.”

  My eyes flashed wide in surprise. And, okay fine…excitement.

  “Jesus Christ. Don’t look at me like that. I just mean lie down and take a nap, something—anything—that doesn’t involve you straddling me. Mind if I smoke in here?”

  “Yes. I do,” Devon snapped.

  Shaking my head, I cracked the window and reluctantly crawled into the seat beside him. “Nah. Go ahead.”

  I didn’t take a nap, but I did lay my head in his lap. Then I watched as he chain-smoked the entire way back to my house, perhaps while dragging a fingernail up and down the seam of his jeans. Maybe.

  Definitely.

  “THANK FUCK!” SAM said, swinging the door open before Devon even had the car in park.

  “Oh, this isn’t my place. We’re just dropping Devon off. I’m about twenty minutes across town?” I tossed him a sugary smile then boldly shifted my hand into his lap, purposely brushing the bulge under his denim.

  Grabbing my wrist, he narrowed his eyes and called out, “Devon, I’m gonna need to borrow a bedroom.”

  I burst out laughing as Devon cursed loudly.

  “Fine. This is my place. No smoking inside though,” I snipped as I climbed from the SUV.

  “You better have some seriously exciting extracurricular activities to keep me distracted, then.”

  “I have Ping-Pong!”

  “Not exactly what I was thinking.” He mischievously cocked his head. “But I guess paddles and balls are as good a start as any.” Dipping down, he hoisted me over his shoulder. “Point me to the Ping-Pong table, my lady.”

  I didn’t. I laughed hysterically as he carried me inside. Then I directed him to my bedroom instead.

  I heard Devon locking up the house as Sam deposited me on the bed.

  “Jesus. This view.” He pushed the curtains back. “Why the hell would you ever go up to the bridge when you have this here?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered, pulling my earrings off and placing them on my nightstand.

  Oh, but I knew. It might not have been what had originally sent me up that bridge, but it was why my feet carried me back every night. And that very reason was currently standing in front of me with entirely too much clothing on.

  “You want a beer?” I asked, sliding my shoes off.

  “Nah, I’m good.” He faced me, and I could tell something was off with his demeanor. He didn’t inch any closer. Instead, his lips were tight and his eyes uncomfortably flashed around the room.

  It suddenly didn’t feel like Sam standing in front of me at all.

  He felt like a stranger who had just come face-to-face with Levee Williams.

  Damn it.

  “Why are you looking at me like that? Are you about to freak out?” I whispered, nervously moistening my lips.

  He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m not really sure yet. But I’m gonna need you to stop licking your lips long enough for me to figure it out.” His mouth cracked into a wide grin, and my shoulders relaxed.

  Now that was a flash of my Sam.

  “Want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

  “It’s just… I think this is the first time I’ve realized that you’re some big-time celebrity. I might be in over my head here, Designer Shoes.”

  “I just make music, Sam.” I returned his smile and very slowly prowled in his direction. “Imagine how I feel though. You’re Samuel Nathan Rivers. A tough, tattooed furniture designer who makes six figures a year but is too afraid to tell his mommy he votes democratic.” I giggled as he frowned humorously. Stopping in front of him, I dragged a fingernail down his chest then teased the waistband of his jeans. “Have you considered that maybe I’m the one who’s in over her head here?” I leaned forward to nip at his lips, but he spun us around.

  “Excellent point. I’m going to need you to try really hard to keep it together, Levee. You haven’t even seen my six-pack and huge cock, yet.” He smirked and attempted to return my nip, but I stepped out of his reach.

  “You brought beer and chicken?” I feigned excitement.

  That one corny joke was all it took to bring my Sam back completely.

  With a sexy smile and a coy shrug, he seductively backed me toward the bed. “What can I say? I like to be prepared.”

  “Clearly,” I breathed.

  He moved in close so his lips were only a centimeter away, but for as much as I wanted him, it was agonizing. “Clearly,” he repeated, his smoky yet sweet breath breezing across my mouth.

  His strong arm looped around my waist, tugging me against his chest, while I stared into his hooded eyes, eagerly waiting for him to make a move.

  Any move.

  Every move.

  Her eyes were pleading. A plea I had every intention of answering—in time.

  My time. Not hers.

  After sliding my hand down the small of her back, I let it splay over her ass.

  “It’s hot in here. Maybe you should take this off?” I tugged at the fabric of her dress.

  A laugh sprang from her mouth. “That was your line? ‘It’s hot in here’?”

  “It wasn’t a line.”

  “It’s freezing in here. It was absolutely a line.” She continued to laugh but wrapped her arms around my neck. Our breath was twisting between us in the only small gap our flush bodies had left.

  “I haven’t even taken them out yet and you’re already busting my balls.” I grazed my teeth over her bottom lip.

  She lazily closed her eyes and went in for the kiss. Taking a move from her play book, I swayed out of her reach.

  Groaning because of the miss, she popped her eyes open. “Sorry. It’s just that you started off so strong with the huge-cock thing,” she teased even further, bursting into laughter all over again.

  “You seriously need to stop laughing,” I replied, not even the slightest bit annoyed.

  There were a ton of reasons why millions of people swooned over Levee on a daily basis, but seeing her up close as she lost herself in a snarky joke, I knew they were missing all the best parts.

  I watched with a smirk as heat blazed through my veins until she finally sobered. Her smile was still filled with humor—an expression that was quickly becoming my favorite. And, like a judge and jury, my cock confirmed it by swelling between us.

  Suddenly, a different smile formed, and mischief lifted the corners of her mouth.

  I had been wrong. That one was unquestioningly better.

  Fuck, I’m in trouble with this woman. Mainly because I knew the real trouble would be if I didn’t get her naked—soon.

  Thankfully, we shared that feeling.

  She cupped my straining erection. “Then give me a reason not to laugh, Sam.”

  Not. A. Fucking. Problem.

  With a growl, I crushed my mouth over hers and lifted her off the ground. I attempted to toss her onto the bed, but at the last second, she wrapped her legs around my hips, dragging me down on top of her. She laughed into my mouth as our teeth painfully clanked together. It transformed into a moan when my hard-on blissfully landed against her core.

  “Fuck,” I hissed as she rolled her hips into mine.

  “What’s wrong, Sam?” she asked innocently.

  I would have answered, but with only two layers of clothing stopping me from planting myself to the hilt inside her, I was done talking.

  Done joking.

  Hell, I was even done listening to her laugh.

  I was suddenly in the mood to make her come—hard.

  And fast.

  Then I wanted to come—slowly.

  And repeatedly.

  Trailing kisses up her neck and over to her ear, I tugged at the hem of her dress. “Do you want this on or off while I’m licking your pussy?”

  She froze, and as I’d hoped, her laughter fell silent.

  A
s a victorious smile spread across my mouth, she abruptly sat up and started trying to reach the zipper on the back of her dress. “Off. And, for future reference, you should have led with that instead of the ‘hot in here’ bullshit.”

  “Agreed.” I nodded, yanking the zipper down and peeling the dress over her head.

  In a black lace bra and a matching pair of boy shorts, she reclined back onto the bed. I didn’t follow her down; I sat back on my heels and openly gawked.

  Levee was thin, borderline too thin, but she was still stunning. Her flat stomach guided my gaze up to small-but-full breasts overflowing the lace. Just under the fabric, I could make out the peak of her nipples, and my mouth watered to taste them.

  I brushed my fingers across the swell of her cleavage. “I’m going to detour to these first. I’ll personally apologize to your pussy for the delay.”

  A corner of her mouth twitched. “That better be one hell of an apology.”

  I palmed both of her breasts. “Are you planning to stop talking any time soon?”

  Arching into my touch, she gasped. “I don’t know. Are you?”

  I shifted one of my hands to the bed to hold my weight as I hovered on my knees above her. “Yep. Right”—I placed a damp kiss to her chest—“now.”

  Without any further warning, I popped her nipple from her bra and sealed my mouth around it.

  “Shit,” she cursed with hands flying to fist my hair and hips circling up off the bed. “Ahhh,” she moaned as my tongue laved at her nipple.

  Then I switched to the other before repeating the process.

  Her hips continued to search the space between us for some source of friction. I could have offered her my leg, but I feared my cock would sprout arms and claw its way out of my jeans if I had to feel her riding my thigh.

  With my mouth still at her breast, Levee clawed at my shirt, tugging it up my back. “Take this off.”

  I sat up long enough for her to tear it over my head, but when I tried to take her breast again, a hand against my chest stopped me. My gaze flipped to hers, and much to my surprise—and excitement—Levee was a gawker too.