Grave Bound (Secrets, #1)

by T. R. Graves

  As soon as the boys' plates are empty, I go to work stacking the empty dishes. I plan to take them down to the edge of the lake and rinse them before packing them back into the basket. Levi puts his hands over mine, stopping me.

  "You cooked. Tope and I will clean up."

  I stare at Levi like he's just grown two heads. "No. I have this."

  Levi refuses to move his hands. "No. Tope and I were raised by a woman who insisted men do their part. We were expected to cook or clean. No matter what, we had to do one. You cooked. We will clean."

  I glance at Tope, who nods his head like he thinks the compromise is fair.

  "I-I'll help, then. I can't let you do it all." I look Levi in the eyes and hope he understands how uncomfortable his helping with the chores makes me. "Please."

  He nods. "It'll be more fun anyway. You grab those, Tope, and I'll get these." Levi takes the dirty dishes from my hands.

  I follow behind the two men as we gingerly step our way down the very steep ridge and toward the lake's edge. Because of the morning's dew, I almost slip a few times as we climb down and over to the long bank of rocks that create a perfect ledge where we'll be able to sit and rinse the plates.

  With my third tumble, Levi says, "Grab my arm, Em."

  He puts his elbow out and waits for me to take hold. I quickly slide my hand around his elbow and hang on tighter than necessary.

  "Better?"

  Again, I nod.

  After we wash and pack the dishes, the boys go back down to the water to clean up. Bored, I begin tidying the campsite. When that chore is finished, I crawl into Levi's tent and begin organizing. For me, it's no different than straightening the boys' rooms after they leave for work every day.

  Underneath Levi's backpack I see the composition book he was holding earlier. I want to pick it up, open it, and see if he's written anything about me, but with a sigh, I decide that would be an invasion of his privacy. Instead, I tuck and roll his sleeping bag until it's so tight it might as well be a rock.

  Unable to control myself one more second, I pick the book up again and stare at the words elegantly scrolled across the front, My Quiet Musings—Levi Ian Bryson. I tenderly stroke my fingers across the words as if they were Levi himself.

  "I don't care if you read it."

  I almost jumped out of my skin when I hear Levi's words coming from the door to the tent. My heart races as I quickly lift the sleeping bag's tie and tuck the book under it.

  "No. It's private. I wasn't gonna read it. I was just admirin' how beautiful your writin' is. Mine’s barely decipherable, so I always appreciate it when people have the patience to turn their writing into an art form," I say, embarrassed I'd been caught touching Levi's personal journal.

  Levi ducks into the tent. Since it's only big enough for two people to sleep in, he has to scoot over to me.

  "I'm not kidding. I don't care if you read it. I'd never let anyone else. The things I write are too personal. And... as you'll see... there's nothing perfect about them. Still, I want to share them with you."

  He opens the journal to the last page, and with a shyness that I suspect is foreign for him, he hands the composition journal to me. I stare down at it, trying to decide what to do with this very intimate offer.

  "These pages are about you. Read them if you want. It's all just a bunch of nonsensical ramblings, but it'll show you how I feel about you already," he says softly, nodding toward two entire pages of calligraphy style writing.

  * * *

  The day I met you is the day by which all others will be measured.

  —Levi Ian Bryson

  * * *

  Emily

  Her name is music to my ears.

  Her smile stops my breath.

  Her beauty invades my thoughts.

  With our first meeting, Emily stole my heart.

  May it never know emptiness again.

  May it never be without the warmth she brings.

  —Levi Ian Bryson

  * * *

  Bewitched

  To me, her beauty cannot be compared.

  For me, there is no other.

  With me, my soul's longing is sated.

  Inside me, I am bewitched.

  —Levi Ian Bryson

  * * *

  Facets

  Her words... sweeter than any book written, poem recited, or song recorded.

  Her intentions... pure as the driven snow, a wholesome schoolgirl, and a naive child.

  Her beauty... perfect as an emerald's cut, stunning as a ruby's color, and timeless as a diamond's clarity.

  Her essence... struck me with the force of a bolt of lightning, the power of a sledgehammer, and the command of the chosen one.

  Her love... engulfed my life the way the dawn's rays swallow the darkness, the tsunami's waves ravage the coast, and the tornado's funnel plows its way through a forest.

  —Levi Ian Bryson

  CHAPTER 7

  Diving In Feet First

  Levi

  I nervously watch Emily as she reads my rambling... all devoted to her beauty and kindness and the way I'm completely infatuated with her.

  I can't keep myself from studying her long brown eyelashes as they blink and roll while she scans each line, reading my words. When her brows furrow and tears fill her eyes, I try to remember what I wrote, worrying that I've accidentally written something that's offended her.

  Instinctively, I move toward her. I'm desperate to hold her... desperate to free her from the world of people who've never taken the time to understand who she is or how special she is.

  Emily

  I stare at the words, reading them over and over again and engraining them into my memory. My trembling hand covers my mouth as a tear streaks its way down my cheek.

  "Oh my God, Levi! Th-these are beautiful." A second tear trickles from my other eye.

  Levi tilts my chin up, making me look him squarely in the face. Then, he cups both sides of my head into the palms of his hands before kissing me gently.

  "I didn't mean to make you cry. I knew they were bad, but I didn't think they were that bad," he says, barely moving his lips away from mine.

  "Don't you dare say anything about 'em. They're the most beautiful words ever written because they come from your heart," I say, kissing Levi back, putting my hand over his heart and feeling it speed up just as mine does.

  We pull apart when we hear Tope stumbling around the camp and mumbling obscenities.

  "Let's go swimming," Levi says, intertwining his fingers with mine and leading me from the tent.

  "We're going for a swim. Do you want to join us, Tope?" Levi stands waiting for Tope's response.

  Given his foul mood and the fact that I want Levi to myself, I secretly hope Tope will decline Levi's offer.

  As if resigning himself to the role of our chaperone, Tope groans and says, "Yeah. I guess."

  "Do you want to dive in or swing out?" I, suddenly excited, ask Levi.

  He shrugs. "Which do you want to do, Em?"

  "They're both fun, but I'd like to dive first," I say, dragging him up the very steep hill. It's in the opposite direction of the bank of rocks where we washed dishes, and it leads to a cliff that drops off into the deepest part of the lake.

  Something about being this far above the rest of the world and looking out at the massive lake in front of us and the vast forest behind us thrills me. Like the day before, I cannot wait to jump into the water and let it wash away my problems.

  Levi and I may be excited about jumping off the side of a cliff, but Tope, who's followed us up, makes sure we both know his participation is begrudging.

  Once he looks over the side, he glances back at me and says, "You're kidding me. Right?"

  I grin at Tope and bat my eyes. "Don't tell me this little jump frightens you."

  Tope looks completely up for the challenge. "Not at all. I was on my college's diving team. I'm more worried that I'm going to have to dive in and save one of you two... maybe both of
you."

  I squared my chin. I take his taunting seriously and am determined to show him I'm not afraid and I'm a much better swimmer than he's assumed. Taking advantage of just one more chance to snub my nose at Owen and his rules, I decide to take the dive in my swimsuit rather than my clothes.

  Without giving it a second thought, I strip my shirt over my head. Mentally planning my dive and hoping it will be as gracefully carried out as I envision it in my head, I slide my shorts down and kick them away. In nothing more than the swimsuit Tess made me, I walk over to the edge of the cliff, raise my arms, and stand on my toes. Right before diving in, I risk a glance back at Levi and Tope, making sure they’re really going to follow me.

  Levi is standing in his cargo shorts and T-shirt with his mouth hanging wide open. Tope, who’s standing right next to him, has a look on his face that is nearly identical to Levi's.

  I wink at them both and say, "Meet you in the lake." Then, I back up and run toward the cliff's edge, diving out as far as I possibly can.

  On my way down and with the water fast approaching, I have the same feeling of anticipation I had the day before that told me my problems would soon be washed away. With my complete submersion into the water, I'm not left disappointed. I split the water open and head as deep as I think I can stand. With bubbles tickling my cheek, I flip around and begin my climb toward the surface of the lake. My stomach is still clenched tight with exhilaration when my head pops through the surface.

  Laughing hysterically, I look up at the cliff and see both men staring over the edge. "Come on, you two fraidy cats," I yell up.

  Before I have a chance to call them one more name, Levi disappears, and for a heartbeat or two, I think he may really have chickened out. Then, he cannonballs off the side of the cliff. His jump is more like Patti's when she jumped from the swing. His arms and legs flail about everywhere. He hits the water a few feet from me with such force that the splash hitting my shielding hands feels like rubber pellets from a BB gun.

  When he finally comes up, he's hooting and hollering. I can't help but laugh at him. He's enjoying himself more than I'd ever seen anyone enjoy themselves. I care for this man so much that I can't help but be infected by his happiness.

  "Come on, Tope! Don't be afraid," Levi taunts.

  With a poise I've never seen a man possess, Tope, who's wearing nothing but swim shorts, stands in place. Positioning himself in a stance that proves he's done this before, he masterfully dives off the side of the cliff and into the water, leaving barely even a hint that he's just entered the lake. Both Levi and I clap at his performance.

  "Those diving lessons when you're young really did pay off, didn't they?" Levi asks once Tope makes it back to the surface.

  Tope doesn't respond. Instead, he twists over onto his back, swims circles around Levi and me and gazes up at the bright sunny sky.

  "If I'm going to dive with the two of you, I'm going to have to practice," Levi says, clearly disgusted by his own performance.

  "What're you talkin' about? I wish my dive would've been half as amazin' to watch as Tope's," I say, staring disbelievingly over at the man who just amazed me.

  Tope's sky gazing is promptly forgotten. He jerks his attention toward me and looks at me like he can't believe I've complimented him. I make a face at him just so he knows I won't be doing it again, and he laughs heartily. It's a heartwarming laugh, and it changes his every feature and makes him more stunning than I would have ever thought possible. With his lighter mood, he's as light and golden as Levi, and the dark recesses that normally consume him disappear.

  Stealing my attention away from Tope, Levi wraps himself around me. The instant he does, Tope's pits of shadows return along with his foul mood.

  "I think Tope and I can both agree your little striptease act up on the cliff and your own graceful dive wins hands down," Levi says intimately into my ear.

  I blush. "All I did is take off my shirt and shorts so I wouldn't get them wet. I wasn't trying to do anything else," I say into Levi's chest, hiding my face.

  "I don't care what you were tiring to do. That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen," Levi whispers before kissing my neck.

  He slides his arms around my waist, and suddenly, I'm aware of how few clothes we have on... of how lovely his bare chest is... of how much I want to use my finger to trace every visible muscle he has (and some that aren't).

  When I glance up into his eyes, Levi is studying me with every bit of the intensity I've been directing toward his chest. His eyes are black with pupils fully dilated, and his breathing is as ragged as mine. Just as he's about to kiss me—and I know in my heart it’s going to be one of the hottest kisses we've shared—Tope splashes us.

  "That's enough of that. Let's go dive again or let's find this infamous swing," he says sourly.

  Mumbling a few curse words under his breath and shoving a big fat wave toward Tope, Levi pulls away from me and the moment we were about to share, and I can't help but resent Tope's interruption.

  Levi holds on to my hand like we are glued together. He refuses to let me get away from him even for a second. I bask in every intimate touch he graces me with as well as the butterfly kisses he showers on me throughout the day. Every touch, kiss, and word coming from this man builds a bigger, brighter fire inside me until I'm sure if he strokes my back, neck, or stomach one more time I’ll spontaneously combust.

  As if on a mission, Tope interrupts us every single time Levi's touches get too familiar. In spite of Tope's constant interference, we all have a wonderful day laughing, playing, teasing, and joking. We dive, swim, and swing until the afternoon sun drops back down and prepares for its late afternoon descent.

  During an especially heated kiss between Levi and me, Tope clears his throat and says, "If you two don't want military rations for supper, I'd suggest we do a little fishing."

  "That, my friend, is good idea," Levi says, swimming with me in tow toward the bank of rocks where we'd been getting in and out all day.

  Levi and I are perched up on one of the largest rocks when Levi looks over at Tope with a grin and says, "Last one back to the camp has to clean the fish."

  As if competing with each other is genetically embedded in their cells, Levi and Tope jump up and take off running at the same time. The advantage Tope has in height is all but erased by Levi's need to win the race. It looks to me like the two of them make it to the camp at the exact same time. Given the speed with which they turn around and run back to the lake, I suspect a new race has been called. A tie breaker.

  This time, the stakes must be higher because there's definitely some foul play. Levi shoulders Tope into the side of a tree that he just barely misses while Tope sticks his foot out to trip Levi, making him stumble just enough to give Tope the clear advantage. In the end, Tope wins.

  I'm disappointed, but only because I see how upset Levi is. In fact, he looks like he might actually punch Tope. I know enough about Levi to know he doesn't have a hateful bone in his body, and his poor sportsmanlike conduct is not consistent with the man I'm enamored with. It's true Tope cheated, but so had he. Tope's the winner, and we both need to accept that.

  Even though I know what I need to do, I still squint my eyes and glare at Tope. He doesn't notice because he's bent over, holding his knees and laughing. Right then, he's as carefree and happy as Levi is worried and upset.

  After a few minutes of recovery, Tope looks up, sees my scowl, and sweeps his hand toward Levi. "You may want to direct your anger toward Levi. The tie-breaking prize is a kiss from you, Emily. I think we can all agree that I won even though my normally honest cousin tried his best to cheat me."

  With a smugness that makes me want to punch him, Tope moves close to me before turning and putting his index finger on his cheek. "I'll take it right here."

  Levi's fists are clenched, and his teeth are grinding. It's apparent he never expected Tope to beat him... or collect on his winnings. I suspected he's just as worried about how I'm going to take the n
ews that they'd been gambling for my affections. I decide three can plan at that game.

  I clamp my emotions down solidly and shrug. "A win is a win. If my kiss is the prize, well then, I guess I'll have to do my part."

  I strolled over to Tope who straightens up and instantly sobers. It's obvious he doesn't expect me to follow through. I stand on my tiptoes, lean over, and make it look like I'm going to give him the wettest, juiciest kiss ever. Tope's breath actually hitches. Instead of the hot kiss he was expecting, I give him a great big lick from his chin up to his cheek.

  "That’ll teach you to involve me in your competitions without my permission," I say sternly.

  He wrinkles his face, grabs my wrist, and pulls me into him. Face-to-face and staring into his eyes, I can't help but think one more time how much he looks like Levi... how much he wants me. Stunned. I try to snatch my wrist away from him, but his grip is too tight.

  "No fair. I was promised a kiss, and a kiss is what I'll get," he says, lingeringly kissing my forehead. "Now, go give my extremely jealous cousin one that will take the sting out of not winning." Tope's hoarse whisper is meant for my ears only.

  Something has definitely passed between Tope and me. I have no idea what it is, but it is confusing me because it feels a little like what I have with Levi with very few differences. Levi's touch makes me hot and bothered and so does Tope's. Angry with Tope for doing that to me when he knows how I feel about Levi, I jerk away from him and turn toward an ashamed Levi.

  "I'm sorry, Em. I really thought I'd win, and I never expected him to hold you to it."

  I shake off the encounter I just had with Tope and close the distance between Levi and me. He cups his hand around mine and frowns nervously at me like he's a wayward schoolboy awaiting his punishment.

  "He probably wouldn't have if I hadn't antagonized him by lickin' him," I said, not regretting for one minute what I'd done. It wasn't anything I would have ever gotten away with in the commune.