by Mia Carson
“That, and I couldn’t keep my hands off you. We have a lot of time to make up.”
I pulled him into another long kiss. “We certainly do,” I breathed as his lips covered mine.
When the kiss dissolved again, he took my hand and led me down the hall, slowing as he passed Abby’s room and glancing in. As I passed, I stopped him and slowly closed the door until there was a four-finger-width crack. It might not make any difference, but I felt better.
In our bedroom—I smiled that I was already thinking of it as our bedroom—we undressed. Goddamn if Levi wasn’t easily the sexist man I’d ever seen outside a magazine, on television, or in a movie, and even then, there were damn few that could surpass him.
I licked my lips, wanting to taste his lips and his cock. My trailer felt slightly cool to my naked skin, but the coolness was no match for the heat raging inside me. We crawled into bed, and he immediately began kissing his way down my body. He’d always put me first, even when we were younger, but tonight, I wanted to please him.
“No,” I whispered, pulling him back up beside me. “Please, I want to,” I continued as I began a slow crawl down his body, licking and kissing. When I took him into my mouth I watched his face as I slowly swallowed him. I could take all of him, but it wasn’t easy, and I’d gagged myself the first time I’d tried because I’d gone too fast. Rather than spoil the mood, it had only excited me more. No man had been big enough to do that after I’d learned how to take a man deep.
As I worked him over, watching his face twist in pleasure revved me up. I was going to make him come because I wanted to see if he could fuck me after he came, like he had our first time. I hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but I’d since learned that most men lost their erection after orgasm.
He held out a long time, but finally… “I’m going to come,” he hissed.
“Then come,” I murmured as I feathered kisses over the delectable toy I’d been given for the evening.
I plunged him deep again, struggling to take the last little bit of him. He groaned low and deep as his hands pressed ever so lightly on my head. He grunted softly as he filled my mouth, his face so sexy as he sneered in rapture.
“Fuck,” he breathed as he relaxed.
“Now,” I purred as I slowly moved over him, “I want you to fuck me.”
He may not be nineteen anymore, and he did soften slightly before becoming steel hard again, but he’d more than satisfied my request, pounding into me until I groaned softly in rapture. As I snuggled into his side, warm, relaxed, sleepy, and well fucked, I smiled at my clock. It was just now my bedtime. I kissed his chest and closed my eyes, listening to the slow, deep, thumping of his heart, the heart he’d given to me. The sound lulled me into sleep. I was still smiling as slumber pulled its darkness over me.
19
Levi
The sound of a ringing phone stopped with a click as someone on the other end of my call lifted the receiver. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Meyer? Levi McCormick. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Levi. I heard you were back in town. What can I do for you?”
“I’m getting in touch with old friends, and I’d like to catch up with Cat. I understand she’s in Abilene now. I was wondering if I could get her number, or if you’d have her call me.”
There was a long pause. “Aren’t you seeing that Johnson girl again? You know she accused Catherine of drugging her. Can you imagine such a thing?”
I grimaced. I had known this would be tricky. “Yes, ma’am, I know. I suppose you heard about Steve and me?”
“Yeah.”
“That kind of put a new prospective on things. Getting tossed in the pokey will do that to you.”
Janice Meyer laughed. “Yes, I imagine it would. You’re not seeing her anymore?”
“You know how it is, her being a single mother and all,” I said, trying to be vague enough that she’d draw the wrong conclusion without me outright lying. I was willing to lie to get the information I needed, but I wanted to save that as a last resort.
“I don’t want no trouble for Catherine. She had to leave town after all the accusations, said she couldn’t stay here anymore. Mary Ella Johnson had no right to accuse my girl of doing that to her, spreading lies like she did.”
“No, ma’am.”
“You’re not looking to stir up trouble?”
“No, ma’am. I’d like to talk to her and see how she’s doing, that’s all. If you don’t want to give me her number, maybe you could have her give me a call if she’s interested? If not, well, no hard feelings.”
“Maybe I’ll do that. What’s your number?” I gave it to her and she repeated it back to me. “I’ll give her a call and see if she’s interested in talking to you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Meyer. I’d sure like to catch up. I kind of miss my old friends.”
“I can imagine. You getting settled in okay?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m staying with my parents for a while, but I’ll get a place of my own.”
“Well, we’re glad your back.”
“Glad to be back. I’m looking forward to hearing from Cat,” I said, trying to sell Cat’s mom on the idea.
“I’ll give her a call right now.”
“Well, no matter what, thanks Mrs. Meyer.”
“You’re welcome, Levi.”
I hung up and stepped out of my room. The wheels were in motion. Now all I had to do was wait. We were eating dinner when my phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Levi? Cat Meyer. Mom said you wanted to talk to me.”
“I’m in the middle of dinner with my family. Can I call you back in, say, ten minutes? Maybe get together?”
“Really? Sure!”
“I’ve got your number. Ten minutes,” I said and hung up.
“Who was that?” Mom asked.
“Catherine Meyer.”
“The one Ella said drugged her?”
“One and the same.”
“Why is she calling you?”
“Before dinner I called her mother and asked her to have Cat call me.”
Mom and Dad looked at each other. “How’d you get her number?”
I grinned. “I found an eight-year-old phone book in the side table where the phone used to be. I looked her up. She still has the same number.”
“What are you up too?” Dad asked, his voice full of both interest and concern.
“You wanted proof. I’m going to try to get it.”
“By talking to Cat Meyers?”
“Yep.” I pushed back from the table. “It was good, Mom. I’m going to call her now. It’s still early enough. I may run into Abilene and have a drink or two with her, if she’s available.”
“That’s an hour each way!” Mom cried.
“Yeah, I know, so I need to get hopping.”
“Levi, why can’t you—” Mom began before Dad put his hand on her arm.
“Let him do this.”
“But—” she tried again, but Dad was shaking his head.
“Let him be, Judy. He’s a grown man. He needs to know, one way or the other.”
“And if she won’t tell you, or tells you the same thing we’ve been telling you all along?” Mom asked me, her disapproval of what I was doing clear in the set of her face and the slight narrowing of her eyes.
I shrugged. “It won’t change my opinion, but what if she confirms Ella’s story?”
“Why would she do that?”
I rolled my hands over and held them out in front of me palms up. “Maybe she won’t, but I have to try.”
Mom sighed. “Fine. Do what you have to,” she said with a dismissive wave. “I think you’re wasting your time.”
I grinned. “You sound like Ella. She said the same thing, and just like I told her, it’s my time to waste.”
That statement finished the conversation, so I retired to my room where I could talk in private. I shut my door as I pressed redial on my phone.
“Hey, Levi.
Good to hear from you.”
“You too, Cat. I was wondering if you’d like to get together for a drink sometime.”
“Maybe. I thought you were seeing Ella again.”
“I was.”
“Was?”
It worked on her mother, so I thought I’d go to that well again. “Yeah. Did you hear I was picked up for assault and battery?”
“No! Really! For what?”
“Steve and I had…a disagreement in Dolly’s. Dolly called the cops and I ended up in the clink.”
“Over Ella?”
“Yeah. He was groping her, I tried to put a stop to it. I thought I was doing her a favor, but later she told me not to get involved and to, more or less, mind my own business. On top of that, Mom and Dad are pissed at me, and I’m banned from Dolly’s for God knows how long. Who needs that kind of aggravation?”
“Jesus. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, me too. So, here I am.”
“Then sure, I’d love to have a drink with you sometime. What works for you?”
“I’m available any time after dark, including tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, tonight works for me if it works for you.”
“I don’t have to work tomorrow, so tonight would be great. Where do you want to meet?”
“Anywhere is good for me.”
“Want to meet at my place?” she asked, her tone inviting.
“Your place sounds great.”
“Fantastic. What time?”
“I need to wash the dust off, so say, eight?”
“Eight would be perfect.” She paused, and I could sense she had more to say, so I waited. “How long do you think you’ll stay?”
I put a smile in my voice. “However long you want me to.”
“That could be a while. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“So long as I’m back by about 9:30 or ten tomorrow morning, I’m good.”
“That’s perfect. I’ll text you my address.”
“I’ll see you in about ninety minutes.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I.”
The moment I hung I started stripping out of my clothes for the shower. I needed to hurry. I dashed through a shower, threw on some clothes, added a sport coat for style and warmth, and hurried out to find Mom and Dad.
“I’m going to meet Cat. I might be late. Don’t wait up.”
Mom looked like she’d bit into something sour. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing. What if you find something you’re not looking for, something that goes against what you believe? I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
I pointed a playful finger at her and smiled. “I don’t think I will be, and it’s worth the risk if I can prove to you Ella isn’t who, or what, you think she is.”
“Be careful.”
“I always am.”
“Oh, please,” she said to my retreating back.
I drove to Abilene, working out what I wanted to say, along with my responses and counter responses to any questions Cat might have about why I’d wanted to get together with her. I had to gain her confidence and let her think I’d given up on Ella. If I did, maybe she’d let something slip. I didn’t need much. It didn’t have to hold up for the police. I just needed something for my parents, and a morsel would do.
I rolled to a stop outside her apartment at 7:55. I stepped out of my truck and walked to apartment 3B. Cat’s apartment was in square buildings, three stories tall, with four units occupying the corners on each floor. I tromped up the steps to the third floor.
“Jesus Christ! I’m going already!” a woman about my age snarled as she stepped out of 3B. She seemed rather flustered and frustrated. She started when she saw me coming up the steps. “You must be Levi.”
“That’s me. Catherine Meyer live here?”
The woman jerked her thumb at the door as she looked me over with a long appraising look. “Okay, maybe you are worth it. She’s expecting you. I’m Julie, by the way.”
I gave her my most winning smile, the one I’d perfected over the past five years. “Nice to meet you, Julie,” I said, taking her hand. “Levi McCormick.”
“Like the spices?”
“Yeah, but unrelated. Unfortunately.”
She twittered out a laugh. “Yeah, I suppose so. You’ve known Cat long?”
“Since high school.”
“I haven’t seen you around.”
I smiled at her flirting. “Just back from a tour in the military. Air Force.”
“A fighter pilot?”
“No. I protected the fighter pilots.” What I said was true, but put that way it sounded much more impressive than saying I was an MP.
“I’d like to hear more about it some time.”
“Maybe I’ll see you around then.”
She smiled, playing with her hair. “Maybe.”
“I should go. Cat’s waiting on me.”
“Yeah.” She waggled of her fingers in a flirty wave. “See you,” she said as she started down the steps with a look and a smile back at me.
I winked at her and turned to the door. I rapped softly on the door with my first knuckle. It opened a moment later. Cat was standing in the threshold wearing a low-cut, maroon sweater that showed off her breasts, the bottom stopping just above her faded, worn, hip hugger jeans. She’d added a wide, intricately stitched black belt, a matching leather bracelet, and black boots that reached her knees. Cat was only 5’4” or 5’5”, but her three-inch heels made her almost as tall as Ella. She’d always had a thing for makeup with flair, and her eyes were dramatic. I’ve always preferred women that allowed their natural beauty to shine through, like Ella, but Cat had perfected that slightly slutty, hard-fucking bitch look I’d once targeted. Three years ago, I’d have zeroed in on her as an easy lay and fucked her until she was begging for mercy.
“Cat,” I said in greeting. “You’re looking great, as always.”
“Thanks, Levi,” she said with a smile, stepping back and silently inviting me in. “You’re looking good yourself.”
“I met your roommate on the way up. You didn’t have to throw her out on my account.”
Cat smiled. “She had somewhere to be, anyway. What can I get you to drink?”
“Have a beer?”
“Two beers coming right up.” She sashayed to the fridge, putting plenty of swing into her ass. Cat had always known how to present herself, and though she hadn’t lost the touch, she’d aged. She was still sexy as hell, but she looked like she’d been ridden hard and put away wet more than once over the past five years.
“Mom said you were home from the Air Force. What happened?”
“Nothing. I just decided the Air Force wasn’t for me, plus Dad had a heart attack.”
“I didn’t know that,” she said as she set a bottle in front of me. “He’s okay?”
“Fine. What about you?”
“After that thing with Ella, I decided it was time to spread my wings a little. You knew I worked at Payless, right?” I took a pull on the bottle as I nodded. “I’m working my way up. I’m the produce manager at one of the stores here in Abilene. Next step is assistant store manager, then store manager.”
“Good for you.”
“Pay’s okay, but a store manager can make as much as ninety grand a year. That’s what I’m gunning for.”
“Best of luck to you.”
“Thanks. Why are we standing here? Let’s go sit down and make ourselves comfortable,” she suggested.
“Sounds like a plan.” I sat on the couch, and as I expected, she sat close. “It sure is good to see you again. You seeing anyone?”
She grinned at me. “Nobody serious. You know me, I like to keep my options open.”
I grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Cat Meyer, the girl every guy in school was panting after.”
“Except one.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I’d been better off if I had.”
“I’m really sorry, Levi.”
“Yeah, me too. But I’m over her. When I got back, I confronted her about what happened.” I shook my head. “She’s still blaming everyone for what happened, but when I pressed her, she admitted she wasn’t even sure what the truth was anymore. I thought maybe we could make another go at it, but that thing with Steve really opened my eyes. She’s nothing but trouble, and I don’t need that.”
“So you don’t believe her?”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done, past is past.”
“That’s a great attitude!” she said, taking another drink of her beer.
“I think so. I’m looking for new conquests, new challenges, not to mention someone without a kid. Can you imagine not being on the pill in this day and age? What was she thinking? If nothing else, that was stupid on her part.”
Cat laughed. “Ain’t that the truth. I told her the same thing. Listen, can you tell me something, honestly?”
“Sure, what?”
“Were you two fucking or not? She always swore up and down you weren’t.”
I forced a smile. “Nope. She wouldn’t put out. I thought it was sweet at the time, and I was in love and all that shit. Now I realize how naïve I was. In hindsight, I wished I’d dated someone who was willing to live a little. I didn’t know what I was missing.”
She smiled at me and drew a finger along her breast. “But you do now?”
“Oh, yeah. I made up for it while in the service. I fucked every woman I could get to spread her legs.”
She shook her head. “What a fucking waste. Ever girl in school had the hots for you, and you were so wrapped up in Ella you wouldn’t even give us a chance.”
“Us?”
She laughed. “Yeah, us. Goddamn, I wanted you so fucking bad, but you were my best friend’s guy. If I’d actually believed she was holding out on you, I might have offered you a little on the side.”
“If I knew then what I know now, I might have taken you up on the offer.”
“What about now?”
“I still might.”
She played with her breast, a sexy smile on her lips that promised great pleasures. “What would it take to convince you?”
I was stringing her along. I had no intention of fucking her, but I was still a man and she was sexy as hell. I began to harden, and she noticed. Rather than try to hide it or deny it, I decided to go with it.
