Taylor pushed on Levi’s shoulders, having him lie back. He looked like a work of art laid out before her. She climbed on top of him, her hands resting on his hard chest. Levi’s hands wrapped around her wrists like cuffs before he slid them up slowly, tracing every curve of her arms, shoulders, and neck.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, looking up at her. “And mine.”
For how long? she thought. Taylor pushed that question from her head and gave a tiny smile, giving in to the rawness of this moment. She shifted against his hardness, and the delicate moment was lost to something more primal and necessary. When Levi slid inside her, both of them sighed at the feeling of being reconnected. Yes, Taylor thought. This is perfect. He is perfect.
Levi’s hands flew to her hips when she moved over him. His fingers sank into her flesh as he helped. Her rhythm was relentless, never giving in to the desire to slow things down and make their time together last. This was Taylor taking what she needed and giving him what he craved.
They moved together, the act boiling down to their fulfilled moans and desperate, frenzied hands. When she fell over the edge again, she brought Levi with her. He whispered her name as every muscle in his body pulled tight with satisfying pleasure.
Taylor collapsed onto his chest, not bothered by the thin sheen of sweat that painted her cheek. She rose and fell with each breath he took. Levi’s arms wrapped around her, and she reveled in the feel of his hard calloused hands against her skin. Taylor closed her eyes and placed a kiss on his chest before sliding off him.
She threw one arm and one leg across his body, anchoring him as if she thought he’d disappear during the night. My only love sprung from my only hate.
16. balconies and prison
Sunday morning, Taylor woke up in the most wonderful, warm cocoon. Her first reaction had been panic, but that melted away when she opened her eyes to find Levi’s vibrant inked arm wrapped around her. She slid onto her back and took in his beautiful sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, his expression free from that usual contemplative frown he wore. His thick black lashes rested on his cheeks, fluttering slightly from whatever visions danced in his head. The pout of his pink lips begged to be kissed awake.
She couldn’t help herself as she kissed his shoulder, then his neck, and finally his jaw. His breathing changed and his arm pulled her closer. Finally, she kissed his waiting lips, feeling them tighten into a smile beneath hers.
“Good morning, Romeo,” she said.
“Yes, it is,” he said, his voice rougher than normal.
Taylor shifted her body on top of his and continued placing kisses on his neck. She traced the lines of his tattoo with her lips before he rolled her over. Pinned beneath his naked body, Taylor felt every inch of his need for her.
“Can I please be woken up like this every fucking day?” he mumbled, still half asleep.
She laughed and ran her hands through his hair. They floated on the air of their pleasured afterglow with no worries to weigh them down.
“Surely you’d like to get some rest, Virginia!” Suzanne’s voice shouted from out in the hall. “You must be tired from your long trip.”
Taylor’s eyes grew wide, and the breath left her body in one swift whoosh.
“Oh, don’t be silly, Suzanne. And why are you shouting? Taylor will be thrilled that I’m home early!”
The sound of her mother’s voice sent Taylor into a tailspin. “Fuck,” she whispered, pushing Levi off her.
They both flew out of the bed, slipping on clothes as fast as possible.
“Taylor! Sweetheart!” Virginia sang from the other side of the door.
“Hide,” she whispered at Levi.
“Where?”
Her eyes darted around the room and she pointed to the floor. “Uh, under the bed. I’ll distract her while you get out!”
Levi had his jeans on and nothing else when he nodded and dropped to the floor just as the bedroom door swung open. He slid under the bed, pulling his shirt with him, and saw two pairs of feet come barreling in.
“Taylor, wake up. Mommy’s home,” Virginia said.
Taylor faked a yawn and spoke in a slow, sleepy voice. “I thought you wouldn’t be back until August.”
Levi slid to the middle of the bed, making sure he was perfectly hidden as he listened.
“I didn’t want to miss my baby going off to college,” she gushed. “Besides, my passport expires next week. I forgot to renew it before I left.”
“Excellent,” Taylor said.
Suzanne remained quiet, but Levi could see her feet pacing near the door.
“Now, get up and get dressed so we can go to lunch. You can tell me all about your summer. Have you met any boys?”
“Not really,” Taylor answered. “But let me show you the new samples I got from Gucci. They’re in my closet.”
Taylor jumped out of bed and hurried toward her closet. Levi watched the pair of shiny black high heels follow. He slid toward the edge of the bed and heard a click. He scooted farther and turned to look back to where he’d been. A large panel on the floor had sunk in about an inch.
His pulse spiked, and the sound of Taylor and her mother disappeared as it pounded in his ears. Levi slid the panel back, knowing exactly what he’d find. The safe.
Levi took a quick glance at the model. Then his shaking fingers pulled the panel closed and it popped up level with the floor again, seamless and completely hidden. His head was swimming, a voice inside screaming for him to get out.
“Levi!” Suzanne hissed, her face appearing below the bed. “Come on!” He crawled out and ran for the door. “Not that way! Mandy is here helping Vanessa clean up from the party,” she whispered.
Levi changed directions and slipped out onto the balcony just as Taylor and her mother returned to the room. Suzanne pushed him out of sight and leaned against the doorframe, blocking the view. Checking the ivy next to her balcony, he slid his arms into his shirt and threw himself over the railing. Climbing down the trellis was easier than he expected, and his feet hit the ground with a soft thud. He darted across the lawn and behind the garage, all the while high on the knowledge of the safe’s location. Once in the safety of the cab, he dug his phone out and called Kyle.
“It’s too fucking early, Levi.”
“Kyle! I found it! I found the safe! Call the Boss. Call off Plan B. We’re in!”
Levi tore down the driveway, tapping on his steering wheel as he waited for the slow-moving gate to let him out.
“Are you serious?” Kyle screamed.
“I would not fucking joke about this!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll make the call.”
Levi hung up and called Crystal next.
“What?” Crystal grumbled into the phone.
“Don’t ‘What?’ me. I found the safe!”
“No shit? When? I thought we were no-go on Friday.”
“This morning,” Levi admitted. “Kyle is calling the Boss to scrub Plan B.”
“Sweet. See, I told you it would be fine. Wait. What were you doing at work this early? And on a Sunday?”
“I wasn’t working.”
“Oh,” Crystal said. There were three seconds of silence and then, “Oooooooh.”
“I’ll call you back when I know more,” Levi said, smiling out at the empty road before him.
He ended the call and threw his phone in the cup holder. By the time he was entering his apartment, Kyle was calling him back.
“I talked to the Boss. Plan B has officially been put on hold. Did you get a look at what kind of safe it was?”
“Yeah. It’s a Gardall G3600, but custom-made. Looks like it’s narrow and deep.”
“Nice, Levi. The Boss wants to meet tonight to discuss our next move. Six o’clock.”
“I’ll be there,” Levi said.
After another call to Crystal, Levi hopped in the shower, still pumped full of adrenaline. All of their man-hours, everything they had worked so hard for, had been under Taylor Hudson’s
bed the whole time. He couldn’t help but smile when he thought of the irony of it all. Levi wondered if Taylor even knew the safe existed.
He grabbed his guitar and walked the three blocks down to the neighborhood park. It was a beautiful sunny day and the park was full of people milling about. Levi picked a bench in the shade of a large palm tree, left his guitar case open at his feet, and began to play. Being here brought up memories of sitting beside his father, doing the same thing, when he was a kid. Once Levi learned to play, they would often take turns, showing off for whoever stopped long enough to listen.
Like the dinner party, playing here was so different from playing at Mavericks. Here, children stopped to dance to the more upbeat songs. Toddlers, with their chubby little legs, teetered and bounced to the sound of “Brown Eyed Girl” before being dragged off by their mothers. Some people gathered around and stayed for a while, some just passed by and offered a tip and a smile for the little bit of joy.
Levi sang and gladly nodded at the applause between songs. And even when no one was around, he still smiled down at his strumming fingers, feeling free and hopeful and back in the game.
* * *
The four of them sat around the table. The air felt electric with the promise of Henry Hudson’s fortune awaiting them. Now that they’d located the safe, they had to work out a way to get in and get the money out undetected. The safe would be hard to crack, but that’s where Kyle came in. He’d been studying up on this for months.
“Levi, you said the safe is a Gardell G3600?” the Boss asked.
“Yeah. Hidden by a sliding panel beneath Taylor’s bed,” he replied.
“I’m not going to inquire about how you located this.” Levi nodded, appreciating the pass. “How did we miss this in our layout?”
“Taylor’s room is directly above the study,” Crystal said. “The safe is nestled right behind one of the bookcases there with the opening at the top beneath Taylor’s bed.”
“The Gardell is a tough one,” Kyle said. “I’ve done my research, though. I’m pretty sure I can crack it.”
“I need you positive you can crack it. I’ll have the same model delivered to your house. From here on out, your only focus is getting into that safe in less than three minutes.”
Kyle nodded.
“Crystal, I need you to work on logistics. Find a way for us to get in and out.”
“Us?” Crystal asked.
“I’ll be there for the extraction,” the Boss said. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“That’s a little risky, isn’t it” Levi asked.
The Boss huffed, blue eyes and an angry expression cutting through him. “Now is not the time to start questioning me, Levi. I suggest you worry about your place in the Hudson household and let me worry about mine.”
Levi swallowed and dropped his gaze to the table.
“We’ll be ready by Saturday, Boss,” Kyle said, breaking the hostile tension in the room.
“I’ll see you then.”
The Boss left the room and the three of them sat exchanging hopeful looks.
“Congrats, man,” Kyle said, pounding Levi on the back. “Talk about finding that safe at the last minute.”
“I know, I know,” Levi replied.
“So this could really happen now,” Crystal said. “I always had faith that we would pull it off, but now it seems really real.”
“Crystal, you work on getting us in and out. Kyle, you work on the safe. I’ll get us a window of opportunity. We haven’t pulled it off yet.”
“That’s what she said,” Kyle answered, a smug smile on his face.
Levi and Crystal looked at their friend and then at each other before laughing.
“What?” Kyle asked.
“Nothing,” Crystal said. “Go home and celebrate, guys.”
“Try not to pull it off,” Levi said, slapping Kyle on the back.
As Levi lay in bed that night with his half-empty glass of scotch, he thought about the highs and lows of his time at the Hudson house. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed with Taylor last night, but he had no power against her anymore. He hated to admit it, but she possessed him in a way that was undeniable.
When her mother had shown up, he’d almost had a heart attack. He knew that if it had been any other guy in Taylor’s bed, she wouldn’t have thought twice about letting Virginia find them together. But to save his job or whatever connection they shared, she begged him to hide. And thank God for that.
Levi sipped the alcohol, letting it warm him from the inside out. Finding the safe validated all of his work and his worth on this team. It righted everything Levi had ever failed at. He felt whole and in control of his life, while another part of him felt traitorous. Practically torn in two directions by his warring emotions, joy and guilt, accomplishment and shame, he wasn’t sure which feelings were justified. On one side, a pile of money and freedom called to him, on the other, a beautiful girl who owned him. Levi felt anger boil over at the thought of finally having things go right and still feeling empty inside. He drained the last of his scotch and hurled the glass across the room, satisfied when it shattered against the wall and fell to the carpet.
Levi had faith in Kyle. He knew Kyle would find a way to get into that safe, and when he did, they would be ready to put their plan into action. Until then, Levi was to keep his job at the Hudson house and lay low. As easy as that sounded, he knew his time there would grow more and more complicated. He knew he’d soon have to make the decision—the girl or the money? In his heart, Levi knew he’d already made it. It would be difficult, but necessary to protect everyone.
* * *
Taylor sighed as something stirred her from sleep. She hummed and started to drift off when she felt it again. Her hand flew up to swat the annoyance away, but she found nothing.
“Suzanne, stop. I’m not ready to get up.”
A deep laugh vibrated against her neck, making her realize that Levi was in her bed. Taylor opened her eyes and blinked away her sleep. She grinned and covered her mouth when a yawn tried to escape.
“Does Suzanne wake you up with kisses?” he asked, covering her body with his own, only the duvet between them.
Levi kissed her temple, then her jaw, and finally her neck. His breath was warm against her skin. It smelled like mint and coffee.
“No, but it’s Monday. She wakes me up for yoga on Mondays.”
“Yoga?” Levi asked. He raised his head and looked down at her. Taylor nodded. “I don’t know yoga, but I could certainly help you get all bendy.”
“You are such a cheese ball,” she said, pushing on his shoulders. “Let me up. I need to pee.”
Levi rolled over and Taylor made a show of climbing over him and out of bed. The feel of his gaze encouraged her to exaggerate the swing of her hips.
“Stop staring at my ass,” she shouted over her shoulder.
When Taylor had emptied her bladder and taken care of her morning breath, she entered her room to find Levi all too comfortable on her bed. He had his hands clasped behind his head, the muscles of his biceps bulging against her pillows, one side a beautiful pattern of lines and colors, the other smooth canvas.
From halfway across the room, Taylor started running. She leaped onto her bed and straddled his hips, immediately greeting Levi with a proper kiss. It grew needy and desperate and naturally slowed down before ending with three sweet chaste pecks on the lips. She lay herself on his chest, her head tucked beneath Levi’s chin.
One of his hands stayed put while the other traced the line of her spine from the nape of her neck down to her waist and back up again.
“And the sunlight clasps the earth and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what is all this sweet work worth if thou kiss not me?”
The sound of his reciting was intensified with her ear pressed to his chest. The timbre and sweet rough edge of his voice, along with the words themselves, sent Taylor falling into her own piece of heaven.
“What was that?” she asked. Her
fingers rested on his chest and traced the white stitching along his pocket.
“‘Love’s Philosophy’ by Percy Shelley.”
“How do you remember them all?”
“The same way musicians remember lyrics. I set them to a melody in my head. Been doing it since I was twelve.”
“Hmmm. Give me another,” Taylor begged.
Levi buried his hand in her long blond hair, his fingers massaging her scalp.
“If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”
Taylor lifted her head and hovered her mouth above his, their lips a hair’s breadth apart.
“Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss,” she quoted. Levi’s eyes widened, and Taylor smiled proudly. “Did I mention that I was Juliet in last year’s school production? That was my favorite scene.”
Levi shook his head and closed the distance between them. The two devoured each other again, a mess of roaming hands. Finally, Taylor had to pull back from Levi for fear that she’d lose herself completely.
“Did you and your mother have a nice day?” he asked as she slid beside him, her head on his shoulder.
“Virginia is just down the hall. Shall we go ask her?”
“Nope. I’m good, thanks.”
“Can I just keep you here, locked up in my room all day?” she asked.
“That’s not in my job contract; you’d have to take it up with my employer. Besides, I don’t do well with confinement.”
“Really? Have you never been to prison?”
Levi looked down at her and laughed. “What? No. What the hell do you think of me? Well, I have been to jail.”
Taylor shot up in bed, her face scrunched up in confusion. “What’s the difference?”
Perfect Betrayal Page 20
