Perfect Betrayal
Page 28
There was no sound, no movement, no breaths for those few moments of euphoria. Finally freed from their torturous separation, they held on to each other until their heartbeats returned to resting. Though there was much to be said, they were both exhausted and content, so they surrendered and let sleep take them under.
* * *
Taylor woke to the smell of baking bread, sunlight filtering in through gauzy curtains, and the sound of church bells ringing in the distance. It took a moment for her to remember where she was, but when she did, she couldn’t help but smile.
She turned to find Levi still asleep. He was lying on his stomach, his tattooed arm disappeared beneath his pillow. The sheets were pushed down low. Taylor’s eyes traveled up his frame, taking in all of the skin and muscle that she wanted to taste. His lashes fluttered and she wondered what he dreamt about. The brown-and-red-tinted stubble on his face was about three days’ worth. It framed his pouting lips perfectly.
Taylor brushed a lock of hair from his forehead and he stirred, blinking rapidly. The blue-green of his eyes and his bright smile stunned her.
“You’re really here,” he said. “I thought it was a dream.”
Taylor bit her lip and nodded. After five days of traveling on trains and planes, months of heartache, and a long good-bye to her former life, in every possible way, she was really here.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I know,” she answered.
He rolled onto his side and pulled her closer. “How did you get away?”
“You’d be surprised by what you can buy from the geeks at Harvard.”
Levi’s eyebrows shot up toward his hairline and he smiled at her.
“Does your father know about the money?”
“Yeah, he found out a few days after you left. He thinks it was Beau’s father, but you’re on the list of suspects because of your disappearance. I didn’t tell them anything.”
Levi leaned over and kissed her forehead. He stared into her blue eyes and felt as though there was something deeper there, something new.
“Are you sure about this? Are you sure you want to leave that life behind?”
Taylor sat up, holding the sheet over her naked body. “I’m sure, Levi. I don’t need any of that. I need you.”
“What are we going to do with ourselves here?”
“Whatever we want. I could teach English. I’d really like that. You could play gigs. We could travel. Would you want to travel?”
“I’d follow you to hell and back.” He ran his fingers up the soft skin of her arm and back down again, still in disbelief. “It won’t be easy, Taylor. The money won’t last forever and—”
“We were never easy, Levi,” Taylor interrupted. “But we’re worth it.”
Levi pulled her down into his arms and buried his face in her hair.
“God, I missed you,” he admitted.
They made love again, feeling as if they’d never be able to get enough, never be satisfied. When they were feeling starved, they shared a shower and got dressed. Levi took her downstairs and introduced her to Gus and his love of pastries. Taylor tasted a sampling of the bakery’s best as Levi watched her with adoring eyes. He escorted her around Verona, sharing his most frequented spots and favorite foods with her. He took her to the park where he played and showed her the maze of hedges and pointed out the many sculptures. Just before sunset, he pulled her toward Ponte Pietra.
“Come on, I want you to meet someone,” he said.
Levi was excited to introduce them and thank his old friend for the advice that had brought them back together. They leaned against the bridge and awaited his arrival, content to be in each other’s arms again. Taylor wrapped herself inside his coat and buried her face in Levi’s sweater to escape the cold air.
When the sky turned into its mixed palette of colors, he turned her around and let her look out over the city. She smiled and leaned into his embrace.
“Juliet is the sun.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“I’ve done some research and I’ve been thinking. How would you feel about donating some money to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation?”
Taylor looked over her shoulder at him and beamed. “I think you are the sweetest man and I would love if you did that.”
“It doesn’t make everything right, but it could make a big difference in someone’s life. Maybe prevent what happened to Julia from happening again.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against his chest. He rested his chin on her shoulder and sighed in contentment. From the moment they’d met, there had been an undeniable energy between them. There was no first date, no meeting the parents or dinner at his place. There had been only lust and passion and tempers flaring. Somewhere in the middle of all that, they’d found something so true and unexpected.
“I love you,” he said, his breathy words creating a swirl of white vapor that disappeared up into the air above them.
“I love you, too,” she answered.
He kissed her neck and smiled down at the water below them.
“I don’t know what I’m doing. I might screw up.”
Taylor turned her face to his and kissed his lips. “Don’t worry, New Guy, you’ll get it.”
Levi chuckled and then checked the bridge for his friend. Not finding the man, Levi huffed in frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Taylor asked.
“I wanted you to meet someone, but he’s not here.”
“Maybe he just stayed home today,” she offered.
“Yeah, maybe,” Levi answered, knowing better.
A grateful sadness crept into his chest as he remembered the man’s company and kind words. Levi had a feeling that, just like him, the old man had finally been reunited with his Juliet.
My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep: the more I give to thee the more I have, for both are infinite.
about the author
Season Vining is a writer, a designer, a philanthropist, a bookworm, is inked, and is a night owl. She lives with her corgi, Chap, in Louisiana, where she works as a graphic designer. You can sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY
SEASON VINING
BEAUTIFUL ADDICTIONS
HELD AGAINST YOU
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contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
1. Fistfights and Tomorrows
2. The Look and the Inside Man
3. The New Guy and Introductions
4. Open Mics and Polyester Blend
5. Louboutin and Nurse Taylor
6. Mutual Attraction and Just Friends
7. Hustler and Quivering Jelly
8. On the Prowl and Passion Theory
9. Radiohead and Hurricanes
10. Carnal Desires and Plan B
11. Sexual Pun and 1989
12. False Bottoms and Friday
13. Foreshadowing and Home Services
14. File Folder and Eye Candies
15. Happy Birthday and Good-bye
16. Balconies and Prison
17. Googlin’ and Good-bye Again
18. Cougar Bait and the Laundry Chute
19. Stacks on Stacks and Retribution
20. Julia Hudson and Banished
21. Bergamo and Robbery
22. Lebron James and Postcards
23. Juliet and Happy Christmas
24. Suspects and Declarations
About the Author
Also by Season Vining
Praise for the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
PERFECT BETRAYAL. Copyright © 2015 by Season Vining. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Crystal Ben
Cover photograph © Lorand Gelner/iStock.com
Pattern © Svetlana Prikhnenko/Shutterstock
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Vining, Season.
Perfect betrayal / Season Vining. — First edition.
pages ; cm
ISBN 978-1-250-04880-6 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4668-4987-7 (e-book)
I. Title.
PS3622.I57P47 2015
813'.6—dc23
2015016938
e-ISBN 9781466849877
First Edition: August 2015