by Skye Jordan
I force a smile. “Sure.”
He gets out and rounds the truck to get my door, but I’m already stepping out. He hugs me tight, and I close my eyes and soak in the feel of him.
“I’ve got you,” he says. “I may not have been able to help you all those years ago, but I’ve got you now.”
The sentiment floods me with joy and relief. I can’t believe how good it feels to know someone just as strong as me has my back. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this forever. “Thank you.”
He holds my hand on the way in, but I pull away inside the restaurant and follow Levi toward the table holding his family. Even though I know their family has grown, I’m not prepared for the crowd or the chaos. Some people I know, others I don’t, and there are kids everywhere, sitting in chairs, wandering around close by, a couple under the table.
It’s overwhelming. I feel confused and tentative and completely uneasy. Everyone at the table looks up, and their gazes jump from Levi to me. It feels a little like I imagine a firing squad would.
Then Bri squeals and stands, coming over to hug me. She introduces me to the men and names the kids. When I step back and find his parents smiling at me, warmth nudges the fear aside, and I round the table to give them both hugs.
“So good to see you, sweetheart,” his mother says.
“You grew up real nice,” his dad says.
And despite the strangers and the craziness, I’m suddenly home. And the idea that I might actually be able to do this sneaks in.
Trina is friendly but indifferent to my presence, which I understand as she and her husband try to keep three kids acting relatively respectful in the restaurant. The men seem friendly enough. Even Lucy’s husband, Tony, is pleasant to me.
I return to Levi, who’s smiling and has pulled out a chair for me, and I take my seat as a waitress asks for our drink orders. Levi orders for us, and I’m trying to catch up with his parents with the noisy chaos of children everywhere. Aside from moving around the table like bees at a hive, they are well-behaved and freaking adorable. When I was young, Levi and I used to dream about having kids. But after I left, the idea never crossed my mind again. Now, I find myself in the middle of children who resemble Levi in one way or another, and I feel an unexpected but sweet longing perk up inside me.
The waitress returns with our drinks and begins to take orders. A little girl about four or five has taken a liking to me and works her way into my lap, where she colors on the table. Levi is grinning, and I see those dreams of children resurface in his eyes.
The waitress has just walked away from the table when Lucy rushes in, and I tense.
“Mary Ellen and Tara were sick,” she says to no one in particular, as she slides off her sweater. “So we cancelled—”
“Hi, Mama,” the little girl in my lap says, making me realize I’m holding one of Lucy’s daughters.
Lucy’s gaze turns toward her daughter’s voice, and lands on me, then darts to her daughter, to me, to Levi and back to me.
I meet her eyes and smile, but I hold my breath, hoping this doesn’t upset the comfortable situation at the table. Lucy and Levi seem to speak without words, and now the only people talking at the table are the kids.
Lucy lets out a breath and returns her gaze to me. She lays her sweater over the back of a chair beside her husband, then comes toward me. I have no idea what to expect, but nothing good enters my mind. Levi’s hand moves to my thigh and gives it a squeeze, and I’m so grateful for the show of support, I could cry.
“Hi,” Lucy says.
“Hi,” I return with a cautious smile.
“Look, Mama, it’s a rainbow.”
“I see that.” Lucy focuses on me again. “You’re staying, then?”
I don’t know if she means temporarily or forever, but since I’ve committed to the two years, I nod. “I am.”
Her lips turn in a conservative smile. “Welcome home, then.”
And she leans down to give me a hug.
I’m floored, and shocked tears sting my eyes. I hug her back and offer a soft “Thank you.”
The rest of dinner is a flurry of discussion and laughter, and I feel like I slide right back into the group. Seeing Levi with the kids warms my heart in a way that’s hard to explain. I experience a sense of belonging I haven’t had in years and feel like this is exactly what my life has been missing.
When we leave, I give his parents, his sisters, and even a couple of the kids hugs.
Levi opens my door for me, then climbs behind the wheel and starts the truck. I slide next to him, turn his head toward me, and kiss him. A meaningful, deep kiss filled with love and gratitude.
“Wow,” he says. “What was that for?”
“For being so amazing and believing when I couldn’t.”
His smile is soft, and so much love shines in his eyes, it tightens my throat. “Are you going to show me your house? And your bed?”
“Hell, yeah, I am.”
With my heart full and my fears sidelined, I want him more than ever. I kiss his cheek, his jaw, his neck, and he lets out a low purr. At a stoplight, I turn his head and kiss him deep. When the light is green again, I pop open the button on his jeans and work down the zipper.
“Jesus, Lai—” His words cut out as I take him in my hand and stroke. “Fuck.”
“Just keep your attention on the road.” I’m enjoying this streak of confidence, the sensation of rightness. And my desire for Levi has bounded through that gap of insecurity.
I move his clothes around and lower my head to take him into my mouth. He swears and slides his fingers into my hair.
He tastes musky and familiar, and he feels hot and hard in my mouth. That first taste makes me so hungry, I go all out to taste every inch of him. By the time he pulls into his driveway, he’s shaking with need.
“Baby,” he says, his voice raspy. “Let’s go inside.”
I look up at Levi while my hands stroke his wet length. “Push your seat back. Let’s finish this first.”
His eyes fall closed, one hand locked around the steering wheel, the other in my hair. I’m so in the moment, I don’t want anything to break in, so I reach across him with one hand and push the lever that slides the driver’s seat backward. When his seat is back as far as it will go, I reposition and take him deeper into my mouth.
“Fuck, that’s so good.” He lifts his hips, moving deeper into my mouth. I spend long leisurely minutes sucking and stroking. I love the pleasure it brings him, love to feel his hand tighten in my hair, love to look up and find him watching.
“Laiyla, I can’t—”
I reach over my shoulder, fist my T-shirt, and pull it over my head. Then I take him deep and suck hard. His hand slides down my back, then up again, around the back of my neck, then into my hair.
Within seconds, his body shudders and his hips lunge. I pull my mouth away and stroke him as he comes, using my T-shirt to handle the cleanup.
When we’re done, his body is loose, his eyes hazed and hot, his breathing quick. I kiss him. “Now we can go in.”
I get out of the truck in only my bra and jeans and round to his side. He rights his clothes and stands from the truck, but continues to hold the door as if he’s not quite steady. Without warning, he hooks his free arm around me and pulls me up against him, kissing me long and deep. “I forgot how good you are with your mouth.”
“Well, now you’ve got all night to remember.”
18
Levi
I’m still not quite steady as we enter the house. Relaxation drifts through my body. Dinner was a wild success. I watched as Laiyla’s anxiety shifted to comfort. As her smiles became more authentic. As her enjoyment of spending time with my family grew. And little by little, she turned into the Laiyla I’ve loved forever.
I also recognize the passion she shared in the truck. It is vintage Laiyla—when the stress evaporates, she is able to sink into her fiery sexuality.
Inside the foyer, she stops and stares at the
expanse of the lake through the floor-to-ceiling windows forming the front wall of the house. It’s dark now, but the lake is still discernable as an inky field against an indigo sky. Lights flicker across the lake, and the moon reflects off the water. The sight never fails to infuse me with relaxation and joy. Even more so now that Laiyla is by my side.
“Oh my God.” Her reverence is soft, and she’s spellbound. “Just… Oh. My. God.”
She drops her T-shirt on the foyer floor and wanders into the darkened living room. While she’s staring at the lake, I’m staring at her. I’ve brought a few women here over the years, but not many. In a lot of ways, I’ve always thought of this place as part Laiyla’s. She was the one who lay in a boat with me just off the shore here and created plans from her imagination. She was the one who wandered the land with me, mapping out a floorplan with nothing but tree branches and rocks.
I follow her into the living room and slide my hand beneath her hair to rest at the back of her neck. She takes in the open floor plan with a dining area and a huge kitchen. Then she moves to the windows to look out at the multilevel deck. “It’s just like you planned it.”
“Like we planned it,” I remind her. “Not exact, but as close as I could get it.”
She turns toward me and presses her cheek to my chest. “Show me your bedroom.” She tilts her head back, and her gaze is spilling lust. “I’ll look at everything else after I get my fill of you.”
I groan and lift her by the waist. She locks her arms around my neck, her thighs around my hips, and I carry her upstairs while we’re kissing. By the time I lay her on the bed, I’m hard again. I lean over her and open her bra, then her jeans, and draw all her clothes off her with the realization of just how many times I’ve had this fantasy.
I want to kiss every inch of her skin, but she drags me up her body, then rolls on top of me. I couldn’t ask for a better view or a more beautiful woman. She wastes no time stripping me and getting me inside her, and I certainly don’t argue.
As she sinks onto me, her eyes close and her head tilts. She feels like a tight velvet sheath, and there is nothing more delicious than the way she rides me, in long, slow, deep strokes.
Sitting up, I spread her thighs wider, grip her hips, and push deeper. I feel her body quicken, I see the promise of ecstasy slide over her expression. Then watch the orgasm splash across her face and feel her body tighten around me.
Her head lolls forward, and I brush her hair back and hold her head up. Her gaze is hazed with pleasure, and the sight pushes my heart into overdrive. When she melts, I lie back. Chest to chest, I stroke her hair off her back, then explore all this luscious skin beneath my fingers.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed of this over the years.” My murmur sounds loud to my own ears. I instantly worry it’s too much too soon. Half expect her to freak a little.
Instead, she tilts her head and smiles up at me. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t too.”
Thrilled with the admission, my nervous heart settles a little. I wrap an arm around her, roll her to her back, and sink deeper into her. “The bed is nice, huh?”
She laughs. “I think the closest we ever got to a bed was a lawn.”
“Or the cushions on my boat.”
Her smile is so sweet, so openly happy, it fills my soul in a way nothing else ever has. This kind of joy is a double-edged sword, though. Even more for me, having known what it feels like to lose it. To live without it.
I lower my head and touch my lips to hers. Move inside her. Try to remember this perfection, even while praying I’ll never have to bring it back from memory.
This sex is slow and languid, but no less intense. More intense in a lot of ways. More time to look into each other’s eyes, more time to savor all the physical and emotional feelings, more time to make this connection deep and lasting.
As she nears orgasm, she arches off the bed, and I clasp the nipple of one breast between my teeth.
“Levi.”
Hearing her call my name at the height of passion spears love straight through my heart. This is the first time I can let her cries surround us, and I relish them as I find my own intense release.
When our breathing evens, I roll to my back and Laiyla lays her body against the side of mine, head on my shoulder, arm across my body.
“Oh my God,” I say.
She lifts her head and sleepy eyes look into mine. “What?”
I search my mind. “Is this the first time we’ve spent a whole night together?”
She rests her chin on my chest and smiles. “That’s crazy.”
Mind-bendingly crazy. When it’s right, the numbers and tallies really don’t equate to intensity of emotion for another person. Fondness may indeed grow over time, but you can’t force your heart to love someone.
That reminds me of something I’ve been keeping, and I reach over to the nightstand and pull out a jewelry box. “I found this a while back and haven’t been able to throw it away. Guess I know why now.”
She sits up, hair loose and falling over her shoulder. “What’s this?”
“Your eighteenth birthday gift.”
She instantly realizes the reason I didn’t give it to her is because she didn’t return that summer. “Oh, Levi.”
I stroke her face. “No regrets. We’re together now. That’s all that matters.”
She opens the box and gasps softly as she draws out the necklace, uses the other hand to rest the charm against her palm. It’s a delicate platinum chain with a platinum ladybug charm with diamonds for the eyes.
“Oh…” she says in that way girls do when they think something is sweet. “I love it.” A look of guilt comes over her face. “This had to cost you your whole summer’s earnings.”
“And I had to cut way back on beer too.”
She laughs, unclasps it, and hands it to me. “Put it on for me?”
I do, and she faces me again, her fingers sliding over the chain. “I’ll thank you properly after we both get a little sleep.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “And I’ll hold you to that.”
19
Laiyla
I haven’t been this relaxed or happy in years. I love sitting beside Levi on the bench seat in his truck like we did when we were kids. I love the feel of his arm around my shoulders. And I love knowing it will stay this way.
I can’t think too much about the how of that. Telling my parents that I won’t be coming back to LA—ever—is not going to be an easy conversation, and I have no idea when I’ll be ready to have it.
We turn onto the drive toward the lake, and I’m resistant to end our magical time together. Reality is so very often a bitch. I remind myself that this isn’t the end of us. It’s just the beginning.
Levi parks at the end of the dock, and we start toward the Roxie Blue together. KT and Chloe’s rental is gone, and the marina is quiet.
“KT must be in town picking up parts,” I say. “Chloe’s probably meditating.”
“My guys will be here in a bit.”
I love how loose and easy his stride is. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re swaggering, Mr. Asher.”
He gives my butt a playful slap. “This swagger is all you, Ms. Saxon.”
I know Chloe moved to the Cecelia Rose the day before, so when I step onto the Roxie Blue, it’s silent.
“Just need a minute to change and do something with my hair.” We’re going to Home Depot to choose finishes, and I’m excited to spend time with Levi in his element. I press my hand to his chest and push up on my toes to kiss him.
“Take your time.” He wanders through the cabin and eases to a seat on the futon sofa that’s way too small for him. “I’ll just lounge in luxury here.”
I laugh as I pull on fresh clothes, then step into the bathroom to brush my hair. I spot a red mark on the left side of my neck. If I inspected my body, I’d bet it wasn’t the only mark Levi left. Thoughts of last night make lust surge through my body.
Instead of pulling my hair into a ponytail, I braid it and pull it forward over my shoulder to hide the mark.
“Someone coming by today?” Levi asks.
I step into the living room and find him looking toward the parking lot.
“Just your guys,” I tell him.
“None of my guys drive a Mercedes.”
“Mr. Artega does.”
“His is brown,” Levi says. “This one is silver.”
It takes me a minute to place the car, and when I do, ice water surges through my veins. “Shit.”
My parents stand from the car, and all the strides I’ve made over the last few weeks vanish. I’m not ready for this.
“Who is—?” Levi says, watching them start down the dock. “Is that your parents?”
I press a hand to my forehead. “Jesus Christ.”
“It’s okay,” he says, pushing to his feet. “May as well meet them while they’re here.”
“No.” I close my eyes, trying to work this out on the fly. “No, no, no.”
When I open my eyes, Levi is frowning at me.
“I’m sorry.” I say. “Let me talk to them, please. Just wait here.”
I pause at the front door and collect my thoughts, then continue down the dock, meeting my parents halfway. They look like they’re going to church, and I’m aware that while I’ve been gone, the conservative dress I’m used to is no longer familiar.
“Hey,” I say as I reach them. “What are you guys doing here?”
As I face them, I’m intensely aware of Levi watching. I’m not ready to cross the introduction bridge. I know how critical they are about anyone I date, and just showing up here is going to throw a wrench into my perfect morning with Levi.
“Oh dear.” My mother is looking around the marina. Or, rather, scowling. “Oh dear, dear, dear.”
My father pecks my cheek. “Hello, honey. Your mother and I decided to take a road trip to see how things are going. You haven’t been answering your phone. We were getting worried.”
