8. Brooklyn
CHAPTER 8
brOOKLYN
I fisted my hand in Levi’s shirt and pulled myself up on my tiptoes. Brushing my lips against his, I mumbled against his mouth. “No. I’m not just using you for a place to stay. I don’t know what this is, but I don’t want to fight it anymore.”
“I don’t know what this is, either.” He leaned forward, so I didn’t have to stand on my toes to reach him. “And I’m not sure what to do about it.”
“You can start by kissing me.” I was being bold, inviting chaos into my new, carefully constructed life. Plus, Levi had a reputation, and I hadn’t quite figured out how I felt about it. But in that moment, I didn’t care. He made me feel safe and made me feel wanted. I might crave more, but for now, that was enough.
He hesitated like he wasn’t sure I meant it. I nodded slightly and let my eyes drift closed. Just when I thought he might turn me down, his lips crashed against mine. This wasn’t the tentative kiss from the other night. He took full control, his palm sliding up to cradle the back of my head and pull me closer while his tongue pressed against the seam of my lips.
My heart pounded and those butterflies Lily talked about multiplied in my belly until it seemed she was right and there were enough of them to lift me up and carry me away. All I could do was cling to Levi and trust that he wouldn’t let me fall. When he finally pulled back, he took my breath with him.
“We should go inside. Your hands are freezing.” He took both of my hands in his and rubbed them together.
I hadn’t even noticed the cold, not while pressed so close to him. “Or we could grab a blanket and enjoy the stars.”
“You want to stay out here for a little while longer?” His eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled. “I can make that happen if that’s what you want.”
I nodded. Maybe it was romantic or maybe it was a stupid idea, but Levi disappeared inside and came back a few minutes later with his arms full of pillows and blankets. I helped him spread a thick comforter out in the middle of the deck, then sank down onto the flannel duvet. He laid down next to me and pulled a few blankets over us.
“You ever been camping, Brooklyn?”
“Not since I was a little girl.” His fingers wrapped around mine under the covers. We both laid on our backs and stared up at the stars.
“I’ll have to take you to my favorite spot up at Flathead Lake. You won’t believe the number of stars you can see.”
“I’m not sure there’s anywhere better than right here.” As I said the words, a star streaked across the sky above. “Did you see that?”
“Make a wish. The first shooting star of the night is extra special.” His hand squeezed mine.
Wishing on stars had never gotten me anywhere when I was little, but maybe I’d never wished on the first shooting star of the night. Hoping there might be some magic left in the world, I closed my eyes just long enough to make my wish and send it out to the universe. “Did you make a wish too?”
He’d propped himself up on an elbow and stared down at me while a smile teased the corners of his lips. “Yeah, I did. Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine.”
“And ruin my wish?” I teased. “Everyone knows if you share what you wish for, it won’t come true.” Hopefully he wouldn’t push it. I’d rather streak through downtown naked than admit what I’d wished for to him.
“What if we wished for the same thing?” He leaned over me, blocking out the light from the moon.
My heart skipped a few beats. I hadn’t seen this playful side of him before. Since I’d moved in, he’d been tense, like he was walking on eggshells around me. I liked it more than I wanted to admit.
“Give me a hint at what you wished for,” I said.
His palm skimmed down my side and rested on my hip. “My wish involved less talking and more kissing.”
“How much more kissing?” My voice came out steady, but my nerves were a jingling, jangling mess. What was I doing? I should stop encouraging him before I got myself in too deep. But stopping was the very last thing I wanted when it came to Levi.
“A lot more,” he whispered into my neck. Then he ran his tongue around the shell of my ear.
Any second thoughts I was having vanished. Flames sparked to life deep in my belly. Levi wasn’t cut from the same pattern as his brother. I could trust him. My fingers slipped under the edge of his shirt and skimmed over the hard ridges of his abs. The man was made for things that happened under the covers. His body was a piece of art just waiting to be appreciated, and I planned to enjoy it to the fullest.
As I explored the planes of his chest with my hands, he kissed his way across my neck. I’d never lacked confidence about my curves, but living with Kyle had made me self-conscious, especially once I started eating my feelings. I’d gained weight since the last time I’d bared all before a man and thinking about it made me want to shut down whatever was happening between us before Levi started exploring my curves.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked.
“Brooklyn,”—he brushed the hair away from my cheeks and hovered over me— “I’ve had my eye on you since the day we met. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve pictured us like this? How many nights I’ve fallen asleep hoping I’d see you in my dreams? If you’re having second thoughts, sweet girl, just say the word. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. But don’t worry about me being sure. I’m as sure about you as the moon is about the stars. As the clouds are about the rain. Now, do you want to stop this, or can I finally get my first taste of that pussy I’ve been aching for?”
My nipples hardened and that spot at the apex of my thighs started to throb. He’d been thinking about me? For once in my life, I wanted to completely let go. “I don’t want to stop. I trust you.”
“That’s more like it.” His head disappeared under the covers, and he kissed a trail down my chest, past my belly, and paused when he reached the waistband of my undies. It only took him a few seconds to work my leggings and my bikini briefs down far enough for me to kick them off.
As I gazed up at the stars, his tongue swirled around my clit. Before I had a chance to catch my breath, he slid his hands under my ass and lifted my hips. Then his tongue swept across my entrance. I let my legs fall to the sides, begging for more. More of this. More of him. More of anything he wanted to give me.
Over and over, his tongue slid in and out. Then, just when I reached the edge and didn’t think I could take another second, he changed his approach, and my release shifted just out of my reach. He built me up, eased off, and took me to the edge again, over and over until I hovered so close to my release that even the slightest touch could send me tumbling.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.” He lifted the covers just enough to meet my gaze. “Now keep your eyes on me, sweet girl, so I can watch you come.”
Half out of my mind with desperate need, I locked my gaze on his. He lowered his head and smiled. I reached for his shoulder, his hair, any part of him that I could hold onto. Then he buried himself in between my legs and an entire galaxy of stars exploded inside me as he sent me sailing right over the edge.