Chapter 15 Tess
Tess
Willow’s ears flicked back and forth, her tail swishing harder than usual. She sidestepped, and I tightened my grip on her lead. “Come back here,” I murmured. “I gotta brush your mane.”
The old horse huffed, turning her head away. I let out an annoyed sound, looking over at Delilah. “She won’t let me do it,” I said.
Delilah came over to us, and Willow backed away. “Remember what I said last week about horses being sensitive? She’s picking up on our energy, and we’re both grenades about to detonate. Tell me what’s going on with you.”
I knew I was tense, but I hadn’t noticed she was. I looked her up and down, and she seemed fine. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nice try at deflecting, but this is your therapy session, so spill.”
“I just have a lot going on.”
That was the understatement of the century.
It’d been three days since Levi told me he had feelings for me and we almost kissed, and I was surprised I hadn’t spontaneously combusted yet.
I couldn’t get it out of my head: the things he said, the sweet names he called me, the way he looked at me like he wanted to devour me.
The way I would’ve let him right there on the kitchen counter, and how I imagined him doing just that later while I was in the shower.
“Yeah, so this is therapy,” Delilah said with a teasing look. “Not sure if you’re familiar, but you tell me what you have going on and I help you deal with it.”
“Levi and I almost kissed,” I blurted, my eyes squeezed shut.
Delilah’s hand stilled on Willow’s side. “Okay?”
My head whipped towards her. “What do you mean, okay? We almost kissed, Delilah!”
She looked way too confused. “He’s your husband? Married couples kiss all the time.”
“Not couples in a fake marriage!” Willow whinnied, and I let her lead go, backing away from her.
Delilah leaned back against the paddock railing, looking skyward. “I guess that’s fair. But who has the rulebook on fake marriages that says you can’t?” Her head rolled over towards me, her copper hair falling down her back. “Was it hot at least?”
I sagged against the railing next to her, running a hand through my hair. “I think it might’ve been the hottest thing I’d ever experienced in my life.” Three days later, and I was still feeling the effects of it.
She snorted. “That’s not saying much.” I smacked her side and she laughed. “Why was it an almost kiss and not an actual kiss?”
“Luke,” I grumbled. She laughed even harder. “It’s not funny!”
“Oh God,” she sighed, wiping her eyes. “It’s pretty damn funny, bug.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, looking away from her. “Whatever.”
“Don’t get all pouty with me. If you want to make out with him, then do it. He’s your husband, Tess. You can kiss him whenever you want. I bet he’d let you do a hell of a lot more than that, too, based on the way he looked at you at the wedding. I thought he went brain dead for a moment there.”
I looked at the ground, running my shoe along the dirt. “He told me he has feelings for me,” I said quietly.
“Even more reason for you to go home and jump him.”
“How do I do that?” I whispered, heat creeping up my neck.
“I’ve never…initiated.” It felt humiliating to admit that out loud, especially to someone as free in their sexuality as Delilah.
But sex had always been on Jeremy’s terms, and he was the only person I’d been with.
I worried I wouldn’t be good enough for Levi.
It was the only thing that stopped me from doing anything these last three days.
She gave me an endearing smile, and some of my embarrassment faded; I knew she wouldn’t tease me about it.
“You just follow your instincts and what feels right. You want to touch him? Touch him. Want to kiss him? Then do it. Men are pathetically simple, and Levi is so obsessed with you that he’d probably come in his pants with just a look from you. ”
A laugh shot out of me. “You’re insane!”
“I’m serious,” she chuckled. “You’re thinking about it too hard. He’ll love whatever you do, I promise.” She took my hands in hers. “Now go find him and suck his soul out through his dick.”
I bit back another laugh, arching a brow. “Is that your advice as my therapist?”
She straightened, proud. “Yes, absolutely. Follow it, and good fortune will find you in the form of getting dicked down.”
I shook my head, laughing. “I’ll make sure to blame you if it goes south.”
She scoffed. “Trust me. It won’t.” I wish I had her certainty and confidence. Maybe one day I would.
“Now tell me what’s bothering you.”
Delilah shook her head. “Nope. This is your therapy session.”
“Yeah, and you therapized and traumatized me, so now it’s your turn.”
She chuckled. “That’s not how that works.”
I smirked. “I don’t care. I’m nosy.”
She rolled her eyes, and I had deja vu from when we were younger and I’d try to hang out with her, Claire, and Savannah, but I was too young.
But now I wasn’t, so I wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“Fine. It’s your jackass of a brother. I had him before you, and he wants to quit therapy. He thinks it’s not helping.”
I frowned. That didn’t sound like Emmett to just quit something. “Do you think it is?”
“It would if he’d open up to me and say more than two words,” she grumbled, staring out at the pastures. “He’s not even giving it a real chance. I’m not giving up on him, though. I can see that he wants the help deep down. I think he’s just scared to talk to me.”
“It’s hard to be vulnerable like that,” I said. I could only imagine the things he’d seen and done while he was in the Army.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I’ll just have to wear his ass down.”
I squeezed her arm. “If anyone can, it’s you.”
She smirked, determination sharp in her eyes when she looked at me. “You’re damn right.”
I left Golden Bridle feeling motivated. I rehearsed what I was going to say to Levi the whole ride home. I’d sit him down when he got home from work, tell him I didn’t know what I was doing, and to be patient with me because I wanted to be with him, however that looked.
It sounded like a great plan until I pulled into the driveway and saw his car.
“What is he doing here?” I whispered to myself, panicked.
My heart was pounding when I walked inside, shutting the door quietly behind me.
I looked around, and he wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen.
I turned to go down the hall to his office, barely able to breathe with anticipation after my conversation with Delilah.
He came out of my room—his room—at the same time, in nothing but a towel slung low on his hips.
My jaw dropped.
He stopped short when my keys hit the ground with a crash, his eyes wide. “Tess.” He swallowed hard. “What are you doing here?”
There was so much skin. Wet, golden, perfect skin. A drop of water rolled down his chest and along the trail of black hair that disappeared beneath the towel. My mouth went dry. “Levi,” I breathed, dazed, taking a step towards him.
“Sorry,” he said, gripping the towel. “I thought you were still at the ranch.” His voice was rough, grating in the best way.
“No.” Another step.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll uh…I’ll go put some clothes on.” He was so close, I could smell his body wash.
“Don’t,” I whispered, stopping in front of him. He was frozen, his eyes locked on mine, waiting with bated breath to see what I’d do next. Funny thing was, I was waiting to see what I’d do, too.
I was right, he did look sexy with his hair wet, and I wanted to feel it.
I took Delilah’s advice and reached up, brushing the wet strands of hair off his forehead. My fingers skimmed down the side of his face and along his strong jaw. He swayed, his lips parting with a shallow breath. “I like you just like this,” I whispered.
His eyes fluttered shut, his breathing erratic. His knuckles went white around the towel. “Are you trying to kill me?”
I met his gaze, licking my lips. His eyes were like fire, blazing with the same need that was burning through me. “Maybe.”
His chest was heaving now, brushing against mine with every quick inhale. “Where’s Luke?”
“At Anna’s. He won’t be home for hours.”
He nodded and threaded a hand through my hair before crashing his lips against mine.
The kiss was punishing, brutal, and hard to keep up with.
My back met the wall with a thud, but we didn’t stop.
Couldn’t stop. His hair was wet between my fingers, water droplets running down my hand.
He touched me everywhere, like he couldn’t decide where he wanted to explore first. Like he wanted to memorize every inch of me.
My head fell back with a gasp when he kissed my neck, trailing his tongue along my feverish skin.
“Levi,” I whimpered when his teeth skimmed my collarbone. My blood roared through my veins, drowning out everything but the pounding of my heart.
“Fuck,” he groaned against my skin. “You sound better than I could’ve imagined.” His hand slid under my shirt, reaching for my bra. The clasp popped open, and I ripped my shirt and bra off, tossing them to the floor.
He scooped me into his arms, my legs around his waist as he carried me into our room.
Before I even had the chance to savor how it felt to have him skin to skin, he tossed me onto the bed.
I was shaking, panting, when he hooked his hands in the waistband of my leggings and pulled them down.
I was completely bare except for my panties—thank God I chose a cute pair this morning.
“God, look at you, babygirl,” he rasped hungrily, sliding his hands up my thighs. Heat pooled between my legs until I was aching with it. “Fucking gorgeous spread out for me like this.”
Oh my God. I bit my lip. No one had ever spoken to me like that before. It was so dirty and so unexpected from a guy like Levi. I loved it.
I pressed my legs together when he reached my panties. He pulled back, concerned. “What’s wrong?”