Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
PIPER
The next few hours pass by far too quickly, but Levi and I have so much fun swimming around and frolicking in the water.
By the time we climb back onto the yacht, I’m exhausted in the best way possible.
Wrapped in towels, we sail toward Shelter Island, where Levi docks at a small harbor lined with little cafés and boats bobbing gently against the piers. We grab coffee and chocolate chip muffins from a waterside café and sit out on their terrace to enjoy it.
I listen to Levi talk about his many adventures on the seas and on Wall Street. In the background, cameras go off, signaling reporters nearby, but neither of us pays them any attention.
Being with Levi feels so normal that our arrangement never crosses my mind.
There’s no reason for it to do so. None of this is pretending, or for show, or for Arthur Lockwood.
It’s simply us.
Later, we grab more coffee and cakes to go, then we sail away again.
This time, we’re heading back to Levi’s home.
The ride back feels quieter than before, more reflective.
I sip coffee and stand near the railing, watching the ocean while the waning sun melts gold across the water. The breeze cools my still damp skin, and somewhere behind me, Levi moves around the helm, steering us to shore.
I look back at him. He’s so focused he doesn’t notice.
Apparently, near-death experiences, even fake ones, really bring people together because this morning, I was determined to leave his house. Now I’m standing on his yacht wondering how I ended up doing an emotional one-eighty.
Honestly, I know the faux near-death experience was just one more thing. I was already feeling like this starting last week. I can track back further, but it was last week at the club that something shifted in me.
I found that little piece of myself that wanted to indulge in a gorgeous man who wanted me.
That part of me has returned.
The shoreline slowly comes back into view, followed by the long private boardwalk leading toward Levi’s house. Warm lights glow through the windows in the distance as the yacht glides toward the dock.
We’re back. The adventure is over.
But what happens now?
A dull ache blooms in my chest at the thought. I got to spend the whole day with him, and he’ll be leaving on his business trip tomorrow.
I don’t want to lose this feeling.
Levi secures the boat while I stand there pretending not to overthink the strange tightness in my chest.
I don’t think I can go backward after today.
It’s strange. I can’t go back because I don’t want to.
So, the only place left to move is forward.
I’m just out of practice in moving that way. The biggest step I’ve made is the move to New York. But that’s different. That’s about another part of my life.
This part is about my heart. And I feel like I just got pulled into another seize-the-moment kind of moment, but I’m struggling to think of the what-to-do-next part.
The second we step off the yacht, a cool drop of water lands on my shoulder.
Rain.
I glance upward to the sky and take in the angry clouds that have gathered to welcome us. “Oh no.”
“Damn it.” Levi looks up, too. “We’re gonna get soaked.”
“But it’s barely rain—"
Suddenly, the rain pours from the sky, making me eat the rest of my words.
The only warning we got was that one droplet before sheets of rain tumbled down on us.
“Oh my God!” I shriek, trying pointlessly to cover my head.
“Come on.” Levi grabs my hand, and we both start running down the boardwalk.
Within seconds, we’re drenched.
I’m still wearing the bikini, but the wetness of it clings to my skin in an uncomfortable way, and my hair… I’m pretty sure it’s in drowned-rat mode.
Levi is faster than me, has much longer legs, and I’m exhausted.
When I stumble, he stops, too.
“I can’t feel my legs,” I joke, channeling Bubba from Forrest Gump.
Instantly, the two of us break into laughter.
“Then I’ll carry you, soldier.”
I gasp as he scoops me up, but we both continue laughing as thunder rumbles through the skies.
Levi runs with me through the downpour. We make it inside just as another crack of thunder rolls overhead and lightning flashes through the windows, illuminating the hallway.
He sets me down, and I slump against the wall giggling. I don’t even know what’s funny anymore.
“What a day,” I muse, wiping the slick strands of my hair from my eyes.
“I know.”
He steps closer, resting one hand against the wall above my head while rainwater drips from both of us onto the floor.
Our laughter fades into stillness, and for a moment, neither of us says anything.
We just stand there, staring at each other while the chaos continues outside.
“I’m not ready for it to be over, Butterfly,” he whispers, his eyes never leaving mine.
My heart pulls tight, dropping into a rhythm I don't recognize, and the weight of wanting settles deep in my stomach.
With his free hand, he gathers a lock of my hair and twirls it around his thumb.
Desire calls to me again, and I want to go wherever it takes me.
“Me neither,” I answer. It feels like the first right thing I’ve said.
He leans in, cupping the side of my jaw. Then his mouth is on mine and he’s kissing me like a man who's been holding back and is done waiting.
His lips part mine and his tongue sweeps into my mouth, doing something terrible to me. I press my hands to the hard muscle of his bare chest, and he moves closer, deepening the kiss.
He angles his head, and the taste of him—wine, salt, heat, need—hits me all at once. His hand slides into my hair, and he pulls me close enough that I’m flush against him.
But then, he pulls back, just by an inch, just enough so we’re eye to eye.
“If you don’t stop me now, I won’t be able to.” His voice sounds wrecked. “If I fuck you again, you’re mine.”
The warning should scare me. It doesn’t, so I don't say a word.
Instead, I stand on the tips of my toes and press my lips to his.
The simple kiss seems to throw him, but not for long. He reclaims control and kisses me harder, and I lose my mind.
His hands slide down my body, and he strokes over my nipples, caressing the tight peaks.
Instantly, I want more.
I want his mouth on my breasts and all over me. I want him to own me like he did the first night we met, and when he does, I don’t want him to stop.
I don’t care how dangerous that is for me. I want it.
I want him.
He tugs at my bikini top and all but rips it off me, then tosses it to the side.
As if he heard my silent pleas, he closes his mouth over my right nipple and sucks it in.
Pleasure shoots through me, making my head spin and my mouth go bone dry.
He takes as much of the sensitive flesh into his mouth as he can and sucks hard, curling his tongue around before moving to my other breast to give it the same attention.
I moan louder, not giving a damn how loud I am or about who may be listening.
Levi’s hands slide into the bikini bottoms, finding my clit. A low hum rumbles through his chest when he discovers how wet I am.
Every nerve ending lights up inside me as he pushes his fingers deep into me, going deeper and faster with every stroke.
His fingers pull free of my body, and he stops kissing me again. This time, he unravels the strings holding the bikini bottoms together. In one swift tug, he yanks them clean off me and sends them to the corner to join the top.
With that, he shoves his shorts down his hips and frees his cock. His massive, very erect cock that already has pre-cum beading at the tip.
He kicks his shorts off and reaches for my waist.
“I need to fuck you now, Butterfly,” he groans, using his knee to spread my legs apart. “Wrap your legs around me.”
He lifts me, and I follow his orders, securing my legs around his waist.
The head of his cock presses against my entrance, and he thrusts up into me, so hard his cock breaches my opening and instantly hits my G-spot.
“Oh God . . .” My mouth drops open, and I gasp for air as all sorts of sensations ripple through me.
“You feel so good, Butterfly. Remember now, I can’t be gentle with you.”
“Don’t be,” I manage.
The expression on his face morphs into one of complete possession.
He thrusts deeper, burying his cock to the hilt, then he begins pumping in a steady rhythm.
“Oh fuck.” My head whips back as he starts fucking me against the wall.
“Fucking magnificent,” he growls.
Broken moans pour out of me, restrained by my heavy breathing.
Levi tunnels into me, over and over again, fast and hard.
My blood roars in my ears, the sound like a rushing river, and my heart beats hard enough to pop.
Thrills of emotion run through me, unlike anything I’ve ever felt. It’s an overwhelming mixture of desire and insatiable need.
Levi doesn’t hold back. He fucks me so hard it hurts, but it’s a good hurt, blissful and unforgettable, and I arch into him, desperate for more.
He gives me exactly what I want, and I come.
The orgasm that takes me is sudden and violent, a minefield of pleasure. I break for him, shuddering against his body as I cry out his name.
His name. The first time we did this, I didn’t know his name.
Now that I do, it feels good on my lips. It feels right.
I claw my fingernails into his back, and he responds with more relentless thrusts.
He fucks me deep and hard, and I just hold on.
My breasts bounce against his face, and sweat breaks out over my skin, mixing with his.
I climax again, my entire body tight with pleasure.
Seconds barely pass before Levi roars out his own climax and the warmth of his cum floods me.
Breathing hard, he places his mouth near my ear. “Mine now,” he mutters, his voice firm, leaving no room to argue. “Mine now, Butterfly.”
I suck in a breath, feeling like the last cord of restraint just snapped, and I know it’s because I just gave myself to him. Truly.
Levi got everything from me—heart, body, mind, soul.
All of it.
And no matter what happens to us, there is no going back.
At least not for me.
When my climax finally calms to the point where I can think, he cradles me against his body and starts walking down the hallway.
“We’re going to bed,” he says.
“Bed.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t be sleeping.” He winks, and a wicked look flashes in his eyes. “I’m just getting started with you.”
He carries me up to his room and lays me on his bed.
I barely manage a breath before he’s inside me again.