Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
PIPER
The next two weeks are filled with magic and life.
Our mornings begin with horseback rides through the hills, and by midday, I’m walking through Belladonna Ridge with Ellie Mae while she excitedly tells me about all her plans.
Arthur and Levi disappear in the afternoon and return smelling of cigar smoke and bourbon.
But night time is best.
Levi and I spend those tangled together in bed, and he wraps me in his arms like he can’t bear the idea of letting me go even in his sleep.
It’s strange how quickly all of this starts feeling normal.
Like I somehow slipped into another life entirely.
My only complaint is that time moved way too fast for my liking. Everything happened too quickly.
And I’m not ready for it to end yet.
But time waits for no one, not even me.
Today is the harvest, the final event in Arthur’s legacy tour.
Levi and I will be heading back to New York tomorrow afternoon, then… I’ll have a different set of questions to worry about.
For now, though, I’m going to enjoy the harvest.
And I’m going to enjoy being with Levi.
We meet the others at the entrance of the vineyard. We were told to get out here by nine. Arthur wants us to have the whole experience of cutting the grapes and making wine.
He and Ellie Mae head a team of what must be a hundred people, who are ready and eager to go. Their three sons are all here, too, as are a few other family members.
Arthur clears his throat, and all conversations cease.
“Good morning, my dear family and friends,” he says, stretching his arms wide. “My family and I are thrilled to have you all join us for this year’s harvest. Enjoy yourselves, and for the love of the good Lord, don’t damage my grapes.”
Everyone laughs, and then we get down to business.
We’re each given harvesting shears and assigned a section of the vineyard.
Rows of empty wicker baskets have already been laid out between the vines waiting to be filled with freshly harvested grapes.
It amazes me that someone could spend an entire week out here and still not finish cutting every cluster of grapes by themselves.
Levi and I stick together, spending the rest of the day gathering grapes, laughing, and pretending we actually know what we’re doing. We only stop for a light lunch before heading back out to harvest more.
We finish just before the sun begins to set, then, one by one, we all carry the overflowing baskets of grapes toward the massive wooden vats near the winery. Music and the evening festivities are already starting.
“The crush!” Ellie Mae announces excitedly, rushing up beside me. “This is my favorite part.”
I set down my last basket and stare at one of the giant vats overflowing with dark purple grapes. There are ten of them.
“Is everyone really just gonna jump in?” I look at it more carefully, thinking of all the movies I’d see where people crushed the grapes with their feet.
“Absolutely. Belladonna Ridge still honors the first crush the old-fashioned way. And you’re joining in, Miss Lady.”
I snap my gaze to her, and Levi laughs.
“Oh no, I don’t think I can.”
Arthur laughs loudly somewhere behind us. “Oh yes, you can. Don’t offend me now.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Levi says, taking my hand.
He leads me to the long copper basins that have been set out nearby so everyone can rinse their feet. I wondered about that. I couldn’t imagine everyone jumping in with dirty feet.
We clean our feet and move to one of the other vats where people are already climbing in.
“I’m not so sure about this,” I mutter. “Can I just watch?”
That mischievous look enters Levi’s eyes, and before I can even process what’s happening, he slips an arm beneath my knees and lifts me clean off the ground.
A shriek tears out of me as he hoists me over his shoulder and jumps straight into the vat.
Laughter instantly erupts around us.
“Levi!”
He sets me down and grins shamelessly. “You needed help.”
“You are so crazy.”
“Yes. Come on, squash the grapes.” He steps on a bunch, and the juice squeezes out.
I laugh and do the same. Cold juice instantly squishes between my toes. It feels weird at first, before I get used to it. Then it becomes fun.
We laugh with each other as we jump up and down, squashing the grapes.
I spin around jumping, feeling so free I hardly believe I’m me.
When I turn back toward Levi, I realize he’s stopped to watch me. I laugh at myself, covered in bits of grapes and juice.
He stares at me, and the fascinated look in his eyes tells me he sees more than that. He sees me.
He steps closer and pulls me in for a kiss among the sea of people squashing grapes around us. People cheer as if the celebration is about us.
Deep down I feel like it almost is.
I gasp as Levi scoops me up and carries me out of the vat the same way he took me in.
I expect him to stop by the basins again, but he walks straight past them.
“Where are you taking me?” I giggle.
“Apparently, watching you covered in grape juice is a huge turn-on.”
“What?”
“You’ll see.”
Within five minutes, we’re in our bedroom, where he strips me naked and shows me what he means.
He strips out of his clothes, and his cock is so hard it’s straining.
With that sexy smile plastered on his face, he grabs me, kissing me like he wants to devour my lips.
He yanks me flush against him and moves with me until our bodies crash against the wall. He presses me up against it, steadying me so he can guide his cock into my entrance, then he slams into me. When he’s buried deep inside me, he starts pumping, owning my body all over again.
He takes me to that place of pleasure, where my mind empties and nothing exists except him.
My world is filled with Levi Vale.
Only him.
And I don’t want to be without him.
As he thrusts into me, he cups my face and crushes his lips to mine.
That one simple thing changes the wildness of his thrusts, and it feels like something shifts between us.
In that moment, it stops feeling like sex and fucking and starts feeling like he’s making love to me.
His touch feels different. His kisses linger longer. His heartbeat turns wilder. Just like mine.
And we don’t stop.
I wish we never would.
* * *
I wake the next morning to find Levi sitting by the window, writing in a notebook.
The sight of him makes me smile, but then I remember this is our last day.
His gaze drifts to me as I sit up and pull the sheet over my breasts.
He smiles, tilting his head toward me.
“Morning, Butterfly.”
“Morning.” I straighten and look at the book in his hands. “What are you doing?”
“Just writing down stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Things I don’t want to forget about this trip. Moments.”
“Like a journal?”
He nods. “Please do not breathe a word of this to my brothers. They’d never let me live it down. Arthur Lockwood must have worked some magic on me.”
I laugh at that, but deep down I understand. I know the feeling.
“Come here.”
I wrap the sheet around me and secure it, then make my way to him.
He sets the book down and pulls me into his lap. He looks at me and plants a kiss on the tip of my nose.
“Last day, Butterfly.”
I look away. How do I say I don’t want it to be? Do I just say it? Is it that simple?
What if he is okay with the temporary nature of our relationship? Some people are like that.
“What’s up?”
“I’m conflicted.”
“That’s not new.” The words are blunt, but he’s right.
“This is different. It’s more about… us.”
“Flying too close to the sun, Butterfly?” He holds my gaze; there’s no trace of the usual humor I used to.
I know what he’s asking.
He knows I crossed the line and can’t find my way back. “Yes.”
“That’s not a bad thing. I’m not a bad thing.”
“No, you aren’t, Levi Vale.”
“What scares you?”
Everything, but I can’t say that.
“Would you burn me?” The question feels like I’m stepping further than ever.
“Yes. But not the way you think.”
“How?” I search his eyes.
“Part of me is selfish. I want to break your wings so you can’t fly away from me. But I don’t want to break you.” He takes a breath. “I think you’re perfect, and I like seeing you fly high… even if it’s away from me. So, there has to be another way to keep you with me.”
My heart triple-beats, pounding with a strange combo of elation and fear. “You want to keep me?”
“Yes.”
He leans over, picks up a little envelope from the window pane, and hands it to me.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
I take the envelope and open it. Inside is a folded document. I open it and read it. It’s a title deed… with my name on it.
And…
“Oh my God.” My hands fly up to my mouth, then I push to my feet, staring in utter disbelief at what I’m reading.
The building.
The office space I wanted.
He… bought it for me.
I meet his gaze as he stands, too, tears welling in my eyes.
“You… really did this?” I stutter. “For me?”
“Of course. You love the building. You spoke about it like it was the one, so I couldn’t imagine you just leasing it. It needed to be yours.”
My breath stills. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“You deserve it.”
“Oh, Levi, it’s too much.”
He smirks. “Absolutely not. Nothing is ever too much for you, so please accept the gift.”
“Oh my God, thank you.” I rush back to him and hug him hard. “Thank you so much. This means everything to me.”
“You are so welcome, Butterfly. Anything for you.”
I pull back. “You’ve already given me too much. I can’t accept anything else.”
He flashes me a boyish grin. “Too late. The other half of the money I promised is in your account. And you made me fall for you, so there’s that, too.”
My breath catches so hard it almost hurts. I stare at him, completely wrecked by how casually he can say something capable of changing my entire world.
“Levi.”
“I know.”
Every time I think I have my emotions under control, he gives me something more to grip me.
After Reece, I promised myself I’d never let another man close enough to hurt me again. But Levi Vale found a way past every wall I built.
He didn’t even force his way in.
He made me want to open the door to my heart all by myself.
“So, um…” he mutters, suddenly looking nervous. “I’m going to England in three weeks for a six-month secondment.”
The blood drains from me.
“You’re leaving?” I gasp.
He nods slowly. “But I want you to come with me.”
My eyes snap wide.
“I figured it wouldn’t interfere with your work. You still have to set up the office. We can hire people to do that and do… whatever you want. And if you ever needed to fly back, I have a jet.”
“You’re serious?”
“I am. But I understand if it’s too much for you. I understand if this—you and me—is it for you.” His gaze sharpens. “But I won’t accept it. This isn’t the end for me. To be honest, I think I always knew that.”
“You did?”
“Yes. So, no… I won’t stop chasing you, even if a million years pass by. I’ll still follow you. Because you’re mine and I love you. And I won’t let you go.”
All the joy in this world could never compare to this moment. “Oh, Levi.”
He gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “I want you to choose me when you’re ready. When you can trust that I’d never hurt you and I’d spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy. Choose me when you believe that. And you know I’m not like your ex.”
I release a shallow breath, and with it, the last of my resistance fades away.
I smile at the lightness it leaves behind in my heart and nod.
“I choose you. I choose you now.” My heart opens, and all the confliction I felt is no longer there. “I already believe it. I already trust you. And you can’t be like him, because there is no one like you. That’s why I love you.”
Something loosens in his face, becoming more open, and he looks me over in… shock.
He reaches out to touch my face and traces my skin as if he’s checking I’m real.
“Butterfly.”
“I’m going with you.” I smile, leaning into his touch.
His eyes brighten. “You’re going with me?”
“Yes. I’m a butterfly, remember? So, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
He grins wide. “I like that, Butterfly.”
He leans forward, and our lips meet for a different sort of kiss.
It’s the kiss of all kisses. The kind that says there’s more.
So much more.
No more counting down. No more contract.
No more end dates.
This is just the beginning.