Chapter 13 Levi
Levi
Done showering and on my way to my bedroom, I hear a soft knock at my back door. Knowing it can only be Kelcie, I turn around and head to the kitchen.
Lick starts wagging her tail, confirming my thoughts.
I open the door, but when I see Kelcie cupping her cheek, tears swimming in her eyes, worry pours into my chest.
“What happened? Did Colby come back?” I ask while taking hold of her arm and pulling her inside. I slam the door shut behind us before giving Kelcie all my attention.
“No,” she whispers, her face pale. “His mother came over.” Her eyebrows pull together, and she gasps before she continues, “She laid into me for breaking Colby’s heart, and when I told her I’m not taking the blame, she slapped me.”
Anger explodes in my chest because someone dared to raise a hand against the woman I love.
Knowing I’ll land my ass in jail if I go over to the Adamses’ house and that won’t help Kelcie at all, I do the only thing I can. I pull her against my chest and rub my hand up and down her back.
“I’m so tired,” she admits in a small voice. “I’m sorry I came here, but it’s the only place I feel safe.”
“You did the right thing,” I grumble. “If anyone comes knocking on my door, I’m putting them on their asses.”
Keeping my arm around her shoulders, I guide her out of the kitchen and down the hallway with Lick right behind us. When we enter my bedroom, I say, “Sleep here for today. I’ll take the couch.”
When I let go of Kelcie, her hand darts out and she grabs hold of my sweater. “No. I mean, I feel safe with you.” She glances at the king-size bed. “It’s a huge bed. There’s enough space for both of us.”
I should do the right thing and leave Kelcie alone. Nothing good will come of this.
Colby already knows who I am. He’s a reporter. He can make things bad for me.
The thoughts are fleeting and don’t manage to take root.
Fuck Colby. I don’t care what he prints about me. Only Kelcie matters.
“Okay. I’ll take the side closest to the door.”
When she climbs onto the bed, and I notice she’s barefoot, my anger spikes again, and I let out a growl. She must be fucking freezing.
“What?” Kelcie asks.
“I’m just pissed off because people won’t leave you alone,” I mutter while I get into bed beside her. I pull her into my arms, and leaning over her, I tuck the covers tightly in behind her before I settle into a comfortable position.
Rubbing my hand up and down the length of her back, I’m hoping my body will heat hers quickly.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
I dip my head down and press a kiss to the red mark on her cheek. “Get some sleep, my muse.”
She tilts her head back, and I feel her warm breath fan over my neck and jaw. “Your muse?”
“Since I’ve been spending time with you, the writer’s block is gone, so you’re my muse.”
“Oh my gosh. Really?” Her face lights up with happiness. “That’s such good news.”
“I’ve already written forty-five thousand words. I’m halfway done with the book. At this rate, I’ll be able to send it in before Christmas.”
She pushes herself up into a sitting position. “Levi, that’s amazing!”
“It is, so we’d better sleep or I won’t get any writing done this afternoon.” I pull her back down, and when she rests her head on my chest, I feel content.
“Sweet dreams,” she murmurs as she places her hand over my heart.
“You too.”
I lie awake, soaking in how perfect it feels to hold Kelcie. Eventually, her breathing evens out, and I wait another ten minutes to make sure she’s asleep before I whisper, “I love you.”
It might be the only chance I get to say the words to her, and I’m not letting it slip through my fingers.
Finally, I drift off, and when I wake again, it’s to Kelcie’s face pressed into the crook of my neck, her arm and leg thrown over me. She’s half on top of me, the V between her thighs dangerously close to my cock.
The room has already started to grow dark as the sun sets, and Lick jumps off the foot of the bed, coming around the side to boop me with her nose.
As gently as possible, I extract myself from beneath Kelcie, and once I’m out of the bed, I adjust the covers over her. With her hair all over my pillow and her lips slightly parted, she looks absolutely breathtaking.
I indicate for Lick to go and follow her out of the bedroom, pausing to shut the door softly behind me.
When I get to the kitchen, I mutter, “You couldn’t wait a little longer, could you?”
She lets out a bark, and I quickly sign for her to stop so she won’t wake Kelcie.
I open the back door and shiver when the cold hits me in the face. I should’ve grabbed a jacket before I left the room.
I get busy preparing Lick’s food while thinking about what Kelcie and I can have for dinner.
I’ve been eating much healthier since she came along. Before I started spending time with her, I used to live off sandwiches.
While Lick’s food is warming in the microwave, I make myself coffee, then lean back against the counter, sipping on it.
It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. It will be the first time since my divorce that I’ll spend the day with someone.
My thoughts are filled with the past few months and how much my life has changed because of Kelcie.
I want her in my life forever.
When the microwave dings, I quickly mix everything together and place the bowl on the floor. While Lick goes to town on her meal, I open the freezer and look at the contents.
Pulling out a steak, I let it thaw in the sink, adding hot water to help it along. The second Lick is done eating and doing her business outside, I shut the door and lock it.
“Let’s go to the office, girl.”
I bring my coffee with me, and sitting down, I open my laptop and get to work.
Knowing Lick will notify me when she hears Kelcie moving in the house, I get lost in the story, writing page after page.
By the time Lick’s tail starts wagging, I’ve written three chapters.
“God, what’s the time?” Kelcie grumbles in the living room.
I check on my laptop, then call out, “Eight fifteen.”
“Holy crap!”
She appears in the doorway, not a hair out of place, and I assume she used my brush. The thought makes me grin at her.
“I can’t believe I slept for so long.”
“Do you feel rested?” I ask as I get up.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I’m going to make pasta with cream and strips of steak. Are you good with that?”
“It sounds delicious. Can I help?”
“Of course. I’ll cut the meat, and you can take care of the pasta.”
Going to the kitchen, we get to work, and while I’m frying the slices of steak, I can sense Kelcie’s eyes are on me.
“Do you feel better after the rough day?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she sighs. “But I’m going to have to move. I can’t keep living across the road from Colby’s family. It will be awkward.”
“Have you ever thought about leaving Verona?”
It takes a few seconds before the answer bursts from Kelcie. “I can’t.”
I glance over my shoulder and see the panic tightening her features. “Is your medication at your place?”
She nods as she focuses on taking deep breaths.
I turn off the gas, and not caring that I’m barefoot, I hurry over to her house. Finding the back door open, I make a mental note to talk to Kelcie about locking it behind her whenever she comes over.
I find the box in one of the cupboards and rush back to her. By the time I burst into the kitchen, Kelcie is calmer and giving me a sheepish look.
“We should keep some here,” I say as I set the box down on the table.
“You’re right,” she agrees.
I turn on the stove again and get back to work.
“Jordan’s asked me a hundred times to move to Naperville so I’m closer to him, but I just can’t bring myself to leave my family behind.”
When the steak is done, I set the pan aside and get to work on making the cream sauce.
“You can move to one of the other towns in the Sugar River Valley area and still be close enough to visit them daily,” I mention.
“I never thought of that,” she murmurs. “Maybe I should get a farm. I can milk cows for a living.”
“Yeah? You think you’ll like living on a farm?”
She lets out a chuckle. “Hmm . . . all the space. No neighbors right across the road.” She’s quiet for a moment. “I think it would be awesome.”
I glance over my shoulder at her. “Then why don’t you?”
Kelcie shrugs. “I like living next door to you.”
“I’m not attached to this house. I can sell and move as well.”
The idea of living on a farm with Kelcie sounds heavenly.
“All jokes aside,” she mutters. “I hope this nasty business with Colby and his family is over.”
I wasn’t joking. I would follow Kelcie to the ends of the earth if she let me.
When the pasta is ready, I drain it and mix all the ingredients together. Letting it rest in the pot, I lean back against the counter and cross my arms over my chest.
“If they come looking for trouble, let me know and I’ll handle it.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t expect that of you. You hate talking to people, and I’ll never forgive myself if you get in a fight because of me.”
“Kelcie.” I wait for her to look at me. “I’m not going to sit back and let people walk all over you.” Needing her to understand what she means to me without saying the actual words, I admit, “You’re important to me.”
Emotion washes over her face, and her voice is soft when she replies, “You’re important to me too.”
“You would stand up for me, so let me do the same for you.”
She nods and climbs to her feet from where she’s sitting by the table. When she comes toward me, I uncross my arms and open them. We hug, and she rests her cheek against my chest, letting out a sigh.
“I’m so thankful for you, Levi. I was drowning until you came along.”
“Ditto.”
Her voice is vulnerable as she whispers, “Promise you won’t just up and leave me.”
“Not unless you ask me to.”
“Promise,” she insists.
“I promise.”
She tilts her head back and looks up at me with so much hope that it makes my heartbeat speed up. My eyes lower to her mouth before flicking back to her gaze, where I can see my entire future in her soft brown irises.
God only knows where I get the strength to let go of her. I extract my body from between hers and the counter and grab two plates out of the cupboard.
“Why do you do that, Levi?”
With my back turned to her, I set the plates down and close my eyes.
“Is it my imagination?” she asks. “Am I seeing something that’s not there?”
Unable to lie, I shake my head. “No.”
“Then why do you keep pulling away?” When I don’t answer her, she says, “Look at me and tell me why you keep breaking the moments instead of kissing me.”
I grind my molars, trying to come up with a way out of this mess.
“I already failed at one marriage,” I spit out the first thing that comes to mind.
“So you think we would fail?”
I hear her move closer to me, and I quickly dart to the side and out of her reach. “Can we not do this?”
Pain ripples over her face, and she wraps her arms around her middle. “Okay.” She looks at the back door. “I think it will be best if I go home. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
The look of rejection in her eyes tells me I’m about to lose her, and it’s the one thing I can’t deal with.
She never promised not to leave me.
As Kelcie walks toward the door, I dart forward and grab her wrist. When she spins around, I bring my other hand to the back of her neck and slam my mouth to hers.
Unlike the times I kissed my ex and hated swapping spit, the pleasure I feel when my tongue pushes past Kelcie’s lips draws a groan from me.
Holy fuck.
Kelcie is pure heaven.