Chapter 28 Levi
Levi
Keeping ahold of Kelcie, I climb to my feet before I lift her bridal-style into my arms. When I back away from Colby’s body, I hear sirens.
I contacted the sheriff’s department after I got the call from Kelcie and heard muffled sounds of her and Colby fighting. Hanging up on her so I could let the police know what was happening is officially the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It felt like I was abandoning her.
Turning around, I walk out of the house and take Kelcie to the truck, where I bundle her into the passenger seat. I indicate for Lick to jump in before instructing her to stay with Kelcie.
Lick lies down partially on top of Kelcie’s lap, her ears pulled back, which tells me she’s still in attack mode.
“Good girl,” I say as I pat my dog’s head so she’ll relax.
I press a kiss to Kelcie’s temple, and as the sheriff’s cruiser comes to a screeching stop, I say, “I’m going to deal with the mess. Stay here.”
Tears keep spilling over her cheeks, and seeing the angry red handprint on her face makes it unbelievably difficult to walk away from her.
“Colby is in the house,” I tell Sheriff Williams just as Mrs. Adams comes jogging across the road.
Sheriff Williams points at her and shouts at his deputy, “Keep her back, Jonas.”
Deputy Stone darts toward Mrs. Adams and grabs hold of her, which has her screaming, “Where’s Colby?”
Deputy Stone pulls her back to the house across the road while Sheriff Williams hurries into Kelcie’s house.
Fuck. I can’t believe what happened.
I let out a sigh as I walk to the front door, watching as he checks Colby’s pulse.
“Jesus,” he mutters while he uses his pen to pick up the weapon.
“You’ll only find Colby’s fingerprints on the gun,” I tell him. “He shot himself.”
Crouched near Colby, Sheriff Williams shakes his head. “Do you know if Kelcie’s security cameras still work?”
“They should. I’ll check with her quickly.” I walk back to the truck, and when I see how she’s trembling, I shrug out of my coat and drape it over her. “Do your security cameras still work?”
She nods her head, her teeth clattering from shock. “M-my phone is under th-th-the couch. S-Sheriff Williams knows h-how the app works.”
I brush my hand over her hair and wish I could stay with her, but once again, I have to force myself to walk away. “Her phone is under the couch. Can I move it?”
“Yes,” Sheriff Williams answers.
I lift the couch and set it aside, then crouch and pick up Kelcie’s phone. I hand the device to the sheriff.
“Thank God I installed the cameras for Kelcie,” he tells me as he goes into the app. “I only did it because I thought it would help her feel safe.”
He goes silent, and I walk closer to watch the security footage with him, praying to God that it shows my hand wasn’t near the gun.
When I see Kelcie fighting Colby, who’s almost twice her size, I begin to feel sick with disgust and anger.
Lick jumps over Kelcie and begins to maul Colby’s arm, and then it shows me punching the bastard. He moves his right arm, trying to point the gun at me, and Lick darts around, biting and yanking at his wrist. The barrel points at Colby’s face just as he pulls the trigger.
“Jesus. That’s one hell of a dog you have there,” Sheriff Williams mutters.
“Can I go wait with Kelcie?” I ask.
“Yes. Stick around, though. We need your statements, and the ambulance should be here already. Have them check Kelcie.”
I nod before jogging out of the house. I hear Lick growl as a paramedic examines Kelcie’s face.
“Is she okay?” I ask the first responder.
She glances at me. “Are you her partner?”
“Yes,” I answer while I indicate for Lick to relax.
“Kelcie will have some bruising, but she should be fine. I’ll give her an ice pack to help with the swelling. Keep an eye on her for the next twenty-four hours, though.”
“I will.” I place my hand on Kelcie’s knee, where she’s sitting sideways on the passenger seat of my truck. When the paramedic walks back to the ambulance, I duck my head to catch Kelcie’s eyes. “Sheriff Williams just wants our statements before we can leave.”
She blinks a few times before her face crumples, and she reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck. I hold my woman, thankful none of us were seriously injured.
“Are you okay?” Kelcie asks as she pulls back to take hold of my hand so she can look at my knuckles. They’re busted, but I don’t give a shit. “Let Brooklyn look at your hand before she leaves.”
Assuming Brooklyn is the paramedic, I shake my head. “I’m not letting her touch me. I’ll take care of it myself.”
I hear Mrs. Adams screaming across the street, but I can’t make out any of the words. The front door opens, and I see Deputy Stone struggle to hold her back as Mrs. Adams cries, “You killed my son! You murderer! You killed my baby!”
Lick begins to bark, and I quickly silence her with a command while pulling Kelcie back against my chest. I press kisses to her hair and say, “We’ll leave soon.”
Deputy Stone finally gets Mrs. Adams back into the house and shuts the door. I watch as the paramedic jogs across the road, and I hope she’ll give the woman something to calm her.
Snow begins to fall around us, and I let go of Kelcie. “Move back into the truck. I don’t want you to get cold.”
She does as she’s told, and I pull my coat over her.
“God, this weather is miserable,” Sheriff Williams says as he comes out of the house to take our statements.
We spend the next ten minutes recounting everything we can remember, and when the sheriff seems satisfied for the time being, he says, “You can’t stay here today. Do you have anywhere else you can go?”
“My parents’ house,” Kelcie answers.
Surprise flickers over the sheriff’s face. “Okay. I’ll find you there if I have any more questions.”
I think to add, “We’re going to visit Jordan for Christmas. We’ll be gone three days at the most.”
Sheriff Williams nods. “That’s not a problem. You folks try to enjoy the holidays.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” Kelcie murmurs. “You too.”
When he walks away, I shut the passenger door and jog around the truck before I climb in behind the steering wheel.
Kelcie
I can’t believe what happened.
My mind is reeling as Levi ushers me into the motel room. When we drove away from the crime scene, Levi mentioned neither of us had any clothes at my family home. He let Sheriff Williams know where we’ll be staying tonight.
I’m only half aware that he shuts the door behind us and locks it.
Lick pads over to her spot in front of the bed and lies down, and following her, I crouch so I can brush my hand over her head.
I hear Levi switch on the faucets in the shower and watch as he moves around the room, gathering clean clothes for us. He takes it all to the bathroom before coming back and holding out his hand to me. “Come, my muse. Let me get you cleaned up.”
I place my palm in Levi’s and let him help me to my feet, then follow him into the bathroom, where he removes my coat before pulling my sweater over my head.
He continues to undress me, then gets rid of his own clothes, and as he tugs me into the shower, my eyes remain locked on his face.
Levi begins to wash my body, and as I feel his hands move over my skin, it erases some of the shock I suffered today. His gentle touch is soothing, but then I notice a muscle jumping in his jaw.
“Are you okay?” I whisper.
“I just need to erase his touch from your body,” he says.
“It feels good,” I tell him in a soft tone. Levi’s eyes flick to mine, and I quickly add, “Having your hands on me.”
When he’s done washing me, he moves in behind me and shampoos my hair. After he’s worked conditioner into the strands, his fingers massage my scalp, and my eyes drift closed from how comforting it feels.
Levi rinses my hair until the water runs clean, then I finally get my turn to wash his body. I give him the same love he showed me, and I’m careful when I clean his bruised knuckles.
We get out of the shower, and Levi dries us. Once I’m done getting dressed, I walk to the doorway, just wanting to crawl into bed.
“Hold up. I’m not done yet.” He grips my hand and pulls me toward the counter.
Picking up the brush, he gently works all the knots out of my strands, then he pulls a hair dryer out of a drawer and plugs it in.
God. This man is everything.
Watching Levi in the mirror as he takes care of me erases some of the trauma I was forced to endure today, and the corner of my mouth lifts.
His eyes lock with mine every few seconds, and I swear I fall in love with him all over again.
“Feeling any better?” he asks as he switches off the hair dryer and sets it down on the counter.
“Much. You have a miracle touch that has a way of soothing me.”
“Yeah?” He places his arms around me, and keeping eye contact with me in the mirror, he kisses the red handprint on my cheek.
“Thank you for saving me, Levi,” I whisper.
“Lick did most of the saving.”
I shake my head to silence him. “Thank you for coming to Verona and moving in next door to me. Thank you for talking to me and becoming my friend.” My eyes tear up, and my voice grows hoarse as I continue, “Thank you for giving in and loving me.” I turn around so we can be face-to-face as I say, “You saved me in so many ways. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. You brought me back to life.”
Emotion fills his hazel eyes, and he rubs his palms up and down my arms while he takes in every inch of me, as if he needs to keep checking I’m really okay after the attack.
“You’ve done the same for me, Kelcie.” As his gaze meets mine, I see my entire future in him. “You make life worth living. You’ve given me purpose, hopes, and dreams.” He shakes his head reverently. “You’ll always be my miracle.”
“We can be each other’s miracles,” I whisper as I wrap my arms around his neck.
Levi pins me to his body, and with his eyes hardly leaving mine, he moves us out of the bathroom and lays me down on the bed.
We take our time undressing each other, and when we’re naked and Levi’s body covers mine, he says, “You’re the only person I love, Kelcie. You’re my entire world.”
I frame his jaw, taking in the feel of his bristles against my skin. “I’m the luckiest woman, Levi. I’m going to spend the rest of my life giving you happy memories.”
He lowers his head and presses another soft kiss to the bruising on my cheek. Then his mouth finds mine, nipping at me in a hot way that has my abdomen clenching. His tongue brushes over the seam of my lips, and as I part for him and he strokes over mine, we both groan.
This man’s kisses are everything to me.
His hands begin to roam over my body, and when his palm covers my breast, I arch into his touch. He moves, placing heated kisses down the column of my neck before he sucks my right nipple into his mouth.
“Fuck,” he groans against my skin, the deep rumble from his chest making my entire body greedy to feel all his touches and kisses everywhere. “You taste like heaven, baby.”
He takes his sweet time giving my nipples so much attention that I’m desperate to feel him inside me.
“I need you,” I whimper, ravenous for my man.
Levi braces one of his arms beside my head, and reaching down, he positions his hardness right where I need him most. Our eyes lock, and as he surges into me in a single thrust, my lips part and the air bursts from my lungs.
He grips my hip in a biting hold and begins to take me with punishingly deep strokes. I’m inundated with pleasure, not knowing if I’m coming or going. My hips lift, trying to meet his brutal pace, but in the end, all I can do is wrap my arms tightly around him and hang on for dear life.
“Oh God,” I gasp against the side of his neck. “Levi.”
He dips his head, the bristles on his jaw scratchy on my sensitive skin, then his mouth claims mine, the kiss wild and filled with so much heat, it creates an inferno between us.
Levi’s chest rubs against mine, his fingers digging into my hip, and as he keeps driving harder and deeper inside me, cries spill from my mouth to his.
“Yes . . . oh . . . Levi . . . please,” I resort to begging, not knowing exactly what I’m asking for. “Please. Please. Please. More.”
Levi rips his mouth away from mine, and moving to his knees between my thighs, he hauls my butt into the air before filling me so roughly, the entire bed shakes.
He hits that spot deep inside me, and as I claw at the covers, my head tilts back, my body arches, and I come so hard, I lose all my senses except for feeling the unadulterated ecstasy seizing me.
I feel Levi jerk inside me as he finds his own release with a harsh growl, making my orgasm so much more intense. The pleasure just keeps hitting me, and when he falls over me, squashing me to the bed, I grab hold of him and sob.
Even though we’re both coming, he doesn’t let up and prolongs the intensely intimate moment between us.
Only when my bones turn to Jell-O and I feel like a limp noodle does Levi slow down. He continues to fill me with leisurely strokes, sending spasms of residual pleasure through me.
Lifting his head, he meets my gaze, and all I can do is let out a satisfied chuckle.
His mouth curves into a sexy smirk. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you come.” He dips his head, and his mouth nips at mine. “You take me so well, baby. My cock fits perfectly inside you.”
“Holy crap,” I gasp before I start to laugh. “You can’t get me all hot and bothered again. I need at least an hour to recover.”
He playfully bites my jaw, then presses a kiss beneath my ear before groaning, “I want to stay buried inside you.”
Like the greedy hussy my abdomen is, it clenches, and Levi groans again. “So fucking good when you squeeze me like that.”
I wrap my arms and legs around him, and brushing my palm up and down his back, I say, “You don’t have to pull out. Stay inside me.”
For the next thirty minutes, he keeps pressing lazy kisses over my neck and jaw, and I draw patterns over his skin with my fingertips.
Ever so slowly, Levi’s hips begin to move again, and while we touch and kiss each other, he makes love to me once more.