Chapter 37
Chapter thirty-seven
Levi
Everly hesitated in the entryway. I’d survived a barrage of introductions and well-meaning questions for three hours until the cake was cut, and we could leave the reception without causing a stir.
The drive back to my house felt like an eternity.
The moment she climbed from her car, we’d collided and made out like a couple of teenagers in my front yard before fumbling our way inside.
Yet now that we were finally alone, she seemed unsure.
“What are you thinking?” I asked, brushing my thumb across her cheek.
“Everything,” she said with a laugh. “How did we end up back here? Could we really make this work? Are you really not mad at me?”
“I’m not mad,” I said, stepping closer. “And I’ll talk it through as many times as you want. Right now, though, I just need to be inside you.”
Her pupils dilated, which was all the encouragement I needed to throw her over my shoulder. She yelped as I headed toward the staircase, and Sherly squealed in the living room.
“Maybe we should—” Everly started.
I smacked her ass. Hard. As much as I loved that pig, I wasn’t getting cockblocked by her again. Everly squirmed on my shoulder, and I had a moment of panic thinking I’d hurt her, or she was trying to get away from me.
As soon as we got to the bedroom, I set her on her feet. Her cheeks were flushed from being upside down, her eyes bright. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled.
“I love you,” I said.
Her eyes softened as she gazed up at me. “I love you too.”
I lowered my lips to hers, and she melted against me, her body soft and warm.
I savored her a moment before stepping back and turning her around to face the bed.
After I brushed her hair over her shoulder, I slid down the zipper on her dress slowly, my hands caressing each exposed inch of soft skin.
By the time I slipped the fabric from her body, she was panting.
Her dress pooled on the floor, leaving her in nothing but a thong and those high heels that drove me crazy.
“Did you miss this?” I asked, reaching around to run my thumb across one of her hardened peaks before twisting it slightly.
She nodded, pressing her thighs together.
“Are you ready for me?” I asked against the shell of her ear as I continued to play with her breasts.
Instead of answering, she moaned. I bit her shoulder, and she sucked in a breath.
I kept moving down her body until I arrived at her tattoo.
Her breathing became ragged as I traced the word Every with my tongue.
“Everly.” I traced the next word. “I.” With every word I spoke, I traced another word inked on her skin. “Need. You. Right. Now.”
By the time I got to the last word, her legs trembled. I slid her panties down and stood. She turned to face me and undid each button on my shirt before pushing it off my shoulders. When she reached for the bottom of my t-shirt, I grabbed her hand gently. “I’ll explain it after.”
“Explain what?”
I tugged my shirt over my head and took in her shocked expression.
“What?” she asked. “When?”
Instead of answering, I kissed her as I reached between us and rubbed her clit fast and hard. She moaned into my mouth when she came. I lowered us to the bed and stretched out above her, still taking her lips like a starved man enjoying a feast.
When the need to be inside her became too much, I pulled back and watched her face as our bodies joined.
Her eyes never left mine as we moved together, giving the other pleasure as we each took our own.
She called my name as she shattered a second time, and I quickly followed, the pulsing of her body pulling me to the breaking point.
I stayed inside her, our lips joining again as we continued to rock gently.
By the time I rolled onto my side and pulled her to my chest, we were both struggling to breathe. I ran my hand down her back while my heart rate slowed and our breaths evened.
Her fingers traced the colorful ink on my abs before sliding to the design on my side. “It’s beautiful.”
I smiled at her. “It goes all the way around.”
She pulled away and shoved me playfully onto my side. “Theo designed this, didn’t he?” she asked as she traced the tattoo on my back.
“He did,” I said, rolling to face her. “It’s a memorial tattoo for Hayden, but also a reminder to myself that everything isn’t always black and white. Good and bad.”
“And the phoenix?”
I’d been shocked when I saw it. I thought Theo would replicate the design he’d inked on Everly. Instead, he’d drawn an intricate bird that looked like broken pieces of pottery held together with gold. “The phoenix is all about second chances, but he made it look like something called Kintsugi.”
She nodded. “Beauty in the broken.”
“I’d never heard of it before. I told him he could put whatever he wanted there in exchange for continuing his appeal. He deserves to have his record cleared, and you deserve another chance to argue his case.”
“What?” she shouted, her eyes widening. “He agreed to meet with Professor Exton next week, but he didn’t mention your tattoo.”
“I told him not to,” I said, taking her face in my hands. “I didn’t know if hearing about me would upset you.”
She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at me, something fierce in her eyes. “I need to say this.”
My stomach tightened as her eyes filled with pain, but I nodded.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” she said. When I tried to pull her into my arms, she shook her head and placed her hand on my chest. “I’m serious, Levi.
I’ve felt terrible about how I treated you.
It might have happened fast, but I love you so much.
I haven’t been able to eat or sleep. I’ve barely functioned. ”
“Everly,” I said, reaching up. This time, she let me touch her face and leaned into my palm. “I know.”
Her eyes widened. “You know?”
I nodded. “People have been telling me ever since we broke up. When Aiden appeared on my porch last night to suggest I go to the wedding, I considered listening. Then I talked to my dad.”
“You did?” she asked softly.
“This woman I’m head over heels in love with really believes in second chances, and I wanted to believe in them too. He’s been calling every Friday night for a while now, and I never answered. Last night, I finally did.”
“How’d it go?”
I blew out a breath. “Awkward at first. But about two minutes into the call, I realized how much I wanted my dad’s thoughts on all the questions I’d been asking myself lately.
About my job. Hayden. Whether I had a shot in hell at getting back together with you.
But mostly about him. Why he didn’t want me to go to IA.
Apparently, he’d seen a cop get blacklisted for filing a report against his partner, and he was genuinely afraid the same would happen to me.
He realized losing Hayden took everything to another level and tried to apologize for months, but by then I was ignoring him.
I lost an entire year with my dad because I was so sure I was doing the right thing. ”
“Levi,” she said, her hands pressing on my chest.
I pulled one of her hands to my lips and kissed it.
“He wants to come for a visit. We still need to work through some things, but I want him back in my life. He’s the one who convinced me to go to the wedding.
Said I’d be a fool not to take the opportunity I was being given, but I didn’t go expecting to get back together.
I wanted to make sure you were OK and to apologize for putting you in an impossible position.
I hadn’t even planned to tell you I was looking into other jobs. ”
“You weren’t?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I wanted to make the change before I asked you for a second chance. As soon as I held your hand, I knew I couldn’t wait.
” Seeing how upset she looked, it’d been impossible not to reach for her.
Sherly let out a shrill squeal downstairs.
I groaned. “I’d love to stay wrapped up with you the rest of the night, but I need to let her out. ”
When I stood, Everly grabbed my hand. “Thank you,” she said, “for believing in second chances.”
I smiled at her. “You’re very convincing, counselor. It was only a matter of time until you made a believer out of me.”