11. Chapter 11
When she pushed the door to her apartment open, she froze. Someone had rearranged her living room again. There was a candle burning on the kitchen counter that smelled like pine needles. Dropping her bags quietly she pulled out her gun and phone then stood back up. Carefully, she scanned the area and inched her way to her bedroom. At the door to her room, started a trail of rose petals. They made two paths. One to the bed and the other to the bathroom. The bathroom door was closed. Before she went toward it, she checked the closet and behind the curtains. No one was there.
With as deep a breath as she could take, she pushed the door open and raised her gun. The bathroom was empty. There was a bottle of wine on the ledge of the tub and a hot bubble bath already ran for her. Immediately she closed the door and picked up her phone. Usually she would call Andrea, but she knew she was probably still at the hospital. Rushing back to the front door to make sure it was locked, she dialed Levi.
“Hey,” he answered quickly.
“Levi, someone was in my house. They’ve rearranged again and left flowers and shit.” She groaned and sat down at the table. “I’ve changed the locks three fucking times! There were two cars in the parking lot all day. How did this happen?”
“Stay there. I’m on my way. Don’t hang up so I can hear if something goes wrong.” He was running, she could tell in the way his voice and breath changed.
“I checked the closet and everything. No one is here.” She put her head in her hand and tried with all her might to not get emotional. A car door slammed and then the sound of it starting came through the line.
“What about under the bed?” he asked as he screeched the tires.
“It’s a platform bed. You can’t get under it.” She looked around. Her eyes landed on the small pantry door next to the fridge. “Hold on, let me check the pantry.”
“I would rather you just stood in front of it with your gun aimed at it until I get there just in case. I’m two minutes away.”
Yeah well she didn’t need a knight in shining fucking armor to save her. She got up and held the gun in one hand and opened it with the other. It was empty other than food. “It’s empty.”
“Geez you really couldn’t just wait,” he huffed out, and she heard him come to a stop. Then a door slammed. “Buzz me up, please.”
She pressed the button by the door and hung up the phone. Only a minute later, she opened the door when he knocked. His gun was in his hand and with the other he touched her shoulder. “Are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” she lied. Inside, she wanted to scream.
“Is the candle yours? Did you touch anything?”
She shook her head and let him push past her to go inspect everything. Following him into the bedroom she saw him detour to the bed and pick up a piece of paper. She hadn’t even seen it the first time she was in here. “What’s it say?”
“Melanie, this is more romantic than cupcakes. You deserve better, baby.” He looked over at her. It made her want to cry again, but she wouldn’t. Not in front of him.
“One day he’s trying to romance me and the next day he’s threatening to kill me. This guy needs some lithium or something,” she said and pointed to the bathroom. “The water was still steaming when I got here so he couldn’t have been gone long.”
Levi went into the bathroom and walked back out. “You can’t stay here tonight. I’m going to get some people over here to dust for prints. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“Fuck my life,” she muttered and walked back out to the kitchen.
“I don’t like the idea of you staying at HQ either because we haven’t been able to find the guy that gave Taylor the piggy bank to give to you. Can you stay with family?” He looked way too concerned. It made her want to give him the second chance everyone kept telling her he deserved.
She shook her head. “No. My parents don’t know about any of this, and I don’t want to explain.” Plus her mom was getting on her nerves. “I can stay at The Monarch.”
“No. If he works for DeLaney, he’ll have access there too.” He punched in something on his phone and looked up. “Your building has security cameras, let’s go down and ask the super to review them.”
“The wires got cut a month ago and they haven’t been fixed. The super is an asshole who’s trying to come in under budget this year so he gets a bonus. All the Beckman buildings are in competition.”
“Well, that’s terrible management. Does Andrea know that?” He started doing something on his phone again.
“No. I’m not her problem, Levi.”
“You sorta are, babe. Not to mention that she has a security business. If the Beckman’s have a security problem, then that’s an opportunity for DeLaney Security to get a huge contract.” He stared at her in challenge. There was nothing she could dispute about that. Except for one thing.
“Don’t call me babe,” she said and moved to the fridge. “Ok, if I can’t stay at The Monarch and I can’t go to HQ, where do you suggest I go?”
He didn’t answer. He put his phone to his ear and walked back into the bedroom. It wasn’t like there was any privacy in here though. The apartment was too small, she could hear him perfectly.
“Someone broke into Melanie’s place. I’m here. It’s like a made for TV movie with rose petals, wine, a bubble bath, and a note. He even rearranged her living room.”
“Tim Klein, but I haven’t been able to find him yet. He’s got the week off.”
“That sounds like a terrible idea.”
“Fine. I’ll give her the options and call Scarlett to get some people over here.”
When he came out of the bedroom, Melanie was sitting at the table again with a bottle of water. “What’s the verdict?”
He held up a finger and said, “Cover your ears.” When she did, he did the thing on his phone and a bunch of squelching noises went off. It made her sick. As he walked around her apartment collecting them, she felt like throwing up. It wasn’t just listening devices this time. There were cameras. By the time he was done, there were ten devices sitting on her dining room table.
“Let’s go,” he said and held out a hand to help her up. He also scooped her bags up.
“Wait, can I get some clothes?”
He paused and looked around. “Just hurry. This guy won’t be happy. He knows I just took them all down.”
After stuffing some clothes in a bag and grabbing some work outfits on hangers, she followed him out of the apartment. This time he was in a DeLaney car and not his truck. They threw her stuff in the back and got in. He waited until they were on the road to call Scarlett and ask for a team to go fingerprint and clean everything up. She said she’d have some people check out the cameras and see if they were from DeLaney’s stock or not. When he hung up, he looked over at her. “Victor originally thought it was your ex. Jake?”
“Jake is possessive but not crazy. He’s also dating my friend Tiffany so I don’t think it’s him.” She sighed and looked out the window. “I’m a boring person, Levi. I don’t go around asking for attention. Work and home are my life.”
“Hey, I wasn’t implying anything. Just trying to get some facts. No one asks to be stalked, trust me. Shit like this is how people end up murdered. Cops always say there’s not enough evidence or they don’t have the resources to keep a close enough eye to do anything.” He stopped at a red light and she looked over. “I won’t let that happen to you.”
The same sincerity that Andrea could show in her eyes was mirrored in his. They may not be related by blood, but it was clear she had influenced him. Some of his mannerisms and actions mimicked hers too. “I know.” A car honked behind them and she said, “It’s green.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving toward the rear window. “Impatient people.”
When they pulled up outside of a five-story apartment building, she looked around and then at him. “Where are we?”
“My place. It’s not Beckman nice, but it’s secure and the cameras work.” He opened his door and got out.
Her heart raced at the thought of sharing his apartment. No way they should do this. When her door opened, he held out a hand for her to take; she hesitated.
“I’ll sleep on the couch and change the sheets for you. We can figure out something different tomorrow if you want, Melanie. I just want you extra safe tonight because this guy is going to be pissed about me taking down his equipment today.”
How could she argue with that? “Ok,” she said, taking his hand.
They had a nice evening all things considered. Levi had ordered them Chinese food which they ate while watching a ridiculous show about aliens. Then she had done some work on the couch while he showered and cleaned up his room. He even went around and picked up all the mess that had been lying around the apartment. It wasn’t dirty, there were just some clothes and left behind papers. After that, he showed her the cameras around the building that connected to the two other screens mounted on his wall. When she questioned how he got away with being able to monitor them all in here, he explained Andrea owned the building.
That surprised her because it wasn’t in any of their financials. Levi explained that technically he owned the building through a corporation that Charlotte had set up, but Andrea had been the one to front the money. The other residents in the building paid their rent to the holding company. The same people had been living here for years because they never went up on the rent. It was just one more in a long line of ways that Andrea helped people and they didn’t even know it was her. Melanie really was proud to work for DeLaney.
After her shower, she said good night and laid down. In bed, she did more work before attempting to go to sleep. But it had been three hours, and she was no closer to being able to sleep than she had been when she got home. The tears in her eyes were threatening to fall again, making her bury her face in the pillow. There was nothing to cry over. Crying would change nothing. A psycho was trying to ruin her life and possibly kill her but tears wouldn’t do anything about it. Tears were weakness. That was her family’s belief anyway. They ingrained it in her. She wondered when the last time she truly let herself cry was. Apparently it was going to be tonight because she couldn’t make them stop.
The door to the bedroom opened. She pulled the covers over her head praying he hadn’t heard her and just needed to use the bathroom or something. But then the covers were pulled away. “Scoot over, let me hold you.”
“Go away,” she muttered even as she scooted to make room.
Once he was beside her, he pulled her body against his and held her. “It’s ok, I won’t tell anyone you cried,” he whispered and kissed the side of her face. This was all too much. She cried harder into his chest. It was one in the morning, and she was just being a big baby. No matter what she did, she couldn’t make it stop. “You’re ok, Melanie. I’ve got you.”
That was the problem though. She didn’t need people to have her. If he would’ve just stayed in there, she might’ve only cried for a minute or two. Now it was turning into a whole thing. Wiping her face on his shirt, she looked up to see blue eyes looking down at her with all the care in the world. “Kiss me,” she said and raised up more.
“I’ll kiss you, but only if you take a second to decide if that’s really what you want,” he said back and stroked his thumb under her eye to wipe away another tear.
“I want it.” She’d been wanting him since that night in the diner. So what if he was part of DeLaney now? Even the Boss had given them permission. If she was going to get murdered by a psycho, then she at least deserved to be happy for one night. It had been over a year since she had sex. It would be pathetic to die in that condition. The thought made her want to laugh, and she smiled as their lips met in a slow, soft kiss.
As the kiss progressed, he slid his tongue in her mouth and an arm further down to grip her leg and pull them flush. Levi was much better at that than Jake and she hummed as she hooked her leg over his hip. “Wait,” he said, breaking their lips apart.
“What?”
“Are you sure?” He was staring into her eyes intently but didn’t move a muscle.
This wasn’t the time to start second guessing. “Yes, Levi. I’m sure.” Then she kissed him again. As he rolled her on her back, he adjusted and she felt his hardness against her leg. There was no more doubt in her mind. Despite all the rational reasons to say no, she told her brain to shut the fuck up and let her have this.
He took his time kissing her and letting his left hand roam her body. Every touch felt like a new prick of excitement on her skin. When he pushed her shirt up higher to trail his fingers across her stomach it tickled. “Oh, that’s going to be fun later,” he said as she squirmed because he danced his fingers across her ribs.
“Don’t be mean,” she said, pulling at his shirt to get it off. Once she could feel his defined muscles, she smiled. “You’re very handsome.”
Even in the dim light, she could tell he was blushing. “You’re beautiful,” he said against her lips before pulling her up so they could get her shirt off too. “Do you always sleep in a bra?” His eyes glanced around her chest and back up to her eyes.
“No, but it seemed the right thing to do.” She unhooked it and tossed it on the floor before laying back down. Her tits were a good size and not at all saggy. There was no reason for her to feel bad exposing them. In fact, she thought they were one of her better features. Apparently he agreed because as he kissed her again, he grabbed one with a hum. “34D’s,” she said with a laugh when he kissed his way down to them.
“Perfect.” Then he sucked a nipple into his mouth, making her arch up into him. They weren’t all that sensitive even though she enjoyed having someone pay attention to them. It made her feel desired when a man gave them some love instead of just focusing on their own pleasure. Especially their first time together. While he continued to kiss and suck one of his hands ran across her center over her panties. She shifted her hips and chased his hand. A groan almost escaped her before she realized he was kissing his way further south.
Sending up a prayer that he was better at going down on her than Jake was, she let him pull off her panties. But when his tongue swiped through and landed exactly where it needed to, she knew her prayers were answered. Levi took his time to explore and really figure out what made her tick. She was gripping the pillow under her head and riding his face with abandon as he worked her higher. No doubt her wetness was everywhere by now, including his chin and cheeks. The thought made her hotter. A finger circled her entrance while he sucked on her clit. When it pushed inside, she was gone. Her body froze, and she trembled silently, stuck in that state of not being able to breathe but feeling like she was riding high. Finally, he pulled away and she could breathe as her body relaxed down into the sheets.
“Just so you know,” he said as he kissed her hip and up her stomach until they were face to face. “You have just ruined me for the world. It was beautiful seeing you like that.”
This time it was her turn to blush. “You’re very talented,” she said and kissed him quickly. Somewhere along the way, he had wiped his face, and she was grateful. She pushed at his shorts and boxers until he helped to kick them off. All the while, they kept up a messy kiss that was hard to do when they were both moving so much. “Let me feel you,” she whispered, reaching between them to feel his length. Yes. That was what her body needed.
They adjusted as he pushed her back down to the bed. As he slid into her, she put her legs around his waist and held him there. It was Levi that moaned though. “God yes,” he breathed into her neck. Bracing himself on his arms, he started humping her slow and deep. It was very vanilla, but for their first time it seemed just right. She hated when men thought they needed to turn sex into an acrobatic routine.
She gripped his back with one hand and his ass with the other, feeling his muscles contract every time he slammed into her. He was in excellent shape. Not only that, he seemed to be genuine which was more than she could say for some of the other men she had slept with. It was easy to tell he was getting close because his movements were getting more erratic. Her only concern was that he wasn’t wearing a condom. Since she hadn’t been active in a while, she wasn’t on the pill or anything. It might be a mood killer but she had to say something. “Don’t come inside,” she panted against his ear. “I’m not on birth control.”
“Where?” he gasped and tried to slow his thrusts. She squeezed his ass to make him keep going.
“My stomach.” It wasn’t a preferred thing, but for tonight she would live with it. Tomorrow she could make an appointment and get back on it for the future.
A second later, he pulled out, but he grabbed his shirt beside them on the bed and finished inside of it. Doing that was hotter than if he came on her in her opinion and she fell a little more for him. Levi was considerate and hot. After wadding it up and throwing it on the floor, he crawled up her body and pressed their lips together. She pulled him down flush against her, taking all of his weight so his arms could rest. She even wrapped her legs around his in a full body hug. “Thank you,” she said against his lips. For the comfort, for the sex, for not being messy, for just everything. And she hoped he understood.
“I should’ve used a condom, sorry. I got carried away,” he said and raised his head to smile at her. “You’re just so amazing I couldn’t wait to feel you.” His laugh vibrated through her body and made her laugh too.
“I’ll go to the doctor and get back on birth control. I’m not ready for a kid yet.” She studied his eyes and saw the twinkle in them.
“Does that mean you’re gonna be my girlfriend now?” His smirk looked devious and made her insides clench.
“Only if you keep me from getting murdered,” she joked. He didn’t take it as a joke though. Her sometimes dark humor was something he hadn’t seen from her yet. That was ok, he would learn it was one of her coping mechanisms.
Levi shifted to lay more beside her than on top of her. Then he adjusted so they could lay face to face on their sides. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“I know, I was joking.” She kissed him softly. “I’ll be your girlfriend on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You don’t lie to me. Even when I don’t want to hear it, tell me the truth.” She scratched his back and sighed. “I know you won’t be able to tell me certain things about your job, but when it comes to something about you or me or our relationship, just talk to me about it.”
“Ok,” he said with a nod.
“I’m serious, Levi. Lying to ‘protect’ me isn’t an excuse. Do you understand?”
“I understand. Truth, even when it hurts.” He kissed her and smiled. “You’re way too smart for me to lie to anyway.”
When she pinched his back, he jumped and yelped. “And no sleeping with anyone else. I’m an exclusive person, just so we’re clear.”
“Babe, after what we just did, I promise I don’t need anyone else.” He slid his hand down and squeezed her ass. “I don’t share either,” he said seriously.
“Good.”