“Wow,” he says. “What was that for?”
“For being so amazing and believing when I couldn’t.”
His smile is soft, and so much love shines in his eyes, it tightens my throat. “Are you going to show me your house? And your bed?”
“Hell, yeah, I am.”
With my heart full and my fears sidelined, I want him more than ever. I kiss his cheek, his jaw, his neck, and he lets out a low purr. At a stoplight, I turn his head and kiss him deep. When the light is green again, I pop open the button on his jeans and work down the zipper.
“Jesus, Lai—” His words cut out as I take him in my hand and stroke. “Fuck.”
“Just keep your attention on the road.” I’m enjoying this streak of confidence, the sensation of rightness. And my desire for Levi has bounded through that gap of insecurity.
I move his clothes around and lower my head to take him into my mouth. He swears and slides his fingers into my hair.
He tastes musky and familiar, and he feels hot and hard in my mouth. That first taste makes me so hungry, I go all out to taste every inch of him. By the time he pulls into his driveway, he’s shaking with need.
“Baby,” he says, his voice raspy. “Let’s go inside.”
I look up at Levi while my hands stroke his wet length. “Push your seat back. Let’s finish this first.”
His eyes fall closed, one hand locked around the steering wheel, the other in my hair. I’m so in the moment, I don’t want anything to break in, so I reach across him with one hand and push the lever that slides the driver’s seat backward. When his seat is back as far as it will go, I reposition and take him deeper into my mouth.
“Fuck, that’s so good.” He lifts his hips, moving deeper into my mouth. I spend long leisurely minutes sucking and stroking. I love the pleasure it brings him, love to feel his hand tighten in my hair, love to look up and find him watching.
“Laiyla, I can’t—”
I reach over my shoulder, fist my T-shirt, and pull it over my head. Then I take him deep and suck hard. His hand slides down my back, then up again, around the back of my neck, then into my hair.
Within seconds, his body shudders and his hips lunge. I pull my mouth away and stroke him as he comes, using my T-shirt to handle the cleanup.
When we’re done, his body is loose, his eyes hazed and hot, his breathing quick. I kiss him. “Now we can go in.”
I get out of the truck in only my bra and jeans and round to his side. He rights his clothes and stands from the truck, but continues to hold the door as if he’s not quite steady. Without warning, he hooks his free arm around me and pulls me up against him, kissing me long and deep. “I forgot how good you are with your mouth.”
“Well, now you’ve got all night to remember.”
18
Levi
I’m still not quite steady as we enter the house. Relaxation drifts through my body. Dinner was a wild success. I watched as Laiyla’s anxiety shifted to comfort. As her smiles became more authentic. As her enjoyment of spending time with my family grew. And little by little, she turned into the Laiyla I’ve loved forever.
I also recognize the passion she shared in the truck. It is vintage Laiyla—when the stress evaporates, she is able to sink into her fiery sexuality.
Inside the foyer, she stops and stares at the
expanse of the lake through the floor-to-ceiling windows forming the front wall of the house. It’s dark now, but the lake is still discernable as an inky field against an indigo sky. Lights flicker across the lake, and the moon reflects off the water. The sight never fails to infuse me with relaxation and joy. Even more so now that Laiyla is by my side.
“Oh my God.” Her reverence is soft, and she’s spellbound. “Just… Oh. My. God.”
She drops her T-shirt on the foyer floor and wanders into the darkened living room. While she’s staring at the lake, I’m staring at her. I’ve brought a few women here over the years, but not many. In a lot of ways, I’ve always thought of this place as part Laiyla’s. She was the one who lay in a boat with me just off the shore here and created plans from her imagination. She was the one who wandered the land with me, mapping out a floorplan with nothing but tree branches and rocks.
I follow her into the living room and slide my hand beneath her hair to rest at the back of her neck. She takes in the open floor plan with a dining area and a huge kitchen. Then she moves to the windows to look out at the multilevel deck. “It’s just like you planned it.”
“Like we planned it,” I remind her. “Not exact, but as close as I could get it.”
She turns toward me and presses her cheek to my chest. “Show me your bedroom.” She tilts her head back, and her gaze is spilling lust. “I’ll look at everything else after I get my fill of you.”