Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88889 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Letting go of my wrist, Levi moves closer and presses his body against mine while his arm wraps around me, locking me firmly in place.
I’m standing still like a dumbfounded idiot, unable to think a single coherent thought while Levi claims every inch of my mouth.
Good. God. This is . . . This is . . .
When his teeth tug at my bottom lip and his tongue strokes roughly over mine, an embarrassingly loud moan escapes me.
Heat flushes my face, my abdomen clenches hard, and tingles spread over every inch of my body.
Finally, I think of lifting my arms and wrapping them around his neck. I push up on my tiptoes, and tilting my head, I begin to taste and worship Levi as if he’s my beginning and end.
I don’t know if this will be my only chance to experience him like this, so I’m taking full advantage of it.
We hold onto each other as if we’d stop existing if we were to separate, and we kiss like people who’ve been starved of love.
Every good emotion known to mankind floods me until it feels like I’m floating in Levi’s arms.
He slows the kiss down until he’s lapping at my mouth, the kiss feeling so deep and intimate that it brings tears to my eyes.
Moving my hands to his face, my fingertips brush over his light stubble. I love the scratchy feel and how his jaw moves.
I’m surrounded by his cedarwood scent, and his much stronger body pressed against mine makes me feel delirious with desire.
I want all of him.
I have no idea how much time passes before he nips at my mouth one last time. Lifting his head an inch, I feel his breath on my swollen lips.
“Open your eyes,” he says, his voice hoarse and cracking over the words.
Slowly, I lift my lashes until Levi comes into view. Seeing the emotion that can only be described as love all over his face has my heart bursting into a wild gallop of happiness.
“I’ll never reject you, Kelcie. Don’t ever think that.”
Nodding, I clear my throat. “Okay.”
Levi lets go of me and takes a step backward. “We should eat.”
I shake my head. “Uh . . . no. I think we need to talk about what just happened.”
I watch as he swallows, and picking up the plates from where he left them on the counter, he moves them to the table. He begins to scoop pasta into them, and only when he sets the pot back on the stove does he look at me again.
“I’m not ready to talk about it.”
Seeing the worry in his eyes dims my happiness, and confusion spills into my chest.
Levi just gave me the best kiss of my life, and he doesn’t want to talk about it? Why?
I move to the table and take a seat. Staring at the pasta, I think for a moment before I ask, “Did your previous marriage end badly?”
He sits down, and picking up his fork, he shakes his head. “I couldn’t give her what she needed. The divorce went pretty smoothly.”
“What did she need?”
He lifts his eyes to mine. “For me to show her affection.” He lets out a sigh. “She didn’t repulse me, but I felt uncomfortable touching her. Kissing her was . . .” There’s a flash of disgust on his face. “I did it as little as possible.”
Fear trickles through me as I ask, “And kissing me?”
“You’re . . .” He shakes his head again, and my stomach drops. “You’re unlike any person I’ve ever met. I love touching you, and kissing you was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
Oh, thank you, sweet baby Jesus.
His words register, and happiness pours back into my heart.
Needing to know the answer, I ask, “Why did you marry her?”
“I didn’t want to be alone. I thought I could make it work, but I quickly realized I’m too fucked up to be with someone.”
“You’re not fucked up.”
Levi puts down his fork, and his eyes lock with mine. For the longest moment, he just looks at me, then he says, “I am, Kelcie. I’m still a grumpy asshole when I’m not with you. I still avoid talking to other people. I still crawl out of my fucking skin when someone touches me. None of that has changed.”
“You’re not fucked up,” I repeat myself. Getting up, I move around the table, and I frame his face with my hands. As Levi looks up at me, I say, “You’re the most incredible man I’ve ever met. You’re the only one who got through to me. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”
He sucks in a deep breath as if he’s trying to inhale my words.
Leaning down, I softly press my mouth to his. I keep the kiss tender, and when I pull back, I whisper, “I’ve never been in love until you. My parents raised me to have super-high standards, and you’ve met them all.” I give him a pleading look. “We won’t fail if we give this a go, because I feel we’re perfect for each other.”