“I’m already dating someone, but thank you for the offer.”
To hammer home my point, I turn around and smile at Lev. Looking back at her, I see her hands fisted at her side. Wary, I tense. Baring her teeth, she opens her mouth to say something more, but Lev comes up behind me, and she closes it quickly.
“Nice to meet you, and welcome to Lockeland Valley,” she says as she glances at Lev, then walks away.
“Your burger will be right up,” Lev tells me as he nuzzles my ear.
I’m a bit uncomfortable that he’s doing this in front of someone he might be dating or might have dated in the past, but it’s not the right time to ask him about Courtney. He turns the stool around and reaches for my hand. Sitting down beside me, he plays with my hand as we chat about the beer on tap and various types of beer we like.
My burger arrives, along with one for him, and we eat and talk about the week. He explains that his schedule is hectic, especially with Thayer in the hospital. He usually spends Monday and Wednesday at The Black and Gold. Tuesdays and Thursdays, he visits his restaurants in Helena. The weekend is up in the air, depending on what is going on, but he always goes with Shaw and Lowell to visit Thayer on Sundays.
I ask him about Thayer’s prognosis. He explains the swelling is going down, but the doctor isn’t clear about the extent of the damage, as he hasn’t woken up from the coma yet. He talks about Thayer’s need to push his physical limits, as he’s always worried about being tied down or restricted, and what it would do to him if he couldn’t walk. I tell him he needs to concentrate first on getting him to wake from the coma before he worries about any other damage. I remind him to take the time to talk to Thayer when he visits. Coma patients respond to voice stimuli, and it can make a difference in getting them to wake up sooner.
As we finish our meal, Lev goes to grab his coat so he can walk me home. As we leave, I notice Courtney staring out the window at us.
Reaching my apartment, Lev walks me upstairs. As soon as we get in the apartment, he grabs my hand and turns me around so my back is to the door. Taking my other hand, he brings both hands up above my head and leans his body into mine to give me a lingering kiss. Lev kisses like we have all the time in the world to enjoy the moment. No rush, just a slow dance of our mouths.
After a minute or two or three, he breaks the kiss and says huskily, “All I could think about this week was kissing you again.”
His eyes blaze as he looks at me. His hands squeeze mine as he lowers his head to kiss me again and again. Eventually, he leaves my lips and makes his way back over to that spot on my neck. Kissing, sucking, licking it, my back arches, and I gasp as heat arrows into my body.
“That’s all you could think about? Where’s your imagination?”
I pull my hands free from his and roam over his big body. The man has muscles on top of muscles. My fingers try to trace each one through his clothes. Dammit, it’s not enough. I need to feel his skin, his warmth. Reaching out, I unbutton his shirt and push it aside.
I place my hands palms down on his body. Heat seeps into my hands as if he’s my own personal sun. He moans as my hands touch him. There’s not one point of softness on his body. My hands skim over his warm brown skin, from his hard pecs to the hard lines of his eight-pack abs. I can’t help marveling at the sheer dedication it must take to achieve and maintain this body. It’s anatomy at its finest. My fingers follow each line down and softly trail across his lower stomach.
He inhales sharply against my neck. As I continue my soft caresses over his lower stomach, below his belly button, he moans and thrusts into me hard. “Seems like you might have a spot, too,” I rasp, laughing softly.
Moaning again, his mouth takes mine, hard and greedy for more. Reaching down, he grabs my ass, lifts me up, and pulls me in tight. He grinds into me, making sure I feel every inch of him.
I need closer, I think.
Wrapping my legs around him, I center his cock and lift into him, meeting his next thrust.
OMG, that feels so good.
I do it again and again. It has been so long since I felt a man against me, it won’t take much to put me over the edge.
“Fuck, sweetheart. Hold on. I think we should even this up a bit,” he says as his hands skim the hem of my sweater.
I grab the hem for a second to stall him. Shit! I didn’t think about someone seeing me naked yet. I mean, duh, I knew it would happen, but I’m not prepared. Swallowing, I stare nervously at him as my heart pounds loudly in my ears.
“Lev, wait...I’ve got some scars, and they’re not pretty.”
Studying my face for a second, he realizes I’m worried about showing him my chest. “What? Seriously? Sweetheart, have you seen mine? My body’s filled with scars from both my childhood and my stint in the Army. Scars don’t bother me.”
Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed, as I was caught up in all his muscles. Leaning back, I scan his body and notice several scars in various places. Looks like a few cuts from a knife, several cigarette burns, and even a scar from a bullet.
He reaches up to his chest and points out a scar. “Got knifed here.” His hand moves to a spot on his shoulder where he has several lines of scars. “A barbed wire wrapped around my shoulder here. That was damn painful.” He continues to point out various scars on his body.
After studying his scars and reading his face, I decide I might as well get it over with quickly. Reaching down, I pull off my sweater and lean back so he can look at my scars.
“Beautiful,” he rasps as he stares at my breasts, encased in black see-through lace. His eyes travel to the two scars on my chest and the one on my stomach. Slowly, he reaches out and traces his fingers over them. “You were shot?” His voice is tight with anger. “Who the hell shot you?”
“A gunman came into the hospital where I was working.”
Scowling, he stares at my chest. Self-conscious, I’m bringing my hands up to cover my scars when he reaches out and stops me. “Fuck, sweetheart. You’re beautiful. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around you being shot. With the placement, you’re damn lucky to be alive.”
