“You don—”
“You gonna be worried about me?” he questions, searching my face.
“No . . .” His eyes narrow, and I blow out a breath. “Yes,” I grumble, and he smiles softly, rubbing my chin with his thumb.
“I’ll call.”
“Okay.” I pull in a breath through my nose, then lean up on my tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Be safe, Levi.”
“Always, gorgeous. I’ll talk to you later.”
“’Kay,” I whisper against his mouth when it touches mine. “’Bye.” I drop to my flat feet, then turn and open the door, stepping inside. I give him a wave as he steps back.
“Later, baby.”
“Later,” I agree, watching him head across the hall to his place. He stops to look at me once more before he goes inside.
“Kiddo, breakfast is ready,” Dad says behind me, and I shut the door and turn to find all eyes on me.
“What?”
“Oh, you’ve got it bad.” Libby grins.
“Whatever,” I mutter, moving toward the kitchen.
“I don’t know, I’d say Levi is the one who’s got it bad,” Mom says, studying me thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man more in want than he is.”
“I don’t like it,” Dad says, and I pull my eyes from my mom to look at him and see that same look in his eyes that I saw right before I left a few minutes ago.
“I thought you liked Levi.”
“I like him just fine, but—”
“But what?” I cut him off, feeling my face fall.
“I want a different life for my girls than the one I subjected your mom to. Can’t you find a nice teacher or a doctor to date?” So that’s his sudden problem with Levi.
“Darling,” Mom whispers, and he shakes his head at her.
“No, I know how hard my career has been on my family.”
“Your career has given us a beautiful life.”
“All the holidays I missed, birthdays, anniversaries?” He shakes his head, rubbing his hands down his beard. “I know that was hard on you and the girls.”
“Dad, none of us suffered,” Mac says softly, and his eyes go to her. “We knew your job was important, and we also knew that you and Mom would find ways to make up for the times we missed out on with you. I don’t know about Libby or Fawn, but I never felt like I missed out on anything.”
“I never felt like I missed out on anything, Dad. You were always there when it was important,” Libby says, and his eyes go to her and soften.
“Dad,” I call, and he pulls his eyes from Libby to look at me. “You were out making the world a safer place for Mom, Libby, Mac, and me. There was never a time I resented you for that. Never,” I say, meaning that from the bottom of my soul, and he closes his eyes briefly.
“I just . . . I know the life of a detective is a demanding one, and I know that your mom has had to give up a lot for me.”
“I didn’t give up anything for you,” Mom snaps, glaring at him. “I love my life, I love my girls, and I love you, you big lug, and I wouldn’t change any part of it even if I could.”
“The worry?”
“I’d worry about you if you were a banker, I’d worry about you if you were a fisherman. There isn’t a line of work you could do that would erase that worry. I love you; every time you leave the house I worry if you’ll come back, but I worry even when you leave to go to the grocery store.”
“I just want Fawn to understand what she’s getting into with a man like Levi.”
“I know, Dad, and I love you for worrying, but let’s say I didn’t explore things with him. Let’s say I let my fear of what could happen win and I missed out on one of the best things in my life because I was scared. Would you be okay with that?”
“You’d be disappointed in her if she did that, Dad,” Mac says, and he pulls in a breath, then lets it out slowly.
“You’re right, I would be disappointed in Fawn if she let fear rule her life,” he says, then looks at me. “Do you really like this guy?”
“I do. I don’t know what will happen between us or where our relationship will go, but right now, I like spending time with him. The rest will have to wait—we’re just getting to know each other.”
“I say he’s a keeper. I mean, he did stick around after Mom suggested you get knocked up. I think that says a lot about him,” Libby says, and I smile as Mom lets out a huff.
“Just please be careful,” Dad says quietly, and I nod, then walk to him when he opens his arms to me.
Giving him a hug, I close my eyes. “I love you. Dad, you are still the best dad in the whole world.”
“I love you, too, kiddo, to the moon and back.” Giving him one more squeeze, I step back, then smile as my mom engulfs me in a tight embrace.
“I love you, honey, and I have to say I really, really like Levi.”
“Mom.” I roll my eyes as she lets me go.
“I know, I know, you are just starting to get to know each other, but a mom can pray, can’t she?” she asks, patting my cheek.
“Just don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“If you say so,” she mutters, then lets me go with a whimsical smile on her face that says she’s already planning a wedding and knitting baby booties. Lord, save me.
Chapter 8
THE GOOD PART
LEVI
Hitting “Call” on Fawn’s number, I step out of my apartment, pulling the door closed behind me while listening to the phone ring as I head across the hall.
“Levi,” her sweet, soft voice answers, causing something in my chest to shift at the sound of my name leaving her mouth.
“Come to the door.” I need to see her; I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since I got called out this morning.
“Pardon?” she asks, and through the phone I hear her moving, then realize that her parents might still be staying with her, which would fuck up my plans for the evening unless I can convince her to come sleep at my place.
“Are your parents gone?”
“Yeah, they left this evening around six,” she says after a long pause.
Thank fuck.
“I’m at the door.”
“My door?” she asks, sounding adorably confused, and I smile.
“Yeah, baby, at your door.”
“Oh.” I hear more movement over the phone, and then I hear the sound of her feet on the wood floors getting closer. The sound of the locks clicking sounds right before she swings the door open. “Hey.” She smiles her beautiful smile up at me, and that shit in my chest shifts once more. “You showered,” she accuses, looking me over as her smile slides into a frown, making me grin. I know I shouldn’t get off on her attitude, but she is seriously cute when she’s pissed or flustered or aggravated with me.
“I did,” I agree, leaving out the fact that I had to shower to wash away the stench of death that had seeped through my clothes and into my pores. Placing my hand against her soft stomach, I nudge her back into the apartment, then turn to close and lock the door.
“I thought you were going to call when you got home.” Pulling my eyes from Muffin, who has forced her head under my hand, I lift my head to look at Fawn, feeling my mouth run dry when I finally take her all in. Christ, she’s gorgeous. Her blonde hair is in wild curls down around her shoulders, her big blue-gray eyes are soft with sleep, and her cheeks are a sweet shade of pink. Running my eyes down her body, I fight back a groan. She looks like a living wet dream in a pair of plain cotton panties, her nipples visible through a thin tank. Fucking breathtaking.
“I was going to call, but I needed to see you.” I take a step toward her without telling my feet to move, watching her eyes flare as my hand wraps around her hip.
“You needed to see me?” she repeats, sounding breathless.
“Yeah, I needed to see you,” I say, gently rubbing my thumb over the exposed skin of her stomach where her tank has ridden up. “Were you sleeping?”
“No, I was wai
ting for you to call,” she says, then ducks her head, taking her eyes from me—something she does often, something I honestly find adorable but frustrating as hell.
“Don’t hide from me.” I pull her into me until we’re pressed together from hip to chest, then wrap my free hand around her jaw, forcing her to look at me. “I want you to care,” I say, then drop my voice. “I want you to think about me as much as I think about you.”
“You think about me?”
“More than is healthy,” I tell her honestly, since from the moment she literally ran into me she’s been a constant thought in the back of my mind.
“Oh.” She swallows, melting into me. Jesus, this woman is going to do me in. I don’t know what to do with her kind of sweet, but I do know I’d a be fool not to try to figure it out.
“Come on.” I take her hand and lead her to the door, where I turn out the light before tugging her back across her living room.
“Um . . . Levi, what are you doing?” she asks nervously as we walk through her bedroom door.
“We’re going to bed.”
“We’re going to bed,” she repeats on a whisper, sounding even more nervous than she did seconds ago.
“Yeah, baby, we’re going to bed.”
“You’re . . . you’re going to sleep in my bed with me?” she asks, and I flip on the light, needing to see her face.
“Is that okay?”
“I have my period,” she blurts, then covers her mouth as her cheeks darken.
Fighting back a smile that I know she won’t appreciate, I duck my face closer to hers so she’s forced to look at me. “Baby, I just want to hold you, and like I told you before, we are not having sex until I know you fully understand exactly what that means,” I say, and she blinks.
“What it means?”
“What it means,” I confirm. “Get in, babe,” I mutter while lifting my chin toward the bed. There is nothing I want more than to feel her wet heat strangling my cock, to hear her moaning my name as she comes with her nails digging into my back. There is nothing I want more than her under me, but until I break down her walls and know she understands me having her in that way will make her completely mine, I won’t take us there.
“My bed’s only a double. I don’t know if you’ll fit,” she informs me, and I watch her ass as she climbs across the bed, scooting over as far as she can possibly go without falling off the edge.
“Oh, I’ll definitely fit,” I mutter to myself, kicking off my sneakers and stripping off clothes, watching her bite her lip as her eyes scan over my chest and abs. Hitting the light, I get into bed, then listen to her squeak as I grab her wrist and drag her across until she’s half on top of me with her arm over my gut. She lets out a whoosh of breath against my pec as I wrap my hand around the back of her knee and pull up until she’s straddling my hip.
“Are you going to be comfortable like this?” she asks, holding herself stiff against me.
“Oh yeah.” I run my fingers down the smooth skin of her thigh, loving the way her breath comes out in small pants every time I touch her. “How was your visit with your parents?” I ask, and her muscles tense as she tries to pull away, but there is no way I’m letting her go—not when I’ve got her exactly where I want her.
Giving up with a growl of frustration a second later, she finally answers. “It’s always good to see them, but . . .” She pauses, and I feel her shake her head. “I’m so, so sorry about how crazy everyone acted.”
“Baby”—I kiss the top of her head—“I swear once you meet my family, yours will look tame.”
“No one could possibly be worse than my mom,” she mutters, and I try to fight it, but I can’t. “Are you laughing?” she asks in disbelief as my chest shakes with silent laughter.
“A little,” I admit through a chuckle.
“My mom is so embarrassing,” she groans, and I smile, kissing the top of her head once more.
“Does she always suggest you get knocked up by the guys you’re dating?”
“No, you are the first,” she sighs, burying her face against my chest, and I grin.
“I’m gonna take it as a compliment,” I say, giving her a squeeze.
“It was a compliment.” She pauses, then lets out a breath. “A weird one, but a compliment all the same.” I laugh, feeling her body relax completely against mine as her cheek moves, letting me know she’s smiling.
“Sleep, gorgeous,” I whisper, tilting her chin up so I can touch my mouth to hers softly.
“Okay,” she agrees, resting her cheek against my chest and pulling the blanket up around us. “Night, Levi,” she says quietly, turning her head to kiss my chest. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Jesus.” I hold her tighter, closing my eyes and wondering how the fuck this happened. It’s been forever since I’ve been even remotely interested in being in a relationship. I haven’t wanted to feel obligated to someone, but every second I spend with Fawn makes me want those things with a ferocity I would have thought impossible. I want her to need me, and that fact alone should scare the shit out of me, but it only makes me feel more determined.
“Night, baby,” I whisper, listening to her breathing even out as she falls off to sleep against me.
“No, Muffin.” Hearing that and feeling Fawn’s ass shift against my hard-on and thighs, I open one eye, then the other, finding the room lit with the morning sun coming in through the closed blinds covering the window. “Muffin, I said no,” Fawn growls, sounding frustrated, and I watch her up on an elbow with her hand on Muffin’s chest, trying to push her off the bed where she’s standing with both paws on the mattress.
“Ruff.” Muffin barks loudly, attempting to push forward against her palm.
“There’s no room you,” Fawn cries as Muffin reaches her goal of getting all four paws on the bed and lies down. “I swear, you are the most stubborn dog in the whole world,” she huffs, falling to her back, and I pull her against me, kissing her shoulder and feeling her shiver.
“Does she normally sleep in the bed with you?” I ask, and her eyes come to me over her shoulder. Her tongue comes out to touch her bottom lip, making my cock—which has been hard since last night—throb painfully.
“Not always. Some nights she’ll sleep on the couch.” Nodding, I run my fingers down her creamy-smooth cheek, watching her eyes as they fill with something soft.
“Tonight we’ll sleep in my bed. She can have the couch, and I’ll shut the bedroom door.”
“Your bed?”
“Yeah.”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight,” I confirm, then lean back as she rolls over to face me.
“That would be three nights in row we’ve slept in the same bed,” she says, holding up three fingers between us.
“I wasn’t keeping count, but you’re right,” I agree, then drop my eyes to her mouth when her bottom lip disappears between her teeth. Something she does when she’s overthinking, something she does normally right before she blurts something out that either makes me laugh, pisses me off, or leaves me frustrated.
“I’ve . . . I . . .” She closes her eyes, then shakes her head. “I’ve never spent the night with anyone I’m not in a relationship with.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” She looks up at me. “So I don’t think we should be spending the night together until we are in a relationship.” Staring at her for a long moment in disbelief, I tilt my head back toward the ceiling and beg for patience.
“What exactly do you think is happening between us?” I ask after a moment, dropping my eyes back down to her.
“We’re seeing how things go?” she says quietly with a shrug, and I nod, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
“We’re seeing how things go, but while we’re doing that, you’re mine and I’m yours. We are in a relationship, Fawn—you’re my woman.” I watch her lips part and form a soft O. “Jesus, you have the ability to make me insane.”
“What?”
“Baby, you wann
a know how many women I’ve spent the night with?”
“Not really.” Her face scrunches up, and her brows pull together tightly. If I wasn’t so annoyed, I’d find her expression adorable.
“The answer would be none. I’ve never spent the night with a woman I’m not in a relationship with—not even after being intimate with her.”
“Well, that’s rude.”
“That’s honest. I don’t play games, and I don’t lead women on.” I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her close, then duck my face until it’s an inch from hers. “I’m gonna say it one more time and pray to god this shit finally sinks in. I like you. I like spending time with you. I want this thing with you to work out even though you are frustrating as fuck.”
“How was I supposed to know?” she asks, forcing me to my back and glaring down at me. “Obviously you haven’t dated recently,” she huffs, tossing her leg over my hip and pointing in my face once she’s straddling me. “The whole dating scene is a mess. You never know when a guy is really interested; you never know what the hell is going on, and you’re constantly left questioning every single thing that happens,” she growls, sliding off me and the bed and beginning to pace across her room.
Watching her breasts bounce with each step and the way her hair moves over her shoulders as she tosses her head, I fight my own growl. “So sorry for not assuming that we’re in a relationship.” Her eyes narrow on mine as she plants her hands on her hips, tossing her head to the side. “And stop checking me out and making me all dizzy when I’m annoyed with you.”
“I make you dizzy?” I smile smugly, and she huffs, blowing a piece of hair out of her face. “I can’t help it, baby. Swear to god, you’re adorable when you’re flustered, but when you’re pissed, you’re fucking exquisite,” I tell her honestly, and she tosses her arms in the air.
“You think I’m frustrating?” She points at me. “You’re the one who’s frustrating.” She moves across the room to the closet and pushes it open, grabbing a sweatshirt and pulling it on over her head before bending over and giving me a view of her ass, right before it’s covered with a pair of sweats, that has my teeth clenching together.