Low Down & Dirty

  We share a quiet laugh.

  “As I was saying”—his voice grows tight—“Low, I wanted to wait until the right time to say these words, but now that I see how life is playing out—well, I think the right time is any time you’re around.” His breathing picks up pace. He lifts his chest off mine a bit, and I’m right there panting with him. “I love you.” His smile expands right along with my heart. “I’ve loved you from the moment you set foot in the restaurant that night.” His eyes catch the light and sparkle with the hint of tears as his chest trembles with a quiet laugh. “You lit up the room with your smile. When you walked in, I swear I heard a hallelujah choir singing in the background. You hit me like a bolt of lightning and knocked my entire universe off its pathetic base. Over the last few weeks you’ve made all the crooked places straight, shed your beautiful light where only darkness once existed. You made me realize that what I had before with other people didn’t even come close to what real love was. What I feel for you is solid. It has the power to span a lifetime.” All of the joy on his face is quickly replaced with sorrow. “I’m sorry I’m laying all this on you.” He tries to get up, but I’m quick to press him right back down.

  “Don’t you think for a minute you’re getting away with this.” I’m right back to boiling anger. “You can’t just tell me you love me then make a run for the hills—or should I say shower? I know exactly what’s going on in that icy den of hell your sister has imprisoned you in.” I blink back unexpected tears of my own. “I love you, too,” I say it far more curt and aggressive than I ever meant to. “And I mean it.” I practically shout those last words. “The last time I checked both you and I were adults—who by the way are not under the conservatorship of our sisters. If I want to love you—spend the rest of my life with my arms and legs wrapped around you, then that’s just what I’ll damn well do.” Okay, so maybe in all of my schoolgirl fantasies did I not once bark those magical words in the face of the man I want to spend the rest of my days with, but for the love of God with Raven as my psychotic bestie, with Lisa as my drill sergeant of a sister, there was no other way to do it.

  “You love me?” His lids hood over, and that grin turns into something just this side of all-out lust for me.

  “Hell yes, I love you. If I had my phone nearby, I’d snap a picture of the two of us just like this and send it to both your sister and mine with the words don’t like it, don’t look.”

  A deep thunderous laugh rumbles in his chest. “I wouldn’t care if they were watching. Nobody is going to stop me from loving you.” His mouth dips to mine, and he steals a heated lingering kiss off me. “In fact, they could watch me do this.” He leans back and takes off his shirt, sending it flying into the open dark mouth of the soot-riddled fireplace.

  I bite down on my lip, trying to hold the bubbling laugh from shooting out of me. “And for sure they could watch me do this.” My fingers work his jeans until they’re open down the front and I can feel him growing against my thigh.

  Levi scoops me into his arms and jumps to his feet. “This is where I’d draw the line, sweetheart.”

  And just like that, I have a tiny little orgasm in my new boyfriend’s arms.

  Levi speeds us to his bedroom—the forbidden zone that I’ve yet to venture to—sans the first day when I stomped in angrily, but I was too pissed off to fully appreciate it—and for a second I admire its girth and width, the size of his bed alone looks twice the size of a king. He lands me softly onto the mattress and falls over me onto his elbows, his warm breath heats over my face.

  “You want this?”

  A dull thump rides through me at the thought. As if it were ever a question.

  “I’ve wanted this from the moment I first laid eyes on you.” I bite down hard over my lip and nearly ruin the moment with a spurt of blood. “But I’m glad that we waited. I don’t mean to make myself sound like a skank, but I gladly would have jumped your bones on the way home from the precinct that night. In a way, I’m glad the fear of Raven—the fear of my own hellion of a sister”—I can’t help but giggle when I call Lisa a hellion because she so is, but I totally mean that in a loving way—“stepped in and saved me from almost missing out on what’s going to be the best night of my life.”

  His heavy lids come shy of closing as his lips twitch just this side of a smile at the thought. Levi looks stoned, lost in the most primal need, and I’m going to make sure that his need gets met night after night by me only.

  He groans softly. “Your sister still thinks I’m an ass.”

  “She’ll straighten out once she sees the light.” I give a guilty shrug. “Like I did.”

  Levi gets that glint in his eyes that assures me of things to come—namely me.

  “Do you like it slow?” he growls it out as if the thought were already testing his patience.

  “I’ll take it any way you’re willing to give it.”

  “Good. It’s going to be fast, and it’s going to be hard,” he says it like a fact. “It might even hurt.” He takes a bite out of my neck as if to prove a point, but the last thing I do is protest. “But most likely it will be everything in between.” His teeth graze along my shoulder, and I let out a tiny cry.

  Levi’s mouth falls over mine, hungry as his tongue probes me with an urgency met with my own. We’re off to the races, our limbs already intertwined, his hands manically exploring my body. He flips off my bra, and I help fling it across the room. My panties race down to my ankles all on their own. Levi plunges his kisses down to the girls, biting and sucking as if his life depended on it. His mouth moves south, running a fire line with his tongue all the way down to my hips, and stops just shy of a touchdown.

  He looks up, still pleasantly drugged, his breathing as aggressive as my own. “You have a problem with how fast I’m moving?” he belts the words out, smeared with attitude the beastly way only Levi Masterson can, and that sweet spot at the base of my thighs trembles with anticipatory delight.

  “Honey, if you don’t pick up the pace and take this baby home, I might just give you your walking papers. I’ve waited eight whole weeks for you to kiss me all over. I wasn’t hoping to stall in the process so we can share our thoughts on thermonuclear dynamics. In effect, we’ve already discussed the theory of relativity far too long this evening.” I give him a swift kick in his rock-hard behind. “Get a move on before I whip out the power tools.”

  A deep gurgle of a laugh escapes him. “Oh, honey, after I’m through with you, you’ll toss the power tools.”

  And I take a moment to admire this man with his impressive wingspan—muscles bulging from the top of his shoulders where I had no clue muscles existed, that demented smile taking over his face, the way his eyes just zeroed in on mine as if I were ground zero—and for the life of me, I can’t believe how I ever got so lucky. Levi is a work of art, a sculpture of the master come to life—fully charged and ready to teach me a lesson with every lick of that delicious tongue.

  “No power tools?” My next breath gets caught in my throat. “Prove it.”

  Levi gives a dark laugh that bumps through him, and he gets straight to work. He buries his face between my thighs, and his tongue works in hot, delicious circles until I’m clutching at the sheets.

  “Shit,” I pant, unsure of how in the hell he has the ability to make me feel so inhumanly good. My breathing ratchets up as that coil deep inside of me begins growing impossibly tight. Every last part of me is begging to burst. And just like that, Levi springs up and straddles me with his knees.

  “What the hell are you doing? Get back there!” My voice knifes its way out of my throat and comes back to me in an echo. Again—never imagined my perfect night with Levi would entail me raising my voice and my blood pressure while barking out orders—which by the way he is slow to comply with.

  “I’m joining the party, sweetheart.” He dives to the nightstand, and the next thing I know he’s tearing the condom open with his teeth and stroking it onto his body.

  “Oh, m
y ever-loving shit. That is the hottest thing I have ever seen.” The words come out breathy and jerky and quite possibly completely unintelligible.

  His brows give a naughty hike into his forehead. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

  I pull my knees back to my shoulders and give a wild grin as our eyes connect one final time before he officially makes me his. “Welcome to the party, Levi.”

  He falls over me with a ravaging kiss as I navigate him to where he needs to be. It occurs to me that this is the first time I’m holding my boyfriend’s man parts in my hand, and it happens to be nestled under a thin prophylactic layer—not that I’m complaining. I’m more than happy to take in the sticky length of him, and oh, my wow, is it ever an impressive length. In truth, I have only been with one other person, and that was a brief three-week stint of regret. Other than that, I’ve really put some miles on my power tool collection. Raven happens to have a power tool collection of her own, and we swore up and down that if we died in some untimely manner, we would be quick to dispense of one another’s power tool evidence. Not that Lisa would be shocked and dishonored to know I held fast to my own brand of self-pleasure. It was more to shield Raven from staining her pristine image in the minds of her brothers. And what the hell am I doing thinking about my sister and his while his rock-hard joystick throbs in the palm of my hand?

  I land him right where he needs to be, and Levi wastes no time in slowly, ever so slowly plunging right in. My body stretches to accommodate him. It feels as if it’s being ripped in two in the very best way, and as much as I’ll feel this for the next six weeks—hopefully, because it’s occurring on a reoccurring loop—I don’t regret a moment of it.

  Levi hikes up on his elbows and looks down at me tenderly, and my heart slams against my chest, just begging to break into his body and melt over his.

  His eyes smile before he ever says a word. It’s a neat trick only Levi can do. “I love you, Low.”

  “I love you, too, Levi.”

  He melts his mouth over mine and gets the party started.

  Levi

  Harlow’s mouth, skin, and that honeyed sweet spot between her thighs all happen to hold the taste of fresh strawberries. Damn lucky for me since I can’t seem to get enough of my favorite summer fruit.

  “Yes,” I pant as I thrust deep inside of her over and over.

  “Yes.” She claws her nails down my back and makes it hurt just a little.

  “Fuck,” I hiss into her ear before riding back over her. “Low.” I grip her by the wrists and press in hard as my entire body trembles to completion. I’m panting so hard there’s no hope of ever catching my breath, but I’ve never felt so damn good in all my life. I couldn’t care less if I weren’t breathing at all.

  I know for a fact she didn’t get there, so I glide down her damp body and bury my mouth over that sweet spot that left me wanting more. I suck, pull, and tug less than a minute before she grips me by the temples and lets me know I’m headed in the right direction.

  “Oh, shit.” Her knee bounces over the back of my neck, and I look up and meet with her eyes, a dull smile already morphing on my lips.

  “It’s Boobear to you.” A deep laugh thunders in my chest, but I won’t give it. Instead, I take her home, love her with my mouth the way my perverted mind has already done a thousand times since she walked through those doors at The Pelican.

  A horrific roar emits from her, followed by the violent bucking of her body, then finally the headlock that assures me we’ve successfully rounded out the bases.

  Low hikes up on her elbows and looks down at me with those sexy as hell sleepy eyes. “Oh, Boobear”—she bubbles with a laugh right into my ear—“job well done. I’ll have the power tools on the lawn by morning.”

  I chuckle right along with her while pulling her in close to me. “I’m pretty sure the neighbors won’t know what to make of them.”

  “You’re right. The Hills have always been a little uptight.” She winces. “And so was I earlier. Forgive me?”

  “Only if you forgive me.” I take a playful bite out of her earlobe. “Let’s just call it a draw. Besides, I like you feisty.”

  “Good thing, because I like you grumpy.”

  I pull back to get a better look at her. “I’m not grumpy. Am I grumpy? Hell, I’m grumpy.”

  She tousles my hair and rolls onto me, her sugary sweet tits weigh heavy on my chest. “You’re grumpy as hell, and I love it.” She makes a face. “So, now what? How are we ever going to keep this a secret?”

  “We’re no secret. Not to my mother or my brother anyway.”

  “Or your ex or my sister. Hey!” She wiggles her hips over my dick, and it starts to rouse lazily. “The only person who doesn’t know we’re a thing is that stark Raven mad bestie of mine.”

  “I see what you did there. And I happen to agree with you.” I give her a light tap over the bottom, and her mouth drops open.

  “What’s this?” She lands a heated kiss over my lips. “Corporal punishment at its finest? I do approve by the way.”

  “Yeah? Well, that’s all you’re getting out of me. I prefer to shower my affection over you in far more creative ways.”

  Low slides down and rests her head over my chest. “Thank you.”

  “For not administering a spanking?”

  “For loving me.” She gives my chest a gentle scratch with the tip of her nails, and it feels like bliss.

  “Believe me, I’m the one who should be shouting out a thank you.” I rub her back before pulling the comforter over her. “Thank you for loving me, Low. Thank you for healing me.” Low has healed me, breathed new life into that carcass I’ve been dragging around, and it’s about time she knows it.

  “Anytime, Boobear.” She lands a wet kiss to my chest. “You know, I can fall asleep just listening to the beat of your heart.” And she does just that.

  I hold her all night long, dropping kisses over her head whenever I wake up from my own slumber. A year ago, I was in hell with the last person I wanted to be involved with. I never thought I’d love again. I never knew what love was until Low came along.

  I realize Raven will have a tough time getting over this, but that’s exactly what she’ll have to do.

  Get over it.

  The Sloppy Pelican isn’t exactly brimming with bodies at what is traditionally known as the dinner rush. Brody has a couple of bands battling it out tonight, and the customers that are present get a chance to vote.

  My phone buzzes, and it’s a text from my favorite baby sister.

  I miss you! And I hate that you’ve moved on without my approval. How is the little slut, anyway? Are you still hot and heavy? My God, what if she’s another immature brat?

  My heart breaks knowing that Raven feels as if she’s missing out. I don’t see why I need to torment her with my fictional relationship with Evie Slater, so I decide to officially break things off with her—as far as Raven’s concerned anyhow and have a little fun with it in the process.

  Yup. You’re right. She’s an immature brat. A real hurricane in the flesh, too. The girl destroys everything she touches. I can’t wait to get her out of my life, but you know me, I’m too nice to do it. I might just let her use me a few more nights before kicking her to the curb. I never did have good radar for women. Until I met Low, I want to add but don’t, but, of course, I can’t.

  She wastes no time in texting right back. OH MY GAWD! I’m going to find the skank and kill her!

  I can’t help but laugh. Okay, so maybe I had a little too much fun with my baby sister. Not necessary. How about you fix me up with someone nice and sweet? Anyone you know who fits that bill? I’m hoping she’ll say Low, and that might soften the blow when the relationship news finally hits the fan.

  NO. Stay away from anyone who might remotely know me. Sorry about your broken heart, big bro. I love you so much it hurts.

  I stare at her text a good long while until I’m hurting, too. I’m not sure why I can’t bring myself to tell he
r how I feel about Harlow. But deep down, it’s because I’d rather do it in person. Low is special. We’re special. If Raven hears it from me firsthand, I know she’ll more than approve.

  Love you, too, little sis. I hit Send and head over to where Low and Brody are listening to the band scream it out.

  Axel shakes his head at the lead singer of the Daft Exchange. “We’re not the Black Bear. I don’t think this is a good idea at all.”

  Low sucks in a breath, and I can tell she’s getting ready to tell him where to go. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. We are the Black Bear—but better. I bet you every person in this place tonight has visited that college bar crawling with coeds, and I bet you every person in this place was wishing there was someplace just like the Black Bear—sans the drunk sorority girls and wasted frat brats. And that’s where you come in, my friend.” She slaps her hand down over his shoulder as the two of them nod their heads in time to the rhythm. “You save the masses from ever having to inadvertently sit through another sorority-frat mixer again. In fact, the night before I showed up here pretending to be your ex, I went to the Black Bear myself in hopes of finding a good time, and the only thing I found was a petri dish of shiny new sexually transmitted diseases cooking away.”

  I blink over at her, and she winks back.

  “Imagine my surprise when I showed up at The Sloppy Pelican, the new, swanky, rustic, atmosphere to die for, hot spot in Hollow Brook, only to have a real man greet me at the door.”