Levi didn’t get any of the answers he sought, but eventually she relaxed against him, falling asleep in his arms. He stayed up much longer, hoping like hell that he’d be able to figure out a way to change her mind about leaving Chicago.
About leaving him.
* * *
Sarah gradually woke up early the following morning, momentarily confused as to why she was cuddled up to a warm male body in a bed that was soft and comfortable—unlike the stiff, hard, and foul-smelling mattress she’d been sleeping on for the past month and a half. She gradually opened her eyes, and it took her a few moments to wrap her mind around her surroundings, and when she did, the horrible memories of last night came flooding back in an overwhelming wave of despair.
Yet here she was, safe and protected in Levi’s home, snuggled against him with her head resting on his chest. Her ear was pressed against his heart, and the sound of each steady beat calmed and lulled her. It was the first time in forever that she truly felt secure and relaxed, instead of waking up and being cautious and guarded about everything from the moment her eyes popped open.
But as grateful as she was for Levi’s comfort last night, and his offer to stay with him for as long as she needed, she didn’t want to be a burden or a responsibility to him. Clearly, he was a man who was used to living alone and on his own. She just needed a few days, a week at the most, to get some money together again and figure out a plan. Then she’d be on her way. Every day that she stayed in Chicago was another day for Dylan to find her.
Her stomach clenched at the knowledge, because she knew with certainty that he’d take her right back to Sacrosanct regardless of her protests, even if it meant he did so against her will. And once she was locked behind those steel gates again, there was no doubt in her mind that there wouldn’t be another chance to escape the cult-like community. Not when she was already facing punishment for being a deserter.
But right now, in this quiet, peaceful moment, she didn’t want to think about anything except Levi and how much she wanted him. Especially after the way he’d seduced her in the kitchen with his arousing kisses and a toe-curling orgasm, she mused with a smile that chased away those darker thoughts of Dylan. She wanted to return the favor and make Levi feel good, too. And if it led to more . . . she wouldn’t complain. He’d already warned her about his erotic preferences, and there wasn’t anything about Levi that scared her—certainly not his need to be in control or his penchant for hot, dirty, rough sex.
She had a leg draped over one of his thighs and an arm secured around his waist. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand on his bare chest and slowly skimmed her palm down his torso, careful to stay away from the bruise on his lower left-hand side.
His breathing pattern immediately changed, growing deeper, heavier, as if he was waking up and realizing that he was being seduced this time around. She used her fingers to trace the indentations along his muscular abs and glided them even lower, until she reached the waistband of the cotton gym shorts he’d worn to bed.
Beneath her ear, his heart rate increased, and her own pulse thrummed through her veins as she slid her fingers beneath that elastic band. Her fingertips immediately brushed across the thick, taut head of a substantial erection, but before she could stroke his length, Levi released a feral growl and grasped her wrist. He pulled her hand from his shorts, and in the next moment, he had her flat on her back with his body half on top of hers so she was pinned beneath him.
He anchored her one arm above her head as he stared down at her, his green eyes bright, hot, and very, very lucid. “You’re heading into dangerous territory,” he warned huskily.
“I know,” she whispered. She wanted to forget everything else in her life at the moment so she could give herself over to passion and just feel.
His jaw clenched, and she knew he was contemplating the situation, possibly over thinking it, and she didn’t want to give him the chance to refuse her again.
“I want you, Levi.” She licked her bottom lip anxiously. “Please.”
He swore beneath his breath, but to her relief, he didn’t reject her as she feared. Instead, he abruptly moved and straddled her thighs, trapping her beneath his weight. She looked up at him, so devastatingly gorgeous and sexy with a body made for sin. He exuded pure male confidence and had the physical power to back it up. He made her weak with wanting and damp with desire.
He braced his hands on either side of her head, his gaze direct and intense as it met hers. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it my way. Do you understand?”
His way was all about being in charge and her surrendering to his control. He’d made that irrefutably clear last night, so there was no misunderstanding his intent now. Anticipation made her breathless, and excitement caused her nipples to tighten into aching points beneath the scratchy material of her tank top. The lust that flared in his gaze told her that he’d noticed both.
“Yes, I understand,” she said, nodding eagerly.
A slow, si
nful smile curved his mouth as he pushed up the hem of her tank top, then pulled it up and over her head and off. He sat up, tossing the piece of clothing to the floor while his gaze seemingly devoured her small but firm breasts. While he was momentarily distracted, it gave her a quick opportunity to glance down his body, to the long, thick column of flesh pushing insistently against his cotton shorts. The thought of so much cock stretching her and filling her beyond anything she’d experienced so far made her shiver. And when she finally dragged her gaze back up to his, there was no mistaking the knowing and slightly arrogant smirk on his lips.
“Put both of your hands above your head and keep them there,” he ordered, and waited for her to comply.
She lifted her arms and placed them on the pillow above her head, palms up and open. The prone position stretched her upper body, making her feel surprisingly sensual and brazen in a way she’d never been before. Still sitting astride her hips, he splayed his hands on her flat stomach and slowly glided them up her torso, causing a soft sigh of pleasure to escape her lips. When he reached her breasts, he squeezed them together and swept his thumbs over her tight, sensitive nipples before lightly pinching and rolling them between his fingers.
She gasped and arched her back, shocked by how the slight jolt of pain had the ability to deliver a flood of heat and moisture between her legs. Shocked, too, by how much it turned her on when he plucked at the hard, nerve-laced peaks once again.
With her breasts still filling his hands, he pushed them up as he lowered his head and flicked his tongue across a stiff nipple before pulling it hard and deep into his mouth. She made a soft mewling sound as he sucked on her, as his tongue swirled and his teeth scraped across the now tender flesh until she was aroused beyond belief. She pressed her hips upward, undulating against the muscled thighs still straddling her lower body, desperate to ease the building, throbbing need expanding inside her.
In his own sweet time, his mouth gradually moved down her quivering stomach, leaving a hot, damp trail of kisses in his wake. When he reached the waistband of her sleep shorts and panties, he quickly stripped them all the way off, then knelt between her legs. His hands smoothed their way up the insides of her thighs, pushing them wide open and baring all of her to his heated, lust-filled gaze.
“Do you remember what I told you last night?” he murmured, watching as he pushed his thumbs through the plump folds of her weeping sex—from her clit all the way down to her core, then back up again.
She was slick from arousal, swollen, aching, and with each swipe of his fingers along her slit, she was quickly losing the ability to concentrate on anything other than the way he touched her. “Which part?” she panted, unable to recall anything specific when he had her so restless and needy.
He bent his head and gently bit the inside of her thigh, making her gasp and arch her back again. “The part where I said that I want to lick this sweet pussy and eat you and taste you on my tongue as you come.”
His words alone made her shudder. She could only imagine how her body would respond when he followed through on his promise. “Oh, God, yes. I remember.”