“Really?” she asked, intrigued.
“Really. It would have been an easy in. My dad was the director of the coastal resources division. Probably still would be if I ever decide to finish my degree.”
“Hmm . . . a man in uniform.”
“Technically, I already am a man in uniform.” My wiseass response garnered a smile.
“And I do love a man in uniform.” Her smile turned into a sneaky little smirk.
This was it. The words were at the tip of my tongue teetering on the ledge wanting to profess how much she meant to me. I inhaled deeply, controlling my exhale, all while focusing on her diamond blue eyes. Once I felt confident and knew my voice was steady, I came out with it. “And I love you.”
There, I said it. And I wholeheartedly meant it. Damn, it felt good to put it out there. I smiled, waiting, hoping, wondering, freaking the fuck out, and after a short pause, she whispered, “Did you really mean to say that?”
“I did.” I swallowed hard. I couldn’t help it. Not with the way her face was blank of any emotion. So I felt the need to tell her again, “I love you, angel. I’m so in love with you . . .”
Gently pressing her palm to my cheek, her eyes sparkled and found mine. “I love you too.” This time she said it just a little over a whisper. “For a while now, but I wasn’t sure if you felt the same.”
“I didn’t know how to tell you. I’ve never said it to anyone other than a family member.”
“Seriously?”
I nodded carefully. “Wait, I take that back. There was Marcy Eller in the third grade, but she thought I was gross and threatened to tell her crazy police officer dad to arrest me if I ever said that to her again.”
She laughed, which was the reaction I was going for.
“How could she not love you?”
“Dorky kid, remember?” I pointed to myself.
“I still find that hard to believe.” She giggled. “You’ll have to show me some proof.”
“Deal.” I had no problem sharing parts of my past with her. I wanted to share it all with her if she’d let me.
Once the humor wore off, I took both her hands in mine, my eyes resting on hers. “Now you never have to question how I feel about you.”
“You too,” she sighed happily. Her smile and bright blue eyes still managed to disarm me, always making me hard and wild with desire.
I wrapped my arms around her small frame, loving the feel of her against my chest and in my arms—loving everything about her. I pressed my lips to her forehead before telling her one more time. “I love you.” I’d tell her a thousand times and never tire of saying it.
Rowan let her head fall back, the look in her eyes saying so much more than the words themselves. She threaded her fingers through my hair. A dazzling smile pulled at both corners of her lips and on a slow whisper sealed the moment, repeating once more. “I love you too.”
Now that it was said, I needed to show her just how much.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I lifted her legs to wrap around my waist. My plan had been to move to the chaise and relax in each other’s arms, staring out at the Chicago skyline, sipping on more champagne while burning through the midnight oil, talking. But that would have to wait. I had the woman I loved in my arms and needed to make love to her.
On our way to the bedroom, I brought my lips to hers and kissed her slow and hard. The lingering taste of sweet and tart on her tongue drove me mad, thinking how sweet she’d taste with my tongue deep in her pussy, lapping over her sweet folds. Fucking her with my mouth until her legs fell weak.
Thinking such lustful and dizzying thoughts, I stumbled, hitting the corner of the sofa, my thigh muscle burning from the sharp, unexpected jab.
“Fuck,” I hissed against her mouth and Rowan giggled, making a weak attempt to wiggle out of my hold, but I wasn’t having it. “No. I’m not letting you down. Not until I have you laid out on the bed and under me.” I pulled on one of her braids and sucked on her neck, a visual of taking her from behind blowing up behind my lids.
“Well, you better hurry up and get me there,” she warned, grinding on my hard dick.
I groaned, “Angel,” and kicked the bedroom door shut, locking out the world. Tonight would only be about us.
I laid her on the massive king-sized bed and admired her beauty from above. My hand traced the delicate curve of her jaw, my thumb across her lips that spoke such sweet words mere minutes ago, words that would forever be ingrained to memory—and in my heart.
“I love you,” I told her once more before lowering myself to my knees.
Rowan rose up on her elbows, her deep blue eyes level and intent on mine, watching my every move.
“And I’m going to start right here and show you just how much.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Rowan
A shiver passed through me, anxious and greedy for Levi’s touch. For him to make good on his promise of showing me how much he loved me.
As he lowered himself to his knees, a hankering need coiled low in my belly, anticipation sparking each of my nerve endings. Fuck, he was hot—and mine—and this time for more than just one night.
“Levi.” I barely got his name out over my ragged breathing and thundering heartbeat. “Please,” I begged, wanting to touch him. Make sure he was real and not a figment of my imagination. He’s in love with me.
“Patience, baby. I know what you need. And we have all night.”
“Oh, god,” I moaned as his strong hands kneaded up and down my bare thighs, his thumbs digging into my sensitive flesh. They disappeared under my denim skirt. The pad of his thumb rubbing my clit sent a shockwave of pleasure surging through my entire body.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, continuing to strum my desire and need. “You have no idea what it does to me to watch you lose control.”
He slid my panties out from under my skirt, dropping them on the floor, a thrill burning my skin along the way. The look in his eyes confirmed that tonight would not be rushed. He was going to take his time and savor every second.
“Take your top off.”
“Only if you do the same,” I insisted boldly with a naughty smirk. He sat back on his heels; his expression mirrored every rampant feeling flowing through me. He reached behind him, pulled his shirt over his head, undid the button of his jeans, and slid them off. My mouth watered at the sight of him completely naked, my body starved, his taut muscles mere inches from my reach.
I lifted the Bucks jersey up and over my head and tossed it to the floor. One of his hands roamed the bare landscape of my belly while the other resumed rubbing my clit. Watching him bring my body pleasure, knowing he was in love with me, was going to be my undoing.
I bit my bottom lip between my teeth and inhaled deeply, followed by a drawn-out moan as his tongue speared in and out of me. “Fucking soaked.” He settled his hot mouth over my sex, his tongue flicking my swollen clit.
“Yes,” I moaned again, throwing my head back into the mattress. I gripped the heavy down comforter with one hand and his head with the other, all while concentrating on the pulsating going on between my legs. Whimpering and moaning as he fucked me deeper. Sucking harder, until it was all too much. So much so that I couldn’t formulate a sound as I ached for release.
Levi maneuvered his body to lie just above mine. His dark eyes hinting at the internal war he waged with himself.
“Are you going to make me beg?” I asked, wondering what he had in mind.
“Give me a second, angel.” He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead to mine. “I told you we were taking it slow tonight. I need a second to remind myself of that.”
“Hey.” I tried my best to sound reassuring. “It’s okay. However you need me, I’m here.”
“No,” he whispered in a strangled voice.
My hands roamed from his waist, along the side of his rib cage, and up to his neck. I locked my fingers together and brought his lips closer to mine. “Kiss me then
.” He let out a deep sigh as he honored my request.
Warmth filtered through me at the tenderness of his touch. He was showing me without words how much he meant what he’d said, but I knew he was holding back. We were usually wild and crazy, desperate for each other. So maintaining control to this degree was new for him.
It was time I showed him how much he meant to me.
“Lie back,” I ordered, gently shoving his chest so I could get out from under him.
Surprisingly, he didn’t protest when I straddled his hips and laid my palms on his chest. “You’re always showing me how much I mean to you, it’s my turn now.”
“Ro . . . angel,” he breathed, almost painfully. Giving up control was not easy for him.
I pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh, just feel how much I love you.” I popped the front clasp of my bra and tossed it before leaning forward to kiss his lips, our bare chests pressed together, my nipples scraping his skin. Dragging my mouth along his stubble, I hovered at the entrance of his ear and whispered, “I love you. So much.” I continued to brush my lips along the column of his throat, his hard pecs, making sure to tease his nipples along the way.
“Angel,” he groaned, gripping my hips and squeezing his eyes shut. “I can’t. Too much.”
“Just feel . . .” I whispered the words over his warm skin.
“That’s the thing. I feel too much with you.”
Well, good, because I feel everything with you.
“Then I’m doing something right.” I smiled as I lowered myself down his taut body until my mouth circled his tip. With one hand, I yanked the button open and shimmied out of my skirt. I wrapped both hands around his engorged cock and sucked.
“Fuck,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Goddamn, baby.” He got a hold of one of my braids, wrapped it around his fist, and pulled. Knowing that was one of his obsessions, I smiled around my full mouth, loving that I could be the one to rip his control to shreds. “I’m not coming in your mouth,” he ground out, holding his intense gaze on me.
I popped his cock from my mouth. “I wouldn’t let you. I’m just playing for a bit.”
“You little devil.”
With a cocky air, Levi moved his hands to rest behind his head and watched the whole time I worked his dick over. I’d swallow him whole, bobbing up and down, and he’d pinch his eyes shut. I’d suck on just his crown and he’d bite his bottom lip, his whole damn body was strung tight and I needed more. I needed him—inside me.
With partly selfish intentions, I climbed higher, my knees bracketing his hips and I pressed my palms to his chest. I was so damn wet and didn’t have it in me to wait another second to sink down on his cock and have him stretch and fill me.
“Take it easy, angel. You don’t want to hurt yourself.”
“Slow is overrated,” I chided but knew better.
Levi sheathed himself right before I lifted and positioned myself over his swollen head. I eased my way down, feeling the stretch deep inside me. A sigh and moan ripped from my chest and I started to move. Slowly at first, honing in on our connection, and then my head fell back, eyes shut tight. He grabbed my ass cheeks and squeezed, grunting and groaning in the process, doing his part in setting the rhythm.
“Holy shit, why have you never been on top?” His fingers dug into the curves of my hips before his hands traced all the way to my breasts. Kneading my flesh, he flicked my swollen nipples with his thumbs, shooting a wave of lust to my core.
“Because you always want me under you,” I sighed, gradually picking up the pace. “This . . . oh, god. This . . .” I licked my lips and pulled the bottom one between my teeth.
“Christ, your pussy is perfect,” he groaned.
“You’re perfect,” I whispered in return, my body surrendering to him and my uninhibited desire. My back arched, eyelids heavy; I didn’t stop. I moved faster, ground harder, stealing breaths to replace the ones I lost as my moans quickened.
“That’s it, angel.” Levi sat up, bringing us face-to-face, not once breaking our connection. Banding his arms around my body, he dropped his face into the crook of my neck and ravished the fuck out of me.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Rowan
Exhaustion took over. After what felt like hours of making love, Levi took me to the shower to wash up. Out of the shower, he towel dried my hair and body, foregoing any clothes. He carried me to the bed, carefully laying me down and pulled me into his side. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, “Goodnight, angel.”
It was too bad my brain didn’t feel the same level of exhaustion that my body did.
I couldn’t blame it either, not after all that transpired. The declarations of love, the sweet surprise he had waiting for me. How much thought he put into tonight made me love him that much more.
I closed my eyes and lay there for a while, my ear and palm pressed to his warm chest listening to the strong beats of his heart, his breathing deep and relaxed. If I had to guess, Levi was tipping the ledge, about to fall into a deep sleep.
And once I was positive sleep had claimed him, I padded quietly to the bathroom, my body feeling a tender and delicious ache. I smiled contentedly at my reflection in the mirror; at the glow around my rosy cheeks and swollen lips. I pulled the plush Boca Terry bathrobe from behind the door and covered my body, quietly slipping out of the bedroom.
Hugging my arms around my belly, I stepped out onto the balcony barefoot. The smells and sounds of the city below were muted from this high up, but the lights were still bright and mesmerizing. A few visible stars twinkled in the sky. My eyes landed on the table with all the half-eaten desserts and the few we left untouched, the bottle of Cristal half empty, the tea lights still flickering.
Appreciating it all, a smile bloomed on my cheeks thinking of all the trouble he went to, making tonight the most special of nights. A night I would never forget.
It didn’t take long to realize Levi had followed me out. I waited for him to say something, to ask me what I was doing out of bed and on the balcony. He didn’t. Instead, he wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me from behind, absorbing the last few hours.
He kissed the top of my head and walked us over to the chaise tucked in the corner and gently tugged my sash open, revealing my naked body. An odd sheepish feeling had me gazing downward, and I realized he too lacked any clothing. My eyes appraised every inch of him, from his sexy bare feet to his muscular thighs, past his growing erection to find him doing an appreciative sweep of my body. Finally, anchoring his attention on me, the look of love shone in the depth of his deep chocolate eyes.
He lowered himself to the chaise, bringing me with him to lay skin on skin, my robe cloaking our bodies. “What are you doing out here?” he asked, nuzzling his nose with mine.
“I couldn’t sleep.” I snuggled into his side, making sure we were still covered.
“Was I snoring?” he joked, his voice low and husky.
“No. My brain wouldn’t turn off. I’m just trying to process it all.” And I was.
Gradually, the little doubts started to creep in. What would happen when the media caught wind of another player “off the market,” and worse, with the GM’s daughter? There was no doubt it was going to cause some kind of static, mostly from the general female population. They never took to knowing one more playboy was no longer playing the field.
The fact that he would be on the road held new meaning, adding a layer of commitment he wasn’t all that familiar with. Would he be able to withstand the pressures of his high-profile life with an ordinary woman?
“Angel, whatever it is that has your whole body tensing up, quit thinking it.” He snuck his hand inside my robe, feathering his hand to my butt cheek. “I love you, and no matter what, that’s not going to change.”
“I love you too, it’s just—”
“It’s just nothing.” He paused for a second. “There’s nothing about us that has to be complicated.”
He ran the tips of his fingers
up and down my spine, instantly making me relax. We lay there for a while content and in love. Being in his arms was my safe place. My home.
“There’s something I want to run by you.”
I nodded against his chest. “Okay.”
“Whatever you decide, please just give it some thought.” He yawned and then chuckled. “I’m gonna play like shit tomorrow—well, today. But you’re so worth it.”
I smiled.
“I want you to move in with me.”
My smile dropped.
My heart tanked. But then the butterflies put everything back into place, and my heart ballooned back to life. Everything felt right.
“Angel,” he rasped softly, his hand caressing the small of my back. He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering and whispered, “Say something, please. Even if you think it’s too fast and you don’t—”
“Don’t you dare say if I don’t want to. I want to,” I assured him. I more than wanted to. “I’d love to move in with you. It was just unexpected, that’s all.”
With his hand caressing my cheek, he spoke honestly. “Expect everything because that’s what I want with you. I want it all. I’m jumping in head first and this time, I’m not following any rules. I’m not taking any chances on you getting away. So fast or slow, I want all of you.”
I looked up, resting my chin on his chest offering a small smile. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. How much I want that too. I just want to make sure you’re ready for more.”
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” He paused for a second. “So, it’s settled?”
I nodded, happy. No doubts whatsoever.
He reached forward and kissed the tip of my nose. “Good. Now let me make love to you.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Levi
I had less than fifteen minutes to make my way downstairs to meet up with the guys. We were leaving Chicago, in route for our West Coast stint—San Diego, Los Angeles, and then Arizona. Our one day off would be spent in the air, but then we’d be home for nine days straight and that meant I’d get to see Rowan each and every night.
Top Notch (Man on Top Book 1) Page 23