Levi met his brother’s gaze and didn’t miss the cocky expression on Mason’s face. Funny how the tables had turned. How his brother—a totally reformed man-whore—was now giving Levi advice about love.
Out of the corner of his eye, Levi saw the guy he’d been watching at the far end of the bar slide off his stool and head back toward where the restrooms were located. Nothing unusual for many of the patrons in the bar, but the fact that the guy was alone made Levi more suspicious than usual. He didn’t think Sarah’s ex would be bold and brave enough to make a move on her in public, but as a cop, Levi had seen and learned that desperate people did very stupid things without thinking through the consequences.
He had no idea what Dylan looked like, and he didn’t think Sarah had seen the man’s face when she came up to the service bar to collect her drink orders. She was so busy Levi knew she wasn’t aware of her surroundings beyond her own customers, which wasn’t a good thing at all.
But that’s exactly why Levi was here, and as he saw the man leave the restroom, he narrowed his gaze, his body instinctively on edge as he watched every move the other guy made. He didn’t like the way he stood off to the side in a shadowy corner or the way he was watching Sarah so intently.
“You got your eye on that guy who just came out of the men’s room, too?” Mason asked in a low voice that was equally tense.
“Yep.” Clearly, his brother was feeling the same apprehensive vibe that Levi was. Trusting his intuition, he slid off the barstool. “How about we go and ask him a few questions?”
“I’m in.” Never one to pass up a good confrontation, Mason flexed his shoulders and fell into step beside Levi.
As they started in the man’s direction, Sarah headed the same way to deliver a full tray of empty glasses to the bar, oblivious to anything except where she was going. She rounded the corner way before Levi could get there, and the guy abruptly stepped right in front of Sarah, causing the tray of glasses to fly from her hand and crash to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere—the sound barely heard above the music playing in the bar.
All Levi saw was Sarah’s round, horrified eyes as the man who had to be Dylan wrapped an arm around her waist and began hauling her back down the hallway—toward the back exit. As soon as she opened her mouth, Dylan clapped his hand over her lips to stifle her scream.
Adrenaline rushed through Levi’s veins as he bolted toward Sarah, with Mason following. There was so much going on around them that none of the patrons even noticed that Sarah had been grabbed. He felt the crunch of glass beneath his shoes, heard Tara yell something from the service bar, but didn’t stop his pursuit. Once he cleared the main bar area where all the customers were, he withdrew his service revolver from the holster beneath his shirt, but before he could say or do anything, Dylan pushed open the delivery door and dragged Sarah out back with him.
“Fuck.” Levi ran after them, bursting through the door to find Dylan standing close to a beat-up Toyota, now facing Levi with a knife at Sarah’s throat. Levi came to an abrupt stop but kept his gun trained on Dylan’s head, the only part of his body Levi could see. The motion detector light had come on, and the panic he saw in Sarah’s eyes nearly destroyed him, but he managed to keep his cool. He had to put his emotions aside in order to think clearly and rationally.
Vaguely he realized that Mason hadn’t followed him out, that Levi was on his own. Where the fuck had his brother gone? “Let her go, Dylan,” Levi ordered.
“The only place she’s going is with me,” the other man yelled back as the knife shook under Sarah’s chin. “She’s mine, and I’m taking her back where she belongs!”
“She doesn’t want to go back to Sacrosanct,” Levi said very clearly, just as he saw a figure come around the building behind Dylan and move quietly toward the other man. Mason. Thank God.
“Doesn’t matter what she wants.”
Sarah made a soft sound of distress. Dylan must have tightened his hold, and Levi’s gut twisted, and he exhaled a harsh breath. As a cop, he’d been trained to negotiate during a standoff, to diffuse the situation before it escalated to violence. Right now, it took every ounce of control Levi possessed to follow procedure, instead of acting on pure instinct and shooting the guy between the eyes.
“Think about what you’re doing, Dylan.” He caught another movement as Mason crouched and eased around the car where Dylan was standing. “If you kidnap Sarah and try to take her back, you’re going with a police escort.”
“If you don’t put your fucking gun down, I’m going to slit her throat!” Dylan yelled, as if he hadn’t heard Levi or just didn’t care. “Do it now!”
The other man waved the knife in the air in a threatening gesture. With the blade away from Sarah’s throat, Mason snuck up and grabbed Dylan’s arm, the one holding the weapon, and quickly twisted it behind his back, so high and hard that the man screamed in pain and automatically released the knife, letting go of Sarah.
Once freed, she stumbled toward Levi. He grasped her hand and pulled her behind him just as Mason wrenched both of Dylan’s arms behind his back, pinning them tight.
Threat disabled, Levi holstered his gun, and as much as he wanted to take a frightened Sarah in his arms and reassure both her and himself that she was fine, they weren’t done with Dylan just yet.
Levi glanced at Sarah and gave her a reassuring glance. “Stay right here,” he said and then approached Dylan.
Even though Mason had Dylan immobilized, the other man still tried to come at Levi, but Mason’s hold was so strong and unrelenting Dylan’s struggles barely registered.
Levi stopped in front of the furious man, who looked just as enraged as Levi felt at the moment.
“Listen to me,” Levi said, his jaw clenching. “Sarah is not going anywhere with you. Not now. Not ever. If you come near her again, you’ll be sorry that you did.”
“Fuck you!” Dylan spat.
Levi shifted his gaze to Mason’s, the smirk on his brother’s face indicating Mason was itching for a fight, before he glanced at Dylan. “I suggest you get in your car, go back to wherever you came from, and stay there.”
“Not without Sarah.”
The man was persistent, he’d give him that. But Levi had warned him. “Then I guess we’ll just have to change your mind about that.”
Instead of bothering with the prick himself, Levi walked over to where Sarah was still standing, her arms crossed over her chest, her body trembling, and pulled her against him, relieved to finally hold her, knowing she was safe.
Levi looked over his shoulder just as Mason said, “Okay, asshole, let’s knock some sense into that hard head of yours. Maybe you’ll understand just how serious we are about you not going near Sarah ever again.”
Mason let go of Dylan, who predictably turned around, throwing the first angry punch in Mason’s direction—which Levi knew his brother was hoping for. Anticipating the assault, Mason stopped it with his forearm and used his other hand to deliver a blow to Dylan’s stomach that had him doubling over before attempting to charge at Mason once again. Stupid move, considering Mason had learned to fight on the mean streets where they’d grown up.
The brawl was on, and there wasn’t a doubt in Levi’s mind that Mason would take care of Sarah’s problem and work Dylan over until he convinced the asshole to stay away. Sarah didn’t need to stay and watch the beatdown, not when she was so visibly shaken. Gently grabbing her arm, he turned her away from the bloodbath about to ensue and led her back inside the bar.
Tara rushed up to him, clearly panicked. “I didn’t know if you wanted me to call 911 or if you wanted to handle the situation yourself, so I didn’t call the police.”
“Perfect,” he said, noticing that someone had cleaned up the shattered glasses from the floor. “Mason is getting rid of the garbage out back, and consider Sarah off work for the rest of the night. I’m taking her home.”
“Of course,” Tara said, understanding in her tone.
Sarah was silent as he
guided her out to his truck, probably still in shock, and remained so on the drive home. He didn’t want to bombard her with questions just yet, not when his own emotions were churning inside of him, ranging from fear of seeing her so vulnerable with yet another weapon threatening her life to anger that anyone dare to try and hurt her, to a rush of possessiveness that had threatened his control like nothing ever before.
They arrived at his place, and she walked through the kitchen to the dining room, still much too quiet and subdued. His entire body felt as though he were going to splinter apart at the thought of nearly losing Sarah, of Dylan either driving off with her or using that blade to prove some kind of deranged point.
“Sarah,” he said just as she reached the dining table.
She turned around, the lost, painful look in her eyes so damned heartbreaking he could barely stand it.
He closed the distance between them and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Are you okay?” he asked gruffly.
“I’m fine,” she said in a barely audible voice. “But I think it’s time for me to go.”
He didn’t have to ask where. He already knew the answer, that nothing had changed and she was following through on her plans to get out of the city. Dread tightened in his chest.
Her eyes filled with tears. “This is what happens when people are around me,” she said in a raspy voice. “I always seem to attract trouble, and you’re such a great guy, you deserve someone who has her life together. You deserve someone so much better than me.”
He could feel her physically pulling away from him, withdrawing. He processed her words, saw the yearning in her eyes that contradicted everything she’d just said, and wondered if her reasons for walking away from him ran much deeper than the excuses she’d just given him.
He trusted what they could have together, what they could build together, but knew that she’d been burned by hopeful relationships before. It was her inability to believe that she was worthy of being loved that was keeping her from staying with him.
“I love you,” he said without hesitation, because if that’s what it took for her to remain right here with him, in his house, in his life, then he was putting every-fucking-thing on the table.
She sucked in a breath, the fear in her eyes unmistakable. “You can’t,” she said in an aching voice.
He held her face in his hands to make sure she couldn’t look away from him. “I can, and I do. I don’t care about your past, Sarah. I only care about us, and a future together.”
She made an inarticulate sound, one that was wrapped up with doubts and denial. Desperation surged through him, along with a possessive emotion he couldn’t contain. Right here, right now, he didn’t want to hold back anything with Sarah. Tomorrow morning, it would be soon enough for them to hash out her fears, because there was no fucking way he was letting her walk out his door without a down and dirty fight. It just wasn’t going to happen.
Threading his fingers into her hair, he brought her mouth to his and kissed her, hard and deep, until she softened beneath the onslaught of his lips and tongue and joined in with her own frantic abandon. She thought this was the last time they’d be together, but he was going to make damn sure it was just the beginning.
Her hands tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, and he let her pull it over his head while yanking hers off, too. As they made their way toward his bedroom, the rest of their clothes were haphazardly removed. Both of them naked, he pressed her down onto his bed, reached for a condom and sheathed himself, then settled between her spread legs.
This wasn’t about foreplay and fun. This was about claiming her, branding her, loving her. It was about stripping things down physically so she’d allow him in emotionally. He wouldn’t accept anything less.
He stroked the head of his cock through her wet folds and pushed into her, just enough that she knew what was about to happen, and that’s all the warning he gave her. The first driving thrust had her crying out in pleasure. The second had the sound of her sweet, unyielding moan echoing in his ears. After that, heat and desire blended together, creating an inferno of need that had them both straining against one another as he drove deeper and deeper inside her.
He didn’t hold her down. Didn’t restrain her hands. He gave her all the freedom she could ever want to touch him, to make her own demands, and strip away all his defenses so there was no doubt in her mind how serious he was about her. About them.
Things turned wild and uncontrolled quickly, and he welcomed her unbridled response, too. She wrapped her legs tight around his waist and raked her fingers down his spine—marking him, based on the sting of pain along his skin. He exhaled on a hiss of breath as need and passion entwined, shoving him closer to the edge.
He delved all ten fingers into her silky hair and tipped her head back. Her lips parted, and her dark, stormy blue eyes latched on to his, exposing her emotions, her desires. “This is where I belong, Sarah,” he said raggedly, slamming his body against hers, again and again. “Right here, with you. Inside you.”
Her expression exposed every one of her vulnerabilities, including her true and honest feelings for him. “Yes,” she whispered, and that one word sent them both free-falling into the sweet depths of exquisite pleasure.
Chapter Thirteen
Sarah woke up in a now familiar position . . . snuggled up to Levi with him holding her securely in his embrace. Morning light from outside was starting to stream into the room through the window, but she didn’t move. She didn’t want to disturb Levi, and she wanted time to process everything that had happened last night now that her head was clear and her thoughts were no longer clouded by panic and fear.
She wasn’t surprised that Dylan had found her. She’d been more shocked that he’d been bold enough—and stupid enough—to try and abduct her right at work. He’d never been the brightest guy, and his actions last night had proved as much.
She couldn’t deny that she was grateful that both Levi and Mason had been there to diffuse the situation, to make sure that she was protected to the best of their ability. She owed them both for keeping her safe when things could have ended much differently.
Was she still worried that Dylan would come after her again? A part of her was concerned, yes, because it was always a possibility, and there were no guarantees. But during the course of the night, she’d kept wondering what it would be like to stay with Levi, to stop running and just live life happily. To be a part of his family and finally feel as though she’d found a place where she belonged. More than anything in the world, she wanted that. She wanted Levi. And he loved her.
Remembering his emotional confession stole the breath from her lungs. Now that she wasn’t overwhelmed with anxiety, her heart acknowledged that admission, and she didn’t doubt his sincerity for a second. Levi was honest and real, a man who stayed true to his word—something she’d seen firsthand.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled his now familiar scent and listened to his steady breathing. Her past was filled with people she’d trusted who’d rejected and disappointed her. Who’d made promises that they’d never followed through on that left her devastated. It had become a recurring pattern in her life, something she’d come to expect and anticipate. Even with Levi, and that hadn’t been a fair comparison when she’d never given him a real chance.
Even as she’d tried to push him away over the past six weeks since initially meeting him, Levi had refused to accept defeat. He’d persisted, even after taking a bullet for her. He’d given her a place to stay—insisted, actually—after discovering where and how she lived. He’d protected her when he learned about Dylan. Not once did he make her feel like an inconvenience, and most importantly, he didn’t give up on her, not even last night when she’d panicked and shunned his declaration of love.
Instead, he’d showed her how much he cared, how much he wanted her, how emotionally invested he was in her. In them.
She swallowed hard, realizing she was at the most important crossroad of her life. She could
leave and walk away from Levi because she was too afraid to believe he wanted her in all the ways that mattered, or she could stay and open her heart to all the possibilities that lay ahead of her with this amazing man supporting her.
This time, there were no fears complicating her decision. No doubts or hesitations or confusion. No, her feelings came to her with such clarity, she knew that she loved him, as well. How could she not, when he was the best man she’d ever known, despite his own messed-up childhood? If he could open his heart to her after everything he’d been through, then she was willing to take that chance with him, as well.
She just hoped that she wasn’t too late after her adverse reaction to his declaration last night.
The ringing of the doorbell startled her, and beside her, Levi roused ever-so-slightly. It was only eight in the morning, and she couldn’t imagine who was there, unless it was someone from Levi’s family.
A firm knock sounded, and Levi woke up completely. With a grumble and a curse, he rolled out of bed, put on a pair of sweat pants, and walked out of the bedroom without a shirt on and his hair disheveled from her fingers twisting in the strands last night.
Curious to know who was at the door, she slid out of bed, too, and put on one of Levi’s T-shirts that was long enough to fall to mid-thigh. As she walked down the hallway, she heard two male voices—Levi’s, and . . . another familiar one. Rick, the leader of Sacrosanct.
Her skin prickled with trepidation, her knees went weak, and she pressed her back against the nearest wall so she didn’t collapse to the floor. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, and she strained to hear their conversation, which started with Rick introducing himself in that pleasant way of his that had always made her feel distinctly uncomfortable, though he’d never hurt her, personally.
“How did you find my place?” Levi demanded to know, his voice sharp and authoritative. “And what the fuck do you want? If you’re here for Sarah, you’ll have to get through me first, and I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t get very far.”
Dirty Sexy Cuffed (Dirty Sexy #3) Page 15