“Yeah, she has a doggie door that leads into the back yard. I usually leave her extra food. If I’m out on a stakeout or something, I call my neighbor, Jim. He’ll come over and feed her for me whenever I need him to. I’ll just be a few minutes. I’ll change, then I’ll drop you off at school,” I tell her, then head to my bedroom.
When I come back out, Quinn is sitting on the floor. The damn dog is laying on her back, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth while Quinn strokes her belly.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says, then gets off the floor.
I lean down, pick Lucky up off the floor, then bring her to my cheek. She licks my face, then I set her back down. I look at Quinn and catch the goofy grin on her face. I walk over to her bowl, throw another scoop in her dish, then take Quinn’s hand and lock the door.
I drop her off at school, then head to the office. I walk in the door and realize that I’ve been whistling for the last ten minutes. When I get a look at Savvy’s face, I stop. She eyes me as I pass her, then she picks up the phone and dials it with lighting speed.
I go into the surveillance room and find my laptop gone. What the hell?
“Red or green?” Max asks, standing in the doorway behind me.
I turn around and look at him like he’s crazy.
“What?” I ask. “Should I be looking for a new job, or something? Where’s my laptop?” I ask.
“Red or Green?” he asks again. “You’re the first one here, so you get first dibs,” he says.
“First dibs?” I question and roll my eyes not knowing what the hell he’s talking about, then I answer, “Green.”
He taps his hand on the doorframe with a smile and says, “I knew it. This way,” then he turns around and walks away.
I follow behind him down the hallway and notice two of the doors are closed. There’s a red bow on one door and a green bow on the other. One of the rooms is a supply room where we house all surveillance equipment, office supplies, and a gun cabinet. The other is a safe room where we’ve had to stash clients to keep them safe. At one point, Savvy stayed in there a few days.
Max stops in front of the door with the green bow on it, then gestures his hands out in front of him like he’s presenting me with a new car.
“What’s this?” I ask, as Chase walks down the hall, then stops next to us.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“Max is applying for a job on The Price Is Right,” I joke.
“Red one’s yours, Chase,” Max says, then walks down the hall, into his office.
I give Chase a look, then open the door with the green bow on it. It’s no longer a supply closet, it’s now a fully furnished office. My office. There’s a couch against one wall, a desk with two chairs in front of it, a filing cabinet, and my laptop is sitting on the desk. My PI license is framed and hung behind the black leather chair sitting behind my desk.
I turn around when I hear a noise coming from the door. Max is again standing there, but he’s sticking something to the door. After he’s done, I walk over and read the sign. It’s a black rectangular plaque with my name engraved on it.
It says, ‘Levi Sutton Private Investigator.'
I step out into the hallway as Max moves away from Chase’s door. I pass his door and read Chase’s name, then head to Max’s office.
“I don’t know what to say, man, thank you,” I tell him, choked up.
“You’re welcome. It’s been a long time coming. I couldn’t run this business without you and Chase. It’s me who should be thanking you,” Max says, then extends his hand and shakes mine.
Chase comes into his office and if I didn’t know better, I’d think Chase shed a tear or two before he came in here. There’s a commotion out in reception, then the six Stooges show up again.
Amelia, Willow, Shay, Savvy, Ava, and Chloe all come barging down the hallway and collide into each other when Chloe sees us standing in Max’s office and she stops. We all turn to look at them and I shake my head. I start to whistle again, then I walk past them towards my office.
“SEE!,” Savvy says to the girls.
I can’t keep my whistle because I’m smiling like an idiot.
“Chloe,” Max calls sternly, from his office.
“Run,” she says to the girls, then they all run toward reception.
Chapter 8
Quinn
I walk out of school with a smile on my face and get into the Explorer. Levi leans in, I meet him halfway and give him a kiss.
“Is there lasagna left over from last night?” he asks.
“Yes, there’s plenty,” I reply.
“Good,” he says, put’s the car in drive and takes off.
“Can we stop at your house first and pick up Lucky?” I ask.
He glances at me out of the corner of his eye, with a smile on his face and nods his head.
We pick up Lucky, her food and dishes, then head to my house. Levi grabs some files from the back seat while I let Lucky do her business in the front yard. There’s a small package waiting for me at my front door and I instantly know it’s Levi’s gift.
“What’s that?” he asks.
“Oh, nothing,” I say, then open the front door.
Lucky immediately takes off in the house, exploring. I fill her water dish and place it on the floor in the kitchen. Levi opens the refrigerator and takes out all the leftovers, while I hide his present in my closet. I put on some comfy sweats and an old t-shirt, then help set the table.
After dinner, I take out my school books and lay them out on the table. I grab my laptop and start studying while Levi cleans the kitchen. After he’s done, he stands next to me with his files, looks at me, then he looks at the space next to me.
I clear a spot for him, he sits down, opens his folders, and we work side by side for a few hours while Lucky happily sleeps between our feet.
At midnight, Levi closes his files, grabs Lucky’s leash and takes her outside. He comes back in, closes my laptop and takes my hand. He pulls me out of my seat and leads me down the hallway to the bedroom. He pulls my sweats down my legs and I step out of them. He picks up Lucky and places her on the bed, then he pulls back the covers and I get in. He gets in behind me, then covers us up. He places his arm around my waist and pulls me flush to his front, then places his nose on my hair and gives me a kiss. Lucky twirls around a few times at our feet, then lays down with a happy groan.
The next morning we take Lucky back to Levi’s since she can let herself out there, then he takes me to school. After school, we again pick up Lucky, then go back to my house for dinner. Levi again spends the night, but not before he shows me again that he’s warm, caring, passionate, and one hell of an excellent lover.
Friday morning, I wake to the sound of my cell phone alerting me to a text. Levi’s arm is heavy over my waist, then his arm pulls me close when I try to reach for my phone. He kisses me on the shoulder, then loosens his grip. Lucky walks up the covers on top of us, then lays down with her nose an inch away from Levi’s face. I reach for my cell phone and read the text. It’s from Willow. She wants to have dinner with Levi and me tonight. I show Levi the text and feel his scratchy stubble on my shoulder shaking his head yes. I text her back, then she immediately texts back and says to meet at Jax at seven.
As I get ready, Levi takes Lucky out for a walk. He walks into the bathroom just as I’m finishing my makeup.
“Why don’t you pack a bag and stay at my place tonight? You’re still going to help me with the car tomorrow, right?” he asks.
“Sure,” I tell him, then go back into my bedroom and pack a bag. “I’m going to stay at your house tonight, Lucky!” I tell her.
She wags her little curly tail a mile a minute and follows me around the room while I pack my bag. We drop her off at Levi’s, then he takes me to school.
I’m so glad today is the last day of school and I don’t have to go back until the first week in January.
After school, Levi is
waiting out front, I get in, lean over and give him a kiss, then we go back to his house. I change, freshen up my makeup and get ready for dinner with Willow and Asher.
Levi is in the shower, so I wander through his house. There’s not much to look at. He has a table with two chairs in the kitchen, a couch and a television in the family room, and a bedroom set in his bedroom. That’s about it. I did notice the closed bedroom door in the hallway with puffy pink and purple letters spelling out Ivy Rose’s name though. There are built-in shelves in the family room with a few knickknacks on them. There're a few karate trophies, which doesn’t surprise me, some old books, and one small photo in a frame. I pick it up and look at it. My heart sinks to my feet when I see it’s a picture of Levi with a woman and a little girl. This must be Ivy. I never really gave much thought about her mother. I wonder where she is.
The wooden floorboard creaks behind me and I turn around. Levi is standing there with wet hair, holding a black t-shirt. He pulls it over his head, then walks over to me. He removes the photo from my hand, runs his thumb over Ivy, then places it back on the shelf. I feel terrible for snooping.
“I’m sorry,” I say, for a lack of anything better to say.
“Don’t be,” he says.
I glance at the frame again, then he takes my hand and leads me to the couch. He tells me all about his wife, Shannon, and what happened to Ivy Rose. I don’t even try to stop the tears that flow down my cheeks.
Lucky must sense that I’m upset, because she sits by my feet and places her head against my leg. I bend down, pick her up, and bring her to my face. All he has left is this little dog. Her name fits her perfectly.
When Levi is done talking, he finally looks me in the eyes. I tried desperately to wipe my tears in Lucky's fur, but that could never cover my red, puffy eyes.
“Don’t cry,” he says and takes my face in his hand.
I lean into his touch and let the tears flow once again.
“I’ll feed Lucky. Why don’t you get cleaned up again, then we’ll go to dinner,” he says, leans in, then places a soft kiss on my lips.
He takes Lucky, then goes into the kitchen.
I walk into his bathroom and look at the reflection staring back at me. In the matter of only a week, I’ve fallen in love with a man who confuses the hell out of me, but at the same time, I feel just how much love he has to give.
I clean up, then we head to Jax. Once inside, Jenna seats us at a table where Willow, Asher, Abbey, Aaron, and Avery are already seated. Asher stands and shakes Levi’s hand, while I lean down and kiss Willow on the cheek. No sooner do I have the menu open when Amelia, Kyle, and Noah walk up to the table.
Jenna pushes another table next to ours and they have a seat.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask.
Immediately, Amelia’s eyes go to Willow.
I look at Willow, she shrugs her shoulders and smiles innocently at me.
Next, Adrian, Shay, Micah, Makayla, and Samuel walk in the door. Jenna adds another table and they all take a seat. I look at Willow and she shrugs at me again.
Aiden and Savvy walk in followed by Ava, Sky, and Hope. Adrian gets up and moves two more tables over, then Chloe and Max follow closely behind.
“I guess it’s like Sunday dinner,” I say, looking at Willow.
Jax walks out of the kitchen, takes one look at the number of people, then immediately turns back around and walks back into the kitchen.
Every eye is on Levi and I sitting next to each other at the table. Levi takes my hand in his under the table, then puts it on top of the table between us and smiles.
I guess that’s that.
Willow gives me a wink, then Jax takes his seat next to his wife.
Levi
I never understood until this moment how the Wellington men, honorary or not, could stand bossy, sassy, spitfire women. I’ve lived so long locked away in my grief that I closed myself off to almost everyone. Spending this week with Quinn has made me feel things that I thought were long gone. When I open my eyes in the morning, she’s the first thing I want to see. When I close my eyes at night, she’s the last thing I want to see.
When she’s at school, I wonder if she’s having a good day and I can’t wait to pick her up and see her again. For the first time, I see that every one of these bossy, back talking, independent women aren’t a pain in the ass. They’re the reasons why these men do everything they do and they’re proud of it. They challenge them and make them feel things in their chest, they never knew existed. And when you get your first taste of it, you start to crave it. Quinn can drive me crazy in one second when she calls me on my shit, but in the next I realize that she makes me feel alive and I want to kiss her. Once you finally open your eyes and see what's in front of you…you just know and you grab on to it.
“Just wait, it keeps getting better and better from here,” Max says in my ear.
I pull away and smile at him, squeeze Quinn’s hand and enjoy the loud, happy, crazy conversations going on around the table.
We leave the restaurant at ten. I take Quinn back to my house and she feeds Lucky. As she stands up, I back her up against the refrigerator and kiss her. I place my hand in hers and bring it up over her head, while I feel her breast over her shirt. She slips her tongue in my mouth and fumbles with my fly with her other hand. She unbuckles my belt, then I reach for it and pull it through the loops of my jeans and let it fall to the floor. I pull her away from the refrigerator, turn her around and walk her backward to the table. It noisily slides across the wooden floor until it hits the wall. I undo her pants and push them along with her panties to the floor. I lift her bare ass on the table, then pull her shirt over her head. She reaches for my shirt and pushes it up, then removes it. I back slightly away from her and finish unzipping my pants. She takes her bottom lip between her teeth, as she watches me drop my pants to the floor.
“Take off your bra,” I say, raising my chin at her.
She reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra, then slowly pulls each strap down her arm. She holds it up in the air between her thumb and forefinger, then lets it fall to the floor with a smile. She presses her palms on the table behind her, then leans her head back.
God, she’s beautiful.
I take a step closer and press my thighs against the table. As I kiss up her throat, she brings her head down and I drag my lips over her chin until I reach her lips. She reaches between us and takes me in her hand. She starts to stroke me firmly and I ache to be inside her. She places me at her entrance and I slowly lean into her until I’m rooted all the way inside her. I pick her ass up and scoot her as close to the edge of the table as I can get her without her falling off, as I move in and out of her. My thighs smack against the edge of the table with every inward thrust. She digs her heels into the top of my ass, then I lay her down on the table and grab her behind her thighs. Laying on the table, she wraps her fingertips over the edge and pushes herself into me. Her moans get louder as an orgasm rips through her. She sits up, wraps her arms around me, and pulls me close. I slow my pace with my own release.
I pick her up, wrap her legs around my hips, as she wraps her arms around my shoulders and I walk her to the bathroom. I place her feet on the floor, kiss her on the lips, then let her get cleaned up.
I grab a clean pair of boxers, then get into bed. I place my arm under my head with a smile on my face and I start to laugh.
Quinn climbs into bed wearing only her panties, then she places her head in the crook of my arm and my chest and asks, “What’s so funny?”
“Unicorns fart glitter,” I say.
“What?” she asks, picking her head up to look at me.
I kiss her forehead, then she sets it back down on my chest.
She drags her finger up and down my chest, and it’s been quiet for some time.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
Now I know for sure unicorns fart glitter. I just asked a woman what she’s thinking.
“Do
you have any wrapping paper here?” she asks.
“No, I don’t. Why?” I ask.
“I need to wrap Christmas presents,” she replies.
“We can get you some wrapping paper tomorrow,” I tell her.
“After we work on your car,” she confirms.
“God, I think I lo…” I start, but stop when I realize what I was about to say.
She picks herself up off of me and looks at me. I place my hand on her shoulder, then rub her arm up and down while I look into her eyes. I pull her back down to my chest, then gently take a piece of her hair in my hand and play with it.
“I think I’m in love with you,” I say quietly.
She continues to draw on my chest and I feel her lips turn up into a smile on my chest.
“I think I’m in love with you, too,” she says.
Lucky climbs up the doggie stairs at the foot of the bed, curls into a ball at our feet and goes to sleep.
Chapter 9
Quinn
I wake still wrapped in Levi’s secure hold. As I move my feet, Lucky’s head pops up and she looks at me. She yawns, gets up, walks next to me, then lays down just under my chin. I stroke her fur as Levi tightens his grip on my waist. He kisses my shoulder, then runs his hand over Lucky's head.
“Let’s go get some breakfast, then we can get to work on the car,” Levi says, then gets out of bed.
Lucky climbs down the doggie stairs and follows him out of the room, wagging her tail. I roll over on my back and smile when I remember what he said last night. Levi loves me.
“Are you ready?” Levi calls from the kitchen.
“Almost,” I answer and get out of bed.
I throw on my clothes, brush my teeth, and throw my hair up in a ponytail. Lucky’s nails go clickity click on the wooden floor, as she walks back into the bedroom to find me. She follows me into the kitchen where I find Levi shoving his wallet into his back pocket. He grabs his phone and jacket, then my hand, and leads me outside to the Explorer.
We go to a local diner, where the older waitress immediately smiles when she spots Levi and I holding hands. She places a menu in front of me and asks Levi if he wants the usual. He shakes his head yes as he flips over his coffee cup in front of him.
Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Page 111