His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set)

by Alexis Winter

  I go back into the living room and sit on the couch, holding my cup between two hands, needing the warmth.

  “Are you ready to talk now?” she asks from behind me.

  I shrug one shoulder. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk.”

  I hear her chair roll across the floor, and moments later, she’s sitting next to me. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  I take a long breath and blow it out slowly. “I guess my main question is why? Why didn’t Levi tell me what was going on with Nick behind my back?”

  “He was Nick’s friend, not yours.”

  I roll my eyes. “That’s so juvenile. That’s like, I can’t be your friend because I’m their friend.” I roll my eyes at the playground rules.

  She laughs. “It’s true, though. Say me and you are best friends, right?”

  I nod, playing along.

  “Say that after this weekend, we decide we want to stay friends, and you end up moving in here. I introduce you to my boyfriend, and you like him well enough. We’re friends, so you have to put up with him too.”

  I nod.

  “Then imagine if you’re just hanging out here one night, and I walk in with a new guy. You’re going to have questions, but I tell you it is just a one-time thing, and to please keep my secret. The next time you see my boyfriend, what do you do?”

  I shrug. “I keep the secret. It’s a one-time thing, right?”

  She nods. “But what if I do it again, and use the same excuse? And I do it again after that. You’re going to keep the secret until it starts eating at you.”

  “Are you saying that’s what Levi did? He kept Nick’s secret until he couldn’t anymore?”

  She moves her head from side to side. “Not until he couldn’t keep it anymore, but until it was no longer an issue and you were out of harm's way,” she replies, sliding a piece of short blonde hair behind her ear. “Levi is a great guy, and I bet he wanted to tell you. But he couldn’t. And then when everything blew up, he felt like it didn’t matter anymore because you were no longer in that situation.”

  I take a sip of my coffee. “Fine, maybe he had a good reason to keep the secret, but what does that say about us? He says he loves me, but he still kept that from me. Who’s to say he won’t keep other secrets from me in the future?”

  She shrugs. “That’s just the leap of faith we all have to take when we get into a relationship, Danielle. We’re all people. We all have faults and issues and trouble letting go of things. What Levi did, I believe he did for you. He didn’t want to see you hurt. He loves you. I mean, even I can look at the guy and see him drool for you.” She laughs.

  It causes me to giggle. “So you think I’m being overdramatic? Or are you playing by playground rules and just wanting your friend to get the girl?”

  She laughs. “I do want to see Levi happy, but I could never give someone bad advice to make that happen. All I’m saying is Levi is a great guy. I think you know that. And yeah, he may have screwed up by keeping this secret, but he’s only human, and we all make mistakes. Do you really want to give up on someone you love just because you’re mad he didn’t tell you a secret that wasn’t his to tell?” Without another word, she goes back to her computer, pulling on her earphones.

  I take another sip of my coffee and think things over. A part of me knows she’s right, but there’s still something inside of me that isn’t ready to let go just yet.

  I finish my cup of coffee and place my cup in the sink before heading for the front door. I walk down the street, needing some air and sunshine. Needing to be out and alone. I breathe the air in deeply and let the sun warm my skin. Finally, I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Nick.

  “Yeah?” he answers.

  “I want to talk to you,” I say into the phone, coming to a stop. “Can you meet me at…” I look up and read the sign at the building I’m in front of. “Louie’s Bar?”

  “Yeah, I’m on my way,” Nick says excitedly.

  I hang up and go inside, sitting down at the corner booth. I look at my watch and realize it’s going on dinner time. I haven’t eaten anything since dinner yesterday at Maddie and Bennet’s, so I wave down a waitress and order a salad and sparkling water.

  Nick walks in just as my food is placed in front of me. The waitress looks down at him. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Yeah, I’ll take a beer and some hot wings,” he orders.

  His eyes flash down to my plate. “On a diet?” he asks with a grin.

  “No, just eating healthier,” I reply.

  He rolls his eyes. “Levi got to you with his weird eating habits. Didn’t he?”

  “There’s nothing weird about it,” I argue. “And I’m not here to talk about Levi or what I will and won’t eat. I’m here to talk to you about us and hear you out, so you’ll let all this go. I want to get back to my life.”

  “Alright. Shoot.”

  “How long did Levi know?” I stab a tomato with my fork and pop it into my mouth.

  “The whole time,” he replies.

  “How long?”

  He leans back and lets out a breath of air; it hisses between his teeth. “The first time I cheated on you was my first weekend in New York. I told you I had to work, but the truth was I wanted to go partying with some guys from work. They got me wasted, offered me a joint, and we went to a strip club. I don’t remember anything about it other than waking up next to this strange woman. When I got home, I told Levi about it. He was pissed, but promised me he wouldn’t say anything as long as it never happened again.”

  “But it did happen again,” I point out.

  He moves his head from side to side, mulling it over. “It did, but not right away. I was scared that you’d find out. So I laid low for a while. Once it became clear that I could live two different lives, one fun, full of women and partying, and one, a quiet, normal life with you, the lines blurred.”

  “So what pisses you off more: that I left or that I got with Levi?”

  His hand on the table clenches into a fist. “He never should have touched you.”

  “And you never should have touched those other women,” I spit out.

  He shakes his head. “Whatever. I guess it doesn’t matter now. If I can’t have you, he can’t either. You’re done with the both of us now.”

  I shake my head. “I’m done with you, that’s for sure.”

  Neither of us talks as the waitress places his order in front of him. He picks up his beer and takes a long drink. “If you want to be done with me, fine. I’ll accept it and move on. But if you think I’m just going to sit back and watch as the woman I love fucks my best friend, you’re both crazy.”

  “Who I fuck is none of your business.” I look up at him and notice that he’s wearing my diamond earrings.

  He notices me looking at them. “Oh, you like them? I figured I bought them, so I should be the one that wears them.” He smiles.

  I shake my head. “Whatever. If all it costs me is a pair of earrings to get rid of you, so be it.” I wave my hand through the air, dismissing him.

  He slams his fist down, and the liquids in both our glasses slosh over the rims as he leans in. “You think I’m just going to give up that easily? You’re away from him; that’s only the first part of my plan.”

  I snort. “What’s the rest?”

  He gives me his flirty smile. “To win you back.”

  I can’t hold back my laughter. “We’re never getting back together, Nick. What don’t you understand? I hate you. I hate the sight of you. I hate your voice. Just sitting this close to you right now makes me want to vomit.”

  With every word that escapes my mouth, the redder his face becomes. The vein in his forehead, between his eyes, starts to pulsate. Sweat begins to form across his brows and above his upper lip. I know he’s moments from exploding. But I hope that if I make him hate me as much as I hate him, he’ll leave and never want to see me again, never cause a problem for me. Then it hits me: all he’s doing is
trying to drive a wedge between Levi and me. He doesn’t care about me getting back with him, as long as I don’t end up with Levi either. By being here with him, I’m giving him exactly what he wants.

  I stand up and toss some money on the table to cover my food. I start to walk away, but his hand latches onto mine.

  “Danielle, wait,” he breathes out.

  I look down at him. Suddenly, he looks different. Like, I can finally see past all the bullshit filters he’s kept over himself all these years. He’s not some rich, sexy guy. He’s not big or scary. He’s nothing but a spoiled child who’s too used to getting what he wants. It’s time somebody put a stop to it.

  I lean in real close, close enough that I can smell the beer on his breath. “Leave Levi and me alone, or I’ll be the one making your life a living hell. I was with you for too many years not to know your secrets. I know the account numbers for all the money you’ve been laundering, and I have proof. Stop whatever you’re thinking about right now, or you’ll have a whole lot more than a stalking charge on your record.” Without another word, I jerk my arm away and push through the bar, not taking a breath until I’m out in the cool air.

  My hands are shaking from the nervousness pumping through my veins. I hope he bought my bluff. I’d heard him on the phone when we were together, talking about where he’s sticking his money. But I don’t have proof. I didn’t want proof back then. I wanted to be able to honestly say I didn’t know what he was doing.

  But surely, the threat is enough to keep him in check. He’ll probably rush around to pull his money out of the accounts now. He may even start back up with watching our every move in the future, but that’s tomorrow’s problem. Today’s problem: find Levi and tell him I’m sorry for the way I left things last night.

  Just him thinking that things might be over between us makes my stomach hurt. I should never have walked out of there the way I did, but honestly, I was shocked and confused. I never thought Levi would keep something like that from me. I always thought he was open about every aspect of our relationship. It still makes me nervous to think that if he could keep something this big hidden from me, what else is he hiding, or what else could he hide in the future? I just keep telling myself that he was protecting me by not telling me.

  I just hope I’m not too late.

  I step up to the curb and hail a cab. It only takes minutes before one pulls over and I climb inside. I give him the address and sit in the back, nervously bouncing. When we pull up, I nearly toss the money at him as I climb out and run to the doors. I use my key to get into the building, and I run to the elevators. I push the button and wait, my heart pounding so hard that it feels like it’s climbing out of my chest. The ride up only takes a few seconds, but with my future unknown, it feels like it takes hours—like I’m on super speed and the rest of the world is on rewind.

  Finally, the doors open, and I quickly walk up to his door. I knock, not wanting to use my key and barge in. Moments later, he pulls it open. His dark hair is a mess, and his eyes are puffy and bloodshot. He looks angry with his clenched jaw until his eyes meet mine. Then, everything falls away. His shoulders drop in relief moments before he pulls me against him, his lips finding mine.

  Without breaking our kiss, he pulls me into the apartment and presses my back against the door.

  “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” he whispers against my lips.

  I shake my head. “No, I’m sorry for walking out the way I did.” I pull his mouth back to mine.

  “You had every right to be angry with me. I should have told you,” he says, swallowing down his emotions and making his Adam’s apple bob.

  “You just wanted to protect me,” I say, pulling him back in.

  This time, he doesn’t pull away again. He keeps his mouth on mine, kissing me, giving me love, understanding, and forgiveness. He picks me up against him, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he carries me to the bedroom.

  We crash onto the bed, and his hands pull clothing out of the way while mine pushes his shorts down his hips. His hands tour my body, taking in every inch, every curve. His lips aren’t too far behind them. It’s like he needs to touch every part of me to make himself believe that I’m here, that I’m real. When his mouth closes in around my clit, my eyes flutter closed, giving in to the overwhelming sensations he pushes me to feel.

  My right-hand tangles into his hair while my left fists the sheets, hanging on for dear life. I feel like, with every lap of his tongue, I’m being pushed closer and closer to the edge of the earth. It’s only seconds before I am falling. When my release breaks, it rains over me hot and heavy. My entire body goes numb, and my lungs stop working. My heart doubles its pace. It beats so hard that it’s all I can hear. I call out his name over and over, and when it ends, and I’m able to suck in a breath of much-needed oxygen, he’s slamming into me—claiming me as his forever.

  “I love you, Dani,” he moans into my mouth.

  “I love you too, Levi.”

  19

  Levi

  Dani and I spend all day in the bedroom, only coming out for drinks and food when needed. We touch, cuddle, tease, tickle, kiss, and make love again and again. Being able to touch her and feel her after a night of thinking I’d lost her forever, it feels surreal. It makes me realize how I never want to be without her again. I don’t ever want anyone to get in our way. I want her to be mine in every way possible.

  I roll over between her legs and look deeply into her eyes. “Marry me?” I ask, only now realizing how stupid I must look. I don’t have a ring. No big speech prepared. All I can muster out is a measly marry me?

  She smiles wide, and her dark eyes light up, even in the dimly lit room. “What?”

  “Marry me,” I repeat. “I want to know you’re mine and only mine for the rest of my life. I don’t want anyone to come between us again. Let’s get married.”

  “Are you serious? We’ve only been together a couple of months.”

  “I know, and I don’t care. You’re it for me, Dani. I knew it the moment my eyes locked on you in college. I knew it when I had to sit and watch you be with my best friend. I knew it when you showed me that engagement ring. And I know it now. I don’t want to put it off any longer. I’ve almost lost you too many times, and I won’t do it again. Do I need to get down on my knees?” I ask, getting off her and the bed. I move to the floor beside the bed and drop to my knees. “There. Will you please marry me now?” I can’t hold back my nervous grin. I know she loves me, but this is sudden. She could still tell me no.

  She sits up and scoots closer to the edge. She leans over, so her lips are almost touching mine, and whispers, “Yes.”

  I spring up and tackle her onto the bed, causing her to giggle.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you,” she says louder.

  “Thank you. I love you,” I say against her skin as I pepper it with kisses. All the while, she can’t do anything but laugh. I pull back, locking my eyes on hers. “Let’s elope.”

  “What? When?”

  I shrug. “Now? Tomorrow? As soon as possible? I don’t care. Just…soon.”

  She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down to her. “We have work tomorrow.”

  “So, we’ll call in and play sick. Bennet won’t care.” I rest my forearms on either side of her head, brushing the strands of her blonde hair away from her beautiful face.

  “Let’s do it. Just you and me,” she agrees.

  I kiss her fast and hard, lost in the moment. She deepens the kiss, and my aching dick glides between her folds. With one roll of my hips, I slide inside, where I’m meant to be.

  I wake her in the morning by pressing soft kisses to her neck, shoulders, and back. “Wake up, sleepyhead. I have our bags packed and ready to go. Get dressed.”

  She rolls over and opens her eyes with a smile. “Where are we going?”

  “Vegas. I already bought our tickets.”

  “Well, you’ve been busy this morning, haven’t you?”

&
nbsp; “I couldn’t sleep. I was too excited. I bought our tickets last night. Come on. Get up and shower. Get dressed, and I’ll make breakfast. We have to be at the airport by eleven.”

  She places her hand in mine, and I pull her up.

  “What about work?”

  “I called Bennet and told him about our weekend. He understands. Now, go!” I shoo her toward the bathroom.

  You can’t beat the smile off my face with a hammer. I’m unbelievably happy right now. Knowing that Dani is going to be mine forever, it makes me feel like a child who just found his favorite toy. She’s all I can think about. She’s all that I want.

  I head into the kitchen and whip us up some banana pancakes. I’m tossing them onto a plate when she walks into the kitchen.

  “Something smells amazing.”

  “It’s you,” I whisper, pulling her in for a kiss.

  She laughs against my lips but kisses me back.

  I lead her to the table, and we sit and eat breakfast. While I change into some new clothes, she cleans up. We meet in the living room to head out.

  “What about rings?” she asks as soon as we step out into the hallway.

  I slide the key into the lock. “We’ll buy some there. We’ll have to wait a couple of days to get our marriage license anyway.” I take her hand in mine, and we walk to the elevator, ready to start the rest of our lives.

  We land in Vegas hours later, and the first thing we do is take our bags up to our honeymoon suite. The room is big and fancy, but all I can think about is making her mine. She runs from room to room like an excited child, checking out the bathroom with the Jacuzzi tub and walk-in shower. She shows me the sitting area and the bedroom, then leads me out to the balcony, where there is a pool.

  She gets a wicked gleam in her eye as a smile breaks wide open. Her hands move to the bottom of her shirt. She quickly pulls it off and tosses it at me. I catch it and throw it down before moving to strip down myself. Within minutes, we’re both completely naked and diving into the pool. I break the water and find her, pulling her against my chest and pressing my mouth to hers.