“So,” She said in her light, airy voice, “what have you been up to these days? Working a lot? I haven't seen much of you lately.” Victoria felt slightly defeated. She missed seeing his face at school every day, but since he graduated she felt disconnected from his new life.
“Yeah, I've been busy. And Tyne has been taking the car a lot more than I would like. But you know how big sisters are. Always doing what they want, and never really thinking about anyone else.”
“Levi!” Victoria shot up from the sofa and shook her finger at him accusingly. “You and I both know that is not how Tyne is at all. She takes really good care of you. Levi, you should appreciate her.”
Levi blushed, proving how right Victoria was. “I know. It's just hard sometimes, you know. But sometimes I wish she could just be my sister, but she's my mom, too. It's weird having a mom only six years older than you.”
Victoria relaxed at his admission and sat back down. Tyne had become like a sister to her over the years, she would got to the end of the earth for her. “I guess that would be weird,” Victoria agreed, “but still she loves you. More than your mom did.”
Comments like that should sting people, really hurt them where it counts, but when Victoria said things like that to Levi it just rolled off him. She was just like that, always saying how she felt. It was never to make anyone feel sorry for themselves, it was just how things were.
Victoria watched Levi sink lower into the leather sofa. He put his hand over his eyes and thought for a moment. Victoria watched the rise and fall of his chest, taking in the attractive man in front of her. They had been so close for so long she sometimes forgot how much they had grown up over the years. In his suit he looked like a grown man. A delicious one.
She snuggled up to him. He lay back on the couch and Victoria simply fell onto his thick chest. It was a small gesture, but it spoke volumes. She was comfortable enough with him to lay there with her eyes closed and enjoy a quiet moment. He pulled his hand away from his eyes and rested it on her head. Victoria laid there in peace until she felt Levi brush his lips over the top of her hair.
She opened her eyes slowly, turning her head to face him. “Did you just kiss me?”
Levi’s face showed his complete panic. Victoria watched his face go through more emotions than she thought one person could possibly feel. Fear, panic, loss… she didn’t know which ones he truly felt. Victoria sat up slowly until her whole body was directed at him. Their eyes locked. Victoria yearned for more, more of his touch, of his kisses, sweet and innocent.
When he didn’t speak for a long time Victoria decided she needed to lighten the mood. “Well, that took you long enough.” A smile played on her lips; she leaned her head forward and matched her forehead to his. She pushed up on her right arm and slightly climbed on top of him in the corner of the sofa. Leaning closer, she whispered to him, “Levi? Do you promise to take care of me?”
“Yes,” was all he'd said, but Victoria could tell it meant so much more. It was the first promise he had made to her, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
2
The landscape began to shift around them allowing Victoria to realize just how far they were going outside of her college campus. “Levi? Where exactly are we going?”
He gave her a devilish grin, “I’m not going to tell you that.”
She smiled back at him, “No really, where is this place? You haven’t told me hardly anything about the weekend! And you know how much I don’t like surprises.” She knew that about herself, the perfect type A personality. It didn’t really matter what was going on, Victoria just needed to be in the loop. Sometimes she felt bad for Levi when he tried to surprise her with things and she always found out, but she knew it was probably for the best, because she would just annoy him until he told her what was really going on anyway.
“It’s up near the ridge. Why, you know somebody up there? Afraid we’re going to run into some crazy ex-boyfriend?” He chuckled to himself. Victoria watched as he started to relax allowing the tension from earlier to fall way. She liked seeing him like this, when he was happiest.
“No,” she said shyly. “I was just wondering, you know, if there would be a lot of people around.”
She noticed as the car accelerated quickly. “Is there a reason that you would like to be alone with me Victoria Blane?”
She smiled broadly. “I think you know the exact reason I want to be alone with you Levi Manor.” Victoria liked teasing him, it was her small power over him. Most of the time Levi was saying things to affect her. It was nice when Victoria could have it the other way around.
After driving for more than an hour they stopped at a gas station for some drinks and a bathroom break. The sky was full of stars and Victoria watched them as she stood up to take a stretch break from the vehicle. “Are you cold?” Asked a husky voice in her ear.
She turned slightly to see Levi’s lips right next her ear brushing her cheekbone slightly. “Maybe. Depends how you intend to warm me up.” She said with subtle flirtation.
He wrapped his arms around her slowly allowing his hands to touch her waist for only a moment, “I think that could be arranged.” He hugged Victoria tightly for only a moment and then moved away just as quickly as had he had arrived beside her. Victoria let out an exasperated sigh, clearly Levi was in a teasing mood as well. Sometimes he held more power than she did.
As they continued to drive Victoria felt her eyes getting heavy and so, after another twenty minutes, she closed them allowing herself to drift off into her memories. She watched as a movie of a carnival played in her mind. Levi had played a game for over an hour just to win her a teddy bear she mentioned looked soft. They laughed as he failed and cheered when he triumphed. It was a cloudless summer evening and they had spent all night out under the stars. That gigantic teddy bear now sat in a corner at Victoria’s parents’ house allowing her to reminisce whenever she looked at it. Victoria was startled out of her memories by a bright light shining into her window and Levi’s voice mixed with another man’s.
“It’s just over that hill over there. But don’t drive too fast, son, there’s some mud up ahead from the storm.” Victoria opened her eyes slightly to see an older gentleman with a graying beard shining a flashlight into the window. “Pretty girl you got there, son, make sure you take her up to the hot springs now.”
Levi nodded slowly, “Sure will. Thanks so much.” Victoria sat up a little bit straighter to allow the man to know that she was awake. She took in the older man’s appearance once more, he had a flannel shirt with the sleeves cuffed and suspenders holding his pants up. Victoria thought he was kind of cute, looked a little like the Santa Claus figure of her childhood.
Levi began to drive slowly taking caution on the turns of the road that the caretaker mentioned were slick. There was a lot of mud on the tires by the time the truck finally stopped in front of a small cabin with some smoke rising from a chimney.
“Do you think there’s a real fire in there?” Victoria asked smiling. Victoria couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen a real fireplace; there weren’t any at college for sure and her parents had a gas line.
“Yeah, before you woke up he was telling me how he started one for us since it’s been getting a little chilly up here at nighttime. So much for early spring.” Victoria shrugged. “But I think we’ll be fine, and I’ll keep you warm if it’s really cold,” he raised his eyebrows at the end making light of the situation. She knew that Levi could tell that she was concerned that it wasn’t warmer. Victoria loved to swim in the lakes or go boating or just lay on the sun for the day. That wasn’t really the type of weather that they would be experiencing. She wouldn’t be working on her tan over this weekend.
Levi carried the bags into the cabin and then came back for her. He swept Victoria up into his arms and walked slowly up the creaking steps leading to the wooden deck in front of the structure. Victoria tossed her head back to laugh as he struggled to carry her up the stairs. He set her
down on the covered porch and she turned the large metal door handle. It didn’t look like anyone had lived there in quite some time but to Victoria the rustic feel of the small cabin was cozy. There was a roaring fire in one corner of the room next to what looked to be a small kitchenette and then on the other side of the room a simple queen bed with a quilt lying on top to keep them warm. The fire had definitely made the room warmer than it was outside and Victoria quickly moved over to it to warm her hands.
“You like it?”
She smiled, “Yes, it’s perfect!” She threw her arms around him. He kissed her lightly on the lips before beginning to unpack their things as she sat down on a small circular rug in front of the fireplace. Dragging her hand back and forth on the knotted fibers she heard him rustling behind her. She turned around to find him wrestling with a bottle of wine. “Need help?”
“No I’ve got it. It’s just…” Finally the cork popped out and he poured two glasses of the dark red liquid. He handed her a glass before he sat down. He wrapped his empty arm around her and she snuggled into his a crook between his neck and shoulder.
For a few minutes they sat there in silence before Levi said, “Victoria? There’s something I want to tell you.”
She lifted her head up slightly to get a better view of Levi’s chiseled features and his stunning gray eyes. “Sure. What’s going on?” Victoria felt a surge of panic rise into her chest. What if he brought her here just to tell her that things weren’t going the direction that she thought? What if he wasn’t going to ask her to marry him? Or was this it? The moment she’d been waiting for, she couldn’t decide how to feel as she sat on the edge of her self-imposed anxiety.
Levi sighed heavily, “It’s just… It’s just that I love you so much. And I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you.” He took his index finger and lifted her chin up so that he could kiss her, filling Victoria with the sweet sensation of his love. When he had stopped kissing her she shook her head in order to try to regain focus.
“Levi you know that I love you. Why so serious all of a sudden?”
He shrugged, “I don’t know. I just felt like you needed to hear it.” He allowed his eyes to rest on the fire and Victoria snuggled back in between his shoulder and neck.
“You can say whatever you want. I don’t mind hearing it.”
He laughed, “Good to know. Thanks.”
###
The next morning Victoria was surprised to find it drizzling outside. She snuggled further under the quilt but when she reached over for Levi, he wasn’t there. She groggily opened her eyes and started to sit up looking for him, but he wasn’t inside the small cabin. Wrapping the quilt around her body she shuffled over to the window to look out and see Levi rearranging some things in the truck. Victoria opened it slightly and called out to him, “Morning, did you have breakfast yet?”
He waved back at her, there was mud down his jeans but he looked relaxed and almost cheerful. “No not yet. I’m trying to get down to the main house to get us some, it was included with our stay. God damn truck is stuck in the mud.”
Victoria sighed deeply, so much for getting to see the small town that was close by. “Well I packed some snacks.”
He smiled back at her and shrugged his shoulders before walking into the cabin. He took off his muddy boots just before stepping over the threshold. He walked over to Victoria and delivered a light kiss on the cheek, “How did I get so lucky?”
She smiled back at him devilishly, “Can’t tell ya. So what’s the grand plan for today vacation planner?”
He laughed at her teasing, “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”
She set her lips into a thin line, she didn’t like surprises very much.
“Don’t worry about it. Just eat your granola bar.”
After they ate and Victoria had gotten dressed Levi led her to the back of the cabin to a small trail. “I think you’re really going to enjoy this.”
They walked through the cool spring air while trees sprinkled light droplets on them. They walked in silence, hand-in-hand over small rocks and twigs, through the mud until Victoria finally heard rushing water. “Is that a waterfall?”
Levi smiled at her. “Nope. I did you one better.”
As they continued to walk they came upon a clearing with a small hot spring receded into the ground. There were rocks set up around it clearly put there by nature while others had been moved by people to keep clothes dry and supplies away from the steam. Victoria smiled and pushed Levi playfully. “You know I didn’t bring a bathing suit!”
Levi kissed Victoria on the lips pushing his body against hers, “Of course I know that.” He quickly began to strip, taking his hoodie and shirt off in a flash. Victoria watched with interested eyes as he turned to her, his tanned muscles rippling beneath the light rain. He walked over to her and wrapped his hands around her body to bring her closer. “You’re going to join me, right?” He whispered hotly in her ear.
She bit her lower lip and raised her lips to his ear. “Why don’t you help me out of these clothes?” He pulled back smiling at her teasing comment and began to undo the buttons on her jacket, one at a time slowly at first but as the tension built so did his speed. As he pushed the jacket from Victoria’s shoulders she stepped out of her flats and pulled off her long sleeved t-shirt. Levi bent down and ran his hands along the curves of her legs slowly pulling down on her jeans as he went. When he stood up Victoria was in nothing but an innocent set of light pink underwear. He went behind her to unfasten the clasps of her bra as her teeth began to chatter. She quickly bent down to remove her remaining clothes and slipped into the steaming water.
It felt like heaven against her skin. Victoria leaned her head back and closed her eyes to enjoy the peace of nature. She didn’t open them until she felt Levi’s strong hands pull her floating body close to him. He rubbed the top of her chest making small circles with his fingertips. It made her feel alive. All Victoria wanted was him. Nothing but Levi touching her skin, making her tremble. It was everything to her, he was everything to her. Victoria wrapped her legs around him as he pulled her hips down on top of him. She faced him, her lips touching the bridge of his nose. His hands searched her dewy skin running his fingers up and down her spine. Victoria reached her hands into his light brown hair pulling on it slightly. She felt the rumble of his moan before it reached her ears. The tension in her body matched his groans. They moved together with the water, allowing it to flow with their bodies.
Victoria pulled back slowly and said, “Why are you so good to me?”
He licked his lips, “Because I love you.”
That was it and it was enough.
3
Once they arrived back the cabin and dried off, Levi pulled out a button up shirt and some dark jeans. “I thought we would go get some dinner by the lake.”
Victoria was surprised, “Oh?” She thought of the one nice dress she had packed and how it would look covered in mud.
“Don’t worry I think the mud has dried up some and we can go out now. It’s probably best to just try it.”
She shrugged, “Okay, whatever you think.”
As Levi got dressed Victoria went to the bathroom to take a shower. Allowing the hot water to run down her skin reminding her of the intimate moment she and Levi had just shared in the hot spring. Closing her eyes she relived his touch on skin. The way her blood rushed like lava beneath his fingertips. When she turned the water off she waited for the steam to subside so she could look at herself in the mirror. She slipped into the dark burgundy dress and piled her light blonde hair in a bun on her head. She applied her makeup taking time to put on red lipstick generously.
Levi stood as she walked out into the main room. “You look…” He was speechless, the exact result she was looking for.
“I think the term you’re looking for is awesome.” She laughed and did a little twirl as she walked toward him.
He took her hands, “Awesomely sexy is more like it.” P
lacing his hands on her cheeks he pulled her in for a strong kiss. He bit her lip playfully when she moved to take a breath. “I’m not even sure I want to take you out anymore.”
“Oh no you don’t,” she said wagging a finger at him. “You promised dinner. And I’m famished.” She moved away from him and grabbed her coat. “Let’s go.”
“All right,” Levi conceded.
After starting the truck, twice, they were finally enroute to their destination. Victoria was so excited about their date but she didn’t ask where they were going. She knew that Levi had planned this whole weekend to impress her and she wasn’t going to ruin that for him. Not to mention with her class schedule and his work, they hardly had time for a romantic evening anymore. It almost made her nervous to be going out with him. The butterflies from the beginning of their relationship still existed.
She had her hands in her lap, but was moving them constantly. As Levi looked over to her he must have noticed her anxiety because he put his hand on hers to help calm her nerves.
“You okay? You seem, I don’t know…jumpy?”
She smiled. “Yes, I’m fine.” She squeezed his hand for emphasis.
“Great, because we’re almost there.”
They pulled up to a quaint little dwelling right on the water. The lake was so large that Victoria couldn’t see across it in the fading light. She wrapped her coat around her as she watched the sunset. The yellow flowing into the oranges and red made her feel calm and serene.
“You ready?” Levi asked as he offered her his arm.
“Sure,” she smiled.
Upon entering the little cottage they were offered a table near the window. A roaring fire was behind Levi keeping them both warm. A single rose adorned the table and they perused the menu looking for the perfect meal. They both ordered shrimp scampi, Victoria’s favorite.
After the waiter left them, Victoria continued to take in her surroundings. “This really is a cute little place.”
Stealing Promises Page 2