“Sleep. I didn’t sleep well without you.”
He kisses my forehead.
“Let’s sleep, then.”
“This is incredible.”
We’re lying on the mattress in the turret. All the lights are off, including the twinkle lights, and it’s late, well past sunset. The sky through the big windows is clear and alive with so many stars, it would be impossible to count them all.
“Did you see that?” Levi asks, pointing.
“Yeah, that’s the third shooting star I’ve seen.”
“Did you make a wish?”
I turn to look at his handsome face in the moonlight. “Am I supposed to wish on shooting stars?”
“Well, sure. It’s a thing.”
He looks at me and leans over to brush the tip of his nose against mine.
“Didn’t you know that?”
“Never heard of it. But there are still a lot of things I’ve never heard of.” I shrug and look up again, transfixed by the night sky.
“How did you learn?” he asks. “After you left and made it to LA, you would have been unaware of not just academic things, but pop culture of all kinds.”
“I was a sponge,” I admit. “I watched TV constantly. Read magazines. I couldn’t get enough of the radio, listening to everything I could get my ears on.
“After Donald took me on, he sent me to a tutor, five days a week, until I had the basics under my belt. I read fine, and I can do basic math, plus I learned a lot about history. I didn’t even know who the president was when I met Donald. So I pay attention, and I soak it all in.”
Levi rolls to his side, bracing his head on his hand, looking down at me.
“You’re smart, Starla.”
“Yeah.” I drag my fingertip down the length of his nose. “I am. If I wasn’t, I would still be there.”
“I’m glad you’re not.”
My finger lands on his lips, and he kisses it sweetly.
“Me, too. Okay, enough of the depressing stuff. I need an L word.”
He raises an eyebrow, and I look back up through the window.
“Why?”
“I’m writing a song, and I want an L word in this spot.”
“How does it go?”
I clear my throat. I’m so damn nervous. Why I thought this was a good idea, I’ll never know.
But here we are, and I already opened my big mouth, so there’s no going back now.
With my eyes pinned to the stars above, I start to sing.
There’s a star
In the sky
Close my eyes
This wish is mine
Through all the pain
All the tears
Loneliness
And worthless fears
He would find me
He would see me
And through my faults
He would still . . .
I stop singing, and suddenly, Levi is over me, cradling my head in his arms and kissing me like his very life depends on it.
“He does love you.” His voice is hoarse with emotion. The moonlight shines in his eyes. “Is that the L word you were looking for, sweetheart?”
I nod and bite my lip, watching him through tear-filled eyes. I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear the words until now.
“Loving you is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I’m not easy.” I laugh softly.
“Loving you is,” he insists, brushing his thumbs over the apples of my cheeks. “Even when I want to yell in frustration, I love you so much, I ache with it.”
He kisses my nose and down to my lips again. We’re already naked, having come up to the turret after a vigorous round of sex down in the master bedroom after we woke from our long nap.
He nudges his way between my legs and sinks inside me easily. Fully. Making me sigh in happiness.
He takes my hands, links our fingers, and presses them over my head as he makes slow, sweet love to me, kissing my neck and moving in long, delicious motions, sliding his lean body over mine as if we were made to fit together, just like this.
Every time with Levi is extraordinary.
This time with him is everything.
I lift my legs higher up on his sides, and he sinks even deeper.
“You amaze me,” he whispers against my skin. “You’re so fucking beautiful, I can’t stand it. I never stop wanting you.”
His hands slide down my arms, but I keep them above my head. He slips one hand under my ass, tipping me up just a bit and making the angle incredible.
“Holy hell.”
“You are love for me, Starla. You’re the most important part of my life.”
I cradle his face in my hands.
“I love you, too, Levi Crawford.”
His eyes close as if he’s so relieved he can’t help himself. And with the quiet night around us, we let go.
~Levi~
“Where is she now?”
I’m in Brad Hull’s office in the heart of Cunningham Falls. It’s nothing special. It’s certainly not as palatial as the chief of Seattle PD’s is.
But something tells me Brad does more than ride a desk here in Montana.
“She’s at the spa with your sister. I don’t believe anyone knows where we are, or that we were followed, but out of courtesy and for my own peace of mind, I wanted to give you a heads-up. And, of course, let you know I’m here and tell you that I’m carrying a weapon.”
“I appreciate that. Although almost everyone carries a weapon at some time or another around here.” Brad leans back in his chair, frowning. “It’s odd to me that the stalker has been able to mask their IP so well.”
“Same here. We have some of the best IT people on the west coast working on it, and so far, they’ve come up empty-handed.”
“Well, I hope you find this asshole soon. In the meantime, I’ll have my guys keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Things like that are easier to see in a small town like this.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” I rub my cheek in thought. “But it makes perfect sense. Thank you.”
“Anytime. Are you guys up at the treehouses?”
“Yes, and they’re incredible.”
He smiles proudly. “Jenna’s done a great job up there. Enjoy yourselves while you’re here, and if you need anything at all, we’re a phone call away.”
“I have it.” I raise my phone and give it a little wag. After I shake his hand, I walk out of the police station to the SUV that Christian loaned us rather than have to rent a car in our name.
Between Luke, Christian, and myself, we thought of everything to keep Starla and I completely untraceable. To anyone looking for us, it would appear that we simply disappeared.
I like it. But I’m still careful because Starla’s life is on the line, and I will not fuck this up.
I glance at the time. Starla and Jenna will be at the spa for at least another hour, so I drive around town, soaking it in.
It’s small but well-kept. The downtown has a rustic, woodsy atmosphere without sending it to over-the-top cheesy. There are restaurants, dress shops, a flower shop, and finally, toward the end of the main street, a coffee shop.
I find a parking space out front and walk inside Drips & Sips, in desperate need of caffeine. It’s bigger than it looks outside, with a nice gift shop and seating in the back.
“What can I get you?”
“Coffee. Highly caffeinated.”
“We have plenty of that.” The barista smiles as she taps the screen of her computer. “Where are you visiting from?”
“How do you know I’m visiting?”
She laughs now as she hands me my change and turns to the espresso machine to make my drink.
“Because I know everyone in this town, and I ain’t ever seen you around here before.”
“Guilty. I’m from California.”
She nods and continues to talk about tourists and some of the things I should go see while I’m here, but I ignore her, k
eeping an eye on the shop, making mental notes of who and what I see.
It’s a habit of the job.
A redheaded woman sits at a table in the back with headphones on, typing vigorously on a laptop. An older grey-haired woman drinks coffee with a younger friend, both deep in conversation.
The bell above the door rings as a tall man in a suit walks in, waves at the barista, then walks quickly to where the redhead is typing.
“Ty!” the woman exclaims and stands to hug him.
“Here you go. Have a fun vacation.”
“Thanks.” I wave and walk back out to the car, ready to go and find my girl and take her back to the treehouse.
“I get it,” Starla says a couple of days later. We’re standing at the top of Whitetail Mountain after riding the chairlift all the way up. There’s a place up here to buy a beer or a meal, but aside from that, we’re surrounded by trees and more mountains.
“What do you get?” I ask as I watch Starla stare out across the valley before us.
“Why people want to live here.” She smiles over at me. “It’s quiet. The people are so nice. And good-looking. Did you notice that?”
“No,” I say with a laugh. “I don’t think I was paying attention to that.”
“It’s almost weird,” she says. “Anyway, I like it here.”
“It’s nice.”
“But you don’t want to live here.”
“I’m a city boy,” I confess with a shrug. “So, yes, this is beautiful, and I would definitely visit again, but I like living in Seattle.”
“I get it.” She walks over to the other side of the mountain, looking into Glacier National Park and toward Canada. “I guess I’m just enjoying the peacefulness of it.”
“As you should. This is your vacation.”
I take her hand in mine and pull it to my mouth, casually kissing her knuckles.
“Let’s take the chair back down,” she says, leading me to the chairlift. “The view is going to be off the hook.”
“Let’s do it.”
There’s no line when we arrive. The kid running the lift gives us instructions on where to stand, and we hop onto the chair, get settled, and he lowers the bar over us, securing us.
“I knew it,” she says with a wide grin as we glide over the top of the mountain and see the valley below. There’s a huge lake at the edge of the town, and we can see a dozen or so boats zooming over the water. “Today would be a great day to be on the water.”
“Do you like to boat?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “I’ve never done it.”
“Never?”
“I’ve been a little busy touring.” She shrugs a shoulder and then points to the horizon. “Look! There’s another town and lake way out there. Geez, we must be able to see fifty miles away.”
She’s like a kid, seeing the most amazing thing of her life. Her excitement is so palpable. She’s been all over the world on tour, but it occurs to me that she would have always been in a hotel and a venue, not out exploring the sights.
We need to change that for her in the future.
“The spa was amazing the other day,” she says as she swings her feet in the air. “I’ve been to some of the best spas in the world, and this one could go up against any of them any day of the week.”
“That’s quite an endorsement.”
“It’s the truth. I loved it.”
I’m not watching the scenery, as gorgeous as it is. I’m watching Starla. She’s come alive in the past three days since we’ve been here. She’s relaxed and happy. And sexy as hell—but that’s always the case.
I love seeing her like this, and if Cunningham Falls, Montana, does this for her, I’ll buy her a vacation house here myself.
“I wonder if Donald is freaking out yet,” she says, biting her lip.
“You didn’t tell him where we were going?”
“I left my phone in Seattle,” she confesses, and I realize I haven’t seen her pull her phone out once. “I just wanted to disengage.”
“Well, you’ve done a good job of it. Do you want me to call Donald and let him know you’re safe?”
“No.” She sighs and watches as we approach the bottom of the lift. “He’ll be fine. I’ll call him when we get back in a couple days.”
“We rode the chairlift yesterday like you suggested,” Starla tells Jenna as she eats some of the best garlic bread I’ve ever had. “It was amazing.”
“I’m so glad you went,” Jenna says. “I think they close the lift for the season next weekend, so it was good timing. And it was such a clear day yesterday, I bet you could see all the way to Canada.”
“I can’t believe how beautiful it is here,” Starla says. “It doesn’t look real.”
“It’s real.” Christian grins. “I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the area.”
“No one’s recognized me,” Starla says with awe. “And if they did, they didn’t say a word. I went into a dress shop yesterday. What’s it called?” She looks at me, but I can’t remember.
“Dress It Up?” Jenna asks.
“Yes! Such cute things in there. I think I bought everything.”
“Willa’s married to my brother, Max,” Jenna says. “Her store is fantastic.”
“We’ll definitely be back,” Starla says with confidence, and Christian smiles at me.
“You haven’t said a word.”
“If the lady wants to come here on vacation, her wish is my command.”
“Do you like it here?” Jenna asks me, and all three pairs of eyes turn to me.
“I do. It’s a great little town. Like I told Starla yesterday, I’m a city boy. I love Seattle, and I’ll always want to live there. But this is a great place to visit.”
“I hope you’ll visit often,” Jenna says with a smile. “Now, we have to figure out what to order for dinner before the waitress gets mad. Ciao has the best pasta in town, but they also have amazing pizza.”
“I’m going to have to hike that mountain tomorrow rather than ride the chair. My ass is going to grow ten sizes after I eat all this pasta.”
“So worth it,” Jenna says. “So, so worth it.”
“Oh my God.”
My fingers tangle in Starla’s hair as I surface from a deep sleep. She’s sucking me off, that magical mouth of hers working me over like nothing else I’ve ever experienced.
I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but I’d gladly do it every single day for the rest of my life.
She cups my balls and rubs that skin just behind them firmly, and I come up off the bed.
“Christ.”
She grins but doesn’t stop.
“If you don’t want me to come in your mouth, stop now.”
But she doesn’t stop, and that alone makes me want to lose it. She’s moving faster, jerking me harder, and I can’t hold it together.
I can’t stop the orgasm moving through me like a fucking freight train.
I’m still heaving, lying on my back, staring at the ceiling when she climbs over me and smiles down at me.
“Good morning, handsome.”
“Holy hell.”
“I’ll be right back.”
She hurries off the bed and runs into the bathroom. I hear the water running for what seems like a long time, and then she scurries back.
I smell toothpaste on her breath.
“Good morning.” I find my voice.
“That was fun.”
“That was a fucking blast.”
She giggles and tucks herself against my side, snuggling in deep. She draws circles on my chest, through the light spattering of hair there.
“Couldn’t sleep?” I ask.
“It’s almost ten.”
I frown and reach for my phone. Sure enough, it’s 9:45. “I never sleep this late.”
“You’re finally relaxing.”
She’s right. I don’t think I’ve been this relaxed since I started my job on the force twenty years ago. I definitely haven’t slept this
hard, or this late, that’s for sure.
“Maybe Montana is better for you than you’re willing to admit,” she says.
“Do you want to make a home here?” I ask her, rolling onto my side so I can look her in the eyes.
“I don’t know.” She frowns slightly, thinking it over. “To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever felt like I had a home base. What I grew up in was a prison. I’ve been touring for so long. The bus was home, and then the plane. I have a mausoleum in LA.”
“A what?”
“The place is huge. And it echoes, and it’s perfect for photo shoots. I mean, yes, the closet is to die for, and I like pretty things so I’ll always need a huge closet, but the house is twelve thousand square feet, Levi.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. I could get lost in it. There are rooms I’ve never been in. It used to be one of the Kardashians’ houses. I forget who.
“Anyway, it’s way too big for me, and it’s not my home. If it was, I would have stayed there during my mandatory ninety days off.”
“That’s true.”
“I’d say the people in Seattle are my home.” Her voice quiets to a whisper at the last word. “Meredith and her family, Jax and Logan, and now you.”
I tip up her chin so I can kiss her soft lips.
“How long are you going to be a police officer?”
“That’s an interesting question.”
She sighs. “I know. I’m curious.”
“The plan has been to be with the force until I retire.”
“So, more than twenty more years?” She frowns. “That’s a long time.”
“Most cops don’t work the field that long. They move up and work a desk, delegating to those in the field. I’ve thought of doing that, too. When I’m a little older.”
“What you do is dangerous.”
“Sometimes.”
She chews her lip.
“Are you worried about me, sweetheart?”
“Of course, I am.” She frowns and cups my cheek. “I love you. If something were to happen, it would destroy me.”
“Nothing’s going to happen.”
“Don’t say that.” She covers my lips with her finger. “You can’t promise me that. I’ve heard it before and still lost. We don’t know what will happen. And I’m not asking you to leave the force, because it’s who you are, and you’re good at it. Amazing. It’s your passion. If you asked me to give up music, we wouldn’t be together.”
Dance With Me Page 17