Running Into Love

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  “Tired?”

  “Yes,” I whisper against his skin, cuddling deeper into his chest, feeling my eyes grow heavy. I mumble, “Three orgasms will do that to a girl.” Listening to him laugh makes me smile.

  “Christ,” he groans, and I blink my eyes open, not knowing when I fell asleep. I hear a paw hit the door. I’m such a bad dog mom—I didn’t even greet my girl when I came in, not that Levi gave me a chance to, but still. “She probably needs to go out. You wanna stay here or come out with me?” he asks, and I tip my head back to look at him.

  “I’ll stay, if that’s okay,” I say, feeling too exhausted to get up and get dressed to go outside. “All right, baby.” His eyes search mine for a long time before he closes his eyes and shakes his head. I want to ask him what he’s thinking, but before I can, he leans down to kiss my forehead, and then my lips. Rolling me to my back, he pulls out of me slowly, making me mewl in protest, and my arms tighten around him. I don’t want to let him go, and he must know what I’m thinking, because he smirks. Bending his head he presses a soft kiss to my lips. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” I agree, releasing him. Watching him stand, grab his sweats off the floor, and put them on, I sit up and move until I’m leaning back against the headboard. I pull the sheet up around me and tuck it under my arms. These last two weeks I’ve watched him get dressed just like I’m doing now, I’ve run with him in the mornings, lazed with him in bed, eaten breakfast and dinner with him, whispered in the dark about the future—but even with all of that, nothing could have prepared me for what I’m feeling right now. I knew it would happen eventually, but I didn’t expect to feel the way I do right now. This is way too fast, I know it is, but I also know there is no denying that I’m falling in love with him.

  “You okay, baby?” he asks, and my eyes focus on his.

  “Uh . . . yeah.” I nod, wondering if he can see what I’m feeling right now, and I bite my lip.

  “You sure?” God, he’s so nice, so perfect.

  “Yeah.” I nod again. “I’m sure. Just wondering if we will be able to find a turkey tomorrow,” I say to cover what I’m really thinking.

  “We can go out early. This is Manhattan—somewhere will have a turkey.”

  “Do you know how to cook one?” I ask, and he grins smugly. “Never mind, of course you would know how to cook a turkey.” I roll my eyes, watching his smile until it disappears behind a shirt he pulls down over his head. Hearing Muffin’s paw hit the door again and her huff of aggravation, I start to get up to let her in but lean back once more as he goes to the door and twists the knob.

  As soon as the door is open, Muffin unexpectedly pushes past him to get to me and hops up onto the bed. “Hey, girl,” I greet her as she pushes her face into my chest. Rubbing her head, I scratch her behind her ears, then smile as she drops to the bed to lie down with her head in my lap. “Maybe she didn’t need to go out after all,” I say, looking up at Levi.

  “She’s going, even if I have to carry her,” he mutters, putting a hoodie on over his shirt. Smiling at that, I debate getting up and putting something on just so I can watch if that really does happen. “Why are you smiling?”

  “Just picturing you carrying Muffin down the block after she’s refuses to budge.” I laugh, and he shakes his head.

  “She’s doing better since her classes have started.” He’s right—last week I took her to one obedience class by myself, and Levi came with me to another one. She did well, but I think it was more about the constant feeding of treats than anything else. “It may take some time, but she’ll get there,” he says, walking toward the bed. Leaning over Muffin, he wraps his hand around the side of my face, then leans in and kisses me before pulling back to look down at Muffin. He rubs the top of her head. “Come on, girl.” She lifts her head off my lap to look at him, and I expect her to lie right back down, but she surprises me by standing and jumping down off the bed and trotting out of the room.

  “Be right back.” He leans over, kissing me again, then stands and walks out of the room. I hear the front door open and close. Rolling over, I get up and head for the bathroom, picking up my panties off the floor as I go. Turning on the light near the door, I walk to the sink and look at myself in the mirror. My blonde hair is out of control, the curls that I thought I tamed this morning are now wild. My eyes are sparkling and my lips swollen. Turning on the warm water, I clean up quickly, then put on my panties and head for the bedroom. Not wanting to wear the clothes I came home in, I grab one of Levi’s shirts from a drawer and slip it on over my head before pulling my hair out of the neck, feeling the fabric brush against my thighs as I drop my arms.

  Padding to the kitchen to get a glass of water, I stop in the living room on the way back to the bed when something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. Moving across the room without thinking, I feel my stomach melt. Sitting on the coffee table is Levi’s open laptop, with the sleep screen sliding through picture after picture—some with him and his family, others with him and me. I didn’t even know he had taken so many pictures of us together. Taking a seat on the couch, I turn the computer to face me and watch the pictures slide by until I hear the doorknob turning. Jumping off the couch, feeling like I’m going to be caught doing something I shouldn’t be, I run for the bedroom, stubbing my toe on the edge of the bed right before I fall into it. Turning over quickly, I sit back and pull the blanket over my lap.

  “Back, babe,” he calls from the living room, and I take a breath, trying to fight back the pain in my toe.

  “That didn’t take long,” I squeak through the pain.

  “No,” he says, walking into the bedroom, ripping off his sweatshirt, and tossing it into his closet. “She handled her business as soon as we made it across the street to the park,” he says, then turns to look at me, frowning. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine . . . Why?” I say casually, like my toe isn’t throbbing so badly that I wonder if it isn’t broken.

  “You look a little flushed.”

  “Hmm, weird. I don’t know, maybe it’s hot in here,” I say, trying to shrug off his concern.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks again, and tears from the pain start to fill my eyes.

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re getting ready to cry,” he points out, and I pull in a breath through my nose to fight the tears back.

  “I think I broke my toe.” I squeeze my eyes closed.

  “What?” He frowns, studying me.

  “I think I broke my toe,” I repeat, and he takes a step closer to the bed.

  “I was gone maybe fifteen minutes. How did you break your toe in that time?”

  “I stubbed it when I was jumping into bed,” I admit, opening my eyes as he pulls the blanket off me. I yank my foot away from him when it looks like he’s going to prod at it, and his eyes meet mine.

  “Let me look at it, baby.”

  “Don’t touch it,” I say through a panted breath. The idea of him touching it is enough to make me scream out in pain.

  “I won’t touch it,” he agrees, and I slowly slide my foot back toward him. Picking it up he lifts my leg off the bed and carefully twists it this way and that while looking at my second toe.

  “It hurts bad.”

  “You’ll be okay.”

  “Do I need to go to the hospital?”

  “No, just ice every twenty minutes and a couple of pain pills,” he says, carefully placing a kiss to the top of my foot before setting it down on the bed.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure. I’ll get some ice and aspirin,” he says, propping my foot up on a pillow. “Why were you jumping into bed?”

  “It’s just something I do sometimes.” I shrug, and his eyes narrow. “Fine, I was looking at your computer . . . the pictures on your slide show,” I add quickly, not wanting him to think I was going through his computer. “I heard you coming in and I . . . I didn’t want you to think I was snooping through your stuff.”

  �
��I’m not sure it’s snooping when I leave the thing out and open, but I am sure you’re accident-prone and should probably keep that in mind when doing crazy shit.”

  “I wasn’t doing crazy shit,” I defend as Muffin wanders into the room and lays her head on the side of the bed near my hip.

  “I’m not going to argue with you about it. I’ll be back.”

  “I’m not arguing,” I mutter under my breath. He shakes his head and leaves the room, coming back a few minutes later with a glass of water, two red-and-blue pills, and a bag of ice. He hands me the pills and water; I take them quickly while he goes to the bathroom and comes back out with a towel that he wraps the ice in before placing it on my foot. “Thank you,” I whisper as he kisses my forehead before stands back up.

  “Any time.” He smiles as I lean my head back against the headboard and watch him pull off his shirt and kick off his sneakers. “Go lie down, girl,” he tells Muffin, who has walked over and leaned into him. Dropping my gaze to her, I watch her walk across the wood floors and lie down on a dog bed in the corner of the room that I hadn’t noticed before. The thing looks expensive—it’s thick, maybe seven inches deep, and more than big enough for her, with black corduroy material along the outside edge and plush, soft-looking gray material on the top. “You got Muffin a bed,” I say, watching her turn in circles before plopping down with a groan.

  “Yeah, she’s not sleeping in bed with us, and I know there are times she wants to be in here, so I’m compromising with her.”

  “You’re compromising with her,” I repeat in awe. He got my dog a bed for his place, he has pictures of us together as the screen saver on his computer, he told me that he wasn’t letting me go. Studying him, I wonder if he might not be falling a little in love with me, too.

  Chapter 10

  SURPRISE . . . NOT SO MUCH

  LEVI

  Waking suddenly to heavy pounding coming from the front door of my apartment, I vow to shoot the motherfucker who’s ruining my morning. My first morning with Fawn after making her mine, the first morning of having her naked in my bed, the first morning I can slide into her. “Fuck,” I snarl as that thought leaves my head and the pounding gets louder. Throwing the blanket off, I get out of bed, wondering how the hell Fawn is sleeping through this shit, then, looking down at her sleeping form, I smile. Her wild hair is spread out across my pillow, her hand tucked under her cheek; the sheet only covers one creamy thigh. The other leg is crooked at the knee. I might or might not be the cause of her exhaustion. I couldn’t keep my hands off her last night. Every time I woke up, I took her, just to remind myself that she was real, that she was with me, and that she was mine.

  Finding a pair of boxers, I put them on, then slip on my sweats, watching Muffin finally decide to get up. “Stay,” I tell her, pointing at the bed, and she sits. Glancing at the clock, I see that it’s not even eight yet. Shutting the bedroom door behind me, I head across the living room, unlock the door, and swing it open without checking the peephole, ready to kill whoever it is on the other side. “Wh—” My words come to a halt as I stare at Fawn’s mom, dad, sisters, and a dozen other people behind them that I do not fucking know.

  “Surprise!” Katie cries happily, leaning up to grab my stunned face and pull it down toward her so she can kiss my cheek. “Happy Thanksgiving, Levi.” She pats my jaw before she pushes past me and walks inside my place.

  “Just go with it,” Aiden, carrying an armful of bags, mutters, shaking his head and following his wife into my apartment.

  “Happy Thanksgiving.” Libby laughs at the look on my face while holding a casserole dish against her stomach as she moves past me.

  “Don’t worry, it won’t be too bad,” Mac says, leaning up to kiss my cheek. “Welcome to the family,” she says, and my chest fills with something I don’t have time to dissect right now as a man, woman, and two boys come forward.

  “Carl Reed, Fawn’s uncle; my wife, Anna; and my boys, Mike and Tim. Nice to meet you.” Carl pats my shoulder as he walks past me with his wife and sons following, all carrying grocery bags.

  What the fuck is going on?

  “Amy and Gene.” A woman who looks a lot like Katie smiles as she asks where she should put the dish she’s carrying.

  “I don’t know,” I mutter to her back, then turn to face another group of people.

  “Thomas and Marcie. Our kids, Teea and Brandon.” Thomas smiles.

  Teea stares up at me with wide eyes, and Brandon lifts his chin, asking, “Do you have any video games?”

  “Yeah, Xbox.” I smile, and he grins.

  “Cool.” He follows his parents into the house, and I look up at the last two people in the hall.

  “I’m Ethan, Fawn’s cousin, and this is my fiancée, Enessa. Nice to meet you.”

  “Yeah, nice to meet you.” I check the hall to make sure there is no one else coming before closing the door.

  Looking at everyone in my living room and kitchen, I don’t even stop to speak to anyone. I head to the bedroom and shut the door. Seeing Fawn is still asleep, I walk to the bed and climb in behind her, pulling her back against me. “Baby.”

  “No, no more, I need sleep. You have to let me sleep,” she whines, and I grin as she bats me away with her eyes closed.

  “You may want to get up,” I inform her, getting up on my elbow. I look down at her and run my fingers up the length of her neck to her jaw.

  “No.

  “Yeah,” I say softly, and she shakes her head, keeping her eyes closed.

  “No, I want to sleep. Who cares about the turkey we can have leftover Thai food?” She presses her ass back into me, making me groan and my cock harden against her.

  “I don’t think we need to worry about getting a turkey, since about twenty people just showed up here with food.”

  “What?” Her nose scrunches up.

  “Your family is here.”

  “What?” she repeats, turning to face me and finally blinking her eyes open. She frowns. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your family is currently sitting in my living room.” Blinking again she shakes her head, causing the mass of curls surrounding her face to move. She’s beautiful, and I hate that I can’t do what I really want to do right now—which is make her come and listen to the sweet sounds she makes when she’s on edge.

  “Are you kidding?”

  “Wish I was, but no.” She closes her eyes.

  “My family is here?” she asks, her tone full of disbelief.

  “Yeah, babe, . . .” I pause, then add, “All of them.”

  “Oh god,” she groans, rubbing her face with her hands. “I should have known. I should have known my mom would do this . . . ‘Go spend Thanksgiving with Levi, it will be fine.’ Blah, blah, blah . . .” She pulls her hands away and turns to look at me, raising a brow. “So do you still think your family will make mine look tame?”

  “God, you’re cute.” I change the subject, watching her eyes soften. Her family really is nuts. I know my family is crazy, but compared to hers they seem normal.

  “I guess I should get—”

  “Levi,” Katie calls. We both look at the door. “I don’t want to interrupt. I know you’re probably busy . . .” She pauses. “But I searched everywhere, and I can’t find any flour.”

  “Mom,” Fawn shouts, sitting up on her elbows causing the sheet to drop and rest below them, “there’s flour at my house. Grab my apartment key out of my purse on the island and all of you go over there.”

  “Oh, morning, honey,” she says, and even though I can’t see it, I have no doubt Fawn’s mother is smiling. “Don’t rush. Take your time.”

  “I swear I was adopted,” Fawn groans, falling to her back, then turning to look at me. “I’m so sorry about this.”

  “Don’t apologize.” My hand moves to her stomach, and I drop my eyes there as it slides over her smooth, creamy skin toward her breast. Watching her nipple harden, I smile. She’s so sensitive that I barely have to touch her fo
r her body to react.

  “Levi.”

  “Yeah?”

  “We have to get up,” she whispers as I drag one finger along the underside of her breast and up to circle her tight nipple.

  “I know.” I lean over to lick her other nipple, feeling it harden against my tongue. Her hands move to my hair and lock me in place as her knees bend and her thighs tighten together.

  “Please,” she breathes as my fingers move back down her body over her stomach.

  “You have to open for me, baby.”

  “My family,” she says, but her legs relax just enough to let me in.

  “I’m half-tempted not to let you come,” I say, and her eyes spring open. “I’m half-tempted to stop so you’ll know exactly what I’m going to be feeling all day with your family here.”

  “But you won’t do that, right?” she asks as my fingers slide between her folds, finding her dripping wet already. I rub my middle and pointer fingers up and down along the outside edge of her clit, giving her just enough that her body begins to light up but not what she really needs.

  “I don’t know, what do you think I should do?”

  “I think you shouldn’t tease me.”

  “I would never tease you, gorgeous. I may make you wait to come, but I promise I will always get you off.” I pull her nipple into my mouth while thrusting two fingers deep inside her. Her body arches off the bed, and she whimpers. I know she’s trying to keep quiet—I know she can hear people in the other room, so she knows if she’s too loud they will be able to hear her. Quickening the pace of my fingers, I nip the tip of her nipple, hearing her gasp as her pussy starts to flutter. Fuck me. I lean back, gritting my teeth, watching her face as she gets closer to coming. It takes everything in me not to slide between her legs and take her as her pussy tightens and her juices soak my hand.

  “Levi,” she pants, and her legs start to shake as her hands wrap around my arm.

  “Let it go.” I lean forward and cover her mouth with mine as she orgasms, digging her nails into my arm and moaning against my tongue. Pulling back as the flutter of her pussy slows, I pull my fingers out of her, watching a smile light up her face as I suck my fingers clean.