Page 82 of Stroke of Fate

Last night… what we did…it was everything and more. Like I knew it would be.

Lying here, wrapped in his arms, I feel lighter than I have in months.

I’m happy. And confused.

And if I’m honest with myself, I'm slightly terrified.

Where do we go from here?

Is it just sex?

History has a bad habit of repeating itself, and I don’t want to end up hurt and betrayed again.

I keep telling myself Levi’s not Hunter. But it’s more complicated than I thought it would be to let go of how my ex’s actions affected me.

I think back to yesterday when Levi made the masseuse joke. I knew it was harmless on his part, yet it triggered me. The same raw emotion I felt the day I caught Hunter cheating sliced through me despite it being ajoke.

My rambling thoughts make me restless, and I shift again, causing Levi to stir behind me.

“Bear,” Levi groans. His morning voice is sexy and groggy and slightly muffled by my hair. “Keep doing that, and my dick will slide into your pussy before I can give you a proper good morning kiss.”

Even though there’s a slight tenderness between my thighs, his words cause a flutter to stir in my belly. I shift again, this time deliberately, and smile when I feel his dick twitch against me.

I twist in his arms, and the lazy smile he gives me would have melted my panties right off if I was wearing them.

With his disheveled hair and sleepy eyes, he looks happy, and my heart trips over itself without my permission.

“Good morning,” I whisper, nestling in closer to him.

He kisses the tip of my nose. “Every morning would be a good morning if I wake up with you in my arms and your bare tits against my chest.”

“I’m content to stay in bed with you all day if you are,” I suggest eagerly.

That way, we don’t have to talk, and I don’t have to sort through my mess of feelings.

“Tempting,” he murmurs, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “But I’ve got to be somewhere soon.”

Frowning, I pull back slightly, trying to understand why he suddenly needs to leave. From our conversations, I know Sunday is his one day off from training, and he never mentioned having any plans last night.

“The same place you had to be last week Sunday?” I ask, thinking back to when I woke up on the couch with him practically having one leg out the door.

He never told me where he went, nor did I bring it up again, but now…

“Yes, but don’t give me that look.”

“What look?”

“The one where you think I’m making an excuse to get out of here.” He nips my bare shoulder.

“I wasn’t trying to imply-”

“Come with me.” More nipping. More distraction as his hands roam.

“What?” My brain feels sluggish, and I’m having trouble focusing on anything except the feel of his hands on my skin.

“Come with me, " he repeats. “I would have invited you last week, but I figured you probably weren’t up for it with the cramps you were having.”

I roll my lips together, contemplating what he said, and I want to shake myself for always thinking the worst. I hate how I’ve been conditioned to second-guess everything.

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