Page 23 of Along Came Summer

“Oh my God, Lex, you’re impossible!”

* * *

After a refreshing shower, I step out of the bathroom and into the bedroom and find various garments laid out on the bed. My empty stomach growls at the smell of food lingering in the air. I hadn't realised that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast this morning. Clearly, my mind has been more than a little preoccupied to consider feeding myself. With Wyatt and Lexi’s help, I got myself dressed, fed and ready in time to go and meet Levi. With the butterflies flapping around wildly in my stomach, I couldn’t eat more than a slice of pizza.

We spent a good ten minutes deliberating an outfit and finally settled on a casual yet suggestive red floral co-cord set. The bottom is a long flowy skirt with a slit up the front, and the top is an off-the-shoulder crop top showing a tasteful amount of my sun-kissed torso. My damp, dark curls fall over my shoulders as I approach the seemingly impenetrable steel door of Levi’s studio. Checking the time on my phone, I smile. 19:59, right on schedule. I draw in a deep breath and knock on the door, trying and failing to ease my nerves while I wait for an answer.

As the lock clicks open, my pulse starts to race. The steel door slides back, unveiling Levi King standing in the doorway, wearing just a pair of loose-fitting black jeans that reveal the waistband of his Hugo Boss boxers. His dark hair is pulled up into a messy bun at the top of his head. My mouth and throat both go dry at the sight of him. How is it fair that it took me almost an hour to get ready, yet here he is standing there looking like every woman’s wet dream without even trying?

I can feel the heat rising from my cheeks when Levi’s tongue darts out to give his lower lip a slow lick. His deep brown eyes slowly sweep over the length of my body while he rubs the back of his neck and shakes his head. I’m fully dressed, yet I feel completely exposed, like he’s just peeled away my clothing and is examining every inch of me.

My pulse quickens when he takes a step closer, the air between us heavy and electric. My eyes find his when he reaches out to brush the back of his fingers against my left cheek, and I feel a shiver deep in my bones.

“Fuck, you're so beautiful, Mira,” he breathes, his thumb lightly caressing my jaw. My breath hitches in my throat, and my pulse pounds in my ears while I stare up into those dark, penetrating eyes of his.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I say with a smile after finally finding my voice.

“Come on in,” Levi’s lips curl into a gorgeous smile as his hand slips away from my jaw, and he takes my hand into his, pulls me into his studio and pulls the door shut behind me. “Seven fifty-nine, right on time.”

I smile, keeping my eyes locked on his as I walk into the studio, “Well, I did consider coming later and letting you wait, but I didn’t want to run the risk of having you show up at the hotel and causing a scene.” Levi chortles amusedly as he closes the door behind me.

The moment the door slid open, I was surrounded by the aroma of paint and turpentine—not overpoweringly, but just enough to let me know that a masterpiece was underway. That distinct smell of creativity clings to the air. Dozens of candles are the only source of light in the room. Every corner of the studio has an easel, each one holding a painting in various stages of completion. The calming melody of music provides an additional atmosphere to the studio.

My eyes wander around the room as I venture further in. A large empty canvas is lying on top of a white sheet, surrounded by paints and brushes at the ready, waiting to be used. At the far end of the studio, there's a neatly made king-size bed sheathed in black satin sheets.

As much as I adore satin sheets, I can't help but wonder if we'll even make it to the bed with the electric charge between us. Those thoughts barely make it through my mind when Levi steps up behind me, his chest lightly pressing against my back and both his hands coming up to rest on my upper arms, drawing me back until I’m flush against him. The delightful warmth of his body seeps into mine, and I find myself craving more of it. “Would you like some wine, princess?” he murmurs lowly against my ear, and I bite my lip and nod in response, immediately hating myself for it when he steps away and takes his warmth with him.

This is good. The wine is a good shout because my nerves are shot to shit, and I could do with some liquid courage to calm down before I make an absolute div of myself. “So, do you live here?” I ask as I walk over to one of the paintings sitting on one of the easels in the corner of the room. I set my clutch on the windowsill by the easel. The abstract painting depicts a woman with her closed eyes and a plume of smoke billowing from her lips. Whether she’s a real person or simply a figment of Levi’s imagination, one thing is for certain: she’s gorgeous, and Levi’s work isin-freaking-credible. I mean, it was clear he had talent when he was younger, but he’s certainly honed his skill since the last time I saw him.

“Not officially, no,” Levi answers with an amiable smile while uncorking the bottle of wine and filling the two glasses sitting on the wooden workbench. “I have an apartment not far from here, but as you can probably tell by the state of the place, this is, in a way, my home, too. I wind up spending more time here than I do at my place.” He explains, picking up both glasses of wine and walking over to me.

“It’s a great space,” Levi nods and holds out the glass of white wine to me, and I take it from him and continue admiring the painting. “I can see why you wouldn’t want to leave.” I express and gesture to the painting as I lift the glass of wine to my lips to take a sip. “Is this one of your pieces for the exhibition? It’s magnificent.”

Levi gazes at the artwork before him, seemingly deep in thought. With a shake of his head, he says, “I’m not sure yet. I painted this weeks ago, hoping it would incite something, but so far, I’m drawing a blank.” He takes a sip from his glass of wine and looks away pensively. “I need a theme that links all my pieces together.”

I nod in understanding, glancing at him from the side of my eye. Observing him examining his work with a critical eye, likely highlighting every tiny flaw. “Well, it’s why we’re here, right? To figure it out.” I point out, and Levi looks up from his painting; he cocks his head to the side, a playful grin on his lips.

The burning desire I see in his eyes tells me that tonight, the only thing he and I are figuring out is how to make one another quake with unrivalled pleasure. “It sure is.”

My face grows warm under his unwavering stare, “Just tell me how I can help?” Levi takes a step forward, towering over me. I can feel the warmth of his body and the spicy notes of his aftershave surrounds me. My gaze flickers down to his inviting mouth, moist from where he licked his lips a second ago. His hand reaches out to cup my left cheek, his thumb tenderly stroking my jaw.

“Well, you can start by kissing me.” He proclaims breathily. “I’ve spent all afternoon thinking about kissing these luscious lips.” My eyes close, and my pulse spikes in anticipation when his lips lightly graze mine with every sluggish word.

My free hand comes up and rests upon Levi’s solid, warm chest as our mouths meld together. His fingers that had been caressing my cheek drift downwards until they rest at the nape of my neck as he deepens the kiss. That first languid swipe of his tongue over mine renders me weak in the knees, and I can't hold back the audible moan of gratification that soars out of me.

My mind is in a haze, so focused on kissing Levi that I don’t even recognise when the glass of wine vanishes from my hold—not until my arms are snaking around his neck, and his strong arms circle my waist, drawing my body flush against his. We continue to kiss heatedly until our lungs scream in protest, and we’re forced to break the kiss and take a couple of deep breaths.

“Shit,” Levi pants, pressing his forehead to mine while his fingers comb through my hair. “I’ve never had someone turn me on so much with just a kiss.” My eyes flit up to meet his gaze, and I smile, biting my lip. “You’ve got me on edge, Mira. I’m still rock hard from this afternoon, and if I keep kissing you much longer, I’m going to fucking come right here and now.”

“Maybe I should stop kissing you then?” I suggest impishly, pushing up on my toes to lick along his bottom lip and grin when a low, hungry growl emanates from him. “Maybe I should kiss you elsewhere.” I breathe, dragging a single digit along the length of his erection over the thick material of his jeans, and it pulses under my touch.

Levi drawls in a deep breath, his eyes darkening. “Fuck, princess, stop teasing him. If he comes out to play, it’s game over, and everything I had planned to do to you will go out the window because I’ll pin you against the closest wall and fuck you like an untamed animal.”

My stomach flips at his words, and the ache between my legs intensifies. “And what part of that is bad, exactly?”

“All of it.” Levi groans, tucking a finger under my chin and tipping my head back so he can look into my eyes. “If all I was after was a quick fuck, I could have picked up any other girl and gotten it over with, but that’s not what I want with you—you’re not some cheap, inconsequential hook-up.” He explains, cupping my face and pressing soft kisses along my jaw. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this Mira… how long I’ve wantedyou.”

My heart thuds in my chest as I wonder if Wyatt was right all along about Levi’s feelings for me. I tilt my head back to look up at him and ask, “How long exactly?”

---