Page 24 of Along Came Summer

Levi moistens his lips with a lick, his eyes meeting mine. “Alongfucking time,” he answers slowly. I give him an incredulous look, and he smiles when I part my lips to speak, but my brain chooses that moment to seize up. “Don’t look at me like that. You must have had some idea I liked you?”

“I didn’t…” I answer with a shake of my head, “Wyatt did, though. He kept telling me that you had a thing for me, but I told him he was being silly, that he was misconstruing our friendship for something more. I never imagined that you would ever…”

“What? Like you? Why wouldn’t I, Mira? We spent practically every day of our childhood together. Although I didn't realise it back then, you had a place in my heart from the moment I saw you fall off your Tinkerbell bike. It was much later on that I realised I liked you, and by then, it was too late because you and Devin became a thing.”

I wince inwardly when I feel a pinch in my chest when I hear Devin’s name. I hate myself for still giving him the licence to affect me after all these years. “Levi, Devin and I were nevera thing. We were best friends, that’s all. I kept telling you this but you never believed me.” I explain, and he pins me with that disbelieving look, the same one he always did, even back when we were teenagers. I roll my eyes and shake my head. “I… actually had a crush on you back then,” I admit sheepishly and lower my gaze from his when I feel my cheeks reddening in mortification. “Well, to be fair, there wasn’t a girl in our neighbourhood or school that didn’t have a crush on you. I was just one amongst the many.”

Levi goes stock still for a moment, and I can feel his intent gaze burning a hole into my head until he takes hold of my chin and lifts my gaze to meet his. “Are you fucking kidding me, Mira? You liked me and didn’t say anything?”

I chuckle nervously and shrug in response, “What was I supposed to say exactly? I was fourteen, and you were my best friend’s older brother and the most popular guy at school. I didn’t for one second think you would ever look at me like that.”

Levi laughs, taking my face into his hands and staring penetratingly into my eyes. “All Ieverdid was look at you like that. You just never noticed, princess.”

“I’m noticing now.” I offer with a smirk, and he grins, shaking his head. “Besides, you could have said something to me, and you chose not to either, so…”

“True,” he drawls, placing his large hands at my waist, “So, I guess we now owe it to ourselves to make up for lost time,” Levi suggests, lightly dragging his nose over mine.

“I guess so,” I murmur, tipping my head back in invitation for a kiss. Levi responds instantly and fervently to my unspoken plea. Our lips move together feverishly. He holds onto my bum with a strong grip while his tongue caresses mine, fuelling fire deep within me. My fingers wander over his chest down to his well-defined back, feeling the strength of his muscles tighten and flex under my touch.

I almost whimper in dissatisfaction when he pulls away, breaking the kiss with a slow suck on my lower lip before he breaks contact completely to lift both my arms up over my head. I watch him closely, panting to catch my breath while anticipating his next move. Levi’s fingers brush against my ribs while he finds the hem of my top. “I spent so many nights fantasising about this moment over the years.” He asserts, lifting it up and exposing my bare chest.

“Late at night while I was lying in bed and you were next door in my brother's bedroom…” he pulls the top of my shirt up to my elbows and keeps it there, covering my eyes and exposing my sensitive flesh to his teasing lips as he lavishes attention on one hardened nipple, “I wanted you in my room, in my bed…” I gasp, arching my back and pushing my breasts into his mouth, wanting more than he is giving me. “In my arms, watching movies with me, laughing with me.” His hot mouth moves to my other breast, making me whimper as heat builds within me, and I fight for control before I crumble in a heap on the floor. “The movie would play, but we would be too engrossed in each other to watch anything. We’d be kissing until our lungs burned, reminding us that we need to breathe.” Levi declares gruffly, kissing and licking his way up from the valley between my breasts up to my throat, stopping to suck on my pulse point.

“Levi…” My head is spinning as his name leaves my lips in a breathy assertion.

“Mhm,” he hums before nipping at my chin with his teeth. “You'd get so wet, so turned on that you'd beg me to touch you, to make you feel good, and I would be bursting to give in and take you, but I wouldn't, not until you were ready to be mine.” He pulls off the top completely and drops it on the floor at our feet before embracing me in a passionate kiss, which I keenly respond to.

Goddamn it, I wish I had been in his bedroom. If I’d known that he felt anything toward me, things could have been very different today. Maybe Levi would have been my first instead of Devin—not that my first time was a bad one; it was incredible as far as firsts go. It was the shit that followed that ruined me.

I like Levi’s fantasy; IwantLevi’s fantasy.

“Tell me more,” I request, and he smiles softly against my lips. “I’m in your bed, we’re kissing, and I’m so wet, begging for you to touch me. How would you make me feel good?” Our eyes interlock while my fingers rake down his torso until they find the waistband of his jeans, and I pop open each button one by one.

“In so many ways, it would blow your mind.”

“Show me,” I whisper, pushing his jeans down his hips and over his gloriously thick thighs until they pool around his ankles. Levi steps out and kicks them away before reaching around my back to unzip my skirt and watches with captivation as the thin fabric slides down my legs and piles around my feet, leaving me in only my sexy, black lace thong.

Levi draws his lower lip between his teeth, causing a slight indent as his warm brown eyes scan my body as though he’s attempting to commit every dip and curve of my body into his brain. I mirror him, tracing every inch of his physique with my eyes. Sweet lord have mercy; there isn’t an ounce of fat on him, only endless ripples of muscles and thick veins winding around his burly arms.

Am I crazy to find that so unbelievably attractive on a man? His hips are tight, and he has that swoon-worthy deep V-line that leads downward into his boxers. I want nothing more than to run my tongue over it and feel him quake with pleasure.

“I will, but come here, princess. First, we will make a bit of a mess of each other.” In one smooth motion, Levi steps forward, his hands reaching out for me. Before my brain has a chance to process what is happening, his strong arms lift me into the air, cradling me like I’m a bag of feathers. My legs wind around his waist, my body melting into his as my arms wrap around his neck while he kisses me, carrying me over to where the blank canvas is laid out in the centre of the room. “Do you have a hair tie?” he questions, and I nod.

“In my bag,” I tell him, gesturing to where I left my bag on the windowsill by his painting. Levi nods and sets me back on my feet. I watch him walk over to retrieve my bag and bring it over to me. “What are we doing?” I question warily as I open my bag and fish out the hair tie.

“Seeking inspiration.” He states wickedly and kisses my shoulder as he walks around me while I pull my hair up into a messy bun at the top of my head, eyeing the various tins and tubes of paint.

Holy fuck, is he going to paint me naked like Jack did Rose in the Titanic?

A surge of panic rushes through me at the thought of my naked body being on display at his exhibition. Levi, who is perched down by the paint, looks up as if sensing my apprehension. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice laced with concern as he stands again and shuffles toward me. “Why do you look so worried, Mira?”

“Uhm.” My eyes drop to the cans of paint, and he follows my gaze, his brows fusing. “Are you going to paint… me… naked? Is that what this is?” I force myself to ask, and his eyes narrow before a wicked smile spreads across his handsome face, and he rubs his fingers across his bearded jaw.

“No, I wasn’t planning on it,” He states with a chuckle, shifting his gaze to me again. “Did youwantme to paint you naked?”

I shake my head so fast and hard I’m sure I give myself a mild concussion, “No.” I answer in a flurry, and he laughs softly, “I mean, when I saw the canvas, and I’m practically naked, I just assumed…”

Levi wraps his arm around my waist and draws me closer. His eyes search mine as he asks, “Do you honestly believe I'm the kind of guy who would paint a woman without talking to her first? Or at the very least, ask for her permission. Do you see me doing that to you of all people?” I draw in a deep breath. Levi's gentle and considerate tone soothes my anxiousness.

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