Page 15 of Let it Sizzle
We eat, talk, and pretend everything's normal, but the tension never fades. It coils tighter every time her knee brushes mine under the table, every time her breath catches when I lean in to say something too intimate to be said above a low whisper.
When we're finished, I toss some cash down for the bill before she can even think about reaching for her purse.
I know I don’t want this night to end. Not yet. Not with her still looking at me like that—like she’s unsure if this is real. Like she’s afraid I’ll disappear again.
When we step outside, the first droplets of rain start to fall, cool against my overheated skin. I glance up at the sky, then at her, and before I can think better of it, I reach for her hand.
“Come here,” I say, tugging her gently toward the alley beside the restaurant, where the narrow brick walls offer just enough cover. She lets me pull her in, and when we stop, she’s pressed against me, her body molded to mine like it’s always belonged there.
Her chest rises and falls against mine, fast, and when I look down at her, she’s already staring up at me with wide, unsure eyes. There’s something about that look—soft, hopeful, a little afraid—that makes me want to protect her all over again.
And I can’t hold it in anymore.
“I need to tell you something.”
She nods, her gaze never leaving mine, like she already knows it’s going to matter.
“Ever since that night,” I murmur, brushing a strand of damp hair from her cheek, “the day you left… I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”
Her lips part, but I keep going, my voice low, steady, and just a little rough.
“Not a day’s gone by that I haven’t wondered if you were okay. If you were happy. And now that you’re here, standing in front of me again, I realize I don’t want to go another day without you in my life.”
She swallows hard, her hands curling into my shirt. “I felt the same way,” she whispers, breath shaky. “After the night you pulled me out of the house. For years, I didn’t know if it was just me… if I made it all up in my head. But that night? It never left me either.”
I exhale, something tight and raw uncoiling in my chest.
“I should’ve told you sooner,” I say. “Should’ve come after you.”
Her smile is small, but it lights up her whole face. “I wouldn’t have been ready back then. You found me anyway.”
And then I kiss her.
Soft at first—just a brush of lips. But when she sighs against me, I deepen it, tilting her chin and pressing her back into the brick wall behind us. Her body melts into mine, her fingers sliding up to cup the back of my neck, and the taste of her—sweet, a little breathless, all mine—makes my knees damn near give out.
Her lips are soft, hesitant for all of two seconds—then she opens for me, and I swear I lose my goddamn mind.
I kiss her like I’ve been dying for it. Like my body’s been waiting eight long years for this exact moment, and now that I’ve tasted her, I’m never going back. My tongue sweeps into her mouth and she moans, sweet and breathy, and that sound? It shoots straight to my cock.
I grip her hips, pressing her back into the wall like I’m claiming her, staking territory I’ve never had but always wanted. Her curves mold to me perfectly, like her body was made for mine to hold. And fuck, when she presses her thighs together, grinding just the tiniest bit against me? I nearly lose control.
"Levi—" she breathes, and it’s all the encouragement I need.
I slide one hand up her body, dragging my palm over the swell of her breast until I’m cupping her through the fabric. She gasps against my mouth, and I groan, thumbing over her nipple until it peaks under my hand.
“Fuck, baby… I’ve dreamed about this,” I growl against her lips. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to touch you like this. To feel you. Am I dreaming?”
She shudders, her fingers clutching at my shoulders, pulling me closer.
“You’re not dreaming,” she whispers, voice wrecked. No. This is real. And I want more.
I drag my mouth down her neck, kissing, sucking, nipping until she’s trembling. Her head falls back softly against the brick wall, giving me full access to the soft column of her throat, and I take my time worshipping her. She smells like vanilla, and whenI kiss the curve where her neck meets her shoulder, she lets out a soft, broken sound that damn near undoes me.
“I need to take you home,” I rasp, breathing hard. “If we stay here much longer, I’m going to fuck you right here against this wall.”
Her eyes flash with heat. “Then what are you waiting for?”
I don’t hesitate for a second and we both run to my truck. I drive like a demon possessed holding her hand tightly all the way home.
