Emily bit his lip lightly, and he had to stop. To slow down. Take a deep breath.
At all costs, he had to remain in control.
He smiled and slid her top up and over her head, tossing it beside the bed. Her bra went next, and then it was just flesh on flesh, her pretty, pert breasts pressed against his chest as he kissed and ran his mouth over her collarbone. “You’re so beautiful.”
* * *
Had Emily been toldshe was beautiful before? Sure. But never by someone she was in love with. And slowly she’d begun to fall in love with Levi. She shouldn’t. He’d made it clear even now that he thought the two of them were a bad idea. But the pull in her chest for him was more powerful than anything she’d felt before. Oh, there were times when he frustrated the hell out of her, but that was how she knew her feelings for him were genuine. Because even during those moments, she’d still rather be with him than anyone else.
Levi slid his large hand over her breast, and she nearly gasped. He kissed her other breast and wrapped his mouth around her nipple, flicking it with his tongue.
Emily squeezed her leg around his thigh tighter, causing more friction. But not enough. Not nearly enough.
She slid her hand between their bodies and beneath the conveniently stretchy waistband of his sweatpants. She didn’t need to go far to find what she was looking for. He was hard, the tip of him reaching out of his boxer briefs.
Her heart thundered in her chest and she squeezed his thick, silky length.
Levi jerked and slowly rolled away, his chest rising and falling. “Gotta stop.” He covered her with a blanket from the bottom of the bed, and swung his legs off the mattress and onto the ground, leaning his forearms on his thighs.
“What’s wrong?” She rose upright. “Did that not—feel good?”
He closed his eyes and choked out a laugh. “It felt good. Too good.” He looked over, his eyes warm. “I think we should stop there. I wasn’t expecting any of this when I came home. I thought you’d be gone by now.”
She wrapped the blanket around her chest. “I told you. Your dog is a cuddly little thing.”
“Little?”
She grinned. “Maybe not so little. Anyway, we went for one last walk and I was about to head home, but then she needed a quick back rub… You know how things go from there.”
“With you giving her an hour back rub and falling asleep?”
She smiled. “Yes, exactly.” Her lips pressed together and twisted to the side. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so relaxed.”
“I like it that you feel comfortable in my home.” He twisted around, bringing his legs back onto the bed and tucking her body against his. “It was nice finding you here.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind? I do feel a bit like I crashed your pad without permission.”
He tucked her head beneath his chin. “Lucky me. Usually it’s my brothers I find on my couch. They’ve been crashing here for the last eight years. At one point or another, we all needed to get away from…”
She tipped her head back and looked at him. “Were things that bad with your father?”
“Sometimes.” He looked off, running his hand up and down her arm.
She wasn’t sure why he’d stopped what they were doing, because her body wanted to explode, she was so ready for him. She figured he still had reservations. She worked for him… And there was his past with Lisa. Both solid reasons to pause before getting involved, but she was hopeful he’d come around. Tonight was a good start.
“When my mom was alive, she brought out the softer, more approachable side of my father,” Levi said. “I think he believed he needed to always be strong for us after she died. Which meant he never gave us an inch. My brothers and I were as stubborn as he was, so that left a lot of room for arguments.”
“I’m sorry you fought,” she said quietly. “I don’t know what a normal dad is like. Mine was pretty much never around, but yours was so kind to me. I just thought…”
“He’d been kind to us too?”
She nodded.
“He wasn’t unkind. And he wasn’t absent in the sense your father was, but work always came first. We’re all so different and headstrong. Our father was never happy with the choices we made, particularly if they didn’t coincide with what he wanted.” He brushed a lock of her hair aside and gazed down at her face, eyes dipping to her chest, which made her face heat. “I’m sure he was kind to you because you’re a very sweet person and you bring out the best in people.”
“I do?”
“Mm-hmm.” He nuzzled her neck. “Except with me… You make me want to be bad. But don’t give me ideas. I’m trying to be good.”
