My brows shoot up to my hairline. “Everything?”
“Everything.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LATER THAT NIGHT
“Remember how I talked about being a little stricter at Thanksgiving?” I ask as we take the elevator up to his penthouse.
“I do,” he replies, leaning against the railing. “I agreed to not be as big of a pushover.”
I bite my lip as I glance down at his arms; eight bags hanging off one and five off the other, all for Claire. “And what part of that is being less of a pushover?”
“I’ll admit, she might have me wrapped around her finger.” I raise a brow. “Okay, she definitely has me wrapped around her finger. Let’s circle back to this conversation next holiday season, okay?”
“Next holiday season, huh?” I close the space between us, gently running a hand up and down his bicep. “You plan on being around?”
He dips his head so he can brush his nose against mine. “I don’t plan on being anywhere else.”
I press my lips against his just as the elevator dings, letting us know we reached the apartment. We step out into the hallway and turn right, heading to his door at the end of the narrowwalkway. I reach into his pocket and fish out his keys, opening the door and holding it open for him to walk through.
He drops the bags by the door as I slip out of my coat, and before I can hang it up in the closet, he’s pinning me against the wall and crashing his lips against mine. My arms wrap around his neck, and I angle my head to deepen the kiss, running my tongue along his bottom lip.
Levi grants me access, our tongues colliding as he hooks his hands under my thighs and hoists me up. I wrap them around his waist, hooking my ankles together. He pushes me harder against the wall, one hand cupping my ass through my jeans, the other gripping the side of my face.
“We could’ve gone back to my place,” I say through our kisses. “Now we have to haul these presents again.”
“Will you hush?” He murmurs, kissing me with a little more force than previously. “I don’t mind carrying them. I’ll carry them up the tallest mountain if that means I can keep you safe.”
I pull back at that. “Keep me safe?”
“Lowe, he wanted to know if you were going to be home,” he reminds me. “I don’t trust it.”
“Okay.”
I close the distance between us again, wrapping my hands roughly into his hair. He kisses me back just as fiercely, biting my bottom lip before running his tongue over the sting. Spinning us, he walks us down the entryway and to the stairs, effortlessly carrying me up them to his bedroom without ever breaking the kiss.
He tosses me down onto the bed and I squeal, laughter echoing in the room as he strips off his shirt and jumps in next to me. He grabs my hips, helping me move to straddle him before I dip down, reconnecting our lips.
“I can’t, baby,” I whisper between kisses. “But I can take care of you.”
I roll over in bed,reaching for my phone. Seeing that it’s three o’clock in the morning, I’m about to put my head back on the pillow when I hear a noise coming from downstairs. I look to my right and see Levi asleep beside me when I hear it again.
“Levi,” I whisper, shaking him slightly. He slowly opens his eyes, running a hand down his face. “I think I hear something downstairs.” This time, the sound is louder, and Levi abruptly sits up. “Okay, I definitely hear something downstairs.”
“Call the cops,” he whispers, flinging the blankets off him. He grabs a tee shirt and his sweats off the floor, slipping into them before he grabs a bat that’s sitting beside his dresser. “Stay here, okay? Don’t come down unless I call for you. Otherwise, I’ll come get you.”
He doesn’t wait for my reply as he slowly pulls the bedroom door open, closing it behind him with a barely audible click. Phone in hand, I hastily climb out of bed and crawl towards the dresser, grabbing one of his shirts out of the drawer and slipping into it. Already on the floor, I creep over to the foot of the bed to look out the glass wall that overlooks the living room.
I dial the police as I stare below, hoping to see… something. The operator answers on the third ring and I give them the address in a hushed voice, and they inform me they’ll be here in five minutes. Hanging up, I glance below again to see a shadowy figure with something in their hands creeping along behind the couch.
Suddenly, movement from the kitchen catches my eye, and I see someone approaching him from behind. The figure leaps onto Levi and they both go to the floor, and I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to stop the scream from slipping out of me.
I jump to my feet and frantically look around the room, trying to find something I can use to protect myself and go help him, but I come up empty. Running a hand through my hair, I look down once more and see them struggling on the floor. One figure is on top of the other, landing punch after punch to the other’s face.
My heart rate increases tenfold, and my hands grow clammy, unable to stop my panicked breathing. The figure on the bottom somehow gets the upper hand, knocking the person off them. They tumble around for a bit, knocking a lamp off an end table and jostling a framed photo off the wall from the impact.
One shadow suddenly runs for the front door and slips out, the other staying on the floor. I rush to the bedroom door and run down the stairs, tearing through the hallway and heading towards the living room. Flicking on the light as I pass, I spot Levi laying on the floor.
