“Harder,” he whispered, so I did.
“Don’t let go,” he begged, so I didn’t.
When he came, it was with a gasp and a full-body spasm, the kind that left him boneless and panting. I followed right after, teeth sinking into the muscle of his shoulder to keep from shouting.
Afterward, we lay tangled, the sweat already cooling on our skin, the sheets a lost cause. Levi traced patterns on my chest with his fingertip, the motion aimless and sweet.
“You’re going to ruin me,” he said, voice gone small.
I shook my head. “Too late for that,” I murmured.
He pulled the blanket over us, then rested his head on my shoulder. “You ever think about what we’re going to do when the honeymoon phase ends?”
I snorted. “Doubt it ever will.”
He grinned against my skin. “You’re such a sap.”
I let my hand drift down his back, settling on the curve of his ass. “Only for you,” I said, and meant it.
We stayed that way for a long time, the house waking up around us, the light shifting from gold to white as the sun climbed. Eventually, Levi rolled out of bed, stark naked, and padded to the kitchen. I watched him go, the way his body moved, the curve of his calf, the marks I’d left already darkening to purple.
He came back with the rest of the coffee, sloshed into a single mug. He climbed into my lap and handed it over, curling against me like he was trying to mold our bodies together.
I drank, then kissed the top of his head. “So, what do you want to do today, Sunshine?”
He looked up, mischief in his eyes. “Thought you had a list?”
I nodded. “Always.”
He leaned in, lips brushing my jaw. “Then let’s start at the top.”
We spent the day exactly as planned: moving from room to room, testing the limits of the house and each other. Sometimeswe fought, sometimes we fucked, sometimes we just sat in the reading nook and watched the river flow past, silent and sure.
By sunset, we were both exhausted, stretched out on the porch, legs entwined and eyes fixed on the horizon. Levi’s head was in my lap, his hair still damp from the shower. My hands rested on his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart.
“Happy?” he asked, without looking up.
“Yeah,” I said. “Never been happier.”
He smiled, then closed his eyes. “Good.”
As the sky faded to pink, I traced his tattoo with my thumb, the raised ridge of ink proof of everything we’d survived. I watched the light flicker through the trees, listened to the hush of the creek, and felt the world shrink to the size of this porch, this house, this man.
He was mine.
And I was never letting go.
Chapter Fifteen
~ Levi ~
Saturday Market hit different when you were a McKenzie. Before, I'd come here as a foster kid on the edge of things, keeping to the alleys and the far end of the produce stands, pockets empty and hands in constant danger of being swatted away.
Now, I was the one handing out samples, calling “Try the tomatoes!” in a voice that sounded almost cheerful, standing behind a folding table draped with a banner that read MCKENZIE FARMS in hand-painted letters.
It wasn’t an upgrade I’d expected, but I couldn’t deny how it fit: the apron, the clatter of coins in my makeshift change belt, even the sunburned heat that settled over my neck by noon.
The market thrummed with its usual undercurrent: dogs on leashes winding around ankles, toddlers snatching at cookie samples, the judgy glare of the jam lady every time I cut a deal that undercut her prices. Everywhere I looked, someone wore a smile with teeth. I kept mine on, too, and if it was faker than most, nobody called me out on it.
