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I opened my mouth to speak, but he shook his head.
“I’m not exaggerating, El. The positivity in you soothes the negativity in me. I just hope my darkness doesn’t affect you.”
I rested my head on his chest. “It’s a balance, isn’t it?”
“Do you think fate brought us together?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think it, Levi. I know it did. Just like it brought us here. Or you brought us here.”
He released me, sat on the sand, then pulled me down to sit between his legs. I leaned against him, and he nuzzled my neck. Desire shot through me, and I dug my fingernails into his thighs as if by reflex.
“You like that,” he murmured.
“I…do…” My voice cut when I felt his tongue trailing down my neck.
“When do you need to return to London?” he asked.
“I’m not on a schedule. Why?”
“You’ll be spending a lot of time in Brighton. Have you thought about where you’ll stay?”
“Mr. Beaumont suggested this would be a good time of year for me to look for a flat.” I held up the keys to the studio. “And he gave me these.”
Levi tightened his arms around me. “I’m happy for you, El.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Do you have any idea how rare a thing hearing that is?”
He nuzzled my neck again.
“Listen, Marras, if you keep that up, I’ll drag you back to the inn and have my way with you.”
“Promises, promises,” he murmured.
I knew he was teasing, but I could easily be persuaded otherwise.
He stopped his assault on my neck. “Tell me why it’s rare for someone to say they’re happy for you.”
“It isn’t so much that no one says it. It’s more that no one is. I know it sounds like I feel sorry for myself. I don’t. I learned a long time ago to live my life in a way that makes me happy and pay no mind to what anyone else thinks.”
“It’s a good philosophy.”
“Perhaps a bit selfish.”
He rested his head against mine, and I closed my eyes. It felt so good to be held and by someone I believed understood how important today was for me.
“You may one day realize there’s a person whose life matters as much to you as your own,” Mike suggested.
“Maybe. Why did you ask when I needed to be back in London? Do you need to leave?”
He shook his head. “Things are quiet presently. So, no, I’m in no hurry to be anywhere but here. And speaking of here, there’s something I’d like to show you.”
“I’m game.” We both stood and walked in the direction of the studio.
“I noticed this while you were speaking with Mike.” Levi led me to a regency house adjacent to the building I was in the process of purchasing. It too had a for-sale sign. “The owners have turned it into three separate and private living spaces. On the lower level, there’s a three-bedroom apartment that brings in a decent income.”
I looked up at the house that afforded a brilliant view of the sea. Living here would feed my creativity every day. “You said it was three flats?”
“The raised ground floor and the one above it make up the second living area. There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and, according to what I saw online, a recently redone kitchen. Floors three and four have a similar setup. Each space has a private entry, and while there are access doors between them, they are currently locked.”