Page 27

Her lips parted beneath mine. The heat between us simmered, then surged. My hands slid beneath the hem of her robe, feeling the familiar terrain of her waist, her ribs, the delicate rise of her back as she arched into me.

"Sloane," I whispered between kisses, "I'll fuck you so hard, your knees will stay weak for weeks."

"Oh, fuck, Levi." She let out a breath that was half-sigh, half-moan.

"Hopefully, you'll say that too." I winked at her and guided her toward the bedroom as she laughed. I closed the door behind us and moved her to the bed.

The backs of her knees hit the edge and she sat, drawing me down with her. She reached for my shirt, her fingers trembling as she peeled it over my head. I caught her wrist and held her. Not to stop her, but to anchor her.

My next words came out tight, strained even to my own ears, but I needed her to hear them. "This is your choice. You need to be sure. "

“I want this,” she whispered. “I want you… don’t disappear on me again. Don't make me regret this.”

“I won’t,” I breathed, kissing her knuckles before guiding her hand to my chest. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Our clothes came off in hurried motions. There was hunger, yes, but it was still laced with a desperate and anxious grief.

She felt familiar and sacred. How she gasped when my mouth moved down her collarbone then past her breasts, how her fingers tangled in my hair as I kissed her hips, how her thighs trembled when I settled between them. All of it tethered me to that moment.

"Levi, you don't have to." Her voice was gentle, but there was a tremor in it, a vulnerability that hit me harder than anything else.

I kissed the crease of her inner thigh with a tender slowness. "I want to."

Her breath caught and I felt her hesitate. Despite our previous coupling on the couch a few nights past, a part of her still braced for disappointment; for the familiar letdown.

The Old Me had been convinced of his sexual prowess and consumed by his need to remain in control and dominant. He had no desire, or even capability, to provide the kind of thoughtful devotion Sloane needed. He was a child pretending to be a man; a man who understood nothing of love.

He had been so focused on his own ego, his own desires, that he'd failed to see how much Sloane had given and how much she deserved to be worshipped.

He'd ignored the drawer full of toys she kept hidden as a quiet reminder of the nights he'd had been absent, both physically and emotionally.

So many nights the Old Me had chosen to chase empty dreams rather than satisfy her… to ignore her needs as a partner .

And that knowledge gutted me. The Old Me had made her feel invisible, as if her desires were inconvenient and her longing for connection was too much. When really, he was the one who wasn’t enough for her.

Fuck that guy.

As I rested my forehead against her skin I whispered, “I want to please you, Sloane.” I meant it. With every part of me that had finally woken up. "Can we use one of your toys?"

Her eyes widened at that, laced with disbelief. “Wait, what?”

I nodded toward the nightstand. “The toys I used to be jealous of. Let's use one.”

“But… you always said it was demeaning.”

I kissed the inside of her thigh, “Yeah, and I was a fool. A very insecure fool who was too wrapped up in proving something to care about what you liked.”

She didn’t move as she stared at me, caught between confusion and caution.

So, I stood and walked to the nightstand myself.

“Levi, wait,” she said, panicked. “Really, it’s okay.”

But I didn’t stop. I opened the drawer and stared at the small collection she kept tucked away. A low whistle escaped me. “Well, fuck me, Sloane. I’ve seen a smaller inventory at boutique shops.”

Behind me, she groaned. “Oh god...”

I turned, grinning, and held up a sleek silver one like it was a relic. “Is this battery-operated or possessed? Be honest.”

“Levi.” Her voice was sharp, but I caught the flicker of a smile beneath her mortified expression. “Put that down. ”

"Both. Got it." I nodded solemnly, as if conducting a serious study. Then I picked up something that looked like a rose. “What does this do? Pollinate?”

Sloane’s face flushed deep with embarrassment. She reached for it as she said, “You really shouldn’t-”

But I held it out of her grasp with a crooked grin. “Uh-uh. Now, I have to know. Is this decorative or weaponized?”

She failed to suppress a smile as she said, “You’re insufferable.”

"I know." I stepped closer to her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and gently pulled her down onto the bed with the toy caught between us. “I want to know everything about you. What makes you laugh, what breaks your heart. What brings you pleasure… and what doesn’t.” I looked into her eyes and lowered my voice.

“I want to learn your body. Understand the notes it plays when it's touched right. When you feel seen.”

Then I kissed her and she held nothing back. She melted into me.

“I’ll only agree if you do this seriously,” she said, eyes locked on mine.

I attempted to look as stoic as I could and said in the most deadpan voice I could manage, “Ma'am, I am always serious.”

She rolled her eyes. “Goddammit, Levi. This is already embarrassing enough. The last time I asked for us to use a toy, we fought. Now you want to include them?”

“Consider me on the path to enlightenment," I said as I kissed her neck, "with your consent of course.” I turned the toy over in my hands and curiosity lit up inside me. It was delicate, almost elegant in design; nothing like what my ego had imagined. It was… something meant to bring her joy.

Sloane let out a light and shy laugh as she pointed to the toy. “Here… this is how it turns on.” Her finger brushed mine, and the toy came to li fe with a quiet hum. “It has a suction feature, and this button here changes the intensity.”

I glanced at her, my voice teasing. “You could teach a class.”

She blushed and gave a little shrug. “Well… when you’re alone a lot, you learn what works.”

That hit me hard. Not with jealousy over the toy, but a guilty ache that she'd been lonely in the first place.

How many nights did I leave her by herself?

I leaned in and kissed her temple as I held the toy between us. “Teach me, Sloane. I want to know what works. Let’s do this together. Do you feel up for it?”

There was a pause. A few breaths of hesitation. Eventually, she nodded. "Only if you are willing to be an attentive student."

I kissed her forehead, then guided her to lie back against the pillows.

I settled between her legs. My thoughts rushed out dark and unfiltered, "Attentive?

My love, I want you coming all over me day in and day out.

I want you drenched and soaking our sheets.

If we need to use a toy to achieve that, then I will scour every brick and mortar and online store to ensure you are gushing all over my cock. "

She trembled beneath me. The intensity of my words, my desires, and my intentions seemed to disarm and arouse her. I held her gaze as I brought the rose-shaped toy between us. A whimper escaped her lips. "Levi… oh, fuck."

“I crave you Sloane. I want you. Everything and anything about you. But if we do this, I want it to be about you. No shame. No hiding. You’re beautiful when you're unguarded, Sloane. Let me earn the right to see that part of you. ”

Her eyes softened as she reached for my hand and guided my fingers over the toy. “It’s… gentle. Meant for the clit. You don’t have to… do much.”

I met her eyes. “I want to take my time and watch you unravel for me. Can you do that, Sloane? Can you be a good girl and show me what has always been mine?”

I turned it on the lowest setting. A soft hum filled the quiet space between us, and I felt her chest rise with anticipation as her gaze heated.

Her legs parted wider, and I kissed her stomach. “That's my good girl. Tell me if you need me to stop,” I whispered. I never took my gaze from her face. I wanted to watch her unravel, not only from pleasure, but from being seen.

Her lips parted in a soft gasp, and she reached out blindly, clutching at the sheets. “Levi… I don't know if I can,” she said. Her voice trembled with the rawness of vulnerability. “It’s still… weird. New.”

“Sloane,” I murmured, my fingertips tracing slow patterns along her hips. “Let go. You don’t have to hold back. Not here. Not with me.”

She looked at me and I knew she was trying to believe my words.

“You are art, Sloane. Every inch of you.” I leaned in to kiss the space above her navel.

“I’m here. If you want to stop, then tell me,” I whispered.

My hands traced lazy, reverent lines down her inner thighs.

“Hell, Sloane, you have no idea what you do to me. My balls ache when I think of you. My cock twitches every time you are near me. I would die over and over again just for the chance to be near you.”

A soft whimper tore from her lips, raw and unguarded. Whether it was from my words or the toy finally coaxing a response, I couldn't say. Her body responded in small, trembling pulses as her breath hitched in her throat .

I kissed her ribs, trailing upward, worshipping every delicious, beautiful curve.

Her collarbone, delicate and exposed, begged for attention.

I pressed my lips there, feeling her shiver beneath my touch.

Finally, the place right beneath her ear, the spot that always drove her mad.

I nipped gently, savoring the shudder that followed, a silent surrender to the moment.

Her voice came out in a surprised whisper, as if she were shocked to say, "I'm gonna… fuck, I'm gonna…"

“Sloane, eyes on me,” I commanded, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I needed to see it, the way she came undone, how she let go. I wanted to witness the moment when she surrendered completely.