Page 29

I’m hot—really hot.

When my eyes drift open, I realize it’s because Levi still has his arm wrapped around me, pulling me tight against his body.

I shift slightly, not wanting to wake him, but that only makes me aware of something hard and long nestled against my backside. My stomach flips as my tired brain finally catches up to what’s poking me.

Last night… what we did…it was everything and more. Like I knew it would be.

Lying here, wrapped in his arms, I feel lighter than I have in months.

I’m happy. And confused.

And if I’m honest with myself, I'm slightly terrified.

Where do we go from here?

Is it just sex?

History has a bad habit of repeating itself, and I don’t want to end up hurt and betrayed again.

I keep telling myself Levi’s not Hunter. But it’s more complicated than I thought it would be to let go of how my ex’s actions affected me.

I think back to yesterday when Levi made the masseuse joke. I knew it was harmless on his part, yet it triggered me. The same raw emotion I felt the day I caught Hunter cheating sliced through me despite it being a joke .

My rambling thoughts make me restless, and I shift again, causing Levi to stir behind me.

“Bear,” Levi groans. His morning voice is sexy and groggy and slightly muffled by my hair. “Keep doing that, and my dick will slide into your pussy before I can give you a proper good morning kiss.”

Even though there’s a slight tenderness between my thighs, his words cause a flutter to stir in my belly. I shift again, this time deliberately, and smile when I feel his dick twitch against me.

I twist in his arms, and the lazy smile he gives me would have melted my panties right off if I was wearing them.

With his disheveled hair and sleepy eyes, he looks happy, and my heart trips over itself without my permission.

“Good morning,” I whisper, nestling in closer to him.

He kisses the tip of my nose. “Every morning would be a good morning if I wake up with you in my arms and your bare tits against my chest.”

“I’m content to stay in bed with you all day if you are,” I suggest eagerly.

That way, we don’t have to talk, and I don’t have to sort through my mess of feelings.

“Tempting,” he murmurs, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “But I’ve got to be somewhere soon.”

Frowning, I pull back slightly, trying to understand why he suddenly needs to leave. From our conversations, I know Sunday is his one day off from training, and he never mentioned having any plans last night.

“The same place you had to be last week Sunday?” I ask, thinking back to when I woke up on the couch with him practically having one leg out the door.

He never told me where he went, nor did I bring it up again, but now…

“Yes, but don’t give me that look.”

“What look?”

“The one where you think I’m making an excuse to get out of here.” He nips my bare shoulder.

“I wasn’t trying to imply-”

“Come with me.” More nipping. More distraction as his hands roam.

“What?” My brain feels sluggish, and I’m having trouble focusing on anything except the feel of his hands on my skin.

“Come with me, " he repeats. “I would have invited you last week, but I figured you probably weren’t up for it with the cramps you were having.”

I roll my lips together, contemplating what he said, and I want to shake myself for always thinking the worst. I hate how I’ve been conditioned to second-guess everything.

It’s been months, and I’m still dealing with the ramifications of beating myself up for not seeing the signs earlier in my last relationship.

I didn't question things when I should have. I’m doing that now, except it’s to the wrong guy. Levi hasn’t given me a single reason not to trust him.

Yet.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Levi says, his hands stilling when the silence stretches on.

“No, I want to go. I mean, if you want me there,” I whisper.

“I’d take you everywhere with me if I could, Bear.”

“Sounds possessive,” I murmur jokingly.

“Mm…you could call me a little obsessed.” He traces a finger down my temple to my chin and over my mouth, before his hand drops back to my hip with a squeeze. “Will thirty minutes be enough time for you to get ready?”

I nod as Levi untangles himself from the bed. I sit up against the pillows, watching him put his clothes back on.

When he’s dressed, he kisses my forehead before walking toward the door.

“Wait!” I hug the comforter to me as he turns. “Aren’t you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“It’s a surprise. Just wear something comfortable and a pair of sneakers.” With that vague, very Levi way of answering, he’s gone.

Forty minutes later, because thirty turned out not to be long enough, we’re driving through a part of town I haven’t seen yet.

Our apartment building is in the middle of downtown, but the further we drive, the more residential it becomes.

The houses grow further apart, separated by large yards.

Some are more worn down than others, but Levi seems comfortable behind the wheel like he’s driven these roads a million times, which makes me relax in my seat.

Levi slows down in front of a plain brick, single-story house with a sign on the front lawn: Wagging Tails Animal Rescue.

“An animal shelter?” I ask brows pinched in confusion as I peer out the window. There’s not much to see from the front. It looks like any other house.

“Yes, but we’re not staying long,” he says, shifting the car into park.

I tear my gaze from the window and turn to him. “You’re adopting? I thought we weren’t allowed pets in the building.”

He turns the car off and twists in his seat to face me instead of the road.

“No, I’m not adopting.” He offers me a shy smile, clearing his throat. “I volunteer here every Sunday. They run a program where you can take a dog out of the shelter for a few hours. Some dogs get stressed being stuck inside, and it’s a good way to help socialize them before they’re adopted.”

I stare at him. How is it possible that every time he reveals another piece of himself, I’m even more in awe of his character? Good sex is just a happy by-product. Levi is the real prize.

“How long have you been doing it?” I ask, finally finding my voice.

“Since freshman year.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “In fourth grade, I begged my mom for a puppy, but she said it was too big of a commitment. Her compromise was to get involved in the foster program with our local shelter. I wanted to keep up with it.”

A long-forgotten memory surfaces. “Wait, is that why you have a dog bowl in your apartment?”

“Yes,” he grins. “I didn’t even know you noticed that.”

“I might have been snooping a little to figure out what sort of person you were.”

“And what did you come up with?”

I drop my eyes to the center console as I say honestly. “Every time I think I have you figured out, you keep surprising me.”

When I peek at him, he’s watching me with a smile that lights up his beautiful face. I smile back, and the car feels ten times smaller after my confession.

Levi squeezes my thigh with one hand while the other moves to the door handle. “Come on, let’s get our dog for the day.”

We walk up the short driveway, and when Levi’s hand brushes mine, I’m the one to link our fingers together. He doesn’t comment, but his responding squeeze tells me enough. It’s surprisingly quiet for an animal shelter, and I say as much to Levi as we walk up the three steps onto the porch.

“The main shelter is a mile or two down the road. They use this house for any dogs getting picked up for the day or those getting adopted.”

Levi knocks, and a few seconds later, an older woman with a salt-and-pepper bob and kind brown eyes opens the door. Her face lights up when she sees Levi and pulls him into a motherly hug.

“Hi, Ms. May,” Levi says, hugging the older woman back.

When they pull apart, she holds him at arm’s length and gives him a once-over, reminding me of a grandmother inspecting her grandchild.

“You look good, healthy.” She nods approvingly. “I was going to call you. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it today.”

“We were running a bit late this morning,” Levi says.

With that explanation, she turns her kind eyes to me.

“Ms. May, this is Bear,” Levi says, making introductions.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” I smile.

She takes my hand in her soft, wrinkled one, giving it a gentle pat. “A lovely name for a beautiful girl.” Then she laughs, “I feel honored that I finally get to meet someone special in Levi’s life. I thought he was hiding people from me.”

“Never had anyone worth introducing you to until now,” Levi says, pulling me closer, and I flush against his side.

“Such a sweet-talker, isn’t he?” She winks. “Come, let’s go get Winston.”

She hooks her elbow through mine, but instead of walking through the front door, we head back down the driveway and around to the backyard.

While Levi works on unlocking the latch at the top of the gate, Ms. May leans in close. “You’ve found yourself a good boy, Bear.”

Oh, I know Ms. May. And that’s what scares me.

She pats my arm again before strolling ahead through the gate Levi’s holding open for us. As I pass by him, he shoots me a questioning look, but I’m saved from having to respond when a blur of fur launches itself at me.

Laughter bubbles up my throat as I drop to my knees, letting the black-and-white dog nuzzle into me. He flops onto his back, eager for the belly rubs I’m already giving him. He’s adorable, and despite whatever he went through to end up here, it’s clear he’s loved and well cared for now.

“Winston is one of our older dogs,” Ms.May says, watching us with a smile. “He’s often overlooked because of his age, but he’s a love bug.”

“How old is he?” I ask, noticing the white aging spots around his muzzle.

“The vets estimate he’s around twelve. A good Samaritan brought him in when they found him wandering alone.”

My heart aches thinking of this sweet boy having to fend for himself on the streets.