Page 36 of The Bad Boy’s Homecoming (The Southern Hart Brothers #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Levi

Mr. Maybe

M orning came way too early with the hint of daylight peeking through the window, and Levi had barely slept.

He had to drive to Savannah to catch his flight back to Tampa today.

Spring training would run all week, grueling hot days, but then he could be back next weekend.

Missy was sound asleep next to him. He’d kept her up most of the night but they’d both fallen asleep at some point.

Now he ran his hand down her arm and wondered what he could say or do to convince her to move to Florida.

It was unrealistic and selfish to even ask her.

They hadn’t even been on any real dates, and no one knew they were… whatever this was.

Baseball season was intense—162 games, and at least 80 were away games. Although a lot of players’ wives and girlfriends would travel with them, he couldn’t expect her to just drop everything for him.

He needed to show her he could make sacrifices to be with her.

“You’re staring at me,” she said, as one eye fluttered open.

“I’m admiring your beauty. Did you know you have fifteen freckles on your cheeks?”

A small smile appeared on her lips. “No, I didn’t know the exact number.”

“But my favorite one is down here.” He tucked his head under the covers and moved down to her hip where he’d found another freckle the first time she’d let him worship her.

He kissed the spot now, marking her, and ran his hand over her full bottom.

Her curves were usually hidden but he could sink his teeth in her round, tight, plump bottom and die a happy man.

Next he rolled her onto her belly as he sat back on his heels to admire her naked form against the creamy sheets.

“You are a bad boy,” she purred as he ran his tongue up the back of one thigh, while his hands slowly spread her legs.

“Maybe I am, but only for you.” He dipped his face down to the bed and licked her seam, causing her hips to buck up.

“Oh you like me bad, I see,” he said, then blew a breath onto her damp, pink lips before dipping his tongue back down again to taste her.

She buried her face in her pillow and lifted her hips to give him better access.

He hummed his mouth against her and sucked on her swollen nub, causing her to scream into her pillow.

“I need to be inside you,” he said as he moved up her body, ready to mount her from behind.

“Yes, please,” she begged. One of her hands reached back to grip his thigh.

Leveraging his body on his right side he stroked his thick, hard length through her dripping heat.

“I’ll give you what you want on one condition.”

She groaned. “That’s not fair.”

“I’m the bad boy, remember?” He stroked her again.

“Name your price.”

“Say you’re mine. I want to hear you say it.”

Her hips bucked back as she tried to get closer to him, pushing the tip of his throbbing need inside her. It was sweet torture. He wanted to sink into her hot folds. But he waited.

He pressed his mouth on her ear to whisper, “Say it, baby.”

One more stroke and she lifted her head off her pillow. “I’m yours, every messy piece of me, and I need you inside me now.”

“Promise?” he asked.

“I promise.”

He pushed his entire length into her, sinking to the hilt in one slow thrust, and they both sucked in a breath.

“You are mine, and I will be back for you.” Then with three more deep strokes he said, “Do. Not. Forget.”

He accepted her moan into her pillow as her agreement and continued to worship her body while he drove them both to the precipice of ecstasy. He belonged to her and he was going to do everything he could to convince her, but he also knew there was something holding her back.

*

The sun of the morning was now pouring into his old room, which was of course Missy’s room now. In truth it looked nothing like the room he’d grown up in: new paint, frilly curtains, and paintings by other artists on each wall.

Her heavy breathing proved he’d worn her out in the best way.

After quietly slipping out of the bed, he cleaned up in the bathroom and realized he didn’t have any clothes in her room.

His were downstairs in the studio or out in his car in his luggage.

With a towel wrapped around his waist he stepped out into the hall.

He didn’t know if Gran even came home last night. He’d been too busy to notice.

But as he made his way downstairs the house was totally quiet.

He scooped up their discarded clothes and set them by the stairs, then went out to his car to grab his bag from his trunk.

Which was of course the exact moment an antique Corvette rolled into the driveway with the top down.

His grandmother was smiling in the passenger seat with a scarf tied around her head.

Levi stood in his towel with his suitcase and waited, as if it was completely normal to be out in the driveway after a shower.

“Grandson, I would introduce you to my friend, but I’m not sure I want to claim you dressed like that.”

He stepped forward to open her car door. “Sorry, Gran, I forgot to grab my bag and bring it inside yesterday.”

“Hello there, Levi Hart,” Mr. Greer said from the driver’s seat as he turned off the car and got out. Then the man held out his hand and Levi shook it.

“I trust you two kids had car trouble and that’s why you’re bringing my grandmother home so late?” Levi teased and winked at his grandmother.

“No, actually we spent a lovely evening at Clark’s. He may be a better chef than you,” his grandmother said with no shame.

Levi feigned shock.

“Well it’s nice to see you again, Mr. Greer. I won’t bother to threaten you because I’m guessing Wesley already has you under surveillance and let you know not to cross him.”

“You boys are so overprotective. Now I want to hear about your night with Missy,” Gran said, before giving Mr. Greer a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said to her new beau, then walked up the path to her house while they both watched.

“She’s spectacular,” Mr. Greer said then headed back to the driver’s side, leaving Levi to follow his grandmother and figure out what he was going to say before he got back inside.

But when he stepped into the kitchen Missy was there, dressed and making coffee.

“Oh, honey, please don’t try to tell me there hasn’t been something going on with you and Levi the second he arrived here. You two are like two flames sitting too close together about to turn into one big fireball.”

When Missy spotted him in only his towel her eyes roved over him and stopped at where he tied the towel below his abs. Then she gulped.

He liked the blush spreading up her neck and how she purposely turned away from him as if it was too hard to think with him half undressed.

“Mrs. Hart, I just mean to say I’m sorry for being unprofessional and it won’t happen again.”

“The hell it won’t,” Levi said. “I thought we settled this earlier—you’re mine. Remember. You promised,” Levi said, moving toward her.

“Levi, I work for your grandmother,” Missy said through clenched teeth.

“Well if that’s the problem then you’re fired,” Gran said.

Levi laughed as he caught Missy up in his arms. “Oh good thing you’re a brilliant artist and don’t really need to work for Gran.”

“But, I love this job.”

“Well, honey, you don’t have to leave. That art studio is yours forever.

I’ll even leave it to you in my will. But you don’t need to be worried about looking after little old me, and you certainly don’t need the pay.

Just one of your paintings sell for more than you were making in a month here as my companion.

Which I happen to know was code for keeping an eye on Gran cuz she’s getting old . ”

Missy’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“And maybe it was code for keeping an eye on Missy while she figures out who she really is,” his grandmother said pointing her pink-painted fingernail at Missy. “And I’d say you’ve found her, artist, woman in charge of her own destiny.”

Missy’s eyes welled with tears.

“Baby, don’t cry. Gran is always right. You can stay here and paint but maybe you’re ready for the next step. You could create another art studio, somewhere with palm trees.”

“Oh I love a tall skinny palm tree, just swaying in the breeze,” Gran said, hiding a yawn. “I’m just going to take my tea upstairs. And let you two talk and figure things out.”

Levi gave Missy another squeeze and then wiped the tears that fell onto her cheeks as he cupped her face.

“Hey, all we’re saying is you can do whatever you want.”

“I like it here. It’s quiet, and safe, and…”

He waited wondering if she was going to tell him the real reason she’d been hiding out in this small town, in his grandmother’s sunroom.

“I’m not ready for this, or I’m not sure.”

“Okay, then I’ll be back each weekend and we’ll do long distance.”

But she stepped away from him.

“Until when?”

“Until you’re ready to be with me all the time, until my baseball career is over? I don’t know. Do we have to decide the end now?”

“It doesn’t matter how it ends, it’s the fact that it will end. It always does. Especially with a guy like you.”

Levi would rather have been punched in the gut than feel the rejection of those words. A guy like him, a bad boy, a guy no one wants to take seriously, a guy they don’t choose.

“Missy, I don’t want this to end, ever. But I understand it’s not fair for me to expect you to just follow me to Florida right now.

Granted you can do your art just about anywhere, but I understand if you need more time to warm up to that.

Gran will probably disown me if I steal you away right this second, but we could find someone else to look in on her, when you’re ready.

I still need to find us a place in Tampa, but I’ll come back every weekend.

Or maybe some weekends you’ll want to visit me in Florida. We can take turns visiting each other?”

“Until you get sick of me and you decide you want something easier, or someone else.”

There it was: the unknown enemy he was up against. It wasn’t her beliefs about him, it was her beliefs about herself. She didn’t believe he would stick around and love her, because no one had.

“No, that isn’t how this ends. I don’t want someone else. Besides it’s too late.”

“You can’t know that. Too late for what?”

“I can. You’re the one, so it’s too late.”

“How can you know I’m your The One , if that even exists.”

“Because I know you’re the one I never want to be without. Missy, I’m in love with you. I don’t know when or how it happened so fast but that’s the truth. And I know it because I’ve never told another girl or woman that since I was six and I thought I was in love with my kindergarten teacher.”

Her hand was over her mouth and more tears fell. “It doesn’t make sense.”

He slowly stepped closer and put his arms around her to pull her close and she didn’t fight him. They fit exactly like two people who were meant for each other.

“Why would love make sense? How do two people who have never met one day find each other and know that this is it?”

Her tears spilled down her cheek onto his chest and he held her closer.

“I’m okay with putting in the time and proving to you I’m not full of shit. I can do that, but you gotta be open to being wrong about us. You have to stop believing you’re not enough, or not worthy.”

Her arms wrapped around him and she squeezed him back. With a soft nod of her head. “I’ll try.”

“Okay, then you’re officially fired as Gran’s companion and you’re my girlfriend.”

She let out a deep breath, but didn’t let go of him.

“I know Declan is your only family, and Gran has basically adopted you. I know this is going to be hard for you to believe in.”

Missy finally pulled back to look at him, and he wiped her wet cheeks.

“I’ve been alone so long, I’m not sure how to let you in, but I want to try. I don’t want to let what could be the most important person in my life go, because I’m scared.”

Levi kissed her again, then resting his forehead against hers he held her. “I promise you won’t regret this.”

She nodded. “No regrets.”

Levi felt his own throat tighten with emotions.

“Now is not a great time to say I have to leave soon to catch a flight. But I’m going to find a realtor and start looking at homes near water with glass rooms that get great sunlight.

I’ll be back next weekend, and the one after that, and I’ll meet you in Atlanta for your exhibit. ”

“Okay, you better go soon or you’ll miss your flight.” She smiled.

“You’re going to take the art world by storm and then maybe I can convince you to love me back.” He let his hands slide lower down her back to grip her bottom in both his hands. “I’m definitely going to enjoy trying.”

“Levi, your grandmother is just upstairs.”

He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen and down the hall to the laundry room and locked the door behind them.

Next he lifted her up on the dryer and dropped his towel.

“If I’m going to be convincing I need to be thorough,” he said before he kissed her over and over until they were both a sweaty heap on the floor.