Hotter Horizons (10 page)

Their room was done in a soft caramel with taupe
accents. Levi turned on the small lamp on the nightstand, illuminating the
walls. The soft light glowed against the panes of the only window in the room.
He met her thoughts and went to the window and lowered the bamboo blind,
coating the room with darkness.

It was quiet as Levi pulled down the puffy
comforter. Crisp, beige sheets lined the mattress, pulled tight.

“I’ll be in shortly,” he said. Though his tone rang
with that now familiar restlessness, his expression was soft and inviting.

Fern stood near the bed, her mind tipping again. As
Levi disappeared down the hall Fern climbed between the sheets. The cool linen
chilled her body that’d been on a constant simmer since Jada had left.

She dozed, despite the thoughts that ran rampant.
What would Jada say tomorrow when she texted her? She’d probably laugh, saying,
“I told you so.”

****

When the mattress sank with weight, Fern woke up to
two hot bodies flanking her. Alec combed strands of hair from her eyes, lightly
kissing her forehead. His smile warmed through her.

He’s
trouble.

Levi pressed up against her. He reached around her,
pulling her into his solid leanness. His wiry jaw scraped across her cheek,
reminding her of his abrasiveness. His deep voice tunneled into her ear from
behind.

“I just want to hold you, Frances. You feel so good …
the way you fit against me,” he said. His words faded into a hushed murmur.
“Thank you for being the light of our evening.”

She felt the pull. He was oozing through her,
tugging on her internal strings. Should she reassure him?

Does
he need my reassurance?

Fern laughed to herself. Levi seemed way too
confident to be needy. Was his candid aggressiveness all a defense mechanism?

The need to display some sort of affection toward
him bloomed in her belly. Fern just wasn’t sure if she was sexually refined
enough for Levi. Levi had refrained from what Fern knew could have been an
overly powerful experience if he’d had more of a presence. Levi’s stance
tonight had been no more than that of a vocal observer. Was that why Alec had
been the leader? Did they do that with every female encounter?

Alec’s breaths grew heavy and steady. Fern rolled
over, greeted with Levi’s gleaming eyes. His lids lowered just a bit. Fern laid
her hand on his chest. She felt his lungs take in a short gasp of air. She
fingered his nipple, letting her palm slide over his skin. He hummed softly,
appreciative of her touch. Levi’s mouth curled into a crafty grin. Before he could
speak any words of dominance, Fern leaned into him, finding his mouth with
hers.

His lips joined hers, quickly forming into a loose
pucker that went against all she’d witnessed. His tongue mated with hers
gently. Levi’s hands stilled, as if afraid to touch her. Fern pressed herself
against him, expecting a bit more. A sound tore from his throat, a rumbling
whimpering like a trapped animal in agony.

Levi’s hands now held her face. His thumbs pressed
into her cheeks as his hips shifted before abruptly pulling away. His mouth
hung,
his eyes wide and frightened.

“Oh, Frances.”
He released
a hissing breath. “You’re as dangerous as forbidden fruit.”

Chapter
Eighteen

Levi leaned back in his chair, the springs creaking.
Rain dripped down the window, blurring everything in his eye’s path on this
balmy summer morning.

Fern was downstairs, the sound of the vacuum droning
in his ears. He couldn’t concentrate. The events of the previous evening
flashed in his mind, the colors vivid, the images graphic, her beauty now
ingrained.

Levi felt consumed, drugged and wilted over, and all
Fern had done was kiss him. She was all softness and tenderness, salted with a
hint of sentiment. The others were never like that.

The women Alec brought home were brash, bold, and as
rough as he. They wanted to be fucked hard, bent and stretched to maximum
proportions. It’d always been easy, because they were exactly like him. It was
like a sexual duel he always had to win.

This was way different, but isn’t that what they
wanted? How was Alec making the shift? He’d done a phenomenal job with her, but
below the surface Alec carried that same compassion. That’s what had drawn Levi
to him.

Alec had met Fern on her level, catering to her with
an expert hand. How Alec danced between the two sides Levi didn’t know, but
he’d been doing it since the beginning. Had Alec been doing all that flexing
with his temperament just to appease him? Whether that was true or not, now it
was Levi’s turn to flex. Was he able? He wanted to. Levi just wasn’t sure quite
how to do it.

Levi wanted to ignite the flame in Fern’s heart, and
he believed they were off to a good start. Now it was him that was being
singed, and from the inside out. What was he so scared of? Did sentiment and emotion
really cause one to lose self-control? It did with Alec, but a relationship
with another man was different. With Fern could the two sides be joined?

That kiss, which had been an overture all her own,
showed him that she possessed a mild assertiveness. That kiss continued to
vibrate through him, wiring his body with an internal mechanism that Levi
wasn’t sure he knew how to operate.

“Levi.” Her sweet, feminine voice resonated through
a house that was too quiet. Alec was at work. “I have lunch for you,” she
called.

Levi pushed his chair back and stood.

Lunch?
Who the hell can eat!

****

He felt like a jittery teen. He nibbled on the
sandwich, sneaking glances up at her as she worked.

At
least someone’s getting something done.

Levi took a deep swallow of iced tea, needing to
push the dry bread down a throat that seemed to no longer work. Fern’s back was
to him at the sink, as she was doing the dishes. A light-green skirt graced her
shapely legs, her white t-shirt a tease. When his eyes landed on a cute pair of
bare feet, his teeth clamped down hard on his lower lip.

God
help me!

As Fern put the last dish in the drain-board, Levi
slipped off the stool and slunk over to the sink.

An overcast sky hung still out the window, the rain
no longer falling. A weak sun angled through the panes, casting a polished
sheen on the dark strands of her hair. He couldn’t do this any longer. The
temptation was too great. He was ready to take a bite of the forbidden apple.

She turned, her face inches from his. Her hazel eyes
were lighter today, coated with an earthy brown. They flicked up at him. Her
chest lifted, his close proximity obviously taking her by surprise.

Levi ran his fingers through her hair.

“How are you?” He traced her brow, suddenly on the
brink of losing it. His heart drummed against his ribs. The half a sandwich
he’d tried to eat was swimming in his gut. His balls ached, filling with fire
she had lit.

After watching his lover
have
her, Levi wanted in. He wanted to taste her and savor her. She was here, and he
didn’t want to focus on anything else but her.

“I’m fine. I take it it’s a light day for you in the
office?” Her mouth sloped into a lazy grin.

“I can’t seem to concentrate.” He
cleared
 
his
throat. Levi ran a finger
down her temple, sliding along the curve of her neck.

“Am I making too much noise? I’m sorry,” she said,
her teeth catching her lower lip.

Levi groaned.

“Oh Fern.”
He sighed,
chuckling. “You’re turning me into an imbecile.”
 

Her brows pulled together. He tried to read her eyes
as they processed his statement.

“I’m sorry.” Her lips twisted into a frown. Her
cheeks flushed with a rosy heat, a warmth Levi would use as his guide.

“Don’t be, please.” His own voice sounded
unrecognizable, clawing its way out of a body that needed to be hydrated, and
she was his holy water.

Levi dipped his mouth to hers. Her face tilted,
receiving him. His dick tried to strut inside his pants. His groin expanded
with an ache that itched, knowing pleasure would soothe it if it was tended to.

Her hands slid up his forearms, gripping his
shoulders. He tried to let her be the co-pilot. The battle was on, and Levi
felt himself slipping back into that sea of unexplored waters, unsure of the
journey.

That root of dominance began to sprout in his feet,
racing up his body like wild vines. He gripped her hips and lifted her onto the
edge of the counter. The dishes clanked in the drain-board. A faint cry sounded
from her throat. Levi opened her knees, pushing her skirt up. He stepped back,
needing to reel it in, afraid of frightening her.

Fern’s mouth was open, her eyes heavy with need.

Does
she want it?
Levi’s eyes sank between her legs, seeing the
dainty white panties. Her knuckles whitened as her fingers clenched around the
edge of the counter.

“Fern…” Levi
gasped,
his
stomach flipping.

“I’m right here.” Her soft voice drifted through the
quiet air, ripping Levi’s heart right out of his chest. Levi filled the space
between her thighs. He reached into the drain-board, rummaging through the
silverware. He pushed her skirt up again, stuffing the hem underneath the
waistband. He sensed her gaze, surveying his every move. Her knees began to
shake when he tugged on her panties, pulling the lacy trim away from her hip
bone.

He grabbed the small knife and cut the side open,
removing them from her legs in one swift motion.

“Oh no,” she cried, her body shifting. Levi tossed
the knife in the sink. It hit the bottom with a sharp clatter.

“Frances, please.”
 
Levi grabbed her hair, exposing her neck. His
mouth descended onto her hot flesh. Her perfumed skin filled his nose, making
everything swim around him, a crazed euphoria.

She tilted her hips and leaned back, her heels now on
the edge of the counter. Levi’s fingers tightened around her neck, guiding her
eyes to his. Before he could phrase his words, she spoke.

“Do it,” she said through gritted teeth, her eyes a
glowing glimmer.

Levi bent over her, nipping at her clothed nipple.

“Oh,” she yelped. Her arms went tight, trembling,
every joint locked. Levi took hold of her knees, spreading them wider. Her
arousal wafted under his nose. He dropped to the floor. The linoleum dug into
his knees. He looked at her
pussy,
appreciating the
beauty Alec had had the pleasure of viewing.

Levi touched her clitoris, her tissues slick and
swollen. He kissed her, pressing his mouth onto her. The folds of her vagina
were soaked, glazed with a sugary arousal. Her hips thrust forward. She was
feeding him, her dish exotic.

Levi pressed his tongue into her slit, drinking from
her. Her heels hit his back. Her breaths filled the silence. Levi lightened the
pressure, licking her walls, tapping her clit. He growled into her pussy,
crazed like a rabid animal.

He was sinking, drowning in a feeling that was
blacking out all of his questioning and reasoning. It’d never happened before.
He’d always had control, but the woman who was perched above him, inviting him
in, now had him bridled, and she was controlling the reins. It was a wondrous
feeling Levi was visiting as a stranger. Would he be able to stay?

****

Her body screamed. She was panting, every muscle
strained and burning. His mouth pleasured her intimately. The growls and moans
alerted her. Fern opened her eyes, allowing them to roll across the ceiling.

No
man has ever made me feel this way.

Her flesh was scalding, dripping off her bones.
Sweat collected above her brow. Her orgasm loomed, teasing and taunting her.
She’d experienced more sensations in the last twenty-four hours than she had in
months.

Levi’s finger poked and prodded, slipping up inside
her body. His tongue washed over her pussy. Her head fell back, her throat
closing. She reached behind her, grabbing the handles on the faucet. His scent
permeated the air, the masculine perfume of his soap and hair. Spiky strands
jabbed at the sensitive tissues between her legs.

She was riding the crest, her belly full and unable
to hold anymore. Her pussy contracted. Her internal muscles went into a spasm,
the release exquisite. The urge was spiraling out of control.

With Johnny, Fern always wanted it to end quickly,
but with Levi and Alec she now wanted more. They’d done nothing more than tease
and pleasure her with foreplay. Why? Were they preparing her for something more
intense? Did they think she was afraid? They’d gotten her to a place where she
was ready to explore. Was that their mission?

Levi’s mouth left her, her tissues cooling. His
fingers clenched around her knees as he stood. His eyes darted between hers,
his features startled.