Chapter 22

22

I opened my eyes and found Levi three steps from me, standing right by the side of the bed, his gaze locked on mine.

“I don’t know where to start,” I said, my voice low. “Probably by saying I’m sorry.”

His thick brows knotted. “For?”

“Ylena.”

He shook his head. “She was the woman who birthed me, nothing else. She was an evil motherfucker who got what she deserved.”

“That sounds so mean.”

“But it’s the truth.”

I knew it was, but I was still conflicted, because even though Levi hadn’t had any contact with her, I had. She had been my mentor, the person I had looked up to for so long, and she had turned out to be the worst of everyone.

The biggest enemy I had ever had.

And now she was gone and I didn’t know how to feel.

“I know you’re feeling bad, sweetheart,” he said, his tone gentle. “She meant a lot to you.”

“I don’t think I would ever be able to forgive her, though,” I confessed.

Levi nodded. “I know what you mean.” His eyes narrowed. “Can you forgive me?”

“For?”

“The way I treated you when I was not myself. I remember everything, but at that time, it was like I wasn’t in control.”

“I know that. Why do you think I didn’t give up on you?”

He erased the three steps between us. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

I forced a big gasp. “Levi is thanking again. What in the world?”

One corner of his lips curled up. “I mean it.”

I reached up and placed my hand over his chest, right above his heart. “I know. What I don’t know is if you meant what you said right before you crossed that portal and left me alone at that inn.”

He stared into my eyes, and I thought he didn’t remember. But after a few agonizing seconds, he placed his hand over mine and said, “I meant it, sweetheart. This bond might have started with a spell, but I don’t want it gone.” With a growl, he pushed me back until I was caged between him and the door. He glued his body to mine and I sighed in satisfaction. “I want you now and forever.”

Then his lips were on mine.

I was prepared for his hunger, for this kiss to be as crazed as the other times we had kissed, but instead, Levi molded his lips around mine and oh, so slowly, kissed me with something I could only think of as adoration, devotion. His mouth moved slow, and I matched his strides, but it was deep, as if he wanted to suck my soul into his. To imprint his lips on mine.

And I was all for that.

Heat bloomed in my chest and spread down to my belly as he pressed his body on mine, touching every possible inch. His delicious mouth, his hot hard figure pressing against mine, and his hard-on strategically placed low on my pelvis.

I moaned.

With a smirk, Levi broke the kiss and dragged his lips down my neck. “So sweet,” he whispered before biting the sensitive spot between my neck and shoulder.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, grazing my nails across his shoulder blades. By the light, how I wanted that shirt off. All of this clothes off.

I tugged on his shirt. “Off. Now.”

A soft chuckle came from him, but he didn’t hesitate. He stood tall, his body still pressed against mine, and with his intense eyes on mine, he pulled his shirt off.

“Your turn,” he said with a growl as he grabbed the hem of my shirt and practically ripped it off me.

Without breaking his stare, he reached behind me, unclasped my bra, and let it fall. Only then, he looked down and licked his lips, before returning his mouth to mine.

His kiss was once again slow and deep, drawing little gasps and moans from my throat. He wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me even closer to him, squeezing my breasts to his naked chest. By the light, how I loved to feel his skin on mine.

On instinct, I wrapped my legs around him and then Levi was on the move.

He gently deposited me in bed but stood back to take my pants and underwear off. Then his. I squirmed, watching his glorious form, all corded muscle and a huge hard-on … I swallowed as he crawled over me, his gaze again locked on mine, shining with pure hunger.

Hunger for me.

Levi pressed his body down on me—oh, I loved his weight on me—and claimed my mouth once more. I wrapped my legs around him and pushed my heels on his round ass, placing his hips in line with mine, his length right at my entrance.

I exhaled a moan, in desperate need for him.

But Levi had another idea.

Still kissing me slowly, he lifted his body off mine and slid his hand between us. I gasped as his fingers rubbed at my clit and two of them slipped inside of me.

I cried against his mouth.

“Holy fuck, so wet,” he whispered before deepening the kiss, if that was possible, and thrusting his fingers all the way inside me.

Heat already burned inside me, bringing in pure pleasure and lighting me on fire, but then he rubbed his thumb on my clit while moving his fingers in an agonizing rhythm.

I moaned and he swallowed it.

I didn’t think I could take much more, but Levi didn’t stop. He sped up his fingers, while rubbing harder against my clit and dragging his mouth down to my breasts. He licked the round swell of my right breast before moving to the left and flicking his tongue on my nipple.

I bucked against him.

His mouth, his fingers, the heat inside of me. It was damn too much and I wanted it all.

“Give in to me, sweetheart.” He closed his mouth around my nipple and sucked hard.

And just like that, I broke. My body tremble as I climaxed. I was so lost on cloud nine, I barely saw Levi adjusting himself, but I certainly felt when he entered me, his length filling me up in a way nothing else could and bringing on another wave of tremors to my body.

He pushed until he couldn’t go anymore and lowered his mouth to my ear. “You’re so fucking delicious.”

I wanted to reply, to say something, but my brain was mush, and my body was in flames. But before I could think of anything coherent to say, Levi closed his mouth around mine, returning to the slow and deep kiss.

I had loved his hungry and desperate kisses before, but I had to say, these were just as hot.

Slowly, Levi started moving. With a gasp, I clutched his shoulders, my nails sinking into his skin.

“Oh, by the light,” I whispered.

“No, sweetheart, not the light.” He pulled back a little to look at me, but he didn’t stop moving. “By us. It’s us, the way it’s supposed to be. Just you and me. And we are so fucking good together.”

So damn true.

My moans got lost in our kiss as Levi increased the speed of his movements, thrusting into me faster and faster, until we were back to the frantic, hungry rhythm of all the other times we had sex.

But this time, it felt different.

It was different.

This time, we weren't just sleeping together.

This time, we had accepted the bond, our feelings for each other.

This time, Levi and I were making love.

That thought, that knowledge, made me even more full of desire, brought on more flames to my inside, boiled my blood with more need.

Need for him.

For Levi.

I never thought I would find someone, to want them more than I cared about myself, to not be able to imagine a single day without that person, but here we were. I had been without him, and light, did that hurt!

I locked my legs around his ass and lifted my hips, needing even more of him, all of him, now, tomorrow, forever.

“So damn good,” I whispered against his mouth.

He bit down on my lip. “Damn right.”

In one fluid motion, Levi jumped off the bed, grabbed my legs, dragged me to the edge, and then he was inside me again. Watching me, he hugged my legs as he pumped into me, even deeper than before.

I stared at him, at the pure pleasure stamped on his face, and damn, if that wasn’t hot. Again, I adjusted my hips, giving him a better angle, and somehow, his length rubbed in a different way, hitting spots he hadn’t before.

My eyes rolled inside my head as I swam in pleasure.

My stomach tightened and I knew I was close again.

“No, not yet, sweetheart,” he said.

Gently, he pushed my legs to the side, making me turn to the right, and he leaned over me—still inside me. He pressed his chest on my left side and reached for a kiss, while he pumped inside me.

I gasped as once more, he touched and reached spots that he hadn’t before.

“So fucking good,” he groaned against my mouth. “We need to explore more positions, sweetheart, because if these are good, then I bet others will be just as good, if not better.”

“Agreed,” I rasped.

I grabbed his arm, pulling him as close as I could in this position. I moved my leg a little, angling my hips up, and damn … so, so deep.

The flames ignited more and I couldn’t contain them anymore. I cried as I came again, and after three more thrusts, Levi joined me on the other side with a loud groan.

Trembling, he lay behind me, his legs entangled in mine, his arms around my waist, and his mouth on my shoulder.

“That was …” I started.

“I know.” He pressed a kiss on my skin. “It really was.”

The words came to my tongue. They were right there. I wanted to say them, and I would have meant them too … but for some reason, I couldn’t get them past my lips.

I opened my mouth to try to say them anyway and?—

“We've had a long day. Hell, a long week.” He rested his head on his arm, his mouth right at my nape. “Let’s sleep, sweetheart.”

For a brief second, I was disappointed.

But I internally shook myself. No, it was okay. What we had done proved our feelings. We didn’t need words to make it real. Not yet, at least.