The truth of the matter was, Faith had wanted to be in love first. For eight of the past eleven years, she’d only ever imagined sleeping with one man, after all. Sex was far too intimate to do with someone she didn’t love. Gay or not, Jeremy had loved her and, God knew, she’d loved him back.
She wasn’t in love with Levi. And Levi certainly wasn’t in love with her.
This was ridiculous. Of all the men she might pick, Levi was not a likely candidate for husband/father of her adorable children. A) he barely liked her. And B)...well, who knew what B was. Hot or not (well, he was definitely hot), he was probably not the guy to—
He reached up and cupped her cheek with one hand and studied her, his expression unreadable—eyebrows drawn, the slight, omnipresent frown on his face. Faith swallowed, her throat dry.
“Do you want to sleep with me, Faith?”
The question took her by surprise. His voice was low and gentle, and Faith felt a tug low in her belly. “If you don’t mind,” she whispered. He smiled the slightest bit, then ran his thumb over her lower lip, and she drew in a shaky breath. Then he pulled out the clip that held her hair up, causing it to tumble down in a sweep. Slowly, almost carefully, Levi bent his head and kissed her neck, his arms going around her, and, oh, mercy, his mouth was warm and gentle, and a rush of molten gold seemed to flow through her limbs, heavy and electric. Her bones seemed to soften, and her head tipped back, her breath suddenly ragged.
Her hands didn’t know what to do. Levi took one in his and kissed her palm, then flattened her hand against his chest so she could feel the slow, hard thud of his heartbeat. And this time, when his mouth touched hers again...this time it was right. His hands moved through her hair, then down her back, pulling her against him, and, oh, he was as solid as granite, utterly dangerous and absolutely safe. Her mouth opened in a sigh, and he took advantage, tasting her, and the hot golden feeling was stronger now, pulsing hard. Her hands slid against his ribs, feeling the play of muscle against skin, and his kiss became deeper, more insistent, hotter. Faith’s knees loosened dangerously, a little moan escaping her throat.
Then Levi pulled back, and it took Faith a minute to open her eyes. Her breathing was ragged. So was his. His eyes...bedroom eyes. That was the term.
“You sure you want to sleep with me?” she said, her voice breathy.
He smoothed some hair away from her face. “I’m sure.”
She bit her lip. “Okay, then. Take me to bed.”
“I was thinking against the wall.”
“Good God!” she blurted. The golden heat surged hot, hard and heavy. “Okay, fine, whatever you think. You’re the expert here.”
His smile was slow, and it made the throbbing hotter, stronger. Then he bent and picked her up so that her legs wrapped around him of their own accord, and Levi Cooper did what he said he was going to do.
* * *
THEY DID END UP IN BED, and bed was good, Levi thought. The wall had gone well until Faith’s dog kept dropping his ratty old tennis ball at their feet, and she started to laugh. Besides, given that Faith had never been with a straight guy, he wanted to give her the whole experience, as it were. She was worth exploring, her body lush and soft, all pink and cream, and she made the most gratifying little noises, and had done a fair bit of exploring herself, her hands sliding over him, her mouth soft and sweet.
And when they were done, and her eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed and her skin damp with sweat, he rolled on his back and pulled her against him, a fierce sense of...something...swelled in his chest.
Even she was quiet. “So, was this, um...pretty typical?” she asked eventually.
No. “Pretty much,” he answered, his fingers playing in her hair. Now why’d you say that, dumb ass? his brain scolded.
Because he didn’t want too much too soon. That was all. He was being careful, and careful was smart.
The dog decided it was bedtime, too, and jumped up, draping himself over their feet. “Do you mind him?” Faith asked.
“He’s fine.”
She propped herself up on her elbow and looked at him. “Do you need to go?”
He blinked. “Kicking me out?”
“No. I just...I didn’t know if you wanted to spend the night. If you do, I have to take off my mascara and hide my, uh, undergarment.”
“I’ve seen your undergarment. I’ve also seen combat armor that looks more comfortable.”
“Is this your pillow talk?”
“Is this yours?”
“Don’t crinkle your forehead at me, Levi. I’m new to the game here.”
He felt a smile threaten. “You’re pretty good for a rookie.”
“Shush.” Here came the blush. He turned and pressed a kiss on her shoulder. Her blush deepened.
“You’re pretty and soft and you smell like cake. How’s that?” he asked.
She smiled a little. “Cake?”
“Yes. Edible.”
That flustered her. She pressed her lips together and looked away, still a little spooked around him. “So, are you staying?”
“Do you want me to?”
Her gaze flickered to his and away again. “Okay. If you want to.”
He could’ve claimed ten things, nine of them true, that would’ve gotten him home. He was on call. He had paperwork. Emails to answer. A grant to finish. He could take a cruise through Manningsport, just to let the good citizens know he was out there. He probably should’ve used any one of those because there was sex, and then there was spending the night, and this was way too early to spend the night.
“Sure,” he said.
“You really want to stay?”
“Yes. Now be quiet and go to sleep.”
She looked at him another second, unconvinced, and he felt a pang of remorse. He picked up a strand of her hair and gave it a gentle tug, then pulled her head back down to his shoulder.
“Levi?”
Women. Always with the talking. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for doing me.”
He laughed. “You’re welcome. Did you have fun?”
“What do you think?”
“You made a lot of noise. That’s generally a good sign.”
She raised her head to look at him, her coppery hair falling half over her face. “Well, well, well. Look at that. Levi Cooper, smiling.”
And sure enough, it seemed he was.
Then she kissed him, hesitantly, sweetly, then less hesitantly, and nobody went to sleep for a long while.
Except the dog.
CHAPTER TWENTY
LEVI COOPER HAD washboard abs.
Not that Faith was ogling or anything. Okay, she was totally ogling. So was Blue, for that matter, still hoping Levi would throw the ball ten or five hundred times.
But Levi was asleep, so ogling was allowed. Plus, how could a woman drag her eyes off that perfect, beautiful body? His arms were ridiculously male, heavy and thick with muscle, his chest solid and broad. And those abs...rippled and hypnotic and magically perfect.
Yes. Levi Cooper was a sparkly unicorn of wonder.
Granted,