When he started to climb back onto the bed, over her, she lifted her knees.
“Uh-uh, Bright. Your shirt, my shirt. My jeans, your jeans.”
He’d never felt so turned on and so buoyant in the same moment. Taking his time, he arched his brows, let his fingers hover over the button on his jeans. She bit her bottom lip and he had to stifle a groan.
When he unbuttoned his jeans, she went up on her elbows to watch and he couldn’t stop the grin from taking over his face. She laughed when, finally shimmying them down, he kicked them off, sent them sailing.
“Can I come back now?” He waited, letting her stare at him like he had her, tension mounting in every fiber of his being. His body was an elastic band stretched to its very limit, mere seconds from snapping.
“Yes,” she whispered, lying back and holding her arms out to him. Welcoming him like they belonged together.
His heart inflated so full it stole his breath, made his ribsache. Jillian Keller, with her gorgeous hair tumbled around her shoulders, her beautiful body laid out in a way he’d never imagined he’d be lucky enough to witness, wanted him, and a piece of him couldn’t believe it.
“You fucking humble me, Jillian. You’re so beautiful. All of you. Your heart. Your mind. Your body. Every bit of you.”
She lowered her gaze and he knew she trusted his words; felt the truth in his touch, his look, his every breath. He wanted to find out every secret she possessed, everything she loved and craved, and he wanted to give her those things. He wanted to give her everything.
Slowly, carefully, he crawled back up over her, framed her face with his hands, doing his best not to crush her body with his.
Her hands went to his waist, slid around to his lower back, her fingers teasing just under the band of his boxers before she used her hands to urge him closer.
“I’m heavy,” he warned. He hadn’t thought much about the differences in their height and weight but as he held her beneath him, she felt precious and breakable and he didn’t want to do anything to hurt her in any way. He felt overwhelmedwith the need to cherish her. Protect her. Show her how amazing she was.
“I want that. I want you. All of you.”
He’d hear those words in his dreams for the rest of his life. A sense of tranquility washed over him as he gave her what she asked for. Jillian arched up into him, shattering his restraint with a kiss that sent them both spiraling into a haze of pent-up desire that had started, innocently, years ago and become a living, breathing force neither of them could hide or run from.
She whispered his name, their hands never stopping as both of them fought to get closer while feeling like nothing could be close enough. He felt the sheen of sweat on his back, the taste of it on her neck, her shoulder, down her arm as he pressed kisses everywhere he could.
Nothing else existed outside of this woman and the sounds she made, the feel of her heart, and her breaths mingling with his own. Every kiss, every touch, every sigh and whisper spurred them both on, turned them both inside out.
As they came together, his gaze held hers and he knew that no matter what else happened in his life, Jillian Keller was his future.
Twenty-seven
Jillian lay beside Levi, his fingers trailing up and down her arm. The sensation sent tingles along her already tingling skin. They’d moved so their heads were on the pillows. Or, at least, his was. Hers was nestled into the crook of his arm, the heat of his body warding off the chill of the cabin.
She watched his chest rise and fall, her hand moving with it, and the moment didn’t feel real. It was like a dream. Nothing in real life could be that good. Except Levi Bright.
“You’ve got the softest skin ever,” he said, his voice a little hoarse.
Tipping her head back, she looked at him, her fingers traveling down to his stomach. “You’ve got the best everything ever.”
Her hand moved with his laughter even as he cupped her cheek, pulled her closer to kiss her. The blanket they’d pulled over them slipped, and though she hadn’t turned the heat up, she couldn’t be cold wrapped in the warmth of his arms.
His kisses trailed from her mouth, over her cheek, and finally to her forehead. When he leaned back, he stared at her like he felt just as awestruck as she did.
“I hope I’m not showing my hand too much if I tell you you’ve ruined me for all other women,” he said with mock seriousness.
She laughed even as delight filled her. Fair was fair. No other man had or would compare to him in any way.
Pretending to get up, she said, “Then my work here is done.”
Levi grabbed her around the waist, making her squeal as he rolled them over on the bed until he was perched above her. “Mine isn’t,” he whispered as he kissed any thoughts of leaving right out of her.
Tucked in a cocoon of blankets and Levi, Jillian forced her eyes to stay open. Levi snored softly beside her, and even that appealed to her. She realized that she missed some of the little things about sharing a life with someone: laughing, for one. But also things people took for granted, like rolling over in the middle of the night to the feel of a solid presence.
Ollie had asked about Levi moving in and the question shocked Jillian because she hadn’t thought about the future in that way. The idea of their lives changing so drastically to where they’d live with another person—even the idea of living with just Ollie—seemed unfathomable. But whether she could fathom it or not, life was changing. They were changing.Shehad changed. She wasn’t teenaged Jillian—shy, reserved, and a little uncertain. She wasn’t young-adult Jill—navigating the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood. She was Jilly. Still navigating a hell of a lot but she felt like, maybe, she was doing it with a bit more grace. She felt confident about herself as a mother (mostly), a daughter, sister, and employee. But this Jilly was more than those things. Levi made her see herself as a person again. A woman. A desirable, funny, adored one, at that.
