Page 60 of The History in Us

Levi

Holding her in my arms again brought instant relief. A sense of calm I hadn’t experienced in the days we were separated slipped slowly over me, caressing me like this dress hugged her body. A panic attack seized me the moment she walked out of my door. I wanted her to turn back. I wanted to go after her, but AJ cried, and it suddenly felt reminiscent of when Alicia left. But the pain in my heart was a hundred-fold worse. I wanted to call her the moment after the panic ceased, but I didn’t think she’d want to hear from me. Her cold attention the following day in class proved I was correct.

I’d sought her out tonight, frantically searching the crowd after each turn I took in the museum, hoping to find her among the attendees. My heart stilled when I found her hidden away in the corner, looking stunning and radiant in a dress made for her body. Pressing her against me, my hands wandered the silky material, forming their own search, and discovering nothing remained under that dress. Only the thin dress separated naked Katie from me and my body stiffened with the thought. But it was more than that—we balanced on a string, and I knew I had to be the one to pull us forward. The foreplay we had going on for weeks drove me insane with desire, but the lack of sex was good for me. I didn’t want Katie to be a one-night stand any more than she wanted to be that for me. There would be no holding back.

“Should we get out of here?” I whispered into her exposed neck. Her hair was pulled up and fine strands curled loose around her creamy skin. My palm absorbed the warmth of her as it wrapped around her nape.

“You probably shouldn’t leave, being the guest of honor and all.” My mouth ignored her and nipped at that juncture of neck and shoulder, on that vein that pulsed life through her, and tempted me to live.

“Join me for dinner.” I blew over her neck, soothing the bite.

“You’re at the table of honor. I’m in the back, Levi.”

“You like to play by rules, don’t you, Katie?” I sensed that about her. Good girl, who did the right thing, worried about consequences. Her shoulder shrugged, teasing my mouth for another succulent taste.

“Let’s break the rules tonight.” I retreated to look in her eyes. “It’s just you and me.” We were hardly alone, almost always with AJ. I loved my son, but he was the third wheel sometimes, and I selfishly wanted this beautiful woman to myself for a while. She bit the corner of her mouth and nodded slowly.

“Yeah?” I reached for her hand, slipping her fingers through mine.

“Yes.”

* * *

I don’t know what we were running from as if we had escaped a prison, but Katie laughed heartily as we jogged to the corner and hailed a cab.

“The Green Mill,” I ordered once inside the stale, yellow vehicle. It wasn’t as plush as an Uber, but he was already waiting on the streets.

“What’s the Green Mill?” Katie asked, pressing into my arm. She’d slipped her jacket over her dress and I missed the exposure of her skin. My hand rested on her thigh, and slowly I inched up the material.

“Levi,” she hissed. I slipped my arm from her grasp and draped it over her shoulder, switching hands to continue my travels. “Levi, the cab driver will see,” she whispered. I dipped my head, positioning my mouth on her ear.

“He isn’t watching. No rules, remember.” I let the dress cover as much of my arm as it could, but my fingers were on a mission. I needed confirmation of what I already thought. The tips of my fingers hit heat and slick skin. “Fuck, Katie,” I groaned into her neck. Her thighs clamped together, but the twist of my wrist forced them apart enough to slip a finger inside her. Her head tipped back and her teeth tugged that lip. My mouth covered hers, feeling strangely comforted, like a welcome home party. She pulled back from me, but her mouth still rested close to mine.

“Levi,” she sighed. “I’ll make a mess.” Instantly, I withdrew my fingers. I didn’t mind messing her up, but I wanted more time in public before I stripped her of this dress in private. I’d never heard Katie utter a swear word in the time I’d been with her, but she cursed the second my fingers released her. Her eyes closed and her breathing shallowed.

“Say you’ll go home with me later. I promise to make this up to you.” She nodded lazily. I understood the torture. Part of me wanted inside her now, and it wasn’t just my fingers.

The cab slowed to a stop, and I helped Katie exit the vehicle. We stood before the famous Chicago jazz club, and the music wailed out to the street.

“What’s this?” she asked, a smile on her lips.

“Research,” I said and pulled her forward. We entered the club famous for an endless list of jazz bands. From the notorious Al Capone and friends, this club held history like no other. The place was packed for a Saturday night, but the enthusiasm of the crowd added to the atmosphere.

“Drink,” I offered over the soulful sounds of heavy horns and the sultry, raspy tone of a female voice. I grabbed Katie’s hand and dragged her toward the bar. I ordered us each a shot, hoping Katie would continue to break the rules with me. She raised her glass, clinked against mine and sucked back the sharp liquor. Her mouth puckered, and she waved a hand in front of her lips.

“Holy…” My mouth crushed hers hoping to distract her from the burn. My tongue swept over hers, savoring the combination of whiskey and Katie. Taking a moment longer to drink her in, I pulled back and tossed back my own shot.

“Dance,” I hollered, dragging her closer to the bandstand. We wouldn’t be able to dance like we did in the empty ballroom, but I only needed her to be close to me. We stood with her back braced to my chest. My hands caressed the curves of her hips and the flat of her stomach. I pressed her against me and her arms reached upward and around my neck. My mouth lowered to her moist skin, damp from the heat of too many close bodies. I sucked on the salty treat while she swayed, seductively rippling against my body, like the incredible dress covering hers. Blood pulsed through my veins, lazy and alive, but the bass rhythm was concentrated in one place. We only made it through three songs before I couldn’t take the tension any longer. I spun her to face me, my mouth finding hers again. She leaned into me, wrapping her arms around my neck and returning the kiss.

“Let’s get out of here.” Keeping my arm around her waist, I tugged her out into the street. The space before the club was too crowded to find a cab, so I led her down the block. She pulled me into an alley, just enough to disguise us and her mouth returned to mine. Our mouths collided over and over.

“Katie.” She hardly came up for air. My hands fisted in that sexy material covering her skin, skin I wanted access to. “Katie, I can’t take you against the wall.”