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Piper’s lips parted. “Your aunt was murdered?”
Levi nodded.
“Jesus. What happened?”
He hesitated, pursing his lips. “It isn’t a pretty story. Definitely not a good bedtime story. And you’ve had one hell of a day. I’d rather not add to that.”
Her perceptive gaze drifted over his face. “In other words, you don’t want to talk about it,” she said, no judgment in her tone.
Honestly, no, he didn’t. Not only because it didn’t seem like the right time to pile all that crap on her, but also because it would lead to a conversation about the current murders—he really didn’t want all that stuff circulating around her head when it was already a busy place and she needed her sleep.
And yeah, okay, he didn’t want it swimming through his own mind right now either. It poked and prodded at him often, only giving him a reprieve around Piper. He wanted to enjoy that reprieve, and he certainly didn’t want his attention divided tonight when he was here to keep her safe. “I’ll tell you all about it one day. Just not tonight.”
Seconds of silence ticked by as she stared at him. “Okay,” she finally said, her voice soft and empty of reproach. She licked her lips. “I’m sorry you lost your mom and aunt, and I’m sorry you had so few people in your life who were permanent fixtures. Just so you know … I’m going to be one of those fixtures. I’m not going anywhere.”
No, she wasn’t. Because neither he nor his demon would ever let her.
A shitty dream—not quite a nightmare, just an unpleasant jumble of images and other crap—snapped Piper awake. No light was creeping around the edges of the curtains, so it was nowhere close to morning. She grabbed her cell phone and checked the time: 2:07 a.m. Fabulous.
Sitting up, she took the bottle of water from the nightstand. There wasn’t much left in it, so it wasn’t surprising that she was still thirsty after draining the bottle.
Piper edged out of bed and, figuring there was nothing indecent about an old baggy tee and some shorts, didn’t bother slipping on a robe before leaving the room. Not wanting to startle Levi, she called out, “It’s only me, don’t pounce.”
As she was making her way down the stairs, he moved to stand at the bottom, too fucking hot for words. It really wasn’t fair.
His eyes did a slow sweep of her bare legs before lifting to meet her gaze. Stark need flickered across his face. For all of two seconds. Or maybe she’d imagined it. Yep, that was probably it. Nonetheless, her pulse jumped and her stomach twisted.
“Something wrong?” he asked, not stepping back to give her space.
Piper shook her head. “Just thirsty.” She was also feeling seriously hungry. For him. For his mouth and hands on her.
She gave herself a mental slap. Jesus, the man could sure send her hormones into a tailspin. It didn’t help that all that alpha energy danced along her nerve-endings. Or that a good, fast fuck would go a long way to relaxing her.
“You should have given me a telepathic shout-out,” he said. “I’d have brought you a drink.”
“I’m not that lazy. Most of the time.” Piper walked into the kitchen, conscious of him following her. “I take it there’s been no sign of movement outside or anything.”
“None,” he confirmed. “How’s your shoulder?”
“A little better. The throbbing’s more like a dull ache now, and the wound’s itching like crazy. Which means it’s healing well and fast.” Taking a bottle of water from the fridge, she studied him. “You haven’t calmed down any, huh?”
“It’s hard to do that knowing someone tried to kill you.”
Which was why she’d earlier considered pushing him to talk of his aunt’s murder; she’d thought it might help for him to concentrate on something else for a little while. Nonetheless, she’d let it go. Piper would rather he shared something with her because he wanted to, not because he felt pressured.
His eyes dropped to her legs again, bold as you please. Finally, they lifted … only to settle on her mouth. The atmosphere suddenly felt charged. Taut. Electric. Or maybe that was just her.
Something glowed in the depths of his gray eyes. Something she couldn’t quite name but that caused little bumps to sweep over her skin.
Clearing his throat, he took a step back and tipped his chin toward the doorway. “Go on up,” he said, his voice thick. “Get some more sleep.”
She probably wouldn’t manage to doze off again. She felt wide awake, and her brain seemingly wanted to obsess over what happened at the deli. Still, she’d head on up to bed and have some ‘alone time.’ She couldn’t risk digging out her vibrator—he’d hear that baby for sure. But her fingers would do the job just fine.
Halfway to the door, she turned to him. “By the way, um, thank you. For staying. I don’t think I’d have slept at all if I’d been alone.”
