Page 68 of Aching for His Discretion

“Mama, Papa, this is—”

“Levi Amante. My apologies for barging in on you with such short notice…” Levi said, cutting me off.

My mother responded gingerly. “Well, it’s not a problem at all. Assuming you’re afriendof Teegan’s, I would suppose you came all the way from New York. She came in from New York a few days ago and seemed very upset about a… disagreement she had with someone close to her,” she said suggestively once again, and I glared at her as she was trying to imply that she knew who Levi was.

“You’re not wrong, ma’am... I actually just came to apologize, to make things right, and ask for her forgiveness. She left while we weren’t able to resolve our differences, and I knew it was my fault. I didn’t know how or when to tell her how truly sorry I was, as she needed her space,” he said, looking over to me, and I noticed the sincerity of his words in his eyes.

“Well... please, come inside. I’d like to get to know the man who brought my daughter a bouquet of a hundred roses,” my mother said, sending me a look, and I bit my lip as I watched my father step aside silently so Levi and I could enter. I felt a bit anxious as my parents watched us with curious eyes. My father looked very conflicted, and my mother was obviously a bit too intrigued.

As if on cue, I heard purring as Grayson leaned back on his hinges, and I blushed as I caught him in mid-air before he could jump into Levi’s arms.

“Do make yourself comfortable. I was just starting to prepare lunch,” my mother continued with a smile, looking at the interaction between me and Grayson.

My father spoke. “Levi. Do me a favor and join me in my office for a moment.”

My heart skipped a beat as Levi handed me the flowers and followed my father through our home.

Watching their backs, I lost sight of them and came to my senses as I heard the door close. Looking over at my mother, I followed her as she entered the kitchen. Placing the flowers on the table and letting Grayson down, she gave me a knowing look.

“For as long as you two were caressing one another, I assume you have made up, hmm?” she asked, tilting her head, and I sighed.

“Something like that. Do you think Papa is going to be… harsh?” I asked, a bit afraid, given Levi’s temperament, and she shook her head.

“They’ll be fine. He seems like a fine gentleman,” she said, grabbing her oven mitts, and I nodded as I sat on the stool.

“He is,” I whispered, and she passed me a bowl of fruit to cut into smaller pieces.

After around ten minutes, I finished and set the table. While doing so, I felt a pair of eyes on me. Looking over my shoulder, I noticed Levi watching me intently as he leaned against the wall.

“How did it go with my father?” I asked him.

He tilted his head as he approached me slowly. “Fine. We talked about you for most of it.”

I nodded and felt butterflies in my stomach as his hand went around my waist slowly.

“I’m still mad at you…” I whispered, looking up at him, and he hummed as he squeezed my hip.

“I know you are, Tesoro.”

Turning away from him, I finished setting the table and stepped away as I walked over to the steps. He followed me slowly, and we soon ended up in my childhood/teenage bedroom. I kept much of the same aesthetic when I moved, primarily white, beige, brown, and pastel colors around the room.

Going over to my desk, I did a bit of tidying up as he looked around the room curiously. Soon, I heard my door close, and I paused as I listened to his footsteps in the middle of my room.

Turning around, I noticed him sitting on the edge of my bed with his elbows on his knees. He gestured for me to come to him, and I bit my lip as I padded over to him slowly.

He placed his hands on my waist, and he placed a kiss on my stomach before speaking.

“I... will put the boy somewhere. Unharmed. I’ll have the guys tell his father. However, he won’t be coming back to your school.” He muttered the last part, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you.”

He hummed, pulling me to sit down on his lap.

His hand caressed my face, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “You’re coming home with me tonight,” he said, leaving little room for discussion, and I felt a little of the same feeling from a few days ago. His expression was now was the same as I remembered… humorless, serious, almost daring me to defy him. Slowly, he brought his hand to my neck and squeezed it slightly as he felt my pulse. My eyes widened slightly as my breath hitched.

“Do I make you feel… scared, Tesoro?” he asked, his voice dangerously low, and oddly alluring as it drew me in. I gulped softly as he waited for my response.

Mitchel. Lidocaine. Trash bags. Blood. Killing.

---