Page 70 of Another Postcard

I planted a chaste kiss on her lips then let her go and rushed to my dressing room. I needed to get my ass back to the hotel so I had as much time as possible to get everything set up.

41

Brooklynn

There wasn’t reallya question about whether or not I would meet Levi in his room. For my own pride’s sake, I pretended to think it over for approximately sixty seconds. Then I hurried back to the dressing rooms and changed into my street clothes. It occurred to me to stay in the sexy outfit from the show, but for this, I wanted to just be me. So, jeans, peasant blouse, and sandals were my attire as I flagged down Noah and told him I was grabbing a cab back to the hotel.

I showered as fast as I could before running out the door. I felt bad for ditching the fans waiting out back by taking a side entrance, but this was too important and they wouldn’t have had my attention anyway. A cab was coming down the street with its light on so I raised my hand and flagged it down. Sliding onto the bench seat in the back, I gave him the name of the hotel and fidgeted through the short ride. I paid and dashed from the car, only slowing down when I hit the lobby so I wouldn’t draw attention. Fans were mingling around, trying to catch a glimpse of a band member, but I’d tucked my ponytail into the back of my shirt, put on a pair of sunglasses, and kept my head down as I strolled to the elevator. When I stepped inside, I blew out a breath, removed the glasses, and punched the button for the twelfth floor. Just as the doors were closing, one of the girls in a small group of teenagers looked over her shoulder and met my eyes. She yelled to her friends that she had spotted me and they ran full speed in my direction, but they were too late and I was alone as the elevator ascended.

Once I was on the right floor, I checked the signs for the numbers and turned left to find Levi’s room. With every step closer, I took deep, calming breaths. I didn’t think I’d ever been that nervous and when I spotted the gold lettering that announced I was at room 1222. My heart began to beat so hard, I felt like it was going to burst through my chest. With a raised hand, I knocked and waited. He didn’t make me wait long, swinging open the door after only a few seconds.

“Hi,” he rasped with a soft smile. His eyes roamed over me from head to toe, drinking in the sight of me just as I was doing to him.

Finally, I asked, “Are you going to let me in or are we talking in the hallway?”

He chuckled a little sheepishly and stood back, holding the door open for me to enter. My body brushed against his as I passed him and we both sucked in air at the electric jolt from our bodies touching. After shutting the door, he followed me into an open space, set up more like an apartment than a hotel room. A small table sat to the side of a kitchen, right in front of a wall of windows that looked out over the city, showing off the magnificence of D.C.’s monuments. But, I didn’t do more than glance at the view, my eyes were glued to the candles, the beautifully set table, a vase of lavender roses, and a medium sized package wrapped in silver paper with a white ribbon.

“How did you know I would come?” I asked curiously.

“I didn’t,” he said from directly behind me, his warm breath blowing across my exposed neck. “I hoped. And I wanted to be ready in case the universe decided to grant me an undeserved wish.”

Levi was so damn good with words, he was always making me melt, my heart and my panties.Such a cheater.I felt a gentle touch on my arm as he grasped my bicep and turned me to face him. “Brooklynn, you can’t possibly know how much I regret what I said and how I treated you. By the time I reached the lobby, I’d already realized how unbelievably stupid I’d been. But I knew it would take more than a simple apology after the way I hurt you. I foolishly hoped that when you were injured and in the hospital, all would be forgiven and we could just move on. Yet another example of how foolish I was being. Letting you go was agonizing and all I could do was pray that I’d done the right thing.” Everything he was saying strummed my heart strings in a beautiful melody.

He leaned in and brushed a sweet kiss over my lips. “I’m not asking for you to forgive me overnight, but would you give us another chance?” His fingers slid down to tangle with mine and he led me over to the table. I tugged on his hand to bring him to a stop in front of it.

“Levi, I’m not going to pretend what happened didn’t break my heart. But, nobody is perfect and by refusing to forgive, all I’d be doing is hanging on to something toxic that would eat away at me until I’d be nothing but an empty shell. I’m ready to grab onto life and let it take me on a thrilling ride. There is nobody I’d rather have strapped in with me. The reality is, I forgave you a long time ago. And, you deserve an apology too. I shouldn’t have tried to keep the truth from you, I should have told you the minute I figured it out. I was doing what I’d always done, trying to handle everything alone. I hadn’t completely put my trust in you.”

I cupped his cheek with one hand and he closed his eyes, turning his face to lean into my touch. “How about we wipe the slate clean and give each other our whole selves?” I whispered. “I’m ready to trust you and remember that we’re both flawed. Which means that even when your words or actions hurt, I need to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’ve simply lost your fucking mind.”

Levi tossed his head back and laughed, the sound joyful as it washed over me. I loved his laugh. “What do you think?” I pressed.

He smiled wide, his aquamarine gems sparkling with happiness and love. “I’m in, baby. I’m all in.” I threw my arms around his neck and went up on my tiptoes. He met me halfway, dropping his head forward to capture my lips in a deep kiss. “Fuck, I missed this. I missed us.” He slipped his tongue into my mouth and it danced with mine, while his hands palmed my ass and tugged me into his body. My hands delved into his hair and I clung to the soft strands. Before things could get out of hand, much to my disappointment, he tore his mouth away. He stared into my eyes with an intensity that I felt in my soul and in my core. “I love you, Brooklynn.”

I beamed at him, so happy to be back in his arms, to hear him declare his love. “I love you too, Levi. I was miserable without you.” He kissed me again, but ended it much too soon. His hands traveled up to rest at my waist and he slowly rotated my body until I was facing the table.

“Open it,” he urged, referring to the prettily wrapped present. I stepped closer and took ahold of it. The bottom and top of the box were separately wrapped, so all I had to do was untie the ribbon and lift the lid. Inside was a sheaf of papers that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be sheet music. It was titled, “Forever Found.” Reading the notes, I realized it started out with the basic melody of my song, “The Road to Forever,” but quickly transitioned into something new. It was a duet and every now and again, the female part slipped back into the melody of my song. The words were about what happens when you reach the end of the road. When you finally find your forever. It was essentially, the happy ending to my song.

I glanced up at him and he smiled nervously. “I said I wouldn’t sing a song for you on stage, I never said I wouldn’t write one for you.” He turned me so he could cup my face in his hands and lean his forehead against mine for a reverent moment. Then he brought his head up and pushed a piece of hair that had escaped from my ponytail behind my ear. “You’re my forever, baby.”

“Sounds good to me.” I grinned and he swept me up into another perfect melding of our mouths. I was on fire and feeling desperate to have him wrapped around me. To feel our naked skin pressed together. “Levi.”

He was panting when he stopped kissing me to ask, “What, baby?”

“Fuck dinner.” He stared blankly at me for half a beat then bent at the knees and lifted me by the backs of my thighs so my legs circled his waist. I leaned over and blew out the candles then sealed my lips back over his. He stumbled a little as he tried to navigate to the bedroom, but we managed to make it there without injury.

Lying down on the bed, his hungry eyes seemed to be glued to my face, as though he couldn’t bear to tear them away for fear I would disappear. My hands found the hem of his shirt and I tunneled them underneath, going up until he was forced to lift his arms so I could pull it off. I was struck by the familiar sight of his beautiful tattoo. I’d forgotten just how stunning it was, the colors bright and brilliant as they swirled and weaved over his muscular, ripped chest and abs.

“I want to make love to you, baby,” he grated. “But, if you don’t stop looking at me like you want to eat me for dinner, I won’t be able to control myself.” He laughed when he could tell I was obviously weighing both options. “We’ll compromise, okay? Let me make love to you, then I promise to the fuck the hell out of you.”

“Deal.”

His smile turned soft and sweet, so full of love it made my breath catch. He moved down and removed my sandals before placing tiny little kisses all over my feet. Then he methodically worked his way up my body, removing an article of clothing and then kissing and licking all of the uncovered skin. When I was naked, he scooted back on the bed and simply looked me over. “You’re so fucking gorgeous.”

“If I remember correctly, you’re not so bad yourself. Of course, you’d need to shed the rest of your clothes for me to truly make a determination.” He chuckled as he climbed off the bed, kicked off his shoes and removed his pants and boxer briefs. “Looks like I was correct,” I said cheekily.

He moved until he was hovering over me, his hands bracketing my head and his knees at my sides. The mood shifted into something heady and thick with passion. I’d been heated, but I began to rage with fire, it’s flames licking my skin and causing a restless need inside me.

Finally, he lowered himself until he was pressed against me from chest to toes. “You feel incredible, baby,” he moaned before he kissed me. His lips found their way down to nip and suck on my nipples, before continuing their journey until he reached the apex of my thighs. He spread my legs wide and licked his lips as he looked at me. “I love how fucking wet you get for me.” He ran a finger up my center and I whimpered. “So pink and swollen,” he breathed as his finger brushed over my engorged clit. Without warning, his mouth was suddenly on my pussy, his tongue driving me wild, until his fingers entered me and with a few quick thrusts, sent me hurtling into a cataclysmic orgasm.

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