Page 79 of Taken By Storm

None of that had been present since he’d crash-landed into her life. Or maybe she’d crash-landed into his that day she’d passed out in his arms.

So when Levi had admitted he needed rest, she’d shoved aside her disappointment and tried to temper her horniness. She owed him a decent night’s rest after the ones he’d given her.

Kasi had tried to shield her frustration over not being with him, but Levi had this uncanny ability to read her. Sometimes she felt like she was his favorite book, one he’d read so many times, he knew all the words by heart. Because he’d chuckled when her response to his “we’ll see each other tomorrow” was met with a grumpy “fine.” The only thing missing from her reply had been a petulant foot stomp, which she hadn’t been able todo because she’d been lying on top of her bed. She didn’t bother to point out to him that she was fully dressed because she’d intended to drive to his house.

Levi had managed to wipe her grumpy tone out in a hot minute when he introduced her to the power of phone sex.

God, she’d never managed to give herself such a mind-blowing orgasm on her own, but the way Levi growled his demands, telling her exactly what he wanted her to do, had driven her to climax in record time.

The best part was, he’d been right there with her, stroking himself, letting her hear how much her moans and soft cries turned him on.

When she was younger and imagined having sex, she hadn’t considered much more than the physical aspects of the act. Levi had taken her preconceived notions and turned them on their head because good sex was a hell of a lot more than inserting slot A into slot B. He seduced her with his words as much as his touches, ensnaring her thoughts as well as her body by encouraging her to open up about her desires without fear.

Kasi still couldn’t believe how forthright she’d been that first night, telling him things she’d never imagined speaking aloud to a lover. After all, there were fantasies, and then there werefantasies.

For a while, she’d even worried her more extreme desires were wrong. Until she and Remi had fallen into a bottle of wine one night and started talking. When she told her best friend about her capture fantasy, Remi confided she often had the same one, and the next thing Kasi knew, they were knee-deep into a porn movie with that very theme on Remi’s laptop.

She wasn’t sure what had prompted her to share those secrets with Levi, whether it was the afterglow of some amazing orgasms or the fact that she trusted him so completely. Probably both. Kasi knew Levi well enough to understand that he wouldalways listen to her without judgment, without laughing or belittling her. And his response to her revelations had proven her trust hadn’t been misplaced. Because she’d unwittingly released a beast. Herperfectbeast.

When Levi admitted that her fantasies matched his, she worried he was just saying that.

She knew now he was NOT just saying that. Because holy shit.

After this last week of stolen sexual encounters, she thought she should be walking funny.

But it wasn’t just the physical intimacy that had her floating on cloud nine. She’d always suspected sex would bring a certain measure of closeness between two people, but with Levi, the edges of where she ended and he began were becoming blurred. He hadn’t just taken her body; he’d reached into her head and stolen her fantasies, her dreams, and even her fears. Then he’d broken into her heart and nabbed her love too. He was claiming every single part of her. And she liked it. A lot.

Kasi ran a finger over her lower lip and closed her eyes, replaying the goodbye kiss Levi had given her yesterday morning. Even now, her lips were slightly puffy from the power behind it. Levi kissed her like she fucking mattered. God, after months of feeling invisible—a cog in the wheel that no one noticed unless something didn’t get done—being the center of Levi’s universe was heady and addictive and…

She was getting carried away again.

Letting herself play out a future that…

She lowered her head in her hands once more. A future that wasn’t in the cards.

“What are you doing?”

Kasi startled when Keith walked into the room.

“Just paying some bills,” she said, gesturing to the pile.

“Need some help?”

She blinked a couple times, trying to figure out if she’d heard him right. She’d gotten the feeling he wanted to talk to her a few times yesterday, but every time he seemed on the verge, he clammed up again.

Kasi had been tempted to come right out and ask him what was going on, but the past eight months had left her trigger-shy when it came to her brother, unwilling to subject herself to more of his ire.

“Nope,” she said. “I’m all good. Just finished actually.” Because unless the bank and the utility companies and the city government were okay with being paid in fruits and vegetables, she didn’t have much else to offer.

“Okay. I…I, um…” Keith paused again, doing the same thing he’d done all day yesterday. “I’m going to Josh’s tonight. Unless you need help around here.”

Wow. Two for two on nice offers.

Though, she got the sense that what he said wasn’t what he’d intended to say. Once again, she considered pushing the issue. “I finished most of my chores. Did you?—”

“Animals are fed,” Keith said, cutting her off.

“Thanks. Keith…is everything okay with you?”

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