Page 6 of Protecting Tiffani

Chapter four

Levi

WhenItoucheddown,I wanted to turn around and run away instantly. Standing here hugging my family, getting ready to leave them again, I don’t want to let go. Not counting travel days, I only saved enough time for a week. Seven fucking days are all I got with my family during the most challenging time of our lives. Knowing that one piece of paper stood in my way of having more time off pisses me off. How is that fair? Since they never adopted us, I wasn’t able to get bereavement days like I will when my sperm donor finally kicks the bucket. The military doesn’t care that my grandpa has been the only Dad I’ve ever had. All the late nights, bedtime stories, early mornings to get us on the bus, all the love means nothing to anyone but me. Fuck the military. But right now, I push those thoughts away to the back of my mind because I have a plan that starts now.

The promise I made to my dad’s lifeless body sits at the front of my mind and doesn’t help with the feeling swirling around in my gut. My time of running is over. I’ve run for way too damn long and too fucking far away. If I had been stronger, I would have been closer and wouldn’t have this weight of regret crushing my chest. I have five months left on my current contract with the Marines. I have to decide to either enlist or become a civilian again. Before my Sergeant told me my dad was dying, getting out wasn’t even an option I was considering. But now everything is different. Nothing matters anymore, especially the fact that she’s still in this town. I’m fucking coming home, and no one is stopping me now. They say redheads have a terrible temper when pushed, and the last seven fucking days have pushed me over the edge.

When my plane lands, I jump in a taxi and head straight to the base. Not even bothering to go to my bunk to put my belongings down or make myself presentable. I head straight to Sergeant Burns’s office. The cheap airplane food I forced myself to eat swirls around, threatening to come back up. Four years ago, I ran to a recruitment office and demanded that they give me all the paperwork I needed to leave my problems behind. Right now, that same determination is back, but double, because this time I’m running back to help my family. This time no one is going to fuck with me. All I want to do is barge through the door in front of me, but I don’t want the time I have left to be hell, so I raise my hand and knock instead.

“Come in,” Sergeant Burns calls through the closed door.

There is no hello, how are you, or other pleasantries as I say, “I’ve made up my mind. I’m not re-enlisting. I want to start the process of returning to civilian status at the end of my time.”

“Are you sure?” Sergeant Burns asks with a skeptical look.

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life.”

“Levi,” Tiffani’s voice cuts through the sound of the night surrounding me. I’ve been standing out here long enough that my eyes have adjusted to the darkness. With the moon giving off little light, Tiffany can’t see me standing five feet from her, leaning against a tree. Just like every time I see her, butterflies fly around in my stomach, and my heart no longer feels empty. She fills a void in me, and I can’t find the right words to tell her. I’ve said I love you, but that doesn’t seem like enough. After tonight, I hope she knows how much she means to me.

It’s crazy how fast time flies when you aren’t looking forward to something. It’s been one year, four months, and eight days. Yes, I’m that boyfriend that knows, down to the day, how long I’ve been with her. In a week, we’ll graduate, and I still don’t know what I’m going to do, making me wish time would slow down. Tiffani is set to join Emilee after graduation, but I still have no clue what I want to do. That’s a lie. I want to kidnap the stunning girl before me and run away. We could find a remote cabin in the woods and block out the world around us, living in our own bubble of love. If only that were the case.

“Levi,” she calls out again. Her voice shakes with fear. Pushing off the tree, I head directly toward the girl who owns my whole heart and soul.

“I’m here, Cupcake,” I whisper as I close the distance. Her head turns toward my voice. I flip on the flashlight I brought for her. She doesn’t like the dark. She was worried the first time she told me she still slept with a nightlight, but I couldn’t care less about little shit like that.

“What are we doing here?” she asks, meeting me in the middle and wrapping her arms around my waist. I stand at six foot one, and she is a little thing only five foot four so she talks into my chest most of the time. I love being taller than her. It makes me feel as if I can protect her from anything coming her way.

“I have something I want to show you,” I answer her. Leaning down, I capture her full, pink lips with mine. I intend for the kiss to be a little greeting peck, but like any other time my lips brush hers’ desire takes over, and I can’t stop myself from seeking entry into her warm mouth. She is always so responsive to my touch that she opens up instantly for me. I groan when I get my first taste of her tonight. Her hands grab fistfuls of my school jacket, bringing her body closer to me, making all the blood rush to my dick. Before we get too lost in the kiss, I pull back, placing a peck on her forehead.

I grab both of her hands. “Come on, you little horn dog. We have a little hike to get to your surprise,” I say, grinning even though she can’t see me.

“Can you blame me? Have you looked in the mirror, Levi?” she asks, smacking my arm. I hand her the flashlight, pulling her down the path as I readjust my hard dick. It only takes fifteen minutes to reach the spot I want to show her. We walk the whole way in complete silence, but not the awkward kind. Never the uncomfortable kind. Tiffani and I can sit silently for hours, but it’s peaceful and some of my favorite times with her. Just being in the same room as her makes me feel complete.

Right before the trees thin out, I stop us. “Do you trust me?” I ask her.

“Of course I do.”

Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out the handkerchief I always carry and motion for her to spin around. Shock graces her face. “What are you doing, Levi?”

“You said you trusted me.” I smirk at her.

“I do, but you want to blindfold me in the middle of the woods. Come on, anyone would be a little hesitant.” She glares at me, putting her hands on her hips.

“Cupcake…” I lower my voice and step closer to her. Grabbing her waist, I pull her to me and tip her head back to look into her beautiful, blue eyes. “I will never let anything bad happen to you, and you know this, or I at least hope you do. I would step in front of anything that was heading your way whether it be a rabid dog or a military-grade missile. You are always safe with me. You will not stumble or fall once with me, metaphorically or physically. I promise that on my life.” Tears form in her eyes as she nods, agreeing with me. “I need to hear you say it. Do you know that you are always safe with me?”

Pushing up on her tippy toes, she kisses my lips lightly, pulling back before I can even process it. “Yes, my love, I believe you. I promise the same thing. You will always be safe and loved as long as blood flows through my body.” She grabs the handkerchief and ties it behind her eyes. “Lead the way, my love.”

A laugh burst from me. “Okay, there is a log right in front of you, so pick your left foot up and move it forward until you feel my leg.” She follows my instructions perfectly and steps over the fallen log. Ten more steps and the trees fade away, letting the small lake come into view. With the warm days we have had, and cold nights, a layer of fog is hanging over the lake. The view is stunning, and as the nerves of what is about to happen eases away, I spin around to let Tiffani see what is in front of me.

As I remove her blindfold, the clouds in the sky move, letting the full moon out for the first time tonight. The light hits the fog perfectly and casts the lake in a hazy glow. Tiffani’s hands come up, covering her mouth as she gasps at the sight in front of her. “Oh my god, Levi. This is beautiful. Where are we?” she asks, as she steps closer to the water’s edge in front of us.

I follow behind her, watching as she takes everything in. Her shoulders rise and fall as she breathes in the fresh air deeply. Her favorite smells are wet dirt and the pine trees surrounding the lake. “We’re on Boe’s family’s ranch. Parker told me about a clearing out here, but I found this gem instead.”

“Do you think the water is warm enough to swim in?” she asks, bending down to dip her fingers in the smooth water. “It’s not too bad,” she says, pulling her hand back and wiping the water on the ass of her pants. Her movement draws my attention to her ass, and my hands physically ache with the need to touch her.

“If you want to go for a swim, we can, Cupcake. Anything you want, I’ll give you.” Leaning closer, I place a kiss below her ear. “But I do have something for you before we do that.” Reaching into my back pocket, I pull the folded paper out with shaky hands. I’ve tried to tell her how much she means to me multiple times, but the words die on my tongue every time I open my mouth. It’s not fear that she doesn’t feel the same way that makes it hard, because she makes sure I know how much she loves me with her actions. I can’t place where this irrational fear comes from, but that doesn’t make it any less real.

Putting my arm back around her waist, I open my palm to show her the note I spent hours writing last night. “What is this?”

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