Page 75 of Cuffed By Love

Levi’s fingers wrap around my hand, and he raises it so he could locate the keyhole to the cuffs. “Where did you learn to pick a lock?” I question curiously, watching him avidly bring the pin to his lips to widen it.

“In school. Where else?”

I lean over and give Devin a knowing look, and he rolls his eyes, “Would you look at that?” I jeer with a teasing grin.

“Well, excuse me for not being a hoodlum. While I was busy studying to make something of myself, Levi spent the better part of school with his nose up every girl’s skirt who batted an eyelid at him, not to mention getting himself into one quandary after another.”

Levi smiles and wets his lips, “Sound a little resentful there, bro. I may have fucked around in school, but I still finished with top grades and got accepted into every college I applied for.” He expresses haughtily, his head still down; he slowly raises his eyes to look at me. “I wouldn’t feel bad, though. Some just need to work a little harder than most, that’s all.”

Devin chuckles, “Of course, between the partying and screwing around. I wonder when you found the time to study.”

“Study buddies. You’d be surprised how much studying you can cram in between orgasms, little brother.” Levi smirks, and the handcuff around my wrist loosens. “Or maybe you do know.” He adds, staring into my eyes. His tone is suggestive, making a jibe at the amount of time Devin and I spent studying, silently hinting that we were having sex instead of studying. Levi’s thumb brushes along the red marks the handcuff left on my skin. I gulp and pull my hand from his and take a step back.

I rub my wrist while he removes the handcuff from Devin. I allow my eyes to roam over the taut muscles in his back and the tattoo down the length of his spine. ‘Body like the mountain, heart like the ocean, mind like the sky’. Since he left London and moved to Singapore, Levi found his spiritual side. I was surprised to see the change in him when we ran into each other last year in Thailand. I didn’t know he was living there at the time. I went out there for a two week holiday with Wyatt and Lexi.

“I’m going to call Megan. Tinks, you can take one of the guest bedrooms. Make yourself at home. If you need anything give me a shout, my bedroom is at the end of that corridor. Levi, I assume you’ve already settled in?” Devin offers, and Levi and I both nod in response. He utters a good night, his gaze lingering on me for a touch too long before he turns and walks off.

I watch Devin disappear toward his bedroom. My throat suddenly goes all dry when Levi turns his attention to me. My palms are starting to sweat. We stare at one another from across the room. The tension between us is palpable. I’m parched. I need some water, a shot of vodka or something. The latter would be preferable. I’m in desperate need of something strong to calm these stupid nerves fluttering around in my stomach. If it’s not Devin, it’s his brother sending my nervous system into a state of complete and utter disarray.

I make a beeline toward the refrigerator and pull it open. Thankfully, there are water bottles in there, so I pull one out, unscrew the top, and take a long sip. The cold water washes down my dry throat but does nothing to quench the thirst or cool the burning I’m feeling deep inside.

I still and almost choke on the water I’m drinking when I feel Levi’s chest press against my back, the heat of his skin when it touches mine sends a pleasant glow of desire pulsing through me. His arm goes over my shoulder, and he takes a bottle of water. “Is it just me, or is it insufferably hot tonight?” Levi speaks softly in my ear, and I feel the vibrations of the hoarseness of his voice humming through me. Let me tell you something about Levi King. Not only is he hot as fuck, but he’s also got the tongue and gift of the gab to back it up. The buoyancy and eroticism that exudes off the King brothers is a force no red-blooded woman could ever withstand, myself included.

“It’s definitely warm,” I reply breathily, pushing the refrigerator door shut. Darkness engulfs us, save for the very dim lighting by the elevator. I can’t see much of anything, so my other senses immediately heighten. I want to turn and face him, but there isn’t much room between me and the fridge and Levi behind me, so I stay put.

“Join me out on the terrace. The view is breathtaking.” My fingers tighten around the bottle of water I’m holding.

“I’m sure it is, but it’s late. I should go to bed.”

“Are you afraid to be alone with me, baby girl?” Oh fuck. I feel my knees wobble when he calls me that. Levi turns me so I can face him.

“Not at all. I’m alone with you right now, Levi,” I answer, keeping the tremor from my voice to not give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s affecting me, because I know that’s what he wants.

“Not here. We need to talk, Mira.”

I shake my head slowly and bite my lip before speaking, “There’s nothing to talk about, Levi.”

Levi’s long fingers brush along my jaw until they tuck under my chin, and he tilts my head up. “Nothing? You’re seriously going to stand there and act like nothing happened between us?”

“Levi, what happened between us was a mistake,” I whisper, pulling my face out of his hold and averting my gaze from his dark and penetrating one. Levi chuckles lowly and places his hands against the fridge on either side of me, caging me in.

Levi lowers his head, so he’s eye level with me; he licks his lips, his eyes narrowing while he locks his gaze with mine. “A mistake is something that happens once, not repeatedly over two weeks, Mira.”

“You know what I mean, Levi. It was a holiday romance, that’s it. Two weeks, no strings, you go back to your life and I, go back to mine. Isn’t that what we agreed?” I remind him. Levi nods, biting down on his lower lip while he studies me.

“It was, but what if I want to pick up where we left off?” A quivering breath escapes me when he languidly trails his fingers down the side of my cheek, down my neck. “What if I’m still right where you left me? Wanting you.”

“Levi.” I sigh pleadingly.

“When you’re lying in bed alone, tell me you don’t think about me. Tell me you haven’t thought about all we did on that island just once and touched yourself.” Levi groans, staring at my mouth hungrily while he grazes his thumb across my lips. “Tell me you haven’t made that sweet pussy of yours wet thinking about my tongue fucking you to orgasm.” He moans, pressing his forehead to mine. “Because it’s all I can think about.”

“Jesus Levi.”

“Even the way you say my name drives me fucking crazy. You do something to me, Mira, something I can’t put into words, but when I saw you walk out of that elevator, it took me right back to Thailand. Right back to the moment I saw you on that beach in that neon pink bikini you had on, and I knew right there and then I had to have you. You shouldn’t have given me a taste because now you’ve got me hooked and I want more.”

Oh crap, how am I supposed to resist that? Getting tangled up with Levi King was a mistake; I knew that going in, but it was only supposed to be one night. We got drunk on cocktails, talking about the past, and I stupidly admitted that I might have had a crush on him growing up. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was in his bed.

“Levi, please, we can’t.” I place my hands on his chest to push him back, but the moment I feel his muscles flex and pulse under my touch, I lose all strength in my arms.

“Why can’t we?” he whispers furiously. “Are you seeing someone?”

I shake my head, “No, it’s not that. I just…”

“You just what, baby girl?” I stare helplessly up into his eyes and feel all my defences slipping away from me. “You don’t want me?” Fuck, if I don’t. Levi was a great distraction after everything that happened with Scott. But now, all I can think about is Devin’s reaction to me sleeping with his brother. Then, I think about him in his bedroom on the phone with his girlfriend and how close we came to kissing twice today, and it makes me want this even more for the sake of my sanity. “Let me remind you.”

I open my mouth to object, but Levi sweeps down, and his lips snatch mine eagerly. His kiss catches me off guard, and it takes a moment for my brain to catch up with my mouth. I should have pushed him back, but instead, my lips move over his, ardently accepting his tongue when it glides over mine, and he sucks teasingly, emitting a groan of pleasure from me. Levi’s kiss is familiar, and we fall into a deliberate rhythm. I push up on my tiptoes, my hands resting on his chest travel up and circle his neck as our kiss deepens.

I cannot believe I’m making out with Devin’s brother in the dark, in the middle of his kitchen, in his penthouse.

Who the hell have I become?

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