Page 35 of The Silence Lies

“Yeah,” I sigh, turning sideways to admire the fit. It just touches the ground, but with the trail along the back, I know it’s going to get ruined. It’s almost summer here, the dusty hills will wreak havoc on any clothes we wear to the wedding, this one included.

“I knew you’d look good in this,” Levi smiles, running his knuckles down my back.

I fight the shiver and lock eyes with him in the mirror. “Just good?”

His gentle touch on my neck makes the hairs stand to attention. My entire body is alert with his simple gesture, my legs are already pressing together automatically.

“How about beautiful?” He whispers, leaning in to pull my hair to the side. His hot breath skates over my skin, and this time there’s no way I can stop myself from shuddering excitedly. “No. Gorgeous,” he says, running his lips across my bare shoulder. “Breathtaking.”

“Stop.” The word falls out sub-consciously, but it does nothing to halt Levi. Maybe it’s because it sounded so weak. Maybe it’s because my chest is heaving with apprehension and lust. Whatever it is, Levi must sense that I don’t mean it.

He looks at me through the mirror, his lips edging across the shell of my ear. “Stop what?”

He’s not an idiot, but even I can tell he’s playing one of his games. Only I’m not sure if I want to join in.

“Stop looking at me like you want to kiss me.”

Suddenly, the room spins. My back slams against the plastic wall, the stall shaking under my weight. Levi slides my arms up above my head, stepping in close so that he’s all I can see, all I can focus on. “I don’t just want to kiss you, Bianchi. I know what you taste like, and now I’m craving more.”

“What about last night?” I have no idea why those are the words I say. Call it a delay tactic, but I’m beginning to grow apprehensive about Levi’s proximity. The fact that it hasn’t even been a month since we lost Enzo and I’m already spiraling. That’s what it feels like anyway. Or maybe Levi and I just need comfort. Yeah, that’s what it is.

Levi leans in until his chest is pinning me to the wall, until my chest heaves against his so obviously that there is no mistaking what he is doing to me.

Game or not, I’m falling for it.

“What about last night?” he whispers, running his fingertips down the column of my neck.

“You left.”

“I wanted to give you space,” he explains.

It tells me all I need to know. I can see the defeat in his eyes telling me he wants me but he doesn’t want to push me. He knows what I went through, he understands without me having to tell him.

“I don’t want space.”

“I know.”

And there it is. I’m so oblivious to it; the fact he knows me so well. It’s the reason I chose him as my second in command, because nobody else could advise me better than someone who knows me. I chose him because I know I can trust him. And maybe, it’s none of that at all?

Levi runs his lips across my collar bone. I remember how surprisingly soft they are, pressed against mine, soft yet demanding all in the same effort. For a moment, I think I can fight this. For a second, I think I might be making a mistake. But then his hand runs down my ribcage, staying between the areas that could define what this is for us. It catches my breath; the blend of his hand and his lips spins me through a loop until I’m hot and flustered.

I have no doubt how skilled Levi might be. If our kisses are anything to go off, I would say that he is more than experienced in this field.

“Damn, you smell so fucking good.”

I think those words mixed with his sultry kisses are my final undoing because a whimper escapes me. I try so hard to mask it, but it’s unmistakable that Levi’s teasing is turning me into some horny little bitch.

“Tell me what you want, Serafina, and I’ll give it to you. All you have to do is admit it.”

Admit it. I don’t need to ask what he means. He asked me before to admit that I felt it, that attraction between us and I couldn’t. Admitting it is the first step to chaos. But the fact he was willing to walk away last night and give me space to think on his words means more to me.

I did think on his words—all night in fact. I woke up with a damn headache because of the revelations from last night and it left me with only certainty. Letting Levi in will make me feel. I’m too used to the numbness and I don’t like it.

I want to feel.

Levi’s hands glide into my hair, tugging my head back to expose my neck. He runs his tongue along it, his hot breath sharpening the sensation. It feels like I’m connected to a battery, one flick of the switch and I’ll be a live circuit.

One snap of that elastic band that has me wound so tight and I’ll cave.

---