Not So Suddenly Soulmates, page 12
Leon put down two stacks of paper in front of him. “I wasn’t sure how you’d want to do this. The first bundle is full ownership—lock, stock, and barrel. The second is co-ownership between the two of us for the first two years then it all goes to you.”
“I’m good with co-ownership for the first two years. I’d like the extra cushion in case anything happens I’m not ready for.”
“Oh, it will. Believe me…it will. I’ve been in business long enough to know there will be pitfalls.”
“Hell, I’ve seen it too many times just working for someone else.” He picked up the pen and signed the paper in front of him to partner. Officially, he would be partnering with Leon for the next two years.
“I’m okay if you want to take full ownership now or anytime in the next two years. I’ll give it over willingly. I want you to succeed. And to let you know now, our network administrator is thinking about retiring, so you’ll need a new one pretty soon.”
“I appreciate that but I think the partnership will be a better idea. Besides, I’m twenty-four. You could grow to hate me in the next two years.” What if I break Rhi’s heart? What if something happens and none of them want to see me again? He pushed his thoughts aside, signed the papers, and stood up.
“Something bothering you?”
“Yeah. But it’s nothing I can talk to my girlfriend’s father about.”
“We’re all open around here. Jen gave you the sex talk.” Leon laughed.
“Yeah. More than once, much to my dismay.” Levi smiled at Leon. “I just need a little time to myself.”
“Have fun.”
Levi rushed out of the room. He should be happy. He’d just signed paperwork to take over a well-established company. His head spun. Would her Dad take it all away from him if they didn’t work out? He made it to the door just as Rhi came in.
She smiled at him. “Hey, you. Want to go over to the cove? We’re leaving tomorrow and I’d like to show it to you.”
“Give me an hour, please?” He kissed her cheek. He hated to disappoint her but he needed some time. The last thing he wanted to do was break it off because of the thoughts racing through his head.
Her smile faded but she nodded. “Take all the time you need.”
“Rhi.” He lifted her chin. “I’m not putting you off, I promise. We’ll go tonight.”
“It’s a bit of a hike and hard to get to when it’s dark.” She let out a sigh and turned away from him.
“I promise.”
She disappeared into the other room.
Damn. He raked a hand through his hair and blew out a breath as he walked outside.
It took him five minutes to get to the farm. He knocked on Link’s door.
Link smiled as he opened the door. “Hey, man, what’s up?”
“I just signed a contract with Rhi’s dad to take over his company in two years. What happens if this doesn’t work out with Rhi? What if I break her heart?” He hurried inside and paced across the living room.
“Whoa. Our family knew you long before you and Rhi became an item. They’ve accepted you as one of them.” Link went into the kitchen and returned with two bottles of water. He tossed one to Levi.
“Leon’s not going to want to work with me if I break his daughter’s heart. Not to mention the fact she’s mad at me right now.”
“Why?”
“I’ve been trying to be good. I’ve avoided being alone with her for more than an hour or two at a time. But, damn, it’s getting hard.”
“Are you sick? Dude you’ve slept with half the employees on the island.”
Levi sent him a glare. “It was one.”
“Not that I want to hear about my cousin’s sex life but why are you waiting? It’s not like she’s a wait until marriage kind of gal.”
“I want us both to be sure.” Levi dropped onto the couch. “Our friendship has changed but this is the last line to cross. This could ruin any possibility of going back.”
Link shrugged. “Or you two could find out you’re perfect for each other, which all of us have been saying for years by the way.”
“I know, I just…maybe I’m a little scared.”
“Aren’t we all.” Link smiled at him. “Speaking of Rhi, I wanted to ask you if she’s happy with her job?”
“Recently, not so much, why?”
“Our social media director bailed on us two days ago. Took a bunch of money allocated for a big project he was supposed to be doing and disappeared. Dad wanted me to see if she’d be interested in the position, even temporarily or part time just to get us through until we could hire someone else, or she had time to go full time.”
Levi shrugged. “Ask her. I’m sure she’d be willing to help out.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll talk to her tomorrow before you all leave.”
Levi snapped his fingers. “Tell me about the cove?”
“Rhi’s favorite spot? It’s on the other side of the island. There’s a bit of rough terrain on the way in. You can’t swim ’cause of the rocks but there’s a nice secluded shore there.”
“Could we have a romantic dinner and camp out there?”
“Hell ya! We could set that up for you. Give me half an hour.” Link pulled out his phone and sent a text message. “Go see her. Everything will be ready by the time you get there.”
Levi took a deep breath. If everything went well, they’d know exactly where their relationship stood. “All right. Half an hour. We’ll be there.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
RHI
June 13th
Rhi threw herself onto her bed and screamed into her pillow. If Levi broke his promise, she was going to call it all off. All she wanted to do was take the man she loved her favorite spot on the island.
The man she loved. The words echoed in her head. How many times had she told Levi she loved him before? She didn’t want to break it off with him. She wanted him to talk to her and spend time with her the way they had before. Dating shouldn’t make that any different.
The door to their cabin opened and she glanced toward her door. Please don’t stand me up. She buried her head in her pillow again, she didn’t want him to see her upset.
The bed sank next to her, and Levi’s scent surrounded her. He put his arm around her and pulled her against him. “Don’t be mad at me.”
She rolled over and rested her head on his chest. “I’m not mad. I just wanted to show you the cove. It’s my favorite place.”
“Then take me.” Levi lifted her chin and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’m done avoiding things. I want this to work out.”
“Me too. I don’t want to be scared we’ll ruin our friendship. I want to know we’ll be closer.”
“I think we’re doing that. There would have been several freeze moments if we weren’t more open with each other.”
“I didn’t even think about that. I knew you’d come talk to me eventually.” She sat up on the bed. “Will you let me take you to the cove?”
“You bet. But grab extra clothes. I was thinking maybe we’d camp out there.” He sat up next to her.
“Since when do we ever camp?” She snickered. The only time they ever camped was when they were kids. And one time they’d slept in the back of his SUV when they got caught in a snowstorm.
“Just bring clothes. If you don’t want to do it when we get there we can always come back.” Levi kissed her cheek and headed into his room.
Rhi went to her suitcase. She’d need real shoes for the hike but she could wear flip flops when they got there. Camping at the cove. Maybe she could convince him she was ready.
She put on the teal bathing suit she’d worn the other night followed by her short blue jean shorts and a teal halter top. She threw another pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt in a bagthen added a long T-shirt that used to be Levi’s. Socks and her tennis shoes came next. Her flip flops and an extra pair of socks went in the bag, along with a small selection of toiletries.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and walked into Levi’s room. “Ready.”
He glanced at his watch. “How long does it take to walk there?”
“Maybe twenty minutes from here. We can take the main road for most of it.”
“Think you’re up for the hike?”
“Always. As much good food as we’ve eaten the last couple days, I need the exercise.” She laughed.
“Good.” Levi took her bag, slipped it into his own. “Let’s go.” He put his arm around her and they trekked out of their cabin.
Companionable silence accompanied them on their walk. They held hands most of the way, smiling at each other when they caught the other looking.
Rhi tugged on his hand when she saw the path leading toward the cove. The terrain wasn’t terrible but there were rocks they had to climb over.
She stopped when the rocks grew taller and the walls around them narrowed. “You ready to see my favorite place in the world?”
“You bet. Lead me in.”
She took his hand and led him down the path. When the beach appeared out before them, her eyes went wide.
A large tent was adorned with white twinkle lights, a full-size mattress, blankets, and pillows. The table was fully set and a cooler sat next to it.
She turned around to stare at him. “How did you do this?”
“I wish I could take the credit. I asked Link about the cove and wondered if we could camp here. He took care of the rest.”
“It’s even more amazing than it was before. She pushed up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”
“Dinner first or should we check out the bed?”
“Are we going to go there?”
“Well, I figured we’d talk through our concerns first but I’m not going to deny wanting you, Rhi.”
Her body shivered as he ran his fingertips down her spine, cupped her behind, and pulled her against him. “I want you too.” She pressed a kiss to his throat.
Levi picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down and joined her, kicking off his shoes as he did.
Rhi removed her shoes and socks and rolled over so she was facing him. “Do you have concerns?”
“I want our friendship—and our relationship—to get stronger with this. I don’t want it to end.”
“It won’t ever be the same but a different level of intimacy.”
“I’m good with that.” He brushed a stray hair out of her face. “I had a moment earlier after I signed the paperwork to take over your father’s business. I’m going to be a partner for the next two years. And I couldn’t get past the thought of this not ending well. What if this ruins our friendship and I break your heart? That’s why I left so quickly. I didn’t want to end any possibility we had together because of a moment of fear.”
“We could have talked through it.”
“We are now. But I needed space then.”
“I understand. I wasn’t mad. I just felt like you were avoiding me all day. And it’s our last night here and I really wanted to show you this place.”
“I’m glad I let you. Maybe we can make it a Rhi and Levi only place.”
“Well, my family does own the island. We could probably make it off limits.” She chuckled.
Levi caressed her face. “I want you but if you have any hesitation about this, I need to know.”
“I don’t. I want you too.” She pressed a kiss to his neck, sliding her hands down his white T-shirt.
Levi grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her inner wrist at the pulse point.
Rhi kissed his fingers as they traced the outline of her lips. She opened her lips and took a fingertip into her mouth and nipped it.
He moaned and crushed his lips to hers. He wrapped his arm around her and ran his fingernails slowly down the back of her neck.
She gasped, clutched his arms, and thrust her tongue between his lips, quickly losing her ability to think. Every touch made her want him more and more.
Levi pulled his lips away from hers, pressing soft kisses on the front of her neck. He nipped and kissed behind her ears. His hands went down and caught the bottom of her shirt, pulling away long enough to yank it over her head and toss it to the ground.
She whispered his name against his neck as he unhooked her bra, which was also tossed aside. The cool ocean breeze blew through the tent and her hard nipples tightened further.
He lowered her to her back, straddling her thighs. His lips returned to her body and moved across her collarbone, down her neck, and lower to her breasts. He traced his tongue in circles around her nipples and his fingers brushed them with light strokes, pinching one while sucking the other. He rolled her nipples between his fingers, light at first then a little harder.
Rhi’s hips bucked against him as her sex heated to burning. “Levi, please.” She wanted to feel him inside her. To have him touch her there for the first time.
“Please what?” He suckled on her nipple again, his hand gliding down toward her sex.
“Yesss.” She caught his hand and guided it down until it hovered over her. “Please. Touch me.”
“I am.” His lips followed the same path his hand did. He kissed her stomach and traced her belly button with her tongue.
Rhi squeezed her hips together. She ached…burned. Every kiss, every caress with his tongue was torture as she waited breathlessly for him to touch her most intimate part.
He reached the waistband of her jeans and unbuttoned them.
She rushed to lower her zipper and push her shorts off.
Levi took over, stripping her bare, spread out on the bed before him.
She pressed her hips forward, begging for his touch, her eyes closed as she waited. “Levi.”
He lowered his head again, pushing her legs apart as his lips came down on her inner thighs. Her body trembled as he licked and kissed his way closer and closer to her sex.
Her hips came off the bed when his lips finally touched her clit.
He suckled, lapping his tongue over it in short steady movements. He entered her with one finger, curling it in a come-hither motion, touching her g-spot and pushing her over the edge.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders. She screamed out his name and moaned as the waves of her orgasm washed over her.
He continued his ministrations until her hips stopped pulsing and her fingers relaxed. He moved up her body again, dropping down beside her and pulling her into his arms.
He held her tightly as aftershocks ran through her.
“Good for you?” he whispered in her ear.
His breath on her ear made her whole body tingle, bringing the heat back to her body.
“It’s never been like this.”
He jumped up and stripped off his T-shirt, shorts, and boxer briefs.
She stared at him for a moment then reached out to touch him.
He batted her hand away. “Not until you answer my question.”
“What question?” She frowned. “I didn’t even hear you ask one.”
“I know.” He flashed her favorite grin.
She smacked his shoulder. “Damn it, Levi. You know I hate it when you make me giggle.”
“Oh, I’m gonna make you do a lot more than giggle.” He laid down next to her and traced his hand over her side. “Now about the question. Did my kiss ever make it past a ten?”
“Really now? You want to know that?”
“Of course.” He wrapped his arms around her, rolling on his back, and pulling her on top of him. “’Cause you well surpassed my wildest dreams.”
She laughed. “How high does the scale actually go? You said one to ten but said I was between a ten and eleven?” She rocked her hips, his erection pushing against her.
He groaned. “You’re at least an eleven…probably closer to a twelve.”
Her chuckle shook her entire body.
Levi let out a long moan. “I don’t even care. Just ride me.”
Rhi pushed up, wrapped her hand around his cock, and guided him inside her. She moaned as she slowly lowered herself until he was buried deep inside her. She placed her hands on his chest and rocked back and forth. Her eyes closed and she instinctively moved faster.
Levi grasped her hips, pushing his own up higher. His thumb touched her clit, rubbing slow circles as she rode him.
Her fingernails dug into his chest as her climax built again.
“I can’t hold it much longer.” Sweat beaded on his brow. His eyes were closed and his lips parted.
“Don’t hold back,” she whispered as her own orgasm grew to the point of no return. She cried out and her muscles clenched, bringing him to climax, his seed spilling deep inside her. She collapsed on top of him, her energy spent.
Levi’s arms wrapped around her, rubbing circles on her back as their heart rates slowed and their breathing slowed.
She slid off him and curled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s never been like that before.”
“Never for me either.” He pulled a blanket over them. “Amazing isn’t a strong enough word.”
“Stupendous? Astounding?”
“Better but still not quite what I’m looking for.” He kissed her forehead and hugged her close. “Perfect would be most accurate.”
She smiled. “And our friendship?”
“Intact and even stronger than before?”
She draped her arm across his chest. “Perfect is right, and your kisses are a twelve.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
LEVI
June 14th
A loud squawk brought Levi out of a dead sleep.
He scanned the area for the cause of the offending noise.
A large white bird was perched on the rocks across from their tent. It squawked again.
Rhi bolted upright, pulling the sheet over her chest. “What the hell was that?”
Levi pointed to the creature. “I think it’s staring at us.”
Rhi peaked around him. “That thing’s huge.”
“That’s what—”
“Don’t even go there.” She shook her finger at him.
The bird let out a third squawk and took to the sky. It circled then landed on the ground closer to them. It took a step forward on its long legs.
