Spent, sweaty and boneless, Ta-Mara sagged against the coolness beneath her, heart pounding as if she’d just completed a marathon. Levi remained buried inside her and when he locked his arms around her waist, she realized he had every intention of staying that way. Luckily, it wasn’t that far from the kitchen to her bedroom. Not that she had doubts he could carry her, but she wanted more. A lot more.
He placed her on the mattress, his heavy weight pressing her deep. She liked him on her. He rotated her slowly and as she settled on her back, she could feel him stiffening within her. Reaching for him without any hesitation, she pulled him down for a kiss. Nothing else mattered right now. Life would wait and she would focus on what was important—just him. Her. And the passion between them.
* * * *
Levi sat on the edge of Ta-Mara’s bed, watching her in the early pre-dawn light as she continued to sleep. He’d been doing this ever since he’d flashed back after seeing those men who looked like the ones who’d tried to kill him. Even if he didn’t spend the night in Ta-Mara’s arms, he came downstairs early and watched her sleep. It had been three days since the incident, yet the residual of it still sat with him. The faces of his past had shaken what he had started to build here and he hated it—hated seeing the look of helplessness in Ta-Mara’s gaze. He could see her longing to help. That was innate to Ta-Mara—helping. Yet in this, there was nothing she could actually help with. Hell, Levi wasn’t sure himself what could be done to reestablish his calm of three days ago. Ta-Mara shifted on the bed and the sheet lowered, showing off her breasts. Levi licked his lips, recalling what had happened when they’d gotten home after he’d seen those men. Immediately he silently cursed himself for even thinking of it.
Three days since he’d taken her like some wild animal in the kitchen as she’d dished up their food. She hadn’t seemed to mind much, and the way her had pussy clamped on his cock as she’d screamed his name,
his
name, to the heavens only reinforced that knowledge.
Didn’t stop his guilt, however.
How could I have called her Calliope?
While Ta-Mara had never said it had bothered her, he wasn’t a fool. What woman wanted to be called by another’s name? Another
woman’s
name to be more specific. None he knew of. He felt bad and couldn’t think of anything that would make that right.
She shifted on the bed again beside him. The sheet, which had pooled at the small of her back while she slept on her belly, slid sideways, offering him an all too tempting view of her firm ass.
Jerking his gaze from her flesh, he stared across the room to where he knew that book sat on her dresser. The book that had burned him when he’d picked it up for Ta-Mara. He’d almost dropped it back the second he’d touched it but the expression on her face had said she didn’t wish to hold it. So he’d dealt with the fiery pain that had flared up his arm as he put it where she’d said.
Something about the book drew him and yet something else had him wanting to stay very far away from the item. He was going to have to look at it soon. He knew that as well as he knew the beating of his heart.
“Mmm, Levi.”
Arching his eyebrow, he glanced back down to the woman beside him. She still slept, however her hand had traveled between her legs and she slowly humped the mattress.
His cock, which had been mostly erect since he’d walked in and smelled her intoxicating scent, went completely hard. He shucked his clothing and fisted himself while watching her. She spread her legs and he could see her fingers working her pussy.
Nudging her legs wider, he crawled up between them, lowered his head and lapped at the nub waiting for him. A rumble of pleasure escaped him as she pushed into him. He continued working her clit while he speared his tongue in and out of her slit, her wetness coating him as he worked.
After she came with a muffled cry, he exchanged his mouth for his throbbing shaft. She bucked against him, rising up on her knees to take even more of him. Christ, he was ready to explode now. She had no idea what her tight, wet sheath did to him.
“Harder,” she moaned, rotating her hips against him.
He couldn’t do anything other than comply with her request. Soon they both cried out in release and he slumped over, landing on his side, bringing her with him.
“If that was a dream, I don’t want to wake up. If it wasn’t, then I want to be woken that way from now on.”
He smirked at the breathless quality to her voice. “I think that can be arranged.”
“Good.”
She wriggled her ass against him and he realized he would need to focus on something else before he was oblivious to all but the raw need she created in him.
“Morning,” she mumbled seconds later.
“Good morning,” he said kissing her bare shoulder.
It didn’t make any sense to him how she could have such soft skin. He’d asked and she just smiled at him. He used her soap but his never felt as hers did.
“Can we sleep the day away?”
She moaned. “I wish. But I know it’s way too damn early to get up so close your eyes and get some more sleep.”
“Are you sure you want to sleep?” he asked, rubbing his hardening cock against the crack of her ass.
She rolled in his arms so they were face-to-face. “Nope. Not at all.”
He grinned, finishing the roll she’d started so she ended up on top of him. “Good to hear.”
She dipped her head and planted little kisses all over his chest.
“You’re going to kill me, woman,” he uttered seconds before she slipped farther down and took him into his mouth. “Fuck!” Yep. He was going to die but he didn’t care. Not right this minute.
* * * *
They didn’t leave her bedroom for another few hours. The entire day was a lazy one. They sat on the porch, cuddled up to one another on the swing, took a lovely walk down her road and just enjoyed being in each other’s company.
Once they’d ingested the meal they made and cleaned up after, they sat in the screened porch as the night storm dumped upon them. Burning logs filled the fireplace and she lay on her stomach, head resting on his leg. He trailed his hand up and down her bared back. Her skin was such a lovely thing to touch. He could spend all day doing so and never grow bored with the dips and swells combined with the smoothness and silken feel beneath his fingertips.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
He’d not been expecting her voice and startled a bit. Titling his head so he could see her better, he grabbed a section of her hair in his fingers and twirled it.
“I’m fine. Why?”
She didn’t readjust to look him in the eyes, and he couldn’t tell if her eyes were closed or focused on the flames.
“You were off the other day after that…that, well whatever it was that happened.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head, the movement gentle against his thigh. “I didn’t ask how you were to get an apology out of you, Levi. I asked because I am concerned.”
“Regardless, I owe you one. It was wrong and thoughtless for me to call you by another’s name.” He gripped her hair tighter as if it would keep him from having to think much other than how soft it was in his fingers.
“No you don’t.”
He knew she’d never admit that he needed to apologize to her. So he changed the subject. “How are you doing? You’ve been putting in a lot of hours at work and I’m not sure you’re sleeping right now.” He frowned. “At least not enough.”
“I believe my lack of sleep last night was because I had this man in my bed and he kept me up doing all sorts of things.”
He grinned despite the fact she couldn’t see it. “Did he now? Would you like me to hunt him down and beat him up for daring to keep you from your rest?”
“No, I think perhaps I’d like for him to stop by again. I do sleep well…you know, after he wears me out.”
He bent down and nipped the shell of her ear. Thunder boomed in the distance while lightning flashed with a ferocity that would have worried him had he not been inside the screened porch.
“He’s glad about that.” Another rumble and he could see her almost melt into the sofa. “You aren’t afraid of storms.”
It wasn’t a question. She shook her head and readjusted. Her hand settled on the inside of his thigh by her head.
“I love them. I don’t know what it is about them but I love the pure power they exude. The thunder, how if its close enough you can feel it reverberate through you. The brilliant flashes of lightning as it splits a dark sky. The smell which accompanies it all. Spectacular.”
He lifted his head and peered out of the screen. The only light aside from the fire was the lightning. He’d never enjoyed storms as she seemed to do but he wasn’t afraid of them. However, sitting here with her and listening to her describe how she saw them, he began to see it from her point of view.
“Ready to head to bed?” she asked.
“You want to sleep out here?”
“No. We’ll keep the doors to the bedroom open and will still get the fresh air.”
“Sounds good.”
They headed for her bedroom—he loved how the porch led right to it. In fact, her entire house was amazing. In the bathroom, they got ready and eventually made it to the bed.
* * * *
When he woke the next morning, he swung out of bed and padded to the porch where he checked on the fire. It had gone out and the rain had stopped, but the air was heavy and thick with fog. He scratched his chest as he bent over to spread out the ashes, ensuring the fire had all been extinguished. Movement to his left had his head coming up as the fog parted, allowing a slender figure to step through.
His heart stopped before starting again. He didn’t want to believe what he was seeing. Blinking, he tried to lose the vision but nothing worked. The figure stopped right outside the screen and stared at him with large brown eyes.
“Hello, Levi.”
The voice was as gentle as a soft night breeze in Georgia when it carried the smell of magnolias upon it. And as she had when she’d been alive, she smelled like the flower as well. He swallowed hard, looked back toward the bedroom where he’d left Ta-Mara sleeping, then faced the person he’d never believed he’d see again.
“Calliope?”
Chapter Eleven
Ta-Mara rolled over in bed only to be met by cool sheets instead of a warm, hard body. Opening her eyes, she saw he wasn’t in bed. She sat up and glanced around. Who knew where he was. Out of bed, she took care of her morning needs then dressed after her shower. Back by her bed, she noticed the fog outside as she made up the blankets. Thick. Almost eerie.
“Levi?” she called as she made her way through the living room with a quick peek in the kitchen only to continue up stairs to the room she’d given him when he’d first arrived.
No response came. His room was empty and clean, as he tended to leave it. The past few nights he’d been sleeping with her anyway so the only time he was here was for a change of clothing. Either way, he wasn’t there now.
A stab of disappointment flooded her but she chased it away. There were plenty of places he could be, just because he wasn’t there when she woke wasn’t any reason for her to get all psycho and crazy-weirded out.
Regardless of her pep talk, she checked the other rooms upstairs as well as the porch off one of the bedrooms, telling herself it was because she was worried he might be passed out somewhere. Nothing.
Not like she had to go anywhere, for this was her second day off. The phone rang and she hurried down to pick it up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, girl. You got a minute?” Heather.
“Of course, what’s up?”
“No, I mean a face-to-face talk, not over the phone.”
“Sure. Want to meet somewhere?”
“Can you come to Shane’s?”
Shane’s was their local coffee bar, which many of them preferred to support as opposed to one of the huge national chains. Glancing at her watch, Ta-Mara nodded only to realize her friend couldn’t see her. “On my way. I’ll be there in about fifteen.”
“Thanks, Ta-Mara.”
She replaced the phone on the base and grabbed a piece of paper and pen before jotting down a note to Levi and leaving it on the kitchen counter right beside her Keurig, well aware how much he enjoyed making coffee. Swiping her keys and purse, she was on her way out to her SUV and headed to meet Heather.
True to her word, she pulled into Shane’s fifteen minutes later. The fog was still thick and it felt like pea soup—heavy and almost suffocating. She pushed through the door and grinned at the scents that hit her nose.
“Morning, Shane!” she called out as the proprietor waved to her.
“Looking good, Ta-Mara!” he hollered back. “Usual?”
“Please, and a piece of that coffee cake.”
“You got it.”
She wove through the tables to one at the back, which could be considered their usual spot, and took a seat. Heather wasn’t there yet. When a woman named Michelle brought her coffee and cake, Heather still hadn’t arrived and Ta-Mara didn’t like that. She wasn’t a woman who ran behind. If she were meeting Jasmine or Rachel, she’d expect it, but Heather despised being late.
Five minutes later, Ta-Mara was digging for her cell phone. “I’m here.” She looked up at the words and saw Heather moving through the tables, a stressed look on her face. Getting up, she embraced her friend before they both sat down.
“Are you okay, hon?”
Heather looked ragged and about to fall apart. She shook her head and took a bite of Ta-Mara’s food. “Sorry, I’m just…so blippin’ hungry.”
Leaning back in her chair, Ta-Mara said, “What’s going on, Heather?” She took her coffee and sipped it, all the while keeping her attention on her friend.
She rolled her lower lip in her mouth for a moment. “You know the guy I’ve been seeing?”
Ta-Mara blinked. “Um, no. Who’s this guy you’ve been seeing? Why haven’t we met him?”
Heather ducked her head. “I thought I told you about him.”
“I would remember if any of us had said we were dating someone.”