Body, Ink, and Soul (26 page)

He pressed a kiss against my cheek. "You’ve been a very good girl, Rock Star." He smiled.

"What are you talking about?"

"I asked for an hour. You’ve waited three hours." He kissed my bared shoulder with his soft lips. "You’ve been more than patient. Come on, let’s go now."

"Okay," I answered quietly. I was suddenly anxious, as much as I’d been waiting for this moment, somehow it seemed daunting to be going with Levi. It seemed awkward, almost uncomfortable after our massive fight, to be alone together.

"Hold my hand, baby, I’ll get us out of here. My hotel is only a block away."

"Don't walk too fast,” I warned him. “I can't feel my legs."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" Seeing my little nod, he grinned. “Guess I'll have to give you a ride, then." He bent down and threw me over his shoulder. I screamed, laughed and begged to be put down, but he wouldn't listen. I could hear him laughing, knew he was enjoying this. But he wasn't the one wearing a short dress with a plunging neckline. I was afraid one or the other of my attributes were going to pop out of the dress at any moment.

Despite my protests, Levi only put me back on my feet when we got into the lobby of the hotel. The very nice hotel, I might add, a quick glance encompassed marble everywhere and stunning artwork decorating the walls. That was about all I had a chance to see thought, as Levi grabbed my hand and walked me towards the elevator. The tension was rising between us and Levi was clearly a man on a mission and determined to get me up to his room.

W
hen I traced my fingertips down the front of Levi’s shirt, he frowned at me. "Don't tempt me here, Rock Star. The room is only on the third floor, there’s not enough time for this in the elevator." He crooked an eyebrow at me in warning. He knew me well.

I giggled until we reached his hotel room. He unlocked the door with the magnetic card and as soon as the door opened, I could smell the perfume of freshly picked lilies. The lights in the room were dim and there was a Jeff Buckley song playing softly. It was so amazing, I wanted to cry. He’d done all this for me. The lilies, the music, flying all the way from Seattle for me. I couldn't speak, every single word in my vocabulary had somehow disappeared from my brain. I stopped in the centre of the room, inhaling the delicate scent of the lilies which were in a crystal vase on the dresser. Levi stood behind me, not touching, but the tension between us was tangible and I could feel the vibrations humming between us. He pushed my hair to one side and kissed my bare back, pressing his lips against my shoulder blades. Every kiss sent waves of delight rippling through my body. Angel grasped the zipper of my dress and unzipped it painstakingly slowly, drawing out the tension until it vibrated between us like a violin string.

The dress fell from my shoulders and slid slowly down my body to my ankles. I stepped out of it and turned around to face Levi, who was watching me with a heated gaze. He was fully dressed and yet, so utterly irresistible. My fingers were trembling as I pulled his shirt over his head. To my surprise, when I dropped my eyes to his tattooed skin, there was something new, something which wasn’t there the last time I’d seen him shirtless. A purple star with a thick black outline was inked on his sternum. Below the star, in small and delicate writing were the words,
’Rock Star’
. He’d gotten it for me. He’d marked his own body as an expression of his love for me. I’d expected that one day, he might get a tattoo which depicted our relationship, or we might get matching tattoos, but the fact that he’d done it during the few days we were apart touched my heart. He’d got the tattoo because he loved and missed me, I was certain of it. I was flattered and deeply touched that he’d discovered a way to keep me close to his heart.

Now more than ever, I knew we were going to be together forever. It sounded cheesy, but I couldn't imagine life without him. School was going to start again soon and we would spend our days apart, I didn't want to think about it but it was the sad reality. I had to finish my studies and get my diploma. After that, the world would be mine.

With an internal shrug, I figured out I was practically naked in front of the man I adored, and I was thinking about school. I smiled at my idiocy. "I love your new tattoo, Levi. I think it's my new favorite."

He glanced down at his chest. "It's you. It's how much I love you. I had it done on the morning you left me, I couldn’t wait to show you, but then, everything changed so fast. I never want to be away from you, Phoenix," He unclipped my bra, sliding the straps off my shoulders and let the scrap of fabric slip to the floor.

I reached for his belt and couldn’t undo it fast enough. His pants were down on the carpet floor in no time. He’d done so much for me, now I wanted to spend the night with him, sharing both our bodies and souls. I would never forget this night. I knew he loved me before, but everything had suddenly gotten so much more intense between us, far more serious.

He hitched my legs up to his waist one by one, lifting me from the floor and into his arms. I wanted so much more. He walked over to the wall and pressed me against it, our bodies glued together. I tried to control myself, but dug my nails into the skin on his back. I was out of breath, but not nearly ready to stop. I wanted him, I wanted to make love and never forget this night. He was so special and the thought of ever leaving him again were impossible to consider.

"I don't think I’ll be able to control myself much longer, Rock Star."

"Me neither, Angel," I whispered.

He nibbled on my neck as I said the words, pulling me back from the wall and walking us to the bed. The cold sheets felt cool against my overheated skin. I pushed his boxer down his legs and then, removed my own. The excitement of what was about to happen pulsed through my body from head to toe. We kissed passionately again, then he tickled me, and I giggled. Slowly, our touches transformed into something more powerful, so overwhelming that I could barely breathe. I wanted to please him and he obviously wanted to show me how much he cared. The lights in the room were so dim, I could barely see the outline of any of his tattoos. I had missed them so much, while we’d been apart.

Our bodies instinctively found their way to one another and within seconds we were making love in a bed for the very first time. It was different than in the past, this time it was much more of an emotional body, our minds, our bodies, our souls melded together to become one. I wanted to make this moment last forever. His touches, his kisses, every word he whispered in the quiet room - every individual sensation sent me directly to heaven.

Waking up to the sound of his heartbeat against my ear was the perfect start to the day. His arms wrapped around my body made me wish we could stay here, in bed, all day long. Our night together had only confirmed I wanted to be with him forever.

All the drama with Mom still hurt, but the love Levi offered was so incredibly powerful, he was filling the gaping hole she’d left in my chest. I was better because of him, and I was incredibly grateful. His heart was pure, he was a truly amazing man.

While I was resting my head over his chest to listen to the steady thump of his heartbeat, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and took a couple of pictures of us together. They would serve as a tangible reminder that heaven really does exist. I kissed his lips tenderly, before I cautiously wriggled out of his warm embrace, trying not to wake him. I had to go back home today, get back to work and the new school year was approaching rapidly. While I loved Boston, I was missing my Seattle.

Even though it was very early, I called Val to let her know everything was okay and that I would drop by her apartment to pick up my belongings, before we caught our flight home. I was missing Bekka, Tyler and Kyle, and I was excited to be seeing them soon.

I took a shower and dried my hair, all the while Levi never noticed a thing. He must have been really exhausted, to sleep through the racket I was making. I sat on the couch, feet away from the bed and switched on the TV, turning down the volume and watching cartoons. After a few minutes, I heard Levi stirring in bed. When I turned my head to glance at him, he was smiling. Not just a little smile; this was a huge, enormous happy smile. He was utterly gorgeous.

"Morning, Rock Star." He has the sexiest morning voice ever, when he first awoke, it was always rough and raspy.

"Good morning, Angel." He crawled out of bed and joined me on the couch. I motioned him to come closer and when he did, he lay down on the couch and rested his head in my lap. I gazed down at him for long minutes, memorizing every little detail of his face - his nose, his beautiful eyes, his soft lips. I never thought I would say it, but in that instant, I knew I was going to marry him some day. I loved everything about Levi, and there was no doubt, love was turning me into a completely different person. My eyes lingered over the new tattoo he’d gotten, the one which represented me and my part in his life. It was so much more symbolic than a ring could ever be. He’d chosen to have it marked on his body, as a permanent symbol of his love for me.

"We have to get ready to leave soon, Levi," I reminded him.

"I have a different plan." He twisted his head so he could see me better. "It will take us more time to get home, but I really want to spend time with you, Rock Star. Before I came to Boston, I stopped in New York to pick up my motorbike. I’d left it with a friend’s until I got settled in Seattle. I want to bring it home with you. We’ll have to drive across about eleven states, but I want to do this with you. It’ll be a chance for us to get to know one another even better. What do you think? Are you in?"

"Yeah," I agreed after a moment’s consideration, "but I don't have a leather jacket or a helmet."

"We’ll get you what you need." He got up and knelt between my legs on the floor, clasping my hands in his. I could see the excitement in his eyes, at the prospect of the road trip. "We’ll have to spend at least a couple more nights away from home. We’ll stop where we want to, stay in a motel overnight, find some nice places to eat and ride throughout most of each day. It’ll be awesome."

"Perfect. I want to do it," I agreed, then added in a whisper, "I want to spend my life with you." My throat tightened and my eyes filled with tears. The trip to Boston had been an emotional roller coaster, but I was more than happy to end it with my Angel. "I love you, and I have to tell you... that... I’m sorry you had to travel all the way here because of me. I’m sorry I didn't let you explain what was going on with your ex-girlfriend. I don't mean to bring it up again, but when I saw you with her, it nearly destroyed me. My heart was hurting so much, I didn't know what to think or do. I'm so glad I finally realized how silly I’d been and let you talk to me, because I can't imagine life without you. I really can't and I don't ever want to."

Levi shuddered and squeezed my fingers tighter, his green eyes intense as he gazed up at me. "You nearly drove me mad that day, I was seriously about to lose it when I discovered you’d disappeared. You have Bekka and Tyler to thank for keeping me on the straight and narrow, because I didn't know what to do with myself. I knew everything you were going through with your Mom, I shouldn’t have tried to keep Mercedes a secret from you. I’m so sorry I put you through all this, Nix. I should have handled things much differently with her. I'm so glad you’re mine, baby."

I smiled coyly. "Only glad? I thought you would probably be the happiest man alive or at least, ecstatic..."

"Shh..." He placed a finger over my lips. "You are my Rock Star. You’re the one I love and the woman I can't live without." he said seriously, before his eyes twinkled with mischief. “Even when you are being a brat." He laughed, stretching up to press a kiss against my cheek.

I laughed with him and continued the joke. "You are the nicest, sweetest and hottest Angel in the whole world."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Only the whole world? It’s a pretty small place, Nix."

"The universe and beyond that, you brat."

We both laughed, acting like immature teenagers. It was one of the things I loved about him, the fact that he didn’t always have to take himself seriously. It meant I didn't have to pretend to be someone I wasn't.

We got ready and Levi guided me into the underground parking lot of the hotel. The motorbike was parked near the elevators and there was a black box sitting on the floor beside it. I didn't really do more than glance at the box, because my eyes were too busy focusing on the black and red monster standing beside it. The bike looked amazingly powerful and fast, ‘Harley Davidson’ emblazoned across the gas tank and rims. A huge smile spread across my face. This was against every single thing my mother stood for. She would kill me, for even touching it, let alone considering riding on it with a tattooed guy she didn’t approve of. I nearly whooped out loud in the parking lot. It didn't matter anymore, what Mom thought of anything, did it? I was finally free.

"Can I touch it?" I questioned.

He laughed aloud, the sound echoing through the parking lot and making me jump. "You’re about to spend over forty hours sitting on it, Nix, of course you can touch it."

I slid my fingers across the shining paint and the smooth leather seat. "I bet it makes a lot of noise too, right?"

"Yeah, she makes the perfect deep rumble."

"She?" I crooked an eyebrow at him.

He grinned. "Her name is Beauty."

It was my turn to burst into laughter. ‘She’ had a name. "Unbelievable."

"Don't get jealous, you’re the one I’ll be spending the night with."

"Is that all I get?" I gave him an innocent look, biting my lip as I waited for his response curiously.

"You get everything, Nix. She’s only a pleasant distraction," he said, placing his hands on either side of my face. "I love you," he whispered huskily.

"I love you more."

"Don't start a game you can't possibly win." His lips were on mine before I could add another word. His kiss, always so delicious and heartwarming was over too soon, and Levi pulled back, indicating the carton sitting on the floor. "Open the box now."