“It’s just something I do sometimes.” I shrug, and his eyes narrow. “Fine, I was looking at your computer . . . the pictures on your slide show,” I add quickly, not wanting him to think I was going through his computer. “I heard you coming in and I . . . I didn’t want you to think I was snooping through your stuff.”
“I’m not sure it’s snooping when I leave the thing out and open, but I am sure you’re accident-prone and should probably keep that in mind when doing crazy shit.”
“I wasn’t doing crazy shit,” I defend as Muffin wanders into the room and lays her head on the side of the bed near my hip.
“I’m not going to argue with you about it. I’ll be back.”
“I’m not arguing,” I mutter under my breath. He shakes his head and leaves the room, coming back a few minutes later with a glass of water, two red-and-blue pills, and a bag of ice. He hands me the pills and water; I take them quickly while he goes to the bathroom and comes back out with a towel that he wraps the ice in before placing it on my foot. “Thank you,” I whisper as he kisses my forehead before stands back up.
“Any time.” He smiles as I lean my head back against the headboard and watch him pull off his shirt and kick off his sneakers. “Go lie down, girl,” he tells Muffin, who has walked over and leaned into him. Dropping my gaze to her, I watch her walk across the wood floors and lie down on a dog bed in the corner of the room that I hadn’t noticed before. The thing looks expensive—it’s thick, maybe seven inches deep, and more than big enough for her, with black corduroy material along the outside edge and plush, soft-looking gray material on the top. “You got Muffin a bed,” I say, watching her turn in circles before plopping down with a groan.
“Yeah, she’s not sleeping in bed with us, and I know there are times she wants to be in here, so I’m compromising with her.”
“You’re compromising with her,” I repeat in awe. He got my dog a bed for his place, he has pictures of us together as the screen saver on his computer, he told me that he wasn’t letting me go. Studying him, I wonder if he might not be falling a little in love with me, too.
Chapter 10
SURPRISE . . . NOT SO MUCH
LEVI
Waking suddenly to heavy pounding coming from the front door of my apartment, I vow to shoot the motherfucker who’s ruining my morning. My first morning with Fawn after making her mine, the first morning of having her naked in my bed, the first morning I can slide into her. “Fuck,” I snarl as that thought leaves my head and the pounding gets louder. Throwing the blanket off, I get out of bed, wondering how the hell Fawn is sleeping through this shit, then, looking down at her sleeping form, I smile. Her wild hair is spread out across my pillow, her hand tucked under her cheek; the sheet only covers one creamy thigh. The other leg is crooked at the knee. I might or might not be the cause of her exhaustion. I couldn’t keep my hands off her last night. Every time I woke up, I took her, just to remind myself that she was real, that she was with me, and that she was mine.
Finding a pair of boxers, I put them on, then slip on my sweats, watching Muffin finally decide to get up. “Stay,” I tell her, pointing at the bed, and she sits. Glancing at the clock, I see that it’s not even eight yet. Shutting the bedroom door behind me, I head across the living room, unlock the door, and swing it open without checking the peephole, ready to kill whoever it is on the other side. “Wh—” My words come to a halt as I stare at Fawn’s mom, dad, sisters, and a dozen other people behind them that I do not fucking know.
“Surprise!” Katie cries happily, leaning up to grab my stunned face and pull it down toward her so she can kiss my cheek. “Happy Thanksgiving, Levi.” She pats my jaw before she pushes past me and walks inside my place.
“Just go with it,” Aiden, carrying an armful of bags, mutters, shaking his head and following his wife into my apartment.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” Libby laughs at the look on my face while holding a casserole dish against her stomach as she moves past me.
“Don’t worry, it won’t be too bad,” Mac says, leaning up to kiss my cheek. “Welcome to the family,” she says, and my chest fills with something I don’t have time to dissect right now as a man, woman, and two boys come forward.
“Carl Reed, Fawn’s uncle; my wife, Anna; and my boys, Mike and Tim. Nice to meet you.” Carl pats my shoulder as he walks past me with his wife and sons following, all carrying grocery bags.
What the fuck is going on?
“Amy and Gene.” A woman who looks a lot like Katie smiles as she asks where she should put the dish she’s carrying.
“I don’t know,” I mutter to her back, then turn to face another group of people.
“Thomas and Marcie. Our kids, Teea and Brandon.” Thomas smiles.
Teea stares up at me with wide eyes, and Brandon lifts his chin, asking, “Do you have any video games?”
“Yeah, Xbox.” I smile, and he grins.
“Cool.” He follows his parents into the house, and I look up at the last two people in the hall.
“I’m Ethan, Fawn’s cousin, and this is my fiancée, Enessa. Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, nice to meet you.” I check the hall to make sure there is no one else coming before closing the door.
Looking at everyone in my living room and kitchen, I don’t even stop to speak to anyone. I head to the bedroom and shut the door. Seeing Fawn is still asleep, I walk to the bed and climb in behind her, pulling her back against me. “Baby.”
“No, no more, I need sleep. You have to let me sleep,” she whines, and I grin as she bats me away with her eyes closed.
“You may want to get up,” I inform her, getting up on my elbow. I look down at her and run my fingers up the length of her neck to her jaw.
“No.
“Yeah,” I say softly, and she shakes her head, keeping her eyes closed.
“No, I want to sleep. Who cares about the turkey we can have leftover Thai food?” She presses her ass back into me, making me groan and my cock harden against her.
“I don’t think we need to worry about getting a turkey, since about twenty people just showed up here with food.”
“What?” Her nose scrunches up.
“Your family is here.”
“What?” she repeats, turning to face me and finally blinking her eyes open. She frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“Your family is currently sitting in my living room.” Blinking again she shakes her head, causing the mass of curls surrounding her face to move. She’s beautiful, and I hate that I can’t do what I really want to do right now—which is make her come and listen to the sweet sounds she makes when she’s on edge.
“Are you kidding?”
“Wish I was, but no.” She closes her eyes.
“My family is here?” she asks, her tone full of disbelief.
“Yeah, babe, . . .” I pause, then add, “All of them.”
“Oh god,” she groans, rubbing her face with her hands. “I should have known. I should have known my mom would do this . . . ‘Go spend Thanksgiving with Levi, it will be fine.’ Blah, blah, blah . . .” She pulls her hands away and turns to look at me, raising a brow. “So do you still think your family will make mine look tame?”