“I’m sorry, Charlie,” Levi murmurs. “I swear, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’ve been trying to call—”
“I know,” I interrupt him. “I wasn’t ready.”
He tightens his hold around me. “I know. And even with a few nights of sleep to reset, I had a hunch you still wouldn’t be able to talk to me, but I had to try.” His voice is low, but there’s a soft note of teasing that brings a fresh wave of tears to my eyes.
Stupid Levi, knowing me all too well.
After a few seconds, he asks, “What are you doing here, Charlie?” The question is quiet and lacks the venom that Conner had used from only moments before.
“I ran into Alexandra,” I whisper, clinging to him. “She told me you didn’t take the job.”
There’s a beat of silence before he admits, “I couldn’t. Not when I knew how badly I screwed things up with you to get it.”
Taking a deep breath, I burrow further into his warm embrace, positive I’ll never have the courage to look him in the eye ever again. Still, I need answers. “Alexandra said you tried to break the deal off with Conner.”
“It doesn’t matter. I still agreed to the whole thing in the first place. That doesn’t make it any better. And then I was a coward and kept it from you. I’m so sorry, Charlie. I’d do anything to take it back, I swear.”
“I know.”
“Can you please forgive me?” he begs. “I know I don’t deserve it. I know that I’ll never be able to make it up to you, but—”
“I forgive you,” I whisper, my voice cracking at the end.
“I don’t deserve it,” he reiterates.
“Probably not,” I tease before nuzzling more comfortably into his chest. The warm cotton from his shirt, combined with his unique smell, acts like a ray of sunshine peeking through a haze of dark clouds. And I kind of hate how easily it breaks through my defenses.
Removing his hand from behind my waist, Levi presses his palm against the side of my face, encouraging me to look at him.
“Can I ask you something?” he murmurs.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I take a deep, shaky breath then pull away from the comfort of his chest and peek up at him.
“What?” I breathe.
“Did you mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“That you’ve loved me since you were a little kid?”
I could laugh it off. I could say I was joking or that I loved him like a childhood crush. I could say a lot of things. But I don’t. Because they wouldn’t be the truth, and I’m done locking up these feelings. That tactic never did me any good, anyway.
Instead, I dip my chin once in a single nod while holding his curious gaze. “I’ve always loved you. Conner was right. I’ve never given anyone a chance because someone already owned me. You just didn’t know it.”
Pressing his forehead against mine, he rumbles, “I’m sorry, babe. I screwed up and sabotaged us. You’re my everything, and I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. I love you, Charlie, and I’m sorry I took so long to figure it out.”
“Me too.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Levi
“So…about that job offer,” Charlie quips beside me. The sun is shining, and the air is warm as we take a walk down the street to her place. There’s no way I could’ve invited her back into my apartment when Conner was inside. Things have been tense, to say the least, which is why it seemed like the perfect opportunity to move in with my mom for a few months until I could find a new place.
“What about it?” I ask before reaching for her hand and tangling our fingers together. Part of me is still afraid she’ll evaporate into thin air, and I’ll wake up in my bed. Alone. And riddled with guilt.
Although the guilt is still there. I have so much to make up for.
“You turned it down,” she says matter-of-factly.
“We already talked about this—”
She cuts me off. “Yeah, but I didn’t get a chance to tell you what a terrible idea that it was.”
I glance over at her. “Is that right?”
“Sure is.”
“Well, unfortunately, I think it’s a little too late for shoulda, woulda, coulda, Charlie.”
“Debatable, my friend. Very debatable.”
Curious, I cock my head to the side. “And how is that debatable? I already turned it down, remember?”
“Yeah. And you’ve also been ignoring their calls.”
I tug her to a halt. When she turns to me with a mischievous smile, my gaze narrows. “How do you know I’ve been ignoring their calls?”
“I already told you. I ran into Alexandra on one of my runs.”
“And?” I press.
“And she asked if I would do her a favor.” Her mouth quirks up on one side, and her eyes are shining like she knows a secret. One that I’m dying to find out.
“Come on, Charlie. Throw me a bone here. What did she ask?”
“She asked if I would convince you to accept Montague’s offer.”
“What?” I practically shout, gaining attention from a few random strangers near Charlie’s building. “But, I already turned it down.” I feel like I’m on a merry-go-round.
Haven’t we already discussed this?
“You said that already,” she teases, reading my mind. “And they’re hoping you might reconsider.”
“They haven’t already found someone?”
“Nope. They could’ve. Obviously. But they want you.”
“You mean, I’m not too late?” My mind can’t grasp the concept. When I turned down the position, I knew what it would mean, but I couldn’t even consider accepting it after coming to terms with all the screwed up decisions I’d made that led to it.
“You’re not too late.”
“And how ‘bout you?” I ask. “Am I too late for a shot with you?”
With a face-splitting grin, she presses onto her tiptoes and whispers, “You’re not too late for that, either.”
My arms wrap around her tiny waist before spinning her around as soon as the words slip past her lips. I shout, “Yes!” then squeeze her tighter and slam my mouth against hers. The hustle and bustle of the city fades away, leaving nothing but the feel of her lips and her lithe body as it slides down mine. When her feet touch the ground, my mouth devours her whole. I shove every ounce of passion I can at her, knowing she can take all of it.
Her hands tangle into my hair as she presses her front against me. With her tits plastered against my chest, Charlie pants into my mouth like she’s in the middle of one of our long-ass runs. When I pull away, her eyes are shining with lust as she murmurs, “So I heard make-up sex—”
I cut her off by diving back in for another kiss. She opens up to me, letting me take whatever I want before tangling our fingers together and tugging us into her building. As we reach her floor, I grab the back of her thighs and lift her up before carrying her down the hall. Pressing her back into the wall, I dig my fingers into her ass then slide my mouth away from hers to nibble on the long column of her throat. Her head rolls from side to side as her hips slowly grind into mine. And the hottest part? She has no fucking clue how sexy she is.