A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones
27
Caller reported the little boy across the street
must’ve heard something he shouldn’t have.
He keeps licking whipped cream off her cat.
—DEL SOL POLICE BLOTTER
“You’re going to see Levi?” Auri asked when Sun called to check in on her way home. They had taken Cruz for some tests, and she was all alone in her hospital room. “He’s been here all afternoon, but he left a little bit ago. He should be at his house in about fifteen.”
“He was with you?”
“What do you smell like?”
“Tacos and disappointment.”
“Mom.”
“Cheesecake and loneliness.”
“Mother.”
“Xanax and the cold dark abyss of utter failure.”
“Muh-ther. Men have a very strong sense of smell. He’ll like you more if you smell good.”
“Please. He’s been sniffing moonshine his whole life. How good can his sense of smell be?” Just in case, she lifted her collar and took a whiff. Not bad. Could be worse. “Maybe I should shower first,” she said, doubting herself now. “Even though,” she added, recovering in the nick of time, “I am just going over there to go over what happened in the mine. We’re being deposed in the morning.”
“You have to get your stories straight?”
“There’s nothing to get straight, sweetie.”
“Yeah. Right. Okay. Wear pink.”
“Auri.”
“Guys like pink.”
“I’ll be at the hospital in a couple of hours. Quincy is on his way now. And your grandparents are getting a hotel.”
“They’re still sneaking around? The whole town knows about them.”
“Love your face, bug.”
“Love yours more.”
Hailey Ravinder answered Sun’s soft knock on the front door to the Ravinders’ sprawling ranch house. The Ravinders used to live in squalor, their shacks, little better than tin cans, peppering the landscape. Levi started Dark River Shine and changed all of that. He’d taken them from the backwoods to Hollywood as his corn whiskey was very en vogue, a favorite among celebrities.
“Quincy Cooper?” Sun asked her, a wicked grin on her face. Yes, she was a twelve-year-old.
Hailey stepped over the threshold and eased the door closed. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see your brother.”
“Oh. Okay.” She seemed to deflate.
“Are you disappointed?”
“No. Not at all.”
Sun couldn’t help but notice Hailey had curled her hair and applied a touch of mascara and blush. She really was a beauty. Though her party years did roughen the edges a bit, she would be called a looker in anyone’s book.
Still, Hailey and Quincy? Her brain couldn’t quite make the connection.
Hailey chewed on a nail. “Did he say anything about me?”
“He didn’t give me a note to pass to you, if that’s what you’re wondering, but I do know he’s going to be at the hospital for a while. All alone. With no one to talk to.”
She smirked. “He’ll have Auri and Cruz.”
“Exactly. You know what it’s like talking to teens. He’ll lose what few marbles he has.”
“Jimmy has been bugging me to go see her.”
“See?” Look at her, all Cupidlike. “So, he’s apparently been interested in you for a while.”
“Why? Did he say something?”
“No. He won’t tell me anything. My question is, how long have you been interested in him?”
She thought back. “Okay, do you remember when his shoulders got all wide and his biceps got all round and bumpy?”
Sun giggled.
“It was somewhere around there.”
“So, a while ago.”
“Yes. Unfortunately, every other girl in Del Sol noticed his transformation, too.”
“I don’t think he’s interested in every other girl.”
She wiggled her shoulders in delight, then said, “The dark lord just got back,” referring to Levi. “He’s in his room.” She opened the door and gestured to the stairs behind her.
“And Clay?” Sun asked, worried about having to deal with their toxic uncle.
“He’s at the plant.”
“Good.”
Sun took the stairs as Hailey went in search of her son. Having been inside the veritable mansion once before, she knew which door to knock on, but that knowledge didn’t help her. No one answered. She tapped her knuckles on the thick wood again. Nothing. She just needed to give it a minute. Maybe he was on the phone or in the shower.
She looked around at the rich wood appointments, trying to decide what to do. Levi had amazing taste. Everything about him was lush and hard and masculine. His truck. His house. His furniture.
Giving it one last go, she knocked again. Softly, at first, then harder. She had a job to do, damn it. She and Levi may not be destined for the altar, but they could have fun.
When he still didn’t answer, she grew frustrated. She opened the door and stormed inside his massive bedroom, only to come face-to-face—well, twenty or so feet apart—with Levi Ravinder stepping out of the shower. He’d been in the middle of wrapping a towel around his waist. His dark, lean waist on which she could do her laundry if the zombie apocalypse ever happened and they lost power.
“Levi,” she said, stopping short.
He let his gaze travel the length of her and her very pink summer blouse, which was so unlike her. She was going to kill Auri.
“Vicram.” He finished securing the towel—damn it—and stepped into the bedroom.
“I didn’t realize you were …” Humiliation surged through her. What had she been thinking? “You know what? I’ll go. I just came by to—” She looked on a side table by the door where he’d clearly emptied his pockets as he came in. Keys, wallet, and a stack of hundreds any drug dealer would be proud of littered a decorative tray. But that wasn’t what caught her attention. It was the coin. The gold coin that matched the one Quincy just got.
“You’re Sinister.”
“I’ve been called worse,” he said from so close behind her she jumped. He reached past her and pushed the door closed.
She turned to see him towering over her. His skin still damp. His hair and lashes spiked with wetness. His full mouth framed by a day’s worth of stubble.
“For or against?” she asked, her voice less confident than she’d hoped. When he raised a brow, she explained. “They said Sinister had already cast his vote. Did you vote for or against me?”
“The vote must be unanimous.”
“Ah. I didn’t know that.”
“Then are you?” he asked.
“Am I what?”
He leaned closer until his mouth hovered at her ear. His warm breath fanned across her cheek, as he asked, “Are you Dangerous?”
After a twinge of arousal laced up her spine, she said, “Hardly. But if you mean, did I accept? Then, yes. We both did.”
“Good.” He went back to the bathroom to finish his routine.
She followed him, but only to the door.
“I didn’t want my presence, or my membership, to sway your decision.”
“For or against?” she repeated.
He smiled as he lathered the bottom half of his face with a shaving cream that smelled rich, like cologne. “Against, of course. I figured if you knew I was a Sordid Son, you’d run the other direction.”
“You figured wrong. And here I thought you were good at complicated problems.”
He stopped and studied her before raising his chin and gliding a razor up his neck, the deep bronze of his skin so at odds with the white of the foam.
Sun’s world tilted just a little. That was about the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, and she’d seen a lot of sexy. Almost all of it revolved around Levi Ravinder in one form or another, but still.
His whiskey-colored irises sparkled in the low light. He shaved in the mirror and yet never took his gaze off her.
Of course, she didn’t take her gaze off him, either. Fair was fair.
The bruises seemed to be fading, but as they did, a larger variety of vibrant colors surfaced. The subconjunctival hemorrhage in his left eye remained a dark, ominous red. And yet none of that did a thing to lessen his startling appeal. Surprisingly, the bruising on his body had faded much faster. She wondered how he felt, though. It still had to be tender. There was a reason people didn’t enjoy getting hit by trucks.
“You are complicated, Vicram. I’ll give you that.” He flashed her a nuclear smile, his teeth as white as the foam.
She cleared her throat. “So, how is your evening going?”
“It could be better,” he said, gliding the razor over his skin again.
“How so?”
“You could be naked.”
Her breath caught in her throat. It was now or never, Vicram. Stop being a wuss. She lifted her chin and charged ahead. “What if I were?” When he arched a scythe-shaped brow, she asked, “What if I was standing in front of you right now, naked as the day I was born? What would you do?”
Without missing a beat, without a hint of hesitation, he said, “Ask for consent.”
Wow, was that ever the right thing to say.
She loved everything about this man. Not just his physical appearance. It was him. Levi. The noble being she’d been in love with since she was a kid. He’d almost died saving his friend’s life. He’d saved Auri’s life. He’d come to Sun’s rescue many times and in more ways than one. He’d brought his family out of the dark ages and given them something to be proud of. He was brilliant and clever and disarming.
He was still watching her as she fought for the courage to complete her mission.
She set her shoulders while he wiped the remnants of shaving cream off his jaw, the ritual ending far too soon in her opinion. After taking another moment to reconsider, she lifted her chin, and said, “Levi, the truth is …” Wait. What was the truth? Ah, yes. She bit down and glared at him. “The truth is, fuck you.”
The corner of his mouth twitched.
“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.”
It inched heavenward. “What exactly did my horse do?”
“Life is too short and I’m in love with you. I have been since I was six. Maybe five. No, wait.” She counted on her fingers, and said breathlessly, “Four-and-a-half. And I want to have a crap ton of sex before I get too old.”
He pressed his mouth together and nodded, taking her offer into consideration.
“There. That’s done. If you want to talk, you have my number.”
She started to leave, but he said, “I just have one question.”
“Okay.” She turned back to him, fighting her flight response tooth and nail. The adrenaline dump was taking its toll. “That’s certainly fair under the circumstances. What is it?”
“What do you consider too old to have sex?”
Oh. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I don’t know. Maybe ninety-three? Ninety-four?”
The grin that stole across his clean-shaven face was so stunning, it took her pupils a moment to adjust. “So, we have a little time.”
“I suppose we do.”
He walked up to her and put an elbow on one side of the door-jamb and a palm on the other, draping his arm across the opening. Then he ran his fingers through his wet hair, shook out his head, and gazed down at her.
The towel hung low on his hips, the evidence of his interest painfully obvious. One tug would be all it would take. But she was glued to his face. That gorgeous, rugged thing that had been the center of her dreams for so very, very long.
He leaned close again, brushed his lips along her cheek, and whispered in her ear three words she never thought she would hear from him. “Fuck you, too.” He kept his mouth at her ear as fire surged throughout her body, and added, “And the broom you rode in on.”
She leaned back. “Are you calling me a witch?”
He leaned forward. “How else do you explain it?” he asked, wrapping a large hand around her neck and pulling her closer. “You’ve bewitched me.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “You bewitched me the first time I saw you and no one else has ever measured up.”
He pressed his warm body against hers, lifted her face, and looked down into her eyes. “There’s only ever been you.”
He lowered his mouth to hers. Ran his tongue along the seam of her lips until they parted. Dove in. Again he tasted like whiskey and butterscotch, and she wondered exactly what he was drinking that was so lovely.
His hands smoothed over her ass and he pulled her against him hard, then surprised her by lifting her into his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck, refusing to break the kiss, and heard the towel fall to the floor.
He pulled back. “I’m not sure we should be doing this.”
“Why?”
“I think you’re very fragile right now.”
“Like a flower?” she asked.
“More like a bomb. Still, may I have your consent, Sunshine Vicram?”
“Yes. Yes. For the love of God, please fuck me.”
Then she was on the bed. He eased on top of her, his biceps bunching with each carefully controlled movement. He smelled like soap and shaving cream. The scent only added to the euphoria she felt at finally having Levi Ravinder on top of her. Wanting her. Craving her. Well, if the growl he emitted was any indication. And she liked to think it was.
She sent her hands over his steely ass and pulled him against her. Her pink blouse had ridden up and his cock lay heavy on her exposed stomach. She pushed a hand between them and encircled it with her fingers. He stilled, his muscles contracting to the density of marble as she stroked him. First with small, hesitant strokes, then with longer ones.
“Fuck, Shine,” he ground out as her confidence grew.
Before he could protest, she broke off the kiss and wiggled down between his legs until his cock was at her mouth. Magnificent. Hard. Flesh straining against the confines of its own skin. She felt a rush of blood when she eased her lips around it. She teased the tip of his cock with the tip of her tongue, then took his ass into both hands and pulled. He slid into her.
“Fucking hell,” he said when her teeth grazed the length of his erection, his voice hoarse, almost begging.
But she dug her fingernails into his ass to hold him inside her, to prevent him from unsheathing, and sucked. His breathing grew heavier. She slowly eased him out, then drew him back inside the warmth of her mouth, wrenching a groan from him.
The blood rushing just beneath the surface of his cock would suggest he was near orgasm, and that thought sent a scorching heat coiling in her abdomen. She felt the flood of her excitement between her legs as she slowly, painstakingly pumped him to climax. She wanted that for him. Wanted to be able to do that to him, as though it would be a coup, a notch in her Levi belt. At last.
But he reached down and wrapped a hand gently around her jaw to stop her. “Wait,” he said breathlessly. “I’m going to come if you don’t stop.”
He pulled out of her, and she grinned up at him, still straddled above her.
“That was the general idea.”
He reached behind her head, grabbed the sheet she was lying on, and jerked her back up like she weighed nothing. A wicked grin slid across his startlingly handsome face. “My turn.”
Taking both wrists into one of his hands, he locked them above her head and ran his free hand over her stomach before undoing the buttons on her blouse. With one hand. She was impressed. And light-headed.
Cool air rushed over her skin when he laid the shirt open. He stopped to look at her, his eyes shimmering with interest. Her bra hooked in front. One more magic trick and it fell open, too. Her breasts spilled out, his large hand catching one. He caressed it. Massaged it before he bent his head and suckled the nipple. Whatever he was doing with his tongue caused the most incredible tremors of pleasure to quake inside her.
“What the hell?” she asked, trying to figure out his technique. “How are you …” Her voice trailed off as she felt the promise of an orgasm flourish between her legs, the heat pooling in her abdomen astonishing. “I’ve never … ,” she said between gasps. “This is …new.”
He released her nipple only to transfer his scorching mouth to the other. It was like an invisible thread had been pulled taut between her nipples and her clit, and every time he sucked—so softly she ached—and flicked his tongue—so sweetly she writhed—it strummed and vibrated, drawing the orgasm closer and closer.
She parted her legs involuntarily. He took that as a cue to unfasten her jeans and send his hand down the front of them. Still sucking, he dipped two fingers inside her, causing her to clench around them, then pulled out and circled her clit, her own wetness slickening his fingertips.
He worked hard, bringing her to the brink then pulling her back, for several long minutes.
“Levi, please,” she begged, parting her legs further.
After climbing onto his knees, he peeled off first her jeans, then her panties. He slid them down her legs with meticulous care, caressing each inch of her skin as he did so.
She threw back her head and reveled in his touch. His kisses between her knees. His tongue sliding up her thighs.
She heard the sound of foil tearing and lifted her head to watch like a voyeur. She bit her bottom lip as he rolled the condom onto his hard cock. He was sculpted to absolute perfection, the hills and valleys creating the most alluring play of shadow and light all over his lean body. His large hand finished the task, and then he stroked himself. Once. Twice.
Blood rushed into her clit. It swelled and pulsed and pleaded for release. He could have taken her sweetly. He could have covered her body with his and placed tiny, hot kisses on the corners of her mouth as he slid gently inside her.
But he was done with sweetly, apparently. He grabbed her hips and pulled her ass onto him, guiding her cunt onto his cock. He slid in with ease and she arched her back to draw him deeper, the sensations swirling inside her like blistering molten lava. She took every inch of him over and over as he milked the orgasm. His strokes grew shorter and faster, coaxing the sweet sting closer.
And then it happened. Pleasure spiked inside her, surging deep and hot and sharp. It spilled out and flooded every cell in her body. She clamped down on him and he came with a guttural growl, his chest heaving, his muscles contracting as he slammed into her.
After a moment, he collapsed and rolled to the side, but her orgasm was still there, on the edge of the precipice. The wave still rocking her, it had never fully subsided.
She grabbed his hand and pushed it between her legs. She had no idea what his reaction was, because her body was too busy trying to come again.
He pressed his fingers inside her and scraped a palm over her clit. His mouth was at her ear, his warm breath “Come on,” he said. “One more.”
Then he drew a nipple into his mouth as his fingers pumped in and out of her. The wave swelled, built momentum a second time, but when he shoved her legs apart and drew her clit into his mouth, sucking softly, it exploded inside her. She grabbed handfuls of hair as he circled his tongue around her clit. Helping her ride the wave. Easing her back to Earth.
“Oh, my God,” she said when she could talk again. “That has never happened to me.”
He kissed her clitoris and took up a position next to her again, the length of his body pressed against hers the very definition of heaven. “Which part?” he asked.
“All of the parts. I’ve never … I haven’t experienced an orgasm from a man. And so far, you are two for two.”
“Are you kidding?” he asked, surprised.
“Not at all.”
“What did you do? You know, when you were with someone?”
“It’s called faking it. I took a class,” she said, teasing.
“Hell, if you faked it this time, you deserve an Academy Award. You’re good.”
She grinned at him. “Nobody’s that good. I’m sorry, I’m just … shocked. I didn’t know it could be like that.”
“You know sex is all in the mind.”
“Maybe so, but it felt much closer to my clit.”
“Holy fuck, you’re sexy.” He buried his face in her hair.
She was sexy? Had he looked in the mirror? Like ever?
The fact that she’d just had sex with Levi Ravinder was not lost on her. It was like a dam inside her had broken and elation spilled out, flooding every cell in her body. She would wonder about what this meant long-term later. For now, she only had one question: when would they get to do it again?
