Текст книги "The Fall Up"

Автор книги: Aly Martinez

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“Yeah. Please not here,” Devon deadpanned from the front as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I laughed and rested my head on Sam’s shoulder. I wasn’t embarrassed. It was Devon. I’d done full wardrobe changes in the back of that SUV. He’d caught more than an eyeful of me, but never like that. When it came to transportation, though, I didn’t have any options. Huffing, I cursed my lack of a driver’s license and my inability to leave the house alone.

“Look at me.” Sam tipped my chin up to study my eyes. “How far away is your place?”

“Twenty minutes.”

“Shit,” he huffed. “And, just so we’re clear, we can’t go back to my place? It’s, like, two miles away.”

I opened my mouth, but Devon got there first.

“Not a chance in hell.”

Smiling, I lowered my voice to a whisper, “He has a really scary vein on his forehead that’s probably twitching right about now.”

Sam rolled his eyes then sighed. “Put your head in my lap.”

My eyes flashed wide in surprise. And, okay fine…excitement.

“Jesus Christ. Don’t look at me like that. I just mean lie down and take a nap, something—anything—that doesn’t involve you straddling me. Mind if I smoke in here?”

“Yes. I do,” Devon snapped.

Shaking my head, I cracked the window and reluctantly crawled into the seat beside him. “Nah. Go ahead.”

I didn’t take a nap, but I did lay my head in his lap. Then I watched as he chain-smoked the entire way back to my house, perhaps while dragging a fingernail up and down the seam of his jeans. Maybe.

Definitely.

“THANK FUCK!” SAM said, swinging the door open before Devon even had the car in park.

“Oh, this isn’t my place. We’re just dropping Devon off. I’m about twenty minutes across town?” I tossed him a sugary smile then boldly shifted my hand into his lap, purposely brushing the bulge under his denim.

Grabbing my wrist, he narrowed his eyes and called out, “Devon, I’m gonna need to borrow a bedroom.”

I burst out laughing as Devon cursed loudly.

“Fine. This is my place. No smoking inside though,” I snipped as I climbed from the SUV.

“You better have some seriously exciting extracurricular activities to keep me distracted, then.”

“I have Ping-Pong!”

“Not exactly what I was thinking.” He mischievously cocked his head. “But I guess paddles and balls are as good a start as any.” Dipping down, he hoisted me over his shoulder. “Point me to the Ping-Pong table, my lady.”

I didn’t. I laughed hysterically as he carried me inside. Then I directed him to my bedroom instead.

I heard Devon locking up the house as Sam deposited me on the bed.

“Jesus. This view.” He pushed the curtains back. “Why the hell would you ever go up to the bridge when you have this here?”

“I don’t know,” I answered, pulling my earrings off and placing them on my nightstand.

Oh, but I knew. It might not have been what had originally sent me up that bridge, but it was why my feet carried me back every night. And that very reason was currently standing in front of me with entirely too much clothing on.

“You want a beer?” I asked, sliding my shoes off.

“Nah, I’m good.” He faced me, and I could tell something was off with his demeanor. He didn’t inch any closer. Instead, his lips were tight and his eyes uncomfortably flashed around the room.

It suddenly didn’t feel like Sam standing in front of me at all.

He felt like a stranger who had just come face-to-face with Levee Williams.

Damn it.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you about to freak out?” I whispered, nervously moistening my lips.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m not really sure yet. But I’m gonna need you to stop licking your lips long enough for me to figure it out.” His mouth cracked into a wide grin, and my shoulders relaxed.

Now that was a flash of my Sam.

“Want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

“It’s just… I think this is the first time I’ve realized that you’re some big-time celebrity. I might be in over my head here, Designer Shoes.”

“I just make music, Sam.” I returned his smile and very slowly prowled in his direction. “Imagine how I feel though. You’re Samuel Nathan Rivers. A tough, tattooed furniture designer who makes six figures a year but is too afraid to tell his mommy he votes democratic.” I giggled as he frowned humorously. Stopping in front of him, I dragged a fingernail down his chest then teased the waistband of his jeans. “Have you considered that maybe I’m the one who’s in over her head here?” I leaned forward to nip at his lips, but he spun us around.

“Excellent point. I’m going to need you to try really hard to keep it together, Levee. You haven’t even seen my six-pack and huge cock, yet.” He smirked and attempted to return my nip, but I stepped out of his reach.

“You brought beer and chicken?” I feigned excitement.

That one corny joke was all it took to bring my Sam back completely.

With a sexy smile and a coy shrug, he seductively backed me toward the bed. “What can I say? I like to be prepared.”

“Clearly,” I breathed.

He moved in close so his lips were only a centimeter away, but for as much as I wanted him, it was agonizing. “Clearly,” he repeated, his smoky yet sweet breath breezing across my mouth.

His strong arm looped around my waist, tugging me against his chest, while I stared into his hooded eyes, eagerly waiting for him to make a move.

Any move.

Every move.

Her eyes were pleading. A plea I had every intention of answering—in time.

My time. Not hers.

After sliding my hand down the small of her back, I let it splay over her ass.

“It’s hot in here. Maybe you should take this off?” I tugged at the fabric of her dress.

A laugh sprang from her mouth. “That was your line? ‘It’s hot in here’?”

“It wasn’t a line.”

“It’s freezing in here. It was absolutely a line.” She continued to laugh but wrapped her arms around my neck. Our breath was twisting between us in the only small gap our flush bodies had left.

“I haven’t even taken them out yet and you’re already busting my balls.” I grazed my teeth over her bottom lip.

She lazily closed her eyes and went in for the kiss. Taking a move from her play book, I swayed out of her reach.

Groaning because of the miss, she popped her eyes open. “Sorry. It’s just that you started off so strong with the huge-cock thing,” she teased even further, bursting into laughter all over again.

“You seriously need to stop laughing,” I replied, not even the slightest bit annoyed.

There were a ton of reasons why millions of people swooned over Levee on a daily basis, but seeing her up close as she lost herself in a snarky joke, I knew they were missing all the best parts.

I watched with a smirk as heat blazed through my veins until she finally sobered. Her smile was still filled with humor—an expression that was quickly becoming my favorite. And, like a judge and jury, my cock confirmed it by swelling between us.

Suddenly, a different smile formed, and mischief lifted the corners of her mouth.

I had been wrong. That one was unquestioningly better.

Fuck, I’m in trouble with this woman. Mainly because I knew the real trouble would be if I didn’t get her naked—soon.

Thankfully, we shared that feeling.

She cupped my straining erection. “Then give me a reason not to laugh, Sam.”

Not. A. Fucking. Problem.

With a growl, I crushed my mouth over hers and lifted her off the ground. I attempted to toss her onto the bed, but at the last second, she wrapped her legs around my hips, dragging me down on top of her. She laughed into my mouth as our teeth painfully clanked together. It transformed into a moan when my hard-on blissfully landed against her core.

“Fuck,” I hissed as she rolled her hips into mine.

“What’s wrong, Sam?” she asked innocently.

I would have answered, but with only two layers of clothing stopping me from planting myself to the hilt inside her, I was done talking.

Done joking.

Hell, I was even done listening to her laugh.

I was suddenly in the mood to make her come—hard.

And fast.

Then I wanted to come—slowly.

And repeatedly.

Trailing kisses up her neck and over to her ear, I tugged at the hem of her dress. “Do you want this on or off while I’m licking your pussy?”

She froze, and as I’d hoped, her laughter fell silent.

As a victorious smile spread across my mouth, she abruptly sat up and started trying to reach the zipper on the back of her dress. “Off. And, for future reference, you should have led with that instead of the ‘hot in here’ bullshit.”

“Agreed.” I nodded, yanking the zipper down and peeling the dress over her head.

In a black lace bra and a matching pair of boy shorts, she reclined back onto the bed. I didn’t follow her down; I sat back on my heels and openly gawked.

Levee was thin, borderline too thin, but she was still stunning. Her flat stomach guided my gaze up to small-but-full breasts overflowing the lace. Just under the fabric, I could make out the peak of her nipples, and my mouth watered to taste them.

I brushed my fingers across the swell of her cleavage. “I’m going to detour to these first. I’ll personally apologize to your pussy for the delay.”

A corner of her mouth twitched. “That better be one hell of an apology.”

I palmed both of her breasts. “Are you planning to stop talking any time soon?”

Arching into my touch, she gasped. “I don’t know. Are you?”

I shifted one of my hands to the bed to hold my weight as I hovered on my knees above her. “Yep. Right”—I placed a damp kiss to her chest—“now.”

Without any further warning, I popped her nipple from her bra and sealed my mouth around it.

“Shit,” she cursed with hands flying to fist my hair and hips circling up off the bed. “Ahhh,” she moaned as my tongue laved at her nipple.

Then I switched to the other before repeating the process.

Her hips continued to search the space between us for some source of friction. I could have offered her my leg, but I feared my cock would sprout arms and claw its way out of my jeans if I had to feel her riding my thigh.

With my mouth still at her breast, Levee clawed at my shirt, tugging it up my back. “Take this off.”

I sat up long enough for her to tear it over my head, but when I tried to take her breast again, a hand against my chest stopped me. My gaze flipped to hers, and much to my surprise—and excitement—Levee was a gawker too.

“Fuck,” she cursed, dragging a single fingernail over the ridges of my abs.

I had a torso full of tattoos I’d expected her to inspect for the first time, but as she pushed against my chest again, her eyes were glued to the outline of my hard-on in my jeans.

After licking her lips, she ordered, “Lie down.”

“Funny. I was just about to tell you to do the same thing.” I gently urged her down with one hand while dropping the other to the lace between her legs.

She gasped and threw her head back, grinding herself into my touch while tracing her hands up and down my stomach. “Sam,” she breathed, pausing to take my mouth in a rough kiss. “Can we speed this up?”

“We can now,” I mumbled into her mouth.

With one swift movement, I pushed her panties aside and pressed two fingers inside her drenched pussy. Her legs fell to the sides as she collapsed backwards on the bed.

“Yes,” she hissed, fisting the sheets.

Kneeling on the edge of the bed, I stared at her hips, which were fluidly rolling against my hand. I could have watched all night, but the memory of her breasts in my mouth was still fresh.

“Take your bra off.” I twisted my hand as punctuation.

She didn’t delay in sitting up, sliding it down her arms, then discarding it off the side of her bed. Her eyes and her smirk were confident, but she immediately pushed her hands into her hair, forcing her breasts together like some sort of bikini model. Fuck. Levee’s body was incredible, and the last thing I wanted was her trying to alter my view in any way.

One by one, I removed my fingers. Her mouth fell open in protest, but I tugged her hands from her hair and placed them around my neck.

“Don’t do that. Not to me.”

“Do what?”

I settled on my side next to her. “Try to strike a pose like I’m some cameraman looking for the perfect shot of you.”

“I didn’t,” she huffed.

Gripping the back of her neck, I dragged her mouth up to mine and swallowed her lie. “Yes, you did, Designer Shoes. But I’m not here for a photo shoot. I’m here for the real thing.”

At the familiar nickname, her eyes lit.

“I’m not perfect, and I’d really appreciate if we could pretend you aren’t, either, while I have my fingers inside you.”

She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, holding it so long that it became unnerving. Finally, those whiskey browns opened, emanating freedom with every blink.

“Okay,” she whispered, dropping her arms to the sides, revealing herself completely.

“There she is.” I pecked her lips and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “You’re gorgeous, Levee. Even more right now than when you’re on the cover of a magazine trying to be.”

Her cheeks turned pink as she tried to fight back unshed emotion.

Even that battle was beautiful.

Several seconds later, a laugh bubbled from her chest. “That was some serious cheese dickery, Sam.”

I smiled down at her. It really was. “It was also the truth.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” She shrugged. “But I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.” Her teasing gaze faded away as desire once again filled her eyes, which sent blood sprinting back to my cock. “No more talking. Touch me, Sam.” She took my mouth and tried to lead my hand back between her legs, complaining as I resisted.

“Shhh,” I urged between kisses.

She grumbled in frustration, “I need—”

I cut her off. Using her wrist, I guided her hand down to my denim-covered cock. “Me. You need me.”

I only knew because I needed her.

And, as her face softened, the truth tumbled from her mouth. “I really do.”

“Then take it.”

It was just that simple. I was there to be with her. She could have me in any and every way she wanted.

Without another word, she unbuttoned my jeans and slid her hand inside, wrapping it possessively around my cock.

“Fuck,” I breathed.

It was promptly followed by a curse of her own when her palm made contact with the metal of my apadravya.

I hadn’t even caught my breath as her mouth collided with mine. Her hand continuously worked my cock—her thumb rolling over the metal at the tip with every upstroke. It wasn’t long before a familiar sensation formed in my balls—entirely too soon.

“Levee, wait.”

The words had barely cleared my lips when she pushed me off-balance and onto the bed beside her. In only a pair of panties, Levee climbed off the bed without even releasing her grip on my cock.

“Up,” she ordered, standing between my legs.

“Up what?” I asked, shocked by our sudden role reversal.

I attempted to sit up only to be forced back down. Her hand fell away to shimmy the denim off my hips.

“Toe your shoes off,” she ordered.

This bossy side of Levee took me aback, but she was almost naked…trying to get me naked.

I did as I’d been told.

Levee began a frenzied task of undressing me, not even glancing back up into my eyes until she was satisfied with my jeans, boxers, and socks all lying on the floor at her feet.

“God, Sam,” she breathed, dropping to her knees and once again gripping my impossibly hard cock.

“Wait.” I sat up and tried to pull her back to her feet. “I go first. I mean, you go… Son of a… Fuck!” I lost all conscious thought as she dipped her head and circled her tongue around the head of my cock.

“Your dick’s pierced.” Her hand stroked a relentless rhythm from base to tip.

“I… Fuck… Ugh.” My muscles tensed as I glided through her hand. “Is it? I thought they all looked like that.”

“So fucking thick.” She went back down for another lick. Collapsing back on the bed, I gave up on my objections.

She could officially go first.

I continued to fire off cuss words and random thoughts as she stroked and licked my shaft, teasing the barbell that ran vertically through the head. When she finally slid my cock to the back of her throat, I came unglued.

“Shit, woman.” I threaded a hand into her hair, attempting to pull her up.

Levee wasn’t done yet.

But I was.

Tucking my hands under her arms, I dragged her onto the bed.

“Sam!” she squealed.

Rising to my feet, I had only one answer. “I’m fucking you.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. Toying with the ends of her hair, she unnaturally pressed her perfect tits together. I quirked a pointed eyebrow in a not-so-subtle command. She promptly dropped her arms to the sides. Dragging my gaze away, I found my jeans and retrieved a condom from my wallet while silently cursing myself for not having brought a whole damn box.

Levee watched from the bed with her knees bent and wide open for me. Her hair fanned out around her as her hips squirmed from side to side.

She was showing off. And while I loved it, it wasn’t enough and she knew it.

“Get rid of those.” I barked, flashing my gaze down to her panties.

Her lips twisted in a smile, but she quickly obeyed, seductively sliding them down her legs. Then she twirled them on her finger before ceremoniously dropping them to the ground.

A growl rumbled my chest as she brazenly opened her legs, revealing a smooth, glistening pussy just waiting for me to drive into it.

“I’m gonna need more condoms,” I announced, ripping the foil packet open.

“I have some.” She guided her hand down between her legs and rubbed a circle over her clit.

Christ.

This. Woman.

“Keep going,” I said as I rolled the condom on. “You ready for me?”

“You? Not even close,” she whispered shyly. Then her eyes turned dark, and a sinful grin appeared on her lips. “Your dick though? Absolutely.”

I swallowed hard. Suddenly, I was afraid I wasn’t ready for Levee, either. But, as my pulse sped, I prowled up the bed, ready to take the risk just to feel her.

Her fingers continuously circled her clit, and I lowered my hand to join them. She was soaked and couldn’t help bringing it to my lips for a taste.

“Mmmm,” I purred as she lifted her wet fingers to my mouth, offering me a second course I was more than willing to accept. “I fuck you. Then we’re taking a shower. Then I’m eating you until I get hard again.” I glided my cock through her folds.

Her head pressed back into the pillow as she arched off the bed.

Bending down, I roughly grazed my teeth over her nipple. “Then we’ll start the cycle over again.”

“You’ll have to smoke at some point,” she taunted even as she writhed under me.

“Not if you’re occupying my mouth and hands,” I smarted back.

Then, without warning, I drove hard inside her.

We both cried a blessed curse then stilled to allow our bodies time to adjust. For me, adjusting meant spending the moment pleading with my balls not to fire off inside her.

“Are you okay?” I panted.

“I’m going to come as soon as you move. Fair warning.”

I chuckled then stared at my cock slowly sliding out before filling her again.

“Ahhhh!” she cried out in ecstasy. “Stop watching and kiss me.”

I wouldn’t deny her that. I was desperate for her mouth again anyway. Dropping to my elbows, I less-than-gently covered her mouth.

Mmmm…mangos.

Levee clung to my back as her muscles tensed around my cock with every swipe of my tongue in her mouth. I didn’t even need to move, but as her hips began to rock against me, it became obvious she did.

Looping an arm under her leg, I pressed it up to her shoulder, opening her even wider for me. With her nails raking up my back, I pumped into her. She wasn’t exaggerating. Approximately four thrusts later, she came while crying my name. With her tight pussy milking me as she lost herself beneath me, I didn’t make it much longer before I joined her.

I came on promises of giving her more.

What worried me was I didn’t even know what kind of more I was offering.

The words didn’t feel sexual even as I emptied inside her.

I just knew I wanted to give it to her.

So. Much. More.

FRESH FROM A shower where Sam had used his fingers to give me earth-shaking orgasm number two, I watched him, wrapped in only a towel, smoking on my balcony. He was so obviously freezing his ass off, but it was a glorious sight. I hated that he was a smoker—but, God, he looked sexy as he did it.

It was after three a.m. when my phone started ringing on my nightstand. It was Henry, and while it wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to drunk dial, it still worried me that he’d call so late.

I snatched it up immediately. “Hello?”

“Tell me he’s lying?”

“What?”

“Please God, Levee. Tell me he’s full of shit and you aren’t seriously trying to kill yourself.”

I froze. “What are you talking about? Who?”

“Whoever that guy is you’re sleeping with!” he yelled before getting himself back in check. “He told Devon you go up to that bridge every night to jump. Damn it, Levee, what the hell are you thinking?”

My heart began to race as the blood drained from my face. “It’s not. I mean… I’m… I don’t….” I stumbled over my words as my eyes lifted to Sam on the other side of the glass.

“Stewart is losing his fucking mind right now that Devon was just this guy’s first stop before heading to the press.”

Oh God.

“Just tell me this is some kind of rumor.”

As if he could sense my distress, Sam turned to face me. His golden eyes locked with mine, immediate concern painted his face.

“What?” he mouthed.

I couldn’t reply.

Not to Sam.

Not to Henry.

Not even to myself.

It wasn’t true.

It also wasn’t a lie.

“Oh God,” Henry gasped when my silence told him more than my words ever could.

Sam regarded me warily for several seconds before he dropped his cigarette and headed my way.

My world began to move in slow motion even as my mind frantically swirled.

He told Devon.

Betrayal chilled my veins, sending a shiver down my back.

“Levee?” Henry said, reminding me that I still had the phone to my ear.

“Yeah,” I whispered absently, my eyes glued to Sam as he slid the balcony door open. A gust of wind blew the curtains in the air as he entered.

“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a half hour, okay? Stay put. We’ll figure this out.”

“I’m…really… I’m….umm….” My chin quivered as Sam stopped in front of me and tilted his head in a silent question. “I’m fine,” I finished. A tear escaped my eye as Sam physically flinched from the word, immediately folding me into his arms.

“What’s going on?” he questioned softly.

Why would he do this to me?

“I’ll be there in a half hour,” Henry repeated. “Devon’s on his way now. Hang tight.”

But I couldn’t do that at all. The man who had been the only thing grounding me for the last week had just sold me out. The terrifying free fall rushed up at me from the ground, all but swallowing me even as I stood wrapped in his safe arms.

He wouldn’t really tell anyone else… Would he?

If word got out that I was some sort of suicidal basket case, there was no way they’d let me help out at the hospitals anymore.

My pulse raced, and my hands got clammy.

I wouldn’t let him take that from me—from them.

My ears pounded, leaving me unable to make out the words Sam was repeating into my hair. I wasn’t sure if they were questions or soothing sentiments; it just broke my heart that he was uttering them.

He was the bandage—and, now, the wound.

Dropping my phone, I stepped out of his reach. After plucking his jeans off the floor, I threw them at him. “Get out.”

His head snapped back. “What?”

“Get the fuck out of my house.”

He put his hands on his hips, notably confused. “Excuse me?”

“Get out!” I screamed so loud that it echoed off the glass.

He didn’t budge. Instead, he pulled his jeans on and then chewed on his bottom lip as his eyes flashed between mine, searching for some sort of answer. “Who was on the phone, Levee?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Is he jealous?

I was about to become front-page news and he was jealous?

This is not happening.

It really fucking was.

And, for that alone, I got pissed.

Really pissed.

“I won’t let you do this to me. Your word means nothing against mine. You have no proof.” I snatched the robe off the back of my door and wrapped it tight as if it could magically keep me from falling apart.

“What the hell are you talking about?” He tugged his shirt on.

“I will not let you ruin me because of some misplaced savior complex. I don’t need you, Sam. So do me a fucking favor and keep your mouth shut about shit you don’t know anything about.”

“I’m so lost right now.” He threw his arms out to his sides.

“You told Devon I was planning to jump off the bridge!”

His shoulders sagged in visible relief. “Well…yeah. Someone needed to know. I’m not going to just stand by while you kill yourself,” he scoffed as if I were insane.

“I’m not going to kill myself!” I shrieked then began to pace around the room.

It was almost comical.

I was hurt

And pissed.

And floundering even more than ever before.

But Sam looked like he had just saved a litter of puppies from a burning building.

“Well, no. Not anymore you’re not.” He smiled proudly.

“Oh my God!” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You have mental issues.” I should have looked up. I didn’t. I kept pacing. “You seem to be so fucking hell-bent on saving me, but what about you?” I should have shut up. I didn’t. I kept ranting. “You were planning to jump off that bridge too, Sam. Maybe I should run to your employees and share that little secret. But no, I wouldn’t do that. Why? Because I’m a decent human being who respects your privacy. Congratulations, Sam. I didn’t jump, but when this little secret trickles down shit creek, I’ll wish I had.”

When I finally—fucking finally—looked up, Sam was gone. He was still standing in the room, but he’d left me all the same. His face was pale, and his fists were clenched at his sides.

“Listen up, princess,” he snarled. It wasn’t a term of endearment that time. It was an insult that hurt far worse than any other name he possibly could have called me.

I didn’t even have enough time to flinch from his verbal blow before he continued.

“Before you go around slinging insults from inside your glass mansion, you might want all the facts. Four months ago, my mentally ill sister went out for a stroll on the bridge. Two days later, they recovered her body from the bay.”

My hand flew up, covering my mouth as acrid guilt settled in my stomach.

“The last conversation I ever had with her was that morning when she adamantly told me she was fine.” He spat the word then cracked his neck. “She wasn’t. And neither are you. Levee, I never wanted to die. I go up to that bridge because I want Anne to come back.”

My vision swam. “Oh God.”

“Maybe you were never going to jump, but you were up on that bridge for a reason. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. But I won’t apologize for telling Devon. I’ll gladly leave now, but one day, when I see your face again, it’s not going to be on the news because they found your body washed up on the shores of the bay. You’re fucking welcome.” After snatching his shoes off the ground, he stormed out of my room.

“Sam, wait!” I followed after him, catching up just as he got to the front door—a cigarette already dangling from his lips.

“Don’t,” he snapped. “I can’t deal with this. You’re not at all who I thought you were.”

“Sam, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I—”

“Or maybe you’re exactly who I thought you’d be.” He lifted his hands, motioning around my lush foyer.

That hurt. A lot.

But not as much as the idea of losing him.

“I’m sorry, please—”

The door slammed before I could even finish the apology.

“Wait!” I yanked the door open, but a sleepy Devon stood on the other side. “Move!” I tried to shove him out of the way.

But he only shook his head and backed me into the house. “Levee, stop. I had Carter take him home.”

“You did what?” I screeched, rushing back to the door just in time to see the taillights disappearing.

“You have bigger shit to deal with than that jackass.”

Gritting my teeth, I stalked in his direction. “You’re fired.”

“Oh please. I have a good mind to quit after the shit I found out you’ve been hiding from me,” he bit right back.

“I wasn’t going to jump!” I yelled for what felt like the millionth time, but when it cleared my lips, I realized it was the best lie I’d ever told.

Even I believed it.

Sam hadn’t though.

Deep down, I’d seriously considered it. More times than I should have.

Daily.

My legs began to tremble, but they never even had a chance to give out before I was caught by Devon’s embrace.

“Shh. I gotcha,” he whispered into my hair. “Always, Levee.”

“I, um… I think… I need”—Sam—“help.”

“Then we’ll get it.”

Shit.