I couldn't count the minutes I spent crying into Levi's chest with two hands. The nurses had to come to pry me off of him after a while. They had no idea what it was like when he wasn't around.
"Great now I smell like medicine and cleaning products," he groans.
I roll my eyes and zip up my suitcase. "Better than dying, don't you think?"
He chuckles. "Now why are you acting like you didn't miss me pooks? You even tried kissing me awake, how desperate," he smirks.
My eyes dilate. "How do you know I kissed you?"
"I forgot to tell you but I woke up long before you came, then asked the doctor to lie," he smiles.
"You... you-"
"Shhhh," he interrupts. "Do you really want to castigate me? Let's imagine I didn't wake up at all-"
I run into his arms, cutting him off. "No... I don't want to imagine," I whimper. "That would be like a nightmare."
He pats my hair. "Hey, it's alright. I'm here now."
His ringing burner phone discontinues the heartfelt moment. So I let go of him and allow him to tend to the caller.
We're currently at Jessie's apartment, retrieving our things. I have no idea where we're going next or which car is taking us there. But for some reason, I feel Levi has all this under control. "Okay, the car is here," he says, stuffing his phone in his pocket.
"The car?" I rephrase.
"I told you I have people everywhere, now give me your bag."
I shake my head. "No. You're still injured, so let me handle this." Struggling with my left arm, I sling the strap of my luggage bag over my shoulder and grab the handle of his suitcase. "Let's go."
"Cassi... this isn't necessary," he sighs. "Your arm is hurt and I hate being-"
"I don't care. I don't care if you're the dominant one, okay? I've got this under control," I snap.
"What's going on in here?" asks Jessie, leaning her shoulder on the door frame.
"Hey," Levi smiles. "Thanks again... for everything."
She nods halfheartedly. "Cassi and I are friends, so I did it because I wanted to. Not because of you," she states.
"Either way... I'm also sorry for the way I acted earlier, like a-"
"A fool? A jerk? A mannerless prick?" she intervenes.
"Yeah... those," he mutters.
"It's fine. I forgive you, but you had better change, Levi Hargreaves, not that I care or anything." He slowly approaches her, taking her hand in his. "I will, trust me." He plants his million-dollar kiss on her knuckles, her cheeks reddening a bit.
She yanks her hand away and clears her throat. "Okay, that's enough." I walk forward, wheeling the suitcase. "I'll miss you, Jessie."
"Don't worry, you have my number and I have yours. We can still talk once in a while, okay?" she smiles.
I nod, my eyes stinging from the incoming tears. She throws her arms around me, rubbing my back. "You'll be okay," she whispers before stepping away. "Now let's see you two off... Cassi let me help with those bags."
"No no it's okay," I insist.
Levi rolls his eyes. "Fine let's go."
We head towards the stairs. The moment I reach the first step, I trip. My heart stops and I squeeze my eyes shut, readying myself for the impact. But a strong pair of arms grab my waist, stopping what could have been the end of me.
He lets go of me and grabs my shoulders, turning me to face him. "Give me the bags," he demands, annoyance laced in his tone.
With trembling hands, I hand them over to him and he descends the stairs. "Are you okay?" Jessie asks, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah... I'm okay," I mutter. "Please don't push yourself too hard... remember you're injured too," she says.
I nod and she leads me down the stairs and out of the house. The moment we step out of the gate, Levi is in the driver's seat of an onyx black Cadillac. Just where did this vehicle come from?
"Well then, goodbye Cassi," Jessie says, hugging me one more time. "Goodbye." I wave as I get into the passenger seat of the car. Levi starts the engine and waves at her one more time before jamming the accelerator.
"Listen, Cassi"
I gulp.
"I understand that you're trying to help me but let's not forget I'm not the only one who was in the car when it collided with that tree. If anything I should be feeling sorry for you because you sustained injuries and almost had nowhere to go. So please Cassi, let me take care of you."
I heave a sigh, nodding my head. Levi's still bandaged in the spots where he was shot— the side of his head, neck, and arm. And every time I glance at him, I can't help but see a fragile person. Someone who shouldn't even be moving their fingers. I don't want him stressing over anything because I'm sure he's still in pain. And I know he'll never admit it.
"Are you sure you're okay with driving again?"
"Bulletproof windows," he replies.
Of course.
"So fill me in on everything that's happened."
"Well... my mum came... and she tried taking me back home but I refused... now I'm scared."
"Don't worry... we'll think of something," he says. "Think of what? At this stage, there's nothing we can think of anymore. She's my mother... there's no escaping the consequences."
"What consequences could we be looking at here?"
"I don't know... she's so unpredictable."
"This isn't good," he mumbles. "What do we do now?" he muses, massaging his creased forehead as he handles the wheel with his right hand.
"It's okay... I'll take whatever punishment is coming for me... I deserve it anyway."
"No, you don't, this is my fault... I wish I could take that punishment for you," he sighs. "I'm very sorry about this."
"That's okay," I smile. "Where are we even going?"
•••
I gape as I spin and admire this luxurious hotel room, even bigger and better than the previous one. "So where's my room?" I ask him.
"You're standing in it," he simply replies as he begins unpacking his suitcase.
"Huh?"
"Cassi I promised myself that as long as we're here, I'll never let you out of my sight again. And I meant that literally this time."
Sharing a hotel room with Levi? This isn't good, this isn't good. I start to imagine the one million things that could happen while we're alone right now.
"I'm sure you're imagining the one million things that could happen while we're alone right now," he says. "But don't worry, I won't do anything without your consent," he smirks as he unbuttons his shirt.
Yup, I'm a goner.
Someone knocks on the door, a bit too harshly. "Now who could that primitive person be," Levi mumbles as he approaches the door. "Wait!" I swiftly snatch his arm.
"What if it's a trap? And it's that same person that tried to kill you," I shudder.
"Aww look at you getting all paranoid," he pats my head and opens the door. A fuming Dario walks right into his chest, but Dario staggers back as though he just collided with a solid wall, his eyes widening at the sight of his depraved brother. "L-Levi, how come you're here?" he stutters.
Oh right, I told Levi everything Dario said. A smile creeps onto my face. I can't wait to see how he handles this.
"Hmm," he leans on the door frame, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "May I ask you the same?"
"Oh me? W-Well I just came to check on you, yeah. You know me... always looking out for my big bro," he chuckles awkwardly.
"But you just asked me what I'm doing here."
"What? Did I? Must have been a skip- I mean a slip of the tongue."
"So you came here to make away with Cassi, am I correct?"
His eyes widen. "What? That isn't true, I would have never dreamed of harming your fake girlfriend. Say, where did all those bandages come from?" he asks, trying to digress the topic.
"Dario," Levi states. "Your presence is beginning to chafe on my tolerance for you."
"B-But-"
"It would be best for you to leave. I'll be returning tomorrow. Then I can deal with your attitude." He shuts the door and turns on his heels, slipping off his shirt.
Oh, my days. My eyes get caught on his chiseled abs. Why can't I stop staring? I watch as he unbuckles his belt and tosses it aside, sliding his pants down his legs.
I instinctively turn away, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "L-Levi... why are you undressing?"
"Because I need to take a shower and scrub off this hospital stench. Join me, Cassi."
My eyes trail to the ground as I try to avoid staring at those tight boxer briefs. Gosh, this is so weird. "Wait huh?"
"Hm? Did I stutter?" he asks.
"I don't feel like showering right now. I'm kind of tired so I'll just wait for you to finish first," I chuckle nervously.
"Cassi," he smiles. "That wasn't a request. It was an order."
Sweet biscuits. "O-Okay... I'll be there in a second."
"That's good," he says and walks into the bathroom.
Where do I hide? Where do I hide? The closet of course. I dart into the enclosed space and shut myself into the darkness. Is he crazy? Didn't he just say he wouldn't do anything without my consent? I hug my knees, cradling back and forth. It's barely been a minute and he already wants to see me naked. I wasn't even this terrified when I found out Ace was a killer.
"Pooks?" I hear him call out from the other side of the door. "Oh... you're hiding?" he laughs. "Okay then, I love a good game of hide and seek."
Every fiber of my being is quivering right now. At some point, I stop breathing as I hear the patter of his feet wandering the room. "Not in the drawer... not under the bed... not under this desk either... what about the closet."
I release an unintentional squeak and slap a hand over my mouth. Please don't look here, please don't look here. Before I know it the door swings open, the light illuminating my fear-stricken face.
"Aww pooks," he calls out softly. "Come here."
Slowly I crawl out of the closet and get to my feet. "To be honest, I hate showering on my own... especially when I'm injured," he tells me. "I'll need help washing the wounds... do you mind? Oh, I guess you do since you hid in a closet."
"Well..."
"Great!" He corners me to the wall. "Now strip."
"H-Huh?"
I look down at my arm, knowing Jessie had to help me dress up this morning. Levi notices this and smiles. "Oh don't tell me... I'll have to strip you myself?"
"N-No I'm... it's... I-I..."
He takes my glasses off my face and gently places them on the bed. He takes my arm and unstraps the brace, sliding it off. Then he bends over and begins to undo the buttons to my pants, sliding them down my legs. What is he doing? Cassi stop him! He straightens up and gently moves my fractured arm through the handle of my tank top, following my left arm. Then he slides it down my body.
I impulsively shield myself, feeling my cheeks heat up. I've never felt so embarrassed in my entire life. He didn't even care if I was comfortable with this or not. "I change my mind, I don't wanna do this anymore," I squeal.
He rolls his eyes. "Please don't begin with this whole I'm insecure about my body thing. Okay, you're beautiful. Is that what you want to hear? You're stunning Cassi. Now take those hands off."
"You just made it worse!" I squeal. "Do I have to tackle you now?" he groans. "No! No! Can't I just go in like this?"
"Who showers in their underwear?"
"I do sometimes because-"
"How bothersome is this," he sighs. "Never mind, you don't have to... I guess I'll just go in myself and- ah my head," he groans.
"Your head?" Don't tell me he's trying to guilt trip me. "Geez it hurts," he whines. "At this rate, I might just slip and fall in there but I guess that's okay with you."
"Okay fine."
He flashes me a smile and wraps his arms around my back, unclasping the hook of my bra before taking it off. I anxiously watch as he slides my panties down my legs, hoping it's not obvious how badly my legs are shaking.
He takes a step back to rake my body, a smug smirk creeping onto his face. "Stop smiling like that!" I demand, feeling the blood rush up to my cheeks. Oh gosh, this is so embarrassing that I can barely stand it. A boy has never seen me in my underwear, talk less of being buck naked. How did he even get me to do this? Did I go senile when he was undressing me? Why didn't I say something?
"You hate me now, don't you," he chuckles. Then he takes my hand and leads me into the bathroom. "Go in," he instructs. I do as he says and step behind the glass wall. Remember Cassi, you're only here to help him wash his wounds and nothing more. Absolutely nothing more.
The moment he steps in, my thoughts vanish. It's 30cm. I know this is mannerless but I can't stop staring at it. "Cassi stop," he groans. "Don't you know you're making me shy?"
"S-Sorry," I mutter.
"Now then." He turns on the faucet, letting the hot water run out. Then he takes a fancy-looking bottle from the holder on the wall. "This is my shampoo," he tells me. He turns it over and begins squirting the contents into my hair. Then he places it back and begins massaging it into my hair. "Levi... I thought I came to wash you."
"Oh dear, is that what I said?" he chuckles. "Of course you couldn't wash me, I would never be able to prevent the consequences of you doing that."
Consequences? "S-So this was a trap?"
"Not necessarily... I'm only doing this because it's hard to bathe with one arm and I knew you wouldn't admit that."
"Well..." I can't say anything that would make sense right now. I'm too caught up in his fingers running through my hair. At this point, my entire body along with my brain has turned to mush.
He pulls me under the hot water, allowing it to rinse off the shampoo. Then he grabs a washcloth and the soap, rubbing them together until the cloth begins foaming. Before I know it he's scrubbing every inch of my body, raising my hands to scrub my underarms and my legs to scrub under my feet. My body shivers as he reaches the sensitive parts, his brows furrowed in concentration as he pays close attention to cleaning me up.
There's this odd sensation I feel. Like I could wet myself any moment from now. "L-Levi... I think I'm gonna-"
"Cum?"
"Cum... w-what's that?"
His eyes go wide. "You're joking, right? You don't know what that means?"
I shake my head. "No."
"How inept is this," he chuckles. "I really wouldn't want to give you an awkward lecture." He lifts my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine as he pulls me closer to his unclad body. "So I want you to do me a favor now, my love." He lowers his face down to my neck, his breath grazing my skin and sending tingles down my spine.
"When we're done. Look it up."
I slowly nod and he places a soft kiss on my neck. "You can breathe now."
I gasp, realizing I've been holding my breath this whole time. He chuckles and wraps his arms around me. I can't lie to myself. I'm the luckiest girl on earth at this moment. Showering with a mafia boss. I don't think I'll ever see anything hotter than Levi naked and with his hair wet. I squeeze his sides, cuddling closer into his chest. I never want this to end.
•••
I fluff on the bed and pick up my phone while Levi is still in the shower. Now what was that word he asked me to look up? Cum? I type in the three-letter word and hit search.
I squint my eyes at the words, reading the description with the voice in my head. Then my eyes fling open. Intense sexual pleasure?
Levi steps out of the bathroom. A towel wrapped around his waist as he dries up his hair with another. "L-L-Levi how could you think that? I definitely wasn't feeling that way at all because I'm very certain I just had to pee do you think I could feel that way this is a total misunderstanding there's no way this could be the explanation or m-m-maybe I'm reading the wrong description hold on let me go through the other definitions," I say rapidly, not knowing I could talk so fast.
He starts laughing. "Cassi it's completely normal. You're new to this feeling so you'll understand later."
Gosh, how much more embarrassed could I get? I put my phone aside and heave a frustrated sigh. "Something the matter?" he asks.
"Yes, I hate you," I say, getting up to approach him.
"I love you too pooks," he smiles. "Ugh, you're so annoying." I punch him in the chest and he winces in pain. Huh? I'm that strong? "I guess I forgot to tell you I have fractured ribs," he mutters.
"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," I apologize as I rub the spot I punched. "Why is it not bandaged?"
"I couldn't breathe with those, so the doctors took them off," he replies. "Gosh, I had no idea... I'm so sorry."
"That's okay," he reassures me. "I'm starving," he groans. "Pick up the menu and order something for us."
I do as he says and pick up the menu from the study desk. My eyes widen at the lowest price. "Um, Levi."
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Are you sure we shouldn't just go out to eat?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty lazy to drive."
"Well the cheapest thing here is cheese nachos... and it's a thousand dollars."
"Now why are you looking at the prices? Is that what I asked you to do?" he asks, drying himself up with his towel. "Well no," I mutter.
"I asked you to order something for us, anything that sounds tasty." He puts on his boxers and fluffs on the bed, covering himself with the thick bedspread. "Price tags don't faze me, not in the least," he mutters. "Now pick something and come join me."
"Hm okay... how does the Chinese chicken salad sound?"
"Vegetarian."
"The saffron risotto with forest mushrooms? Or the Waldorf salad?"
"Okay, place two orders for both."
"Two orders?"
"Yes, I'm really hungry. What would you like to have?"
"Um..." I scan each dish on the menu, not understanding what most of them are. "I guess I'll just go with the British classic spaghetti bolognese."
"Alright place an order for that... and anything else you feel like eating... I'll have water by the side... you can pick whatever drink you want." I nod, looking at the drink options. How can a bottle of alcohol be a hundred thousand dollars? Do people buy that?
I pick up the landline and call the room service, ordering the food we picked out. Then I walk to the bed and sit beside Levi. He's in nothing but his loose plaid boxers. His eyes are closed and his chest heaving evenly up and down. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he asks, his eyes fluttering open.
"Nothing," I smile.
"You've placed the orders?"
I nod. "Yeah."
"Why aren't you wearing the black lace lingerie set you bought at the mall?"
"What?" Just how did he know about that?
"Cassi as your boyfriend, you're supposed to wait for me to pick out your clothes and dress you up, especially after a shower." He takes my hand and kisses my fingers.
"Oh... I didn't know that."
"You're still pretty either way," he smiles and wraps his arms around my waist. "Lie down," he instructs. I put my feet up and lay beside him. "Play with my hair Cassi." Yes! I can't wait to braid it into different styles.
"I didn't say braid it if that's what's running through your mind... just play with it," he clarifies. "But why?" I whine.
"Because I don't want it getting tangled."
"I promise I'll be careful."
"No Cassi."
"Please."
"Cassi No."
I start sniffling and wiping my eyes. Immediately he sits up. "Are you crying?"
"I just... I r-really wanted to *sniffle* braid your hair."
"Ugh please don't begin with those crocodile tears," he groans. "Fine, you can braid it."
"Yay!" I push his head down to my lap and tug off the band that held it into a bun. I admire the silky, luster hair, the smell of his lavender shampoo beginning to waft through the air.
I have no idea how many styles I braided on his hair before room service came knocking. I nudge his head on my lap, seeing he fell asleep. "Levi, the food is here."
He slowly sits up and rubs his eyes before scooting off the bed. "Wait, are you gonna answer the door like that?"
"Like what?" he asks drowsily.
"In your... never mind."
He pulls the door open, allowing three ladies to come in with our food. One of them gets distracted, either by his nakedness or the queer style his hair is braided into, but she quickly recomposes herself. They set the food on the coffee table and Levi pays up with three wads of cash. In a minute they exit the room and he goes to sit on the floor in front of the table, beginning to devour his food.
I sit across from him and start snickering. "What's so funny?" he asks. "You'll see when you look in the mirror." The braids are jutting out in all directions, but he shrugs and proceeds with his food.
I pick up a fork and prod the spaghetti. "Are you a southpaw?" he asks. "Nope, but I'll manage." He gets up and comes to sit beside me, taking the fork from my hand. "In that case, I'll feed you. So I want you to fully appreciate the taste of this food," he says as he rolls some spaghetti onto the fork.
"Huh? What about yours? It'll get cold."
"I don't care. Now say ah."
I open my mouth and eat the fork of spaghetti. He leans his cheek on his palm, smiling at me while I struggle to chew. "Could you not stare at me while I eat?"
"You're just so shy aren't you?" he chuckles and leans forward, pecking my lips softly.
I start coughing and he immediately hands me a bottle of water, opening it up for me. "Sorry about that... I couldn't help it," he chuckles.
He ends up feeding me the entire bowl of spaghetti. Then he finishes his and we go to bed.
He twists his arms around me and pulls me into his chest. "Cassi... do you regret going on this trip?" he asks, his voice quiet and serene, like he's about to fall asleep.
I mean I know my mother has my grave ready. But for some reason, this trip was the most fun I've had in a long time, even though I got hurt and Levi almost died. It was a new experience for me. And I even made a new friend. So I shake my head. "No."
"Well then... I'm glad." He plants a kiss on my forehead and shuts his silver eyes. "Good night pooks."
I cuddle closely into his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body on mine. I never want to leave this exact spot. I feel so safe. I feel so happy.
"Good night Levi."