Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited (29 page)

Reece stared earnestly at him. “I love Levi more than anything,” She looked down, “but I don’t know how to approach him anymore after everything I’ve done. I can’t believe how hatefully I treated him.”

Harrison chuckled. “It is all in the past now, Reece; however, Levi feels as though you will never love him again.”

Reece looked up at him in astonishment. “He still loves me?”

Harrison exhaled. “You two need to work on your communication skills! Of course he still loves you; he’s only keeping his distance since he is unsure of your feelings. For the reason that you two can’t manage to talk to each other, I’m stuck playing middle man.” He clasped her hand. “Please know, this goes against everything I am.”

Reece laughed. “I understand. I’m glad you told me. I’ll take it from here. I caused all of this, and I’ll fix it.”

“Finally! So does this mean I will no longer have to follow you two from here on out?” He winked at her.

“No, you’ve outlived your usefulness,” she teased, “Although, you could have told me this earlier and saved yourself a few romantic escapades.”

He shook his head. “I would have, but Levi had standing orders that I was not to make you uncomfortable in any way. I did very well, I might say; but that gondola ride was the last straw.”

Reece smiled widely at him. “Well, I think watching you ride on that had to be the most amusing part of this entire trip.” She laughed.

“I’m glad I could accommodate you, since this is also my way of making up for forcing Levi to cancel your engagement celebration.”

Reece looked up at him sincerely. “I really don’t know what possessed me to be so furious about the cancellation. I need to apologize to you for my outburst that night; it was completely uncalled for. The strangest part is that when I left the palace, I felt completely normal for the first time in more than a month. While I was there, my emotions seemed uncontrollable; it was like something was driving me to hate everyone around me, especially Levi.”

Harrison cocked his head to the side as he stared down at her. “That is interesting. Perhaps it was all the wedding excitement that overwhelmed you more than we all expected; that coupled with the fact that you decided not to eat or sleep for a solid week.”

Reece sighed. “I guess so.” She then lifted her chin. “Well, it’s all over now, and I need to make this right with Levi again.”

Harrison ended their dance. “Then, let us go. The helicopter awaits. I’ve planned for you and Levi to have a lovely day at sea tomorrow; I suspect that you and he will have a lot of catching up to do.”

R
eece woke up from a dreamless sleep, hoping it was nearing sunrise. She had fallen asleep on the ride back from Venice, and the last she remembered was closing her eyes, trying to plan how she’d approach Levi the next morning. She wanted to talk to him on the journey back to the villa, but with Harrison and four other Guardians riding in the helicopter with them, she knew she would have to wait.

She lay there wide awake, and unable to return to sleep. All of the thoughts she had about Levi, since she spoke with Harrison, started running through her mind again.

The room was illuminated somewhat by the moon’s light, and it was obvious that it was not nearing daybreak yet. She glanced over at the clock and discovered it was only two in the morning. She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. She didn’t know if she had the patience to wait until dawn to make everything right with Levi again. She so desperately wished for all of this to be over, and for him to hold her in his arms again.

Her entire body ached with longing for him. As she rolled onto her side, she re-opened her eyes; her heart quickened by the sight of Levi, sound asleep in an oversized chair at the foot of her bed. She had no idea why he was in her room, or why he slept in the chair. She knew him well enough to know that he would not have stayed unless she asked him to.
What could I have said in my sleep to make him stay with me like this?

Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to decide what to do next.
Just go over to him, Reece.
She quietly got out of her bed, and walked over to where he was asleep. His long legs were stretched out on the floor before him, attempting to seek comfort in the chair. He had fallen asleep with his head resting against his propped-up arm, staring in the direction of where she was.

She studied his face as he slumbered. Even as he slept, she saw the lines of distress apparent on it. This was the expression he had worn ever since he had approached her at Simone’s estate. Until now, she believed it was a look of disdain for her. However, it was not; instead, it was a look displaying his agony.

She delicately traced the creased lines of his brow, distraught that she had caused him such pain. She ran her fingers gently through his hair, and in that instant, two brilliant sapphire-blue eyes were staring up at her. She caressed his face with her hands, and sat on his lap gently.

“Reece?” Levi questioned.

She nodded, and smiled brilliantly at him. Her eyes sparkled radiantly as the moonlight peering through her open doors reflected in them.
You will never know how much I love you,
he thought, as the pain of losing her vanished the moment she smiled at him. Levi stared silently at her beautiful face, and memorized its image, unsure of how long it would last.

The next thing he knew, her soft lips were at his ear. He shivered at her warm breath against his skin. The sweet aroma of Reece assaulted every cell in his body. He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him.

“My love,” she whispered breathlessly.

Levi couldn’t respond.

Her urgent lips found his. He accepted her kiss gradually, but was unsure of her intentions. After the kiss they shared in his room, he wasn’t sure if he could trust her motives; but it seemed different now, and she seemed different now. This was
his
Reece, kissing him slowly and persuasively. He sensed the true love and passion within her loving kiss that he’d always felt before he’d lost her.

Levi returned her kiss with more eagerness than he ever thought himself to be capable of. Lost in the desire of what he had so desperately missed, and never assumed he would have again, his kiss became more powerful than it had ever been.

He noticed that Reece didn’t let his impulsive and demanding kiss overwhelm her; instead, she responded to him with the same hunger and urgency. Without breaking his fervent kiss, he cradled Reece into his arms, stood effortlessly, and moved toward the bed. Her fingers continued to massage through his hair, reminding him of all the passionate times he had kissed her before. By some miracle, the woman he loved had come back to him.

He laid her down gently, and covered her body with his own. All sense of control and propriety was rapidly slipping away, and Levi didn’t care. He willingly gave himself over to his emotions, letting the passion and desire he felt so deeply for Reece control him.

Reece’s hands firmly pressed into his back, drawing his body closer into hers. “I need you, Levi,” she whispered breathlessly, before bringing her lips to the base of his neckline.

Reece determinedly kissed along his jaw and down the center of his throat, while she steadily started to remove his white undershirt. It was obvious that she wanted him; and as driven as Levi was to renew their love, he also knew there was a possibility that Reece would regret this sudden impulse of emotion.

After she successfully removed his shirt, Levi used his mental strength to maintain his focus. He gently raised his hands to each side of her face, bringing her eyes up to meet his. Her usual bright-blue eyes were wild with desire, and he was instantly transfixed by the beauty of her gaze.

He exhaled slowly, calming himself. “Are you sure this is what you desire?” he asked quietly.

“All I want is you.”

Before Levi could say any more, her hands massaged along his lower back, and her soft lips were on his chest. A low groan escaped him as her fingertips ran up his back, and she gripped his shoulders. “Please,” she pleaded as she stared into his eyes.

Levi brought his lips down onto hers, attempting to hold back the intense energy that was threatening to take control of the situation. It was when she moaned in satisfaction while gripping his arms that Levi thought of nothing more than answering her pleas. He clasped her wrists with his hands and stretched her arms up into the pillows above her head. As he interlaced his fingers into hers, his conquering kiss became wildly possessive.

When Reece withdrew, gasping for air, Levi began pursuing her tantalizing body further. After three weeks of being in torment, wondering if Reece would ever love him again, he became more aggressive with tasting her delicate body than ever before.

His mouth possessively ran down the center of her chest as he placed one hand under her thin top, feeling for the first time the soft skin of her firm abdomen. She was flawless, and Levi yearned for more.

Reece’s hands massaged through his hair as Levi’s hand slowly grazed her sides while proceeding to remove her top.

Before he could go any further, Reece called out to him breathlessly, “I’m sorry for what I did to you.”

His lips froze against her hot flesh, and his hand absently slipped out from beneath her camisole. He let out a slow breath, calming himself, and when his eyes reopened, he saw a tear slip from the corner of her eye.

What am I thinking?
he inwardly scolded himself. He loved Reece, and all he wanted was to prove every ounce of his love to her tonight; but this wasn’t right. She smiled sympathetically at him; however, Levi would never take advantage of her like this while she was begging his forgiveness. He had to find a way to end this, without hurting her. It wasn’t easy, as he had already withdrawn and collapsed onto the bed at her side. Directly after, Reece positioned herself on top of him, aggressively pursuing him for more.

Levi gasped as he gently cupped the sides of her face with both hands. His heart nearly stopped she smiled widely at him. He didn’t know how he was able to speak the words, but he managed.

“Reece…please, we cannot do this. Not like this.”

His heart twisted in pain when he saw the remorse and embarrassment in her eyes. She had no idea the strength that he required at this moment not to appease her in this manner. He closed his eyes, fighting back the strong impulse to ignore the difference between what was wrong, and what was right.

He inhaled deeply, his mind still spinning, as Reece curled up to his side, crying uncontrollably. He tried to console her, but she would not allow it. She only pleaded with him to hold her instead, and that is what he did. She laid her head on his chest and cried into the blanket until she fell asleep.

Levi had no idea what the next day would bring; but by now, he was ready for anything, be it good or bad.

T
he sun shone brightly through the open doors of the balcony into Reece’s room. Reece was awakened by the gentle sounds of the ocean waves rolling into the shoreline just beyond their villa. Finally, and for the first time in weeks, Reece felt peaceful. Knowing Levi still loved her had changed her outlook completely.