***

Levi hovered over me when I called Juliet, the adoption coordinator, and told her that I’d changed my mind. It was a long phone call that required a lot of patience and a hard heart. Juliet didn’t want me to go even though she was happy that I had changed my mind. Companies like hers have a personal stake in both parties’ outcome. In the end, she just wanted me to be sure and happy with my decision.

The only thing I can say that I regret is going to her in the first place.

It was a difficult decision to begin with, which should have told me what I already knew but refused to acknowledge: I was never meant to give up my child.

I know now that I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Whether or not Levi is in the picture once our baby gets here, I know that I will do anything it takes to make sure this baby is happy and healthy. Anything.

I’m sitting in a patch of grass beneath filtered sunlight that falls through the tree canopy, leaning against a tree trunk with a giant root digging into my left butt cheek, while licking melting ice cream from the sides of the cone holding my large vanilla twist covered in colored sprinkles and a little set of candy eyes.

The day is turning out to be incredible. All I can think about is how I’m going to get to hold my baby in a few months. The idea of all the sugar and calories I’m packing away right now doesn’t even register because I am in heaven.

“I like how you work that cone, princess,” Levi comments while looking sidelong at me. He chose to eat his ice cream in a cup with a spoon, which is blasphemy as far as I’m concerned. It ruins the experience.

“I know a lot of tricks you might like,” I tell him, enjoying how his eyes light up with excitement. I actually have no idea what I’m talking about. I’m not very experienced in the sex department. Including Levi, I’ve only been with three men in my lifetime and with the exception of Levi, the sex was pretty straight forward. Needless to say, I’m in need of some instruction, but I have a feeling that Levi will be the perfect teacher.

“Wanna know what that ice cream reminds me of?”

I shake my head, grinning as I stick out my tongue to catch a rivulet of melted chocolate. “Don’t even say it.”

“What? I was just going to say that it reminded me of childhood memories,” he says, chuckling in a way that is one hundred percent devious.

I know damn well that’s not what he intended to say, but why encourage him? When we’re finished with our treat, we climb back onto Levi’s motorcycle. The day is too nice to go back home or spend it indoors, and Levi must be thinking the same thing, because he heads in the opposite direction.

It’s the scenic route. One that is filled with tree-lined country roads that go on for miles. Propping my chin on his shoulder, I close my eyes and smile to myself as the wind whips against my face.

When he finally slows the bike down and pulls off the road onto a gravel path, it’s nearing sunset. We’ve been riding around for hours. It’s so easy to lose track of time when we’re together. It’s as if the rest of the world ceases to exist.

I’m not sure where we’re at, but the setting reminds me of a park. Finding a little turnoff that breaks into a slab of concrete with spaces marked out for parking, I’m certain that I’m right. Levi parks the bike sideways, taking up two spots, and cuts the engine.

As I remove my helmet, my gaze can’t help straying outward. Beyond the guardrail is a steep embankment that drops off without warning. But for all the danger it presents, there is no denying the pull of the stunning scene before us.

Huge, rolling hills covered in trees and wildflowers, even a few birds soaring through the blue, cloud dappled sky, make it the most stunningly beautiful view I have ever laid eyes on. I am struck speechless at the sight.

“Welcome to Makeout Point,” Levi says, watching me for my reaction.

My eyes fly to his. “Are you kidding me?”

He holds my gaze for a moment, before breaking into a laugh. “No. Well, kind of. It’s not actually called that, but it’s the equivalent. The internet says it was designed as a lookout point, but you know teenagers come up here to punch their V-card all the time. Or, at least, that’s what I would use it for,” he says thoughtfully.

Climbing off the bike, he clasps his helmet on the handlebar. I move to do the same. After handing my helmet off to him, Levi secures it next to his, then takes my hand and urges me back onto the bike. More specifically, onto his seat, facing backward.

“Stay there.”

I do what he says, wondering what he’s up to. It doesn’t take very long to find out. Swinging his leg over the seat, Levi straddles it facing me. I don’t know what he has in mind, but my heart seems to think it’s something big. Maybe it’s the way he’s looking at me, like he wants to eat me. Or maybe it’s the way the sun hits him just right, bringing out the copper highlights in his beard. Instantly, I want to lean in and kiss him, just to feel it scratch against my skin.

Looping his hand around my lower back, Levi tugs me closer, forcing me to lift my legs up and lay them on top of his. The position brings us so close together, I can feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against my core through his jeans. “Do you like it here?” he asks me while tenderly brushing my hair out of my face.

Turning into his touch, I kiss the center of his palm. I’d rather show him how I feel than try to come up with the words, because there’s no vernacular capable of describing it accurately. I’m floored by our surroundings, moved to emotions just from being here. “I love it.”

Leaning in, Levi presses his lips to mine. Grabbing onto the backs of his arms, I hold onto him while I return his ardent kiss. When his tongue strokes over my bottom lip, a tremor of need shoots through me and I moan into his mouth.

Smiling against my lips, Levi kisses me once more before drawing back. Cradling my face in his hand, he rubs his thumb back and forth across my cheek as he considers me. “I have this crazy fantasy in my head that involves you naked on the back of this motorcycle.”

My eyes widen in surprise. My body heats as I picture what he’s described. “Levi,” I say, a thread of insecurity making its way into my voice. “We’re in public.”

“There’s no one here but us,” he reasons as he draws me closer.

“But someone could come.”

Nuzzling my neck, his hot breath flows over my wild pulse as he murmurs, “The only one who will be coming is you.”

Holy shit. My thighs are on fire. How does he always seem to know just the right thing to say to get me worked up? “I’m not getting naked out here.”

“Why not?” he asks. Running his tongue down the side of my neck, he stops at the swell of my breasts, bathing me in wet kisses. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with it at the pond.”

That was different. We were in a totally secluded area that clearly hadn’t seen any visitors aside from Levi in years. Holding his face in my hands, I bring his eyes up to mine. “No. I’m not going to do that out here.”

He studies me closely for a few moments before shrugging. “Fine. I can work around the clothes.”

Deftly, I feel his hands slip into the stretchy fabric of my yoga pants and tug them down over my hips. Before I know it, my bare ass is meeting warm leather. “Levi!”

He stops my hands before they can get a hold on the fabric to pull them back up. Passing me a warning look, he holds the waistband hostage around my thighs until I drop my arms back down to my sides.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about that day at the pond,” he muses.

Releasing my pants, Levi traces his fingers lightly up the sides of my thighs. When he reaches the top, he moves inward, following the crease until his fingers find my entrance. I hiss as he spreads me open to his gaze and runs an experimental finger through my wetness, spreading my juices over my pussy lips and around my clit in long, languid strokes as if he has all the time in the world.