By the time he’s reached his destination, my body is a live wire, ready to be detonated with the slightest touch.

But Levi pauses, his face suspended over the swell of my belly. I say nothing as I watch him, waiting for whatever it is that he’s about to do.

With more care that I thought him possible of, Levi frames my stomach with his large hands and rests the side of his face on my stomach. His eyes slip closed and he just lays there, still as ever.

Sensing this is an important moment, I bite my lip and settle in, holding my breath as I wait. Then in a soft voice, Levi starts talking.

“Hey, baby. It’s me, your daddy. I just wanted to say hello and tell you that me and mommy can’t wait to meet you. But until then, I want to apologize if the ride gets a little rough, because mommy is too sexy to resist and sometimes daddy gets carried away.”

“Levi!” I bite back my laugh as Levi looks up at me from beneath a thick fringe of dark lashes and grins shamelessly.

“What? I’m just stating facts here,” he defends. “I don’t want to start his life out with lies.”

Tilting my head, one eyebrow arches. “I think he can wait a few years before you give him the birds and bees talk.”

“It’s never too early to learn,” he responds matter of fact. Smoothing his hand over my stomach, he kisses it just above my belly button and then moves back up until his chest touches mine and I’m secured in his embrace. “I just want to make sure that he knows everything he needs to know about life.”

Looking into his eyes, I see the sincerity burning in them. I see his doubt, his nervous energy, and I see desire, too. Desire to do well in this new role that is terrifying for both of us because neither of us knows what the hell we’re doing.

Combing my fingers through his soft, wavy hair, I say, “You’re going to be a good daddy, Levi.” The words are sincere. The way my chest tightened as I watched him speak to our baby and kiss him like that gives me hope that this future we’ve decided to build together just might work out after all.

Pain or doubt, I don’t know which, flash across Levi’s face, tightening the skin around his eyes and setting his mouth into a firm line. Wiggling in closer, fitting every hard line of his body against mine so that we’re as close as two people can possibly be, he holds my face between his hands and says in a guttural rasp, “You really think so?”

Doubt. That’s what that look was. It pains me to see how much damage David has inflicted on this man. He’s never had a chance to prove himself. Until now. “Baby, I know so,” I say fiercely.

“But my father—”

“Is an asshole who doesn’t know the first thing about being a dad,” I say, cutting him off. “But you’re nothing like him.”

“I’m everything like him,” Levi argues. “I’m arrogant, cocky, stubborn, demanding. I don’t know the first thing about being a parent other than the example he set.”

“And that’s why you’re already a better parent than he’ll ever hope to be,” I say softly. “Being able to recognize your faults, to question them and worry about being good enough is what makes you better. It’s because of that, that you’ll try, every day, to be nothing like David. If anything, it’s because of his example that you’ll be a great dad.”

His gaze is steady on mine, his doubts and insecurities plain to see. But as he continues to stare me down, I see the battle of wills he’s waged begin retreating, leaving behind stark realization. Of what, I don’t know, but I hope it’s that he knows I’m right. That he’s more than capable, more than worthy, because I know he is.

His hands already framing my head, edge in to hold it, cupping my face firmly. Levi’s stare grows intense and he drags the pads of his thumbs across my cheeks and over my bottom lip.

“Damn, princess,” he rasps. “You fucking slay me.”

Well, as compliments go, that one was pretty damn good considering whose mouth it came from. Levi may not be the most poetic, but his words are effective. My insides twist with need and butterflies tickle my stomach as he dives in for a kiss.

When his lips crash into mine, taking what he wants and giving back nothing short of one hundred percent, I feel the depth of his passion all the way to my toes.

His guttural moans fill my mouth and my lungs as Levi tilts my head for deeper access. His tongue plunges deep as his hips rock against mine in an erotic dance that makes my pussy ache.

Still naked from last night’s impassioned romp makes it simple for Levi to push into me, and he does with one agonizingly slow move that is in complete juxtaposition with the aggressive way he takes my mouth.

“Levi,” I breathe against his questing lips.

“Yeah, princess?”

No words leave my lips. His name is a plea for mercy, for more, for…I don’t know what, and his answering smirk says he knows this.

Wrapping my hands around his back, I cling to him as he starts up a slow, tortuous pace that allows me to feel every. Single. Inch. I swear, if he keeps this up, I might literally combust.

Reaching between our sweat dampened skin, Levi pinches my clit, sending a bolt of electricity shooting up my spine. “Ahhh!” My back arches, pressing my breasts into his chest. My nipples scrape across his heated flesh, creating a delicious friction that ramps up my need to impressive levels. My head is spinning, my heart racing. I can’t seem to find my breath, but the feel of Levi’s hard, unforgiving body pressing me into the mattress is all the grounding—and leverage—I need.

Without warning, my orgasm slams into me.

“Oh fuuuuuck!” Levi shouts. Dropping his head down, he buries his face in the crook of my neck, his breaths gusting out of him as his hips pump harder, extending my orgasm. As the waves continue rippling through me, I feel Levi’s cock thicken inside me.

He begins chanting oh fuck in my ear as his own orgasm rushes up to claim him. As his hips slam into mine I turn my head and skim my lips over his ear and whisper, “Come for me, baby.”

That’s all the coaxing he needs. With a violent shudder, Levi’s whole body tenses and he groans long and low as he spills inside of me.

His hips continue to move in long, lazy strokes, milking the last of his orgasm, until Levi pushes his knees up higher under my thighs to ensure he won’t put pressure on my stomach before collapsing on top of me.

“God, that was amazing,” he pants.

I stroke my fingertips up and down his spine, causing a shiver to wrack him and he chuckles under his breath.

The moment is perfect. Quiet. Serene. Just the two of us, cradling each other. I’d lie like this forever, but the pounding on the door shatters the moment like glass.

Levi grunts his displeasure and I ask, “Expecting someone?”

His head moves side to side against my chest. “Probably just one of the guys wanting to go out and celebrate.”

I sigh internally, not wanting to give up a single moment with him. But I know we can’t live in this hotel room forever. The real world is calling.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lifting up, Levi’s scowl is dark, dangerous. Throwing the blankets off, he leaps out of the bed and reaches for his boxers lying on the floor. “Give me a minute and I’ll get rid of them.”

“If you want to go out, you can. You had a big win. You deserve to celebrate,” I assure him.

His gaze cuts to me and he clips out, “You think I’d choose getting wasted over spending the day inside you? Not a fucking chance.”

Cheeks hot, I draw the blankets back up, covering myself as he storms across the room. I feel sorry for whoever is on the other side of that door, because Levi looks ready to kill.

The pounding starts up again just as Levi reaches the door. “What the fuck is it!” he shouts as he rips the door open. Then he freezes. The whole world comes to a standstill as I look over his shoulder to see the last person I ever expected.