CHAPTER 10: SMILING

REVA

Opening my eyes, my body still hummed with the aftermath of my vigorous encounter with Levi, and my face lit up at the sight of him watching me. He was propped up on one elbow, messy hair falling over his forehead, and a ridiculously charming smile stretching across his face, mirroring mine. Leaning in, he kissed my nose, and I fought back a blush.

We were still tangled on the rug, bodies damp with sweat, and the air felt thick and charged. My hair, which I just had done this morning, was a tangled halo. But I didn’t care. If I could muster the energy, I'd do it all over again, every second of it.

Levi was... amazing.

I shifted, feeling a tender ache between my thighs, and sighed with satisfaction. I was a mess when I arrived and had no recollection of how I had even made it to his door. But I had no regrets. The fire that had torn me apart was finally extinguished.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked softly, and he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine, lingering just long enough to make my heart skip. When he pulled back, his stormy eyes met mine, warm and intense.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, the words rolling off his tongue like they were the most obvious thing in the world. “And I can’t get enough of you.” My face heated instantly, the blush spreading like wildfire, and I couldn’t look away from him, even as I tried to bite back the grin threatening to take over.

But then my stomach let out a loud growl, interrupting the moment with perfect comedic timing. I let out a soft laugh before I could stop it, and Levi chuckled too, his smile widening. “I could use a snack too,” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead so gently it made my chest ache. Then, with a stretch, he got up. “I’ll organize it,” he said over his shoulder as he walked away, and my eyes automatically followed him, tracing the lines of his back as he stretched again.

He looked like he’d been sculpted just to ruin me, and my teeth caught on my bottom lip without me realizing it. I was straight up ogling when he suddenly turned around, catching me mid-daze. I scrambled to fix my expression, likely failing miserably, and the amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips said it all.

“You’re shameless,” he said with a low chuckle, and I quickly looked away, pressing my lips together to keep from grinning. Control yourself, Reva. Get a grip. The warmth in my chest intensified, however, spreading throughout my entire being.

“So, how many times per day do you go to the gym?” I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, distracting myself from the fact that I’d been caught openly ogling him, and his smile deepened as if he knew exactly what I was doing, but he played along.

“Twice when I can, but usually once,” he said, and I arched my brow, trying not to sound overly impressed.

“And how many hours do you spend there? Ten?”

He chuckled and shrugged. "Depends. Sometimes one, sometimes two. I don’t time myself; I stop when it feels enough." I nodded, pretending to absorb it, as though it wasn’t the most intimidatingly disciplined answer ever. "I see."

He sat back down next to me, the mischievous glint in his eyes returning, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks before he said anything.

“Why? Considering joining me?”

I let out a soft laugh and bit my bottom lip once more, which I seemed to do a lot around him.

“Maybe,” I said, the word coming out more playful than I intended, and Levi leaned in, his face inches from mine. Before I could think of anything clever to say, his lips were on mine.

The kiss started softly but deepened quickly, his hand coming up to cradle the back of my head. My heart raced, my skin prickling with heat as I melted into him. I was flustered by the time he pulled back, and he smirked, clearly enjoying his effect on me.

“What do you feel like?” he asked, and I blinked despite it being a simple question. My brain was still stuck on that kiss.

“Uh... surprise me.”

He smiled and picked up his phone, making a quick call to order the food, but I frowned, hearing him speak as if he knew who he was talking to. I asked if he was familiar with the staff, and he said no; he was speaking with his butler, which surprised me and prompted me to ask if his butler was here. He said yes, he was in the kitchen.

“Which kitchen?” I asked, and he said his suite's kitchen, and I was shocked to learn we weren't alone. But my phone buzzed before mortification could take over completely. Levi grabbed it and gave it to me, and my eyes widened. It was a reminder from the resort about the dinner we were supposed to attend. I had forgotten, and it was in thirty minutes.

Levi must have noticed my expression because he asked what was wrong, and I told him about the dinner. He’d forgotten about it, too, but said we could still go even if we were late.

My makeup was ruined, which meant I wouldn’t look as good as I had planned, but I still wanted to wear that beautiful dress. More than anything, I wanted Nikolai to see me. I wanted him to know I wasn't stuck in my suite crying. Doing things just so he could see me wasn’t healthy, but hell, I was feeling petty as hell. It was the reason I agreed to Levi's plan in the first place.

“Okay,” I said, looking up at Levi, who returned with his shirt and helped me put it on. Taking his hand, I got up and headed to the bathroom to clean up. He joined me a moment later, and we exited to find the butler setting the table. I started to sit when he pulled me onto his lap, eliciting a surprised giggle from me.

My mouth watered at the sight of the steak salad with sesame dressing. There were also fresh spring rolls, a bowl of fresh fruit, chocolate sauce, and some cream on the side. Levi began to feed me, the steak tender and creamy as it melted in my mouth.

My cheeks hurt from smiling as I chewed, but I couldn’t stop, not with the way he was looking at me, his eyes crinkled with mischief. Again, I was amazed at how easy-going he was. I’d never seen this side of him, and it was completely disarming.

He picked up a strawberry and dipped it into the small bowl of dark chocolate before holding it up with a raised eyebrow.

“Think you can handle this one?”

I laughed as I nodded. “I think I can manage.”

The sweetness of the strawberry combined with the richness of the chocolate was divine, but it was his exaggerated “mmm” as I took a bite that made me laugh.

“Stop, you’re ridiculous!” I exclaimed, trying to swat at him, but he just caught my hand and pressed a kiss to my fingers.

“You like me ridiculous,” he said, and I couldn’t argue with that. Not when my heart felt this full somehow, and my cheeks were this sore from smiling.

Leaning into him, I allowed myself to bask in the carefree moment as he continued to feed me, teasing and making jokes. I thought of how convinced I'd been just hours ago that I’d ever smile again. But there I was.