Low Down & Dirty Read online

  We step outside, and the sudden silence is deafening. Levi leads us to an alcove where a few old barrels sit scattered around, staged by Levi himself. Normally, it’s a selfie hot spot, but tonight it’s empty and looking perfectly romantic with the moon washing it white with a kiss. I lean against one of the barrels as a balmy breeze whistles through Hollow Brook.

  Levi gently cups my cheeks, his body warming mine as he closes the distance between us. “Harlow Hartley, you blew into my life like a twister, and I’ve never been the same ever since. When you walked through that door, it took one look, and I gave my heart away. You’ve made me happier than I ever knew possible. You filled my life with so much joy it took me to heights higher than the moon, and I never wanted to come down.” His jaw tenses, making him look disturbingly sexy, and that sweet spot between my thighs trembles on cue. I hate how easily my body succumbs to his, not that I can blame it. “And then you left.” His features harden, that undeniable look of heartache sweeps through him. “The house was too quiet. I tried playing ‘Key Largo,’ but it wasn’t the same. It just pressed me into hell a little bit deeper.”

  A dull laugh pumps through me. “You listened to ‘Key Largo’?”

  He winces. “I know it’s the song that reminds you of your father but—it’s sort of our song now, too.”

  “We have a song?” My heart melts as I lose myself in his watery blue eyes.

  “Yes,” he whispers as he breaks into a quiet laugh. “And we have the greatest nicknames for each other, and we’re damn good in bed. So I think we should forget about that idiotic text I sent to my sister—which I swear on my dead father’s grave had absolutely nothing to do with you.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head as if he were still kicking himself. “Please, believe me when I say this, I apologize from the deepest part of my heart, from the marrow in my bones. I’m so sorry you thought that had anything to do with you. I love you, Harlow. I love you deeply, intensely, with a never-ending ache that hurts in a good way. I worship the ground you walk on, and whether or not you decide to come back to me, I’ll continue all of the above because not one part of me wants to stop. I can’t.” His dimples go off as he gives a pained smile. “Come back to me, Peaches.”

  A sorrowful laugh bubbles through me. It’s sort of my MO to laugh at all of the disasters in my life. “I’m sorry things got so out of hand. I’m sorry if you think I overreacted. It’s just that I’m sort of used to people leaving me, dying on me, firing me, asking me to leave, and just all around rejecting me. Outside of my sisters, Raven has sort of been the one that forgot to take off. She’s been a steady friend, a sister in the truest sense. I guess that’s why I opened up to you so wide and so fast. I figured you and your sister were cut from the same cloth.” I give a little shrug as a naughty grin perks to life on my lips. “I guess I was right.”

  Levi bucks with a silent laugh as his whole body relaxes. “I promise you were right.” His jaw redefines itself once again, and this time I can’t resist him. Levi is so freaking handsome. At any given time we’re together, there are ten different girls who want to gift me the finger.

  My lips tremble, and I’d do anything to calm them with his. “I think I’m going to kiss you.”

  “And I’m damn well going to let you.” Levi dives in first. His impatience, his hunger, those deep, dark kisses spell out something far more telling than that apology he offered up. Levi’s kisses are charged, electric, a tall, cold drink for a thirsty soul. My dress glides up my thighs until I’ve leashed my legs around his waist, and I’m right there with him, so damn thirsty I can never get enough.

  He pulls back with his lids heavy in that stoned way I’ve grown to appreciate, and my insides pinch tight. “I love you, Low.” He touches his forehead to mine. “And I will never let you feel anything less than that, loved.”

  “I love you, too, Levi.” An unexpected lump grows in my throat the size of one of these rusted-out barrels, and I force myself to push past it. “Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but Raven mentioned that there was something I didn’t know about you. Is there something you want to tell me before I haul you out of here and give you a good lashing with my tongue?”

  His brows knit with a mixture of confusion and delight. “That’s quite a promise. One that I’m going to hold you to.” Levi takes in a huge breath. “There is something I’ve been holding back. It might explain a few things as far as my grumpy mood for the last few years, certainly the window in which me met. Soon after Mer and I were married, we were expecting a child.” He pauses, and my mouth falls open because I can’t see this ending well. “We had the baby, a boy. He was stillborn at six months, three months too soon. He had a congenital heart defect and died in the womb.” He slaps the back of his neck and looks to the ground a good long while as he struggles to hold it together.

  “I’m so sorry. You don’t have to go on. I can see how painful this is for you.”

  “No, it’s okay. It’s a part of who I am.” His eyes meet with mine, powerfully sad, desperate to be heard. “We buried our child, and I buried my heart right along with him. I shut her out, and that’s when she turned to my brother. Yes, it was a terrible thing they did, but it was born of terrible circumstances to begin with.” He takes in a ragged breath as the breeze licks away at our silent tears. “And you know the rest. The day you walked into my life, those first few seconds before we ever said a word, a light came flooding into the darkness, and I felt alive again for the first time in years. You healed me before we ever said hello.”

  I shake my head through a deluge of tears. “You healed me.” My mouth finds a home over his as we make things right, start over, pick up where we left off, all of the above.

  Levi pulls me in tighter than before and we continue that heated exchange right up until we take off in his truck. I send a group text to Lex and Raven to let them know something unexpected came up—like a reconciliation.

  Raven texts back with a hell yeah! And Lex texts back with make sure he knows you’re familiar with the working end of a kitchen knife.

  I marvel at the fact she’s kept with two running themes in her life, her panache for all things psychotic and the quasi-food-related gaffe that encompasses a kitchen tool.

  Levi speeds us to his happy little home glowing like a jack-o-lantern with those four tiny windows in front offering a toothy grin.

  We bolt out of the truck, and I race him to the door.

  “No fair.” He frowns as if he had money on it. “I wanted to get the car door for you.” He ticks his head back to the truck I just bolted from. “I have every intention on being a perfect gentleman.”

  I give a wry smile. “Then don’t just stand there. Get this door.” It’s so darn comfortable stepping right back into these smart-aleck shoes.

  Levi does just that. In fact, he does one better by carrying me over the threshold like a bride, all the while melting those hot kisses over my lips.

  Levi and I make wild love, wrestle out our every emotion in a heated exchange under the sheets, over the sheets, on the floor, against the wall, in the shower, and on the kitchen island—don’t judge. Brownie batter was involved—plus, “Key Largo”!

  Levi and I are knocking down all the walls that stood between us, burning our strongholds down to cinders. We’ve destroyed our defenses and have started anew with one another—with the world.

  Levi and I have healed each other.

  We are whole, and happy, and most importantly—right where we belong.

  Together.

  Levi

  Harlow Hartley is back in my life and back in my bed right where she belongs. After spending all day yesterday rolling around under the covers, I talked her into getting up early this morning and heading out for what just might be one of the toughest days we spend together. We stopped by the florist and each picked up a bouquet of flowers, then to Hallowed Grounds where we picked up coffee and scones. We head back into the truck and head to Friar’s Corner.

  “You sure you
don’t want your sisters to meet us out there?”

  “Nope.” She takes a careful sip of her coffee. “I think this day should be just for us.”

  We make small talk on the way there, talking about everything under the sun, from religion to politics, to what color we should paint the restrooms down at The Sloppy Pelican. It’s easy like this with Low. Not once did anything feel easy with Mer. It was, more or less, walking on eggshells twenty-four seven. I tell her about Chip and his newly appointed title as a single dad.

  “That doesn’t shock me. Mer’s sort of a mare—pardon the pun. She’s chasing something, and I don’t think you or your brother fits the bill.”

  “She’s chasing money. She’s never hidden the fact she wants a lot out of life, and all of those things can be purchased with a credit card. She’ll find what she’s looking for one day. I’m just glad both my brother and me got out when we did.”

  “There’s a cute little baby with Masterson blood in her, though. I want us to be there for her and for Chip.”

  And just like that, Low fills me to the brim with love. I reach over and give her hand a quick squeeze. “You don’t know how much that means to me. Yes, we’ll be there for Maxie and my brother, together.”

  We drive another ten minutes, and Low leads us to the intersection where we need to be and I pull to the side. It’s busy here, a major thoroughfare that leads to a freeway on both ends.

  “I can see how tragedy can happen here,” I whisper as we get out. I head over and wrap my arms around Low and hold her like that a very long time while the cars whiz by and the people bustle around us on the sidewalk.

  “That’s where we ended up.” She points a finger to the left of the utility pole. “That’s where my mother took her last breath. I walked away with a few scrapes and scratches, and my mother was shattered from the inside out.” Low lands a kiss to the bright yellow roses she’s holding. “Yellow was her favorite color. She said it just made her happy. Lisa had us all wear yellow to her memorial service, and then after, we went to the farm she grew up on and scattered her ashes.” Her voice breaks as she clings to me harder. “After the accident, the town gathered and we had a vigil for her here. There were heaps of flowers, candles, teddy bears, handwritten notes. An old boyfriend of hers even brought a box of her favorite chocolates. My father didn’t show. But weeks wore on, the flowers died, the candles were flooded with rainwater, the teddy bears went black from exhaust, and the box of chocolates were torn into and eaten by night creatures. The city came and cleaned it up, and it was as if nothing ever happened, as if my mother never existed. There wasn’t a trace of her left.”

  “Not true.” I press a hard kiss to the top of her head before lifting her gently by the chin and meeting her gaze. “You and your sisters are here. There is nothing more representative of your mother’s time on this planet than the four sweet girls she left behind.”

  “You’ve met Lisa, right?” She gives a sly wink. “I’m teasing. And I get what you’re saying, but she just feels—for a lack of a better word—gone.”

  “She’s not. You are your mother’s eyes, her ears, her life force on this planet. She’s left an entire legacy. Your nieces are a part of her.” I wipe a tear from her cheek. “And one day our kids will be, too.”

  Low’s eyes widen with tears spilling freely. “Our kids? Are you hitting on my ovaries?” She gives my sides a pinch.

  “I’m hitting on all of you. I see us together for a long time to come.”

  She swallows hard and gives a solemn nod, her eyes never leaving mine. “I do, too.”

  Low places the flowers near the light post, and we leave and head back toward home—only, there’s one stop we’ll be making, and it feels every bit as tragic as that intersection we just left.

  The Hollow Brook Cemetery is a lonely place. Although, from an outsider’s perspective, with its lush rolling green lawns and meticulously neat landscaping, it looks more like an inviting city park than anything as morbid as what it really is.

  I park up near the ridge and lead us over to the place where Mer and I buried our child. Low and I hold one another before I deposit the flowers onto my son’s grave.

  “I always felt bad about not giving him a formal name.” The marker simply reads Masterson.

  “Masterson is a wonderful name.” She reaches up and gives my ear a gentle tug. “I think you gave him the right one.”

  I think on it for a moment. “Maybe. You know, the moment you find out you’re expecting, you have all of these hopes and dreams for your child. I had so many plans for him, and this wasn’t one of them. But if that was all the time he was allowed to have, then I’m just honored to have been his father. Still am.”

  “Levi”—Low pulls me down by the neck and lands a warm kiss to my lips—“you’re a great father because your heart is full of love.” She tugs on her lower lip with her teeth. “And you’re going to be a great father to our children one day.”

  A warm laugh thumps through me. “Are you hitting on my sperm?” I wince as the words come out of my mouth.

  “All of you. I see us together for a long time to come.”

  “That’s what I like to hear.” My lips find a home over hers, and we share an intimate moment, something holy and right. Today has brought closure along with something altogether new. Low and I have a future, one filled with love and family—and most importantly, with each other.

  The grand reopening of The Sloppy Pelican was Low’s brainchild, and here we are on a heated Saturday night with the entire restaurant flooded with people, the band playing cover songs that have the crowd eager to stay, eager to order more food and drinks from the bar. Low invited her sisters out, and they’re all dancing away to the band along with Raven and Low’s psychotic friend, Lex.

  I nudge Brody with my arm as we oversee the pleasant chaos from the bar. “Now this is what I envisioned when we thought up that hair-brained scheme.”

  “You mean that night at the Black Bear where we brainstormed over a napkin? Yup, I think we’ve surpassed any of my expectations by a landslide. We finally have that grown-up version of the Black Bear we always wanted, minus competing for the girls with a bunch of frat boys.”

  “I’ve got my girl. I’m set for life. How about you? See anyone you like?” I pan the crowd along with him. The Pelican has had its fair share of loyal customers who happen to be female, and I know for a fact Brody can have his pick of the litter.

  “I see someone I’d like to get to know better.” His gaze is set intently on the dance floor, but Axel steps in and blocks my view of this mystery girl.

  “Ax”—I slap him over the shoulder—“your girl’s here tonight. You ready to make your move?”

  “Only if I want my balls skewered and served up for a meal.”

  Brody barks out a laugh. “We’re talking appetizers, right? Because you’ve got balls the size of marbles for not even saying hello to the chick.”

  Axel grunts at the thought. “You don’t know her like I do. It’s not that easy.”

  “I know her about as much as I want to,” I offer. “And I happen to agree with you. She’d make a meal out of you and not in a good way.” I watch as Lex whoops it up with Low and can’t help but shake my head. “She’s been a good friend, though. I’m glad Low has her in her life.” I look to Ax. “So, what do you think? Is there a chance for the two of you? You’re both free agents. There’s nothing standing in your way.”

  “Except for the past.” His gaze grows heavy as he looks that way, and his smile drops from sight without any hope of coming back. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.” He heads back to the kitchen without saying another word.

  “Hey,” I bark over to Brody. “Don’t bust his balls—tiny or otherwise. He’s hurting.”

  Brody stares off at the dance floor with a look of discontent. “I get it.” He slaps the back of his neck before picking up a rag and wiping down the bar. “I’d better get back to work.”

  Low bounces over wit
h Lisa in tow, and I grimace without meaning to because I’m hoping I’m not about to get my own balls handed to me. “Looking good out there.”

  Low sneaks in a kiss to my cheek. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  Lisa steps in, and that hardened façade she’s held up softens. “I think I owe you an apology. I’ve been a little too judgmental when I should have given you a chance. I just needed to trust my sister’s judgment instead of my own. It’s something I’m still learning to do.”

  “No need to apologize. In fact, I love how you look out for your family. Low told me how you stepped in when your mother passed. You’re a hero in my book. I’m glad you were looking out for Low. And I’m glad you’re looking out for Sadie and Everly, too.”

  Lisa tosses her hands in the air. “Those two hellcats are putting gray hairs where gray hair shouldn’t be.” She pulls Low into a tight embrace. “But this one, she’s all yours now. My job is done. We’ll just have to go back to being best friends.”

  “I think I’d like that.” Low gives her sister a quick peck before Lisa takes off for the dance floor again.

  Raven and Lex come up and take a seat at the bar, their faces piqued with color, and they’re laughing it up over something. I’m not sure if I should be pleased or alarmed that Raven is taking to Lex as well.

  “Don’t worry.” Raven winks our way. “We’re not friends by a long shot. We just so happen to have the same sense of humor when it comes to men.”

  “And there’s that.” Low wraps an arm around me and runs her finger over my lips. “I happen to have a friendlier take on the male species. You in particular.”

  “And I’m forever grateful.”

  Brody taps me on the shoulder and nods to a small group headed this way.

  “Bryson!” I slap my buddy from the Black Bear five. “Holt.” I pull him into a partial embrace. “I’m so glad you could come out.” I went down to the Black Bear myself and gave the invite in person. I let them know we’re not looking for a war between businesses. We’re both in it to win it, and they agreed.