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52|Burn Everything Down-Part 2
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Save Him 53|No Room For Error
They stopped on Long Street and grabbed some takeaway pizza from Joe's Pub.Amber was in the living room painting her nails and watching reruns of some daytime soap when they got home. She helped them settle Jamie down on the three-seater couch for his afternoon nap, and the three of them huddled around the kitchen table for an early supper.Two hours later, they sat on the bleachers in the soccer field of Natalie's old high school. Amber had declined to tag along, and Casey was only too happy to take her spot beside Natalie.For ninety minutes, they cheered every time Sparrow Beach High scored a goal and booed whenever the away team got the ball, but the game ended in a draw, much to Jamie's disappointment.They made their way to the beach for the post-match get-together. The bonfire was already raging, and the party was in full swing when they arrived. Jamie drifted off to hang out with his crew while Natalie caught up with a few old friends. Suzanne and Emily, both self-proclaimed
Save Him 54|Loved And Missed
Levi spent his weekend locked away at his place with Mark and Seth, wrangling over the list of his potential companions.There were about ten, and he shot down every one of them, finding every excuse in the book to reject them. Not the right height. Too thin. Didn't look smart enough.Eventually, Mark lost his patience and took over the profile for a few hours while Levi caught up on overdue reports.Seth continued to crawl the internet looking for clues in the different forums escorts were known to frequent, hoping to figure out Colleen's movements before she disappeared."Found her!" Mark, perched on the barstool at the kitchen island, cheered.Levi jumped from the couch and ran over to him, sighing in disappointment when he realised it was not the news he was hoping for. "Can we have a code name or something for the companion? Every time you say you found her, I get excited thinking it's Colleen.""No need for code names because you have a girlfriend now. Well, not right now, but s
Save Him 55|Surrender
Levi checked the time on his Apple watch and frowned.Fifteen minutes into the meeting and he was ready to rip everyone's heads off. So far, the beta testing team hadn't told him anything he wanted to hear. Instead, they'd given him too many reasons—no, too many excuses—for the poor results.To say the results were bad wasn't entirely true, though. The real issue was the sampling. The team had decided to focus on the male players instead of going for a fifty-fifty split like they were supposed to.Tired at last of listening to their rambling, Levi got up and threw off his jacket, the team growing as silent as church mice as he approached the front of the room.He paused in front of the screen and shot an icy glare at the numbers guy. "Bring up the data on female gamers across all the gaming platforms."Within seconds the screen changed as various data graphs came up."Out of the estimated forty-one percent, how many play Chassis Games?" he demanded.The screen flashed again, and everyo
Save Him 56|Make You That Game-Part 1
Painfully aware of the millions of stares on her, Natalie forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She was so convinced any second now her wobbly legs would cave in, and she'd make a spectacle of herself. Somehow, though, she made it to the back of the room, where the only empty seat was, without falling and shattering into a million pieces on the floor.She accepted the water bottle from the man sitting beside her."Are you sure you want to sit there? That's your number one enemy's chair."Natalie choked, splashing liquid all over her dress when she turned to the voice and found Mark staring at her, amusement flashing in his dark eyes."Easy there. Are you trying to get me killed?" he teased as he gently patted her back.Sofia, the sales team department head, stood up and brought a wad of paper towels to her."Are you okay?" she asked, a concerned look in her eyes.Natalie wanted to hide under the table. The first time she was invited to the boardroom, she just had to sp
Save Him 57|Make You That Game-Part 2
Natalie immediately wanted to take back her words; she hated seeing Levi so crushed."Why not?" Mark took over the questioning."Well, the only female characters I've seen when my brother plays are bikini-clad NPCs. They do nothing but wave flags at the starting line and cheer the guys at the finish line. There are no playable female characters. Yeah, I know motorsport games appeal to males more, but can't females also be race car drivers? I'm pretty sure they can be badass it too.""What kind of game would you like to play?" Levi asked, his voice as gentle as it was back in his car when he almost ran her over, and that all too familiar feeling, like they were the only two people in the room, was back again."I don't know. I guess a game where females are not objectified. and they can fight and get shit done," she said, blanching at her choice of words. "I mean, I'd like to see strong female characters who are capable of running solo missions, and maybe sometimes save the guys instead
Save Him 58|Elektra-Part 1
Mark was already in Levi's office, waiting to brief him on the meet and greet with Elektra.Now that Levi had kissed Natalie and confirmed her feelings for him, he wanted to cancel the date with his potential girlfriend.Sure, it was only a coffee chat, and he didn't plan to stick around longer than fifteen minutes. But how could he possibly entertain another woman when his heart was on the third floor?"Let's call this thing off," he suggested.Unless he had a very good reason for cancelling, Mark was adamant about going through with the date.Levi felt his feelings for Natalie were a good reason, so he told him about their encounter in the boardroom. He couldn't go through with fake relationships when all his heart wanted was Natalie."For fuck's sake, Levi, from now on, you are not allowed to be alone with Natalie anywhere!" Mark yelled as he grabbed water from the bar and sat down. "We are going through with this. Get your shit together."But Levi wasn't paying attention. He was a
Save Him 59|Elektra-Part 2
"Those two are so cute," Elektra said, placing fresh cups of red lattes on the table. "They recommended these. Apparently, it's the only thing they drink from here."Good to know, Levi smiled and safely filed away this piece of information."Where were we?" she asked, clasping her hands, her eyes shining with excitement."On Dreams.""Oh, right! The only reason I signed up is that all the potential dates are already screened, you know, so I don't have to sit for hours sifting through the gunk. I know the clients I get won't waste my time."Levi was tempted to point out Dreams was hardly a dating site, but he sipped his overly sweet red latte and nodded at her to carry on."What about you?"I'm looking for my sister, he thought but didn't say it out loud. Mark was very specific about what he could and couldn't say on the first date. He had to stay clear of any mention of Colleen at this point.He brushed off her question with a smile, returning all the attention to her. The least he sa
Save Him 60|Playing Games
Still fuming at seeing Levi with another woman at Rise, Natalie went home and cleaned her place from top to bottom, hoping it would calm her down. But she was still livid two hours later when she took out the last trash bag and hurled it in the dumpster behind her building.She took the stairs back to her apartment two at a time, groaning at the fire in her ribs. She hadn't taken the OTC meds from Scottie. None from Levi, either. After seeing him with his leggy date, she didn't want anything to do with him.It was obvious he was playing games with her. The whole boardroom thing, him promising to create a game just for her and the raw tension between them, had she imagined it all?Maybe she'd misunderstood. Maybe he didn't promise to make her the game, and it was her damn fault for reading too much into his words.But what about the kiss?She hadn't imagined that.Her lips still tingled at the memory, and her stomach went all wobbly every time she closed her eyes and remembered the fee
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Save Him 214|Follow The Sun
"Something's different," Natalie murmured as she flicked her gaze through the room.Levi gave her a back hug and kissed the top of her head. "I installed shutters.""Why?""This is our second home, Nat, and I wanted you to feel safe and comfortable.""Thank you," she turned around and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. "The windows don't look as scary and frightening as they did when I first stayed over.""That was the plan. To make them look less frightening." He tapped her nose and asked, "are you hungry?""For something else.""I was hoping you'd say that!" he replied and promptly threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he carried her to their bedroom."You sexy brute!" Natalie scolded him. "Put me down. The housekeepers will see us!"But he paid her no mind and only set her down once they were in their room."Say it again," he commanded as he moved over her on the bed and nibbled her lower lip. "Tell me all the filthy things you want me to do to you."Natalie
Save Him 213|Precious Love
Natalie had to blink a few times at the picturesque scene before her. It was hard to believe this place, decorated splendidly in ivory and silver motifs, was the same town hall used by Sparrow Beach's residence association to host their weekly meetings."This is amazing," she whispered as she swept her gaze through the room, at all the tiny details, the little things she would never have thought of if she was left to her own devices. Cynthia and the wedding planners had done an incredible job transforming it into a venue fit for a grand wedding reception. Natalie couldn't pry her eyes away from string fairy lights draping the ceiling. But the smell of white lilies permeating the room transported her back to her balcony at The Empress the night Levi proposed to her, and she turned him down. It felt like a lifetime ago, and as she gave him a sidelong glance and caught him looking at her, she couldn't help but be glad he never gave up on her, and she had the sense to say yes on his sixth
Save Him 212|Runaway Bride
At the altar, Seth and Mark seemed to be way more nervous than Levi."Are you sure about this?" Mark asked for the hundredth time, and Levi gritted his teeth for the hundredth time."How many times should I tell you? I love Nat, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.""Well, I'm just saying marriage is forever, you know." Mark dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief."Why are you sweating? It's not even your wedding," Seth said as he pulled out his own handkerchief and patted his face."Can I have some water?" Liam asked. "God, I need some water. What did that crazy Russian do to me last night?""You fell for his dare again," Mark tried to fill in the blanks for him. "He made you a Russian fuck bomb—that's what he called it. Still don't know what was in it. But you were a goner after you drank that shit, and we had to help Eden carry you back to your room at the B&B.""No wonder she's mad as fuck at me," Liam whispered. "Is she looking at me right now? Guys, I can feel he
Save Him 211|Heart Is At Ease
The weatherman had predicted strong winds and heavy rain. But Natalie's big day dawned bright and sunny. The sky was as blue as the ocean behind her house, with no cloud in sight. Amber and Colleen thought it was a good omen, and Emily, not a believer of anything really, agreed with them."You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," Amber said for what felt like the hundredth time since Natalie had stepped into her wedding dress.They were in one of the smaller administration rooms on the chapel's grounds, and the stylists had turned it into a makeshift dressing room."What are you talking about? I'm the only bride you've ever seen!" Natalie teased, but she really was overwhelmed by all the love her sister and friends had shown her, and she was trying so hard not to cry and ruin her makeup."Just accept the compliment already," Colleen scolded her as she fussed over the hem of Natalie's dress."Yeah, Nat, you need to learn to work on accepting compliments graciously," Emily agre
Save Him 210|Cold Feet
"Is everything okay with you two?" Colleen approached him. "I'm sensing a weird vibe. Are you guys getting cold feet?""I don't know about Nat, but I'm not," Levi replied and pushed his hands in his pockets. "How was she today? I don't know…These last two weeks, she's been so calm.""And how is that a bad thing?""Because I know Nat. A wedding is a huge, life-altering event, and she doesn't do life-altering events well. Her knee-jerk reaction is to run. I'm just scared that—Never mind.""No," Colleen refused to let him leave her with half the info. "You're scared of what?""She's too calm, Leeny. The last time she was this way was when she threw you the welcome party. The very next day, she made a run for it without telling me about the twins.""That was months ago!" Colleen reminded him. "You're overthinking this. I've seen the way Nat looks at you. She's crazy about you and your babies. She won't leave you in the lurch! Besides, where would she run to? This is her home town."Right,
Save Him 209|Midnight Rendezvous
Julian and Andrei took it upon themselves to throw Levi the biggest and craziest bachelor party Sparrow Beach had ever seen.And Levi was only happy to blame Mark for everything."What did I do? I followed your 'no bachelor party' rule to the T." His best friend held up his hands as they watched Liam, Jaxon and Matthew try to outdrink each other over a beer pong game."That's exactly why it's your fault. You didn't enforce the rule hard enough," Levi replied, his attention stolen away briefly by Julian and Andrei sipping champagne from the navel of one of the three models-slash-strippers they'd flown in for the occasion.The said model was laid out on the pool table, her half-naked body out on display for everyone to see, and Levi wondered just how Joe had allowed this debauchery to carry on at his family-friendly establishment."Seriously, Mark, as my best man, how do you think Natalie will feel about all this crap?"Ten—maybe even two years ago—this was totally his scene. But now, a
Save Him 208|One Thing Right At Least
In theory, the idea of having twins had sounded fun and appealing. But the reality was far from it, as Natalie and Levi soon learned over the next few weeks.Indeed, it was double the blessing, double the fun, and double the joy. But it was also double the work, and it didn't help that the first week after they brought them home, Juno and Mars decided to go on different sleep schedules.If she and Levi didn't have a strong support system to rely on, Natalie knew they would have lost their minds in those first few weeks.Mrs Ackerman semi-moved in with them, splitting her time between the Blue Mountains and Green Point. It was nice having her around; she was a pro at the never-ending laundry of tiny-sized human clothes and the general upkeep of the house.Levi suggested hiring a nanny full time, but Natalie wasn't sold on the idea. She wanted to be hands-on and involved in the twins' upbringing."Love, it's not working," he said after one particularly difficult night. They were running
Save Him 207|Life's Little Moments
Natalie received a clean bill of health five days after the twins' arrival, and two days later, they were all finally allowed to leave the hospital.After months of being cooped up in bed and eating terrible hospital food, she couldn't get home fast enough.She couldn't stop raving about all the stuff she'd do when they got home, like taking an actual shower and sleeping in her own bed—all the things she used to take for granted before her bed rest.Zachary and Carlos picked them up, and they spent a few minutes gazing at the twins in their double infant stroller, trying to decide who they resembled the most."I really can't tell who they look like," Carlos admitted at last."Neither can we," Levi said with a smile as he covered the twins with a light blanket and turned to Natalie. "Ready to go?"She took one last look around the ward, ensuring they had all their stuff. Satisfied everything was packed away, she nodded. "Yep, let's go home."She hooked her arm around Levi's, and he pus
Save Him 206|Juno and Mars
Levi called his assistant on his way back to the hospital and cancelled all his meetings for the week."Sir," Angela said before they could hang up. "We are all thinking of you. Norah and Natalie's team are beside themselves with worry. But she's a fighter. She'll be out of the hospital in no time.""Thank you," he smiled into the phone, praying with all his heart she was right. He'd lose his mind if anything had to happen to Natalie and their twins. They'd come too far for him to lose her now, especially after everything they'd been through.After he hung up from Angela, he called Amber. She was hysterical, and it took him a long time to calm her down and assure her Natalie, and their babies were fine, and there was no need for them to drive down to Rock Union.He was immensely relieved when he found Natalie sitting up, chatting with his folks and her bestie.Now that he was back, his parents and Emily excused themselves, promising to return later to relieve him."See, I told you I'l
