By the time they landed at the airport in Rock Union, just after 10:00 AM on Friday, Levi was already highly annoyed at everything and everyone.Their flight out of Ghana was delayed by two hours. The layover took longer than the hour the airline had promised, and he hadn't had any sleep in over fourteen hours.To say he was irritable was an understatement. But he was really more on edge than anything else, and he wanted to know if his weekend was bound to be a bust or a success.So as soon as they jumped in his car parked at the airport for almost a week now, he called his staff at the house in the Blue Mountains just to make sure they were indeed hard at work, getting it ready and preparing everything just the way he'd told them to. He wanted everything to be perfect for Natalie's first visit.Mr Ackerman, his butler, assured him everything was on track, and by the time Levi arrived after his meeting, everything would be to his liking.Pleased with the progress report, Levi reclined
"Do it," Levi said, blood splattering out of his mouth. "Why don't you shoot me like your brother shot Liam, then both of you can just end up in prison where you belong?""Nah," Andrei shook his head, and a collective sigh of relief swept through the room when he returned his gun to its holster, held out his hand to Levi and helped him up."That would be too easy," he said as they took their seats again. "I like watching you run around like a headless chicken trying to find Colleen, and I like knowing that you think I had something to do with her disappearance. But do you know what I enjoy the most?""What?" Levi glared at him as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb."Smelling your fear. You reek of it. And I smelt it on you the moment you walked through those doors. Now, if you don't quit poking your nose where it doesn't belong, your little lady will end up like Ethan. Ask her who he is and what I've done to him. She saw it all. She watched me kill him.""Y
The CEO of the boutique hotel chain popped up in Natalie's direct messages on Dreams late Friday night.She hadn't heard from him since she signed the contract, and she'd spent the whole of Thursday night and most of Friday praying he'd cancel or postpone their meet and greet. So to say she was deeply disappointed when she saw the notification was an understatement.Yes, she liked dealing with just one client, but the idea of being in a contract relationship sounded less appealing the more she thought about it. But for Jamie, she'd have to find a way to be okay with it.She stared at her screen now, a puzzled look in her eyes.What the hell was she supposed to do with these numbers?Were they some secret message?A game of crack the code, perhaps?"Em, can you come here for a sec, please?"Her friend looked up from the TV, her cranky tone matching the irritable expression on her face as she groaned in her hands. "Gosh, Nat, it's THE KISS SCENE. Your timing sucks balls!"But she crosse
The two-hour ride to the Blue Mountains flew by too quickly.One minute Natalie was enthralled by the views of the snowcapped peaks, and the next, they were landing in a backyard so enormous it could hold her old high school.She wished she hadn't blinked during the ride just so she could have taken in every little detail to share with Jamie.Mr Ackerman helped her off the aircraft and held her head down as a safety precaution to avoid the still spinning rotor blades as he whisked her away.Two fancy-ass golf carts pulled up in seconds, and Natalie laughed in disbelief. The billionaire shows she'd watched last night with Emily, in preparation for today, weren't far fetched at all. The uber-wealthy never walked anywhere. Why should they when they had golf carts to drive them around?"Ma'am?" Mrs Ackerman turned and frowned at her when she saw her still standing there, dazed by the splendour all around her, her eyes as huge as flying saucers.Natalie knew she was acting like a real hill
A bewildered laugh shot through Natalie's lips even though she was anything but amused.Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever imagined this.But even as he stood in front of her, in all his six-foot-something glory, wearing that damn white shirt even though it was the weekend and he had no business wearing it since he wasn't at work, she still couldn't accept that she wasn't dreaming.Surely, her Freddy Krueger lookalike boyfriend would walk in any moment now and put an end to her hallucinations."Natalie," Levi said as he walked to the other end of the table and sat down. He pointed at the chair she'd just vacated and smiled, flashing that darn dimple of his. "Please sit."Anger so terrifying and unlike anything Natalie had ever felt before quickly replaced her stunned disbelief. But she surprised even herself when she spoke in a calm and steady voice, belying the confusion and turmoil swirling in her heart. "No, I'm not sitting down until you tell me what the hell is going
The first thing Natalie saw when she opened her eyes was Levi watching her intently.Even from the side view, he was still perfect, and she was so tempted to reach up and brush his tousled hair away from his forehead.Like a moth, drawn to a flame, she extended her hand and was almost touching him when she remembered their fight earlier. The rock in her chest returned harder than before as it pressed down on her heart, snuffing out any feelings of tenderness she was starting to feel again.Natalie turned away, but Levi's hand resting loosely on her hip spun her back to him and held her in place.Ever so gently, he reached up and cupped her cheek. "Sleeping beauty is finally awake. Or is it Snow White?"Quivering at the light stroke of his fingertips on her skin, Natalie couldn't help but hate herself for being so darn aware of him. Even when she was livid, heartbroken, and everything in between, Levi still set her on fire with the most fleeting of touches."When was the last time you
Alone in an unfamiliar place, Natalie sat up, noticing for the first time she was wearing one of Levi's shirts as she pulled the covers over her knees, and she couldn't help but giggle at the long sleeves dangling over her hands. She'd always wondered about his shirts, but she would never have imagined ever wearing one.A contented sigh fluttered through her lips as she looked around her, trying to acquaint herself with her new surroundings.Like the rest of the house, the bedroom was exquisitely furnished. Everything—from the four-poster bed to the pastel-coloured chaise lounge in front of the bay window overlooking a gorgeous sunset on the horizon and the cream faux fur rug covering most of the dark wood floor—screamed elegance and luxury.Directly in front of her was a huge TV screen, and next to it, double doors leading to a walk-in closet. There was another door to her left. Where it led, Natalie could only guess. But an en suite bathroom seemed like a plausible destination.A sin
Levi looked up from the screen and smiled as he pushed his laptop aside and gave his shirt a thumbs up. "Good choice!"Natalie glanced at her attire, blushing at her state of undress. In her rush to get answers about this Colleen woman, she'd forgotten to change back into her own clothes."I didn't want to mess my dress," she lied feebly and did her best to ignore his appreciative gaze gliding over her."I'm not complaining," Levi smirked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he laced his hands behind his head. "It looks way better on you!"Natalie sat down, willing herself not to place too much stock into his sweet words. She would not be swayed by his silver tongue and handsome face any longer. He'd fooled her one too many times with his devilish charm.Before she could throw her toys out of the pram, though, and demand answers, a flurry of activity snatched her attention away from him when Mrs Ackerman and her staff wheeled in their meal on silver trolleys.The housekeeper draped a
"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
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
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
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
"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,
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
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
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
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