Back To The Start Box Set: Five Full-Length Novels by Aly Martinez
“Don’t laugh at me,” she sniffled, squeezing me tighter.
Of course, that only made me laugh harder. Her head tipped back, and a scowl covered her gorgeous, tear-stained face.
Tucking stray curls behind her ears, I smiled down at her. “I’ve missed the view.”
Her gaze jumped away. “I’m not allowed to go to the bridge anymore.”
Using her chin, I tipped her head back. “Good,” I breathed, kissing her forehead.
“You haven’t been going up there either?”
“I’ve been there every night, but that’s not the view I’ve been missing.”
Her cheeks pinked, and her eyes smiled.
Her mouth didn’t.
Because it was suddenly on mine.
Her tongue invaded my mouth as mango overwhelmed my senses. Levee. My whole body slacked as I slid a hand down to her ass.
“Uhhh…” Meg’s voice stole my attention and reminded me that we weren’t alone the way I so fiercely wanted to be.
Levee giggled and tucked her face into my neck.
“Hey!” I greeted Meg awkwardly.
“Nice to see you too, Sam.” She rolled her eyes then flashed them to Levee’s back in a silent question.
I shrugged. “Well, it’s good to know your loud-mouth brother at least takes attorney-client privilege seriously.”
“Shut. Up,” she whispered. “Ryan knew about this and didn’t tell me!” Her face morphed from humor to anger.
“Yep.” I rubbed it in just to be sure Ryan thoroughly got his ass handed to him later.
“Mom,” Morgan choked.
We all looked down at her, including Levee, who spun in my arms. Morgan’s face was pale as tears welled in her bright-blue eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Meg asked, settling on the bed next to her.
“Does this mean that Levee is going to be my aunt?” A trail of tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Well…” Meg stalled then leveled me with an annoyed frown. “Sam? Levee? You got an answer here?”
Levee blew out a sigh of relief. “Maybe.”
Panic followed by a tinge of elation filled my chest as I swung an incredulous glare in her direction.
She shrugged then went back to talking to Morgan. “But maybe not. You mind if I step outside with Sam and talk about that?”
Morgan jumped to her knees and folded her hands in a prayer. “Oh, please say yes, Levee. Please. If you’re my aunt, you get to come to dinner at Nana’s every Sunday. And Christmas. Oh my God! Christmas is so fun. Sam always shows up smelling like smoke, but I promise I’ll put a toothbrush in his stocking in case you want to kiss him some more.”
Levee bit her lips to stifle a laugh.
“Uncle Sam, did you bring a ring? You need a ring if you’re going to marry her.”
I threw my hands up in defense and slowly backed toward the door. “I have no idea what you are talking about right now.”
Meg doubled over in laughter as Morgan’s expression turned murderous. “Girls need a ring! Come on, Sam. My friends would die if Levee was my aunt. Don’t mess this up for me.”
Levee barked a laugh. “Yeah, Sam. Don’t mess this up for her.” She flipped her hand up for a high five, which Morgan enthusiastically returned.
“Don’t encourage her,” I whisper-yelled at Levee, but the huge grin I was hopeless to hide gave me away.
After offering Morgan a quick hug, Levee headed toward the door, bumping my shoulder as she passed. “Come on, Sam. We need to talk about this ring.” Just as she got to the door, she shouted, “See ya later, Morgan!”
“See you at dinner on Sunday!” Morgan casually called after her.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the exchange, and as the door clicked behind her, I heard Levee laugh as well.
I quickly kissed Morgan on the top of her head then pulled Meg into a hug. “Thanks for the text.”
“You have so much explaining to do,” she bit out but immediately started shooing me out of the room.
I wandered into the hallway, where I found Levee whispering with Devon.
“Sup, big man.” I clapped his meaty shoulder, looping the other arm around Levee’s waist.
He glowered at me, but his words were for Levee. “We need to go. Time’s up.”
She shyly peeked up at me. “You want to maybe…come back to my place for a little bit so we can…talk.”
“Yeah. Sounds good.” I dug my car keys out of my pocket, and Levee’s whole face lit up.
“I’m riding back with Sam!” she announced, bouncing on her toes.
“No,” Devon snapped.
“Yes.”
“No,” he replied firmly.
“Yes,” she repeated with a smile.
“I’ll take you both back, but no way in hell am I letting you go with this guy alone.”
Offended, I jumped in. “Hey! What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Neither of them acknowledged me.
“Too bad you don’t get a say in that.” Levee grabbed my arm and dragged me away, leaving Devon cursing behind us.
As we marched down the hall, I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I’m parked in the back lot.”
She slammed on the brakes and groaned in frustrated. With a quick U-turn, we headed back toward a hopeful Devon.
He opened his mouth as we got close, but Levee interrupted him as we breezed past.
“Nope. Still riding with Sam. Don’t forget Henry’s dinner.”
“Goddammit,” he seethed through gritted teeth, but Levee seemed unfazed.
Well, okay, then. I guessed she was riding with me.
Chapter Thirteen
Levee
“FUCK. ME,” SAM moaned when I mounted him just as he slid behind the wheel of his Jeep.
“If you insist,” I mumbled, crushing my mouth over his; smoke still lingered on his lips.
“Levee,” he warned as I dropped a hand to his zipper. Grabbing my wrist, he attempted to stop me, but I retaliated by gliding my hips over his stiffening dick. “Shiiiiit.” He gave the fight up and kissed me, thrusting a hand into my hair to use it for leverage.
With a gentle tug, he turned my head and latched onto my neck—nipping and sucking his way up to my ear. The bite of his hand in my hair sent blood rushing to my clit while his breath against my ear forced chills down my spine.
“Come back to my place. It’s closer than yours.”
“Okay,” I answered without a single second of hesitation. I’d go wherever he wanted just as long as he was going too.
Shocked, he held my gaze. “Are you allowed to do that?”
“I’m a big girl, Sam. I’m allowed to do whatever—or whoever—I want.” I went back in for another kiss, but Sam lifted me off his lap and deposited me onto the passenger’s seat.
“Put your seat belt on,” he growled, adjusting his pants.
Sam’s Jeep was exactly what I would have expected from him. It was older but in perfect condition. There were no windows or doors to shield us from the sure-to-be freezing wind, but the idea of freedom was more than worth the price. A loud beat from his speakers filled the air the second he started the engine.
“Sorry.” He turned it down as he slammed the five-speed into reverse. Tossing his arm around the back of my seat, he zipped us out of the parking spot and onto the streets of San Francisco.
With my hand on his thigh and the wind whipping through my hair, Sam navigated us back to his place. I was going to look like a shivering, matted poodle by the time we got there, but I couldn’t have cared less. Sucking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. I didn’t ever want to leave that moment. And that was the first time in as long as I could remember when I could honestly say that.
Something happened when I was with Sam.
I didn’t know what that something was, but it happened all the same.
He wasn’t a magical fix. I knew that the free fall was still waiting for me at the end of the night. Bu
“What are you smiling about?” Sam asked when we pulled up to a red stoplight. His hand sifted through my hair then gently wrapped around the back of my neck.
Like a kitten, I purred, leaning into his touch. “Mmm, the way I feel right now.” I opened my eyes to find him watching me with a content grin.
“You’re beautiful,” was all he said before the light turned green and we were off again.
Being told I was beautiful wasn’t an anomaly.
It was Sam though.
That was everything.
Less than a minute later, Sam pulled up to a gorgeous two-story brick house complete with a wraparound porch that almost made me moan. It was so quaint and homey that I instantly felt drawn inside.
“Put your gooey eyes away. This is my mom’s place. I live in the basement.”
“Oh. You live with your…mom?” I’d done my best not to sound disappointed, but judging by the sound of his laugh, I’d failed miserably.
He arched an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I mean… I just.” I stumbled over my words. It wasn’t a problem. Well, not totally. It just wasn’t what I expected. And suddenly, in that moment, I realized exactly how much I didn’t know about Sam. “I thought…”
I continued to ramble until he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. He didn’t take it any deeper, and I was very aware of his shoulders shaking in amusement.
“Chill, Levee. I’m just giving you shit. It’s my house. I bought it two years ago and have been fixing it up ever since. Rest assured, my mom has her own place across town.”
I breathed an audible sigh of relief then squeaked, “It’s a pretty house.”
“It is. But it’s still a work in progress, and I can’t promise how safe my handiwork is, so don’t step on the cracks or the whole floor might cave in.” He unbuckled himself and climbed out.
“Uhhh,” I stammered as I got out, meeting him at the hood. “Seriously?”
He shook his head and looped an arm around my waist. “Why are you nervous?”
“What? I’m not.” I swayed in his arms with a herd of butterflies stampeding in my stomach.
“You haven’t called me on my shit once since you got in my car. You’re nervous. Now tell me why.”
“I’m not—” I started, but he twisted his lips, unconvinced.
“You want me to take you home?”
“No!”
He dropped his hand to my ass. “Then tell me what’s got you so distracted.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. How the hell did I answer that?
You, Sam! You have me distracted. I’m nervous because I can’t say the wrong thing again. Not if I want you back. And, God, do I want you back.
I kept that to myself.
After backing me up, he pinned me against the hood with his body. “Levee,” he prompted.
“I have crabs!” I blurted out when the truth got lodged in my throat. “I didn’t want to tell you, but since we had sex, it’s only a matter of time before those critters get you too.”
I didn’t expect him to believe my joke, but I figured he’d at least laugh. Instead, he groaned, sliding a hand under my shirt and over my breasts—his rough fingers dipping inside my bra to tease my nipples.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
“Mmm,” I moaned. Closing my eyes, I slipped a hand down the back of his jeans—strictly for balance, of course.
I whined in complaint when he suddenly stepped away.
“Get your ass inside. I need to smoke.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not going inside my stalker’s house alone.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Should you ever really go in your stalker’s house at all?”
“Excellent point. We should definitely do it in the driveway.” I reached for the button on his jeans, but he backed out of my reach.
“Jesus, Levee.” He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “Aren’t we supposed to be talking?”
I nervously began chewing on the inside of my mouth again.
Talking was going to suck. Sex definitely wasn’t.
But sex didn’t mean I got to keep him. Talking hopefully would.
My eyes flashed to the ground. “Yeah. You’re right.”
I heard his lighter spark to life. Then his shoes entered my field vision. Threading our fingers together, he lifted the back of my hand to graze over his dick bulging behind his denim.
I sucked in sharply as his warm breath whispered over my neck.
“I’ve never in my life wanted to lose myself inside a woman more than I do with you. In my driveway. In my bed. In my car in the middle of a hospital parking lot. Anywhere, Levee.” He draped my arm around his neck then dropped his forehead to mine. “I’ve also never wanted to make something work with a woman more than I do with you. So, if talking is what I have to do, then let’s do it. But, after all of that’s settled—and I swear to God it will be settled—we’ll get back”—he roughly tugged me against him, pointedly rolling his hips—“to this.”
I’d been wrong.
That was everything.
I immediately looked away, and I did it smiling.
Huge.
Taking my hand, Sam smoked as we walked up the short sidewalk to his front door. While he fumbled with his keys, my eyes were drawn to two antique white doors that had been transformed into a porch swing.
I lifted our joined hands to point. “Did you make that?”
He tossed me a proud, lopsided grin. “If it’s in this house, I made it.”
“That’s amazing. I can’t imagine being that talented.”
He barked a laugh as he pushed his door open. “Says the woman with a mantel full of Grammys.”
“Oh, shut up. I meant talented with my hands, smartass.” I pinched his nipple.
“Ow! Shit!” he complained before reaching out to pinch mine in retaliation. His was definitely gentler, and I might have secretly wished that he had done it again. Repeatedly.
He didn’t though. He dropped his hand and flipped the lights on.
The outside of his house was amazing, but it didn’t do justice to the inside in the least. Dark hardwood floors covered the expanse of the den, and a rugged, brown leather sectional butted up against the wall, facing a flat-screen mounted above a stone fireplace. The whole area was open, and his galley kitchen sat in the back with only a granite-top bar dividing the rooms. The house appeared to be older from the curb, but inside, it was as modern as it could get.
Sam’s house definitely wasn’t the bachelor pad I’d expected. It was unnaturally clean. I had a full-time maid and his place made mine look like a stable.
What single guy keeps a house this neat?
I gasped. “Oh my God, you’re married!”
“Shh! You’ll wake up my wife,” he replied, touching his lips to my temple. “Don’t worry. She’s okay with you being here. You were on the top of my celebrity sexception list.”
A laugh escaped my throat. He waggled his eyebrows as he moved to the small table next to the door. After flipping through the mail, he extended an envelope in my direction.
“Text my address to Devon. I don’t need the SWAT team breaking down my door when he realizes I didn’t take you back to your place.”
He had a point. And, given my situation, Henry would probably stroke out too.
Upon retrieving my phone from my back pocket, I sent a message to Henry and asked him to pass the word along to Devon as well. His reply pinged in my hand, but I didn’t bother reading it before powering my phone down.
“You want a beer?” Sam asked, bypassing the fridge and heading to a sliding glass door off the back of his kitchen.
“Sure.”
“Okay. Be right back.” He disappeared out the door.
Less than a moment later, a black lab came barreling in.
“Sampson!” Sam yelled behind him.
I immediately
“Sit,” Sam ordered, appearing in doorway with four beers cradled against his chest.
The dog skidded to a halt then dropped to his hind end less than an inch away from me. His tail thumped against the hardwood as he eagerly stared up at me.
“You have a dog?”
“Very astute observation. Levee, meet Sampson,” he laughed, twisting the tops off two domestic beers.
“Your dog’s name is Sampson?”
“Yep,” he said before tipping the beer to his lips and offering one in my direction.
“Your name is Sam and you named your dog Sampson. That’s a bit egotistical, don’t ya think?”
“Well, the guy who does my ink wouldn’t give us matching tattoos. I was really limited in my narcissistic options.”
“Right.” I reached down to scratch behind Sampson’s ears.
“I got him at the pound a few years back. I saw the name tag on his kennel and took it as a sign.” He whistled and Sampson rushed to his side. Tilting his beer toward the couch to signal for me to sit down, he asked, “You a dog person?”
Following his unspoken order, I settled on the end of the couch, slipping my heels off so I could tuck a leg underneath me. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted a dog, but by the time I could afford to take care of one, my life was chaos. I travel way too much.”
“Gotcha,” he said, sitting beside me on the couch.
With a snap and a point from Sam, Sampson lumbered over to a dog bed in the corner, grunting before flopping down.
We both stayed silent, awkwardly drinking our beers. Small talk was officially over, but it seemed Sam wasn’t any more excited to start the heavy conversation than I was.
“You hungry?” he asked as I nervously polished my beer off.
“I’m good, thanks.”
He nodded and went back to staring into space. “Sooo…” he drawled but didn’t say anything else.
Without looking at him, I broke the silence. “Are you positive that we can’t just start with sex?”
Chuckling, he dropped his head back against the couch and turned to look at me. I met his gaze with a grin, hoping he was about to give in. Instead, his smile fell and his eyes softened.