Aching for His Discretion (The Discretion Dynasty #1)

4. Levi

Chapter four

Levi

I sat back on my sweet Tesoro’s couch as she was taking a shower for the night. The cat kept me company as he lay on my lap, and I sighed heavily. This was unlike me… I was supposed to be next door killing the man who owed me more than $200,000 when I was actually sitting here in a living room that belonged to a short, sexy, somewhat talkative, and intelligent woman... along with her clingy cat . I had a man to kill, dammit, and here I was obsessing over a missed text and a few crocodile tears that made me a fucking lap dog.

But I couldn’t help it. Ever since she walked into that hospital room, I was fucking hooked. She and I were complete opposites, and the fact that I was already so drawn to her was a problem. However, I had to convince myself it was nothing but pure attraction.

When I opened the door of the man I’d almost beaten to death to see her and her furry monster just one door down, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stay away.

Because even though I convinced myself of that fact, I now know where she works, I know her name, and I know where she lives... If that wasn’t the universe telling me to stay, then it was probably my obsessiveness trying to peek through and greedily claim the innocence that practically oozed off her, which is why I shouldn’t be here .

As if reading my mind, the cat snuggled closer into my lap as if he was forcing me to stay put, and I groaned internally. The sound of the running water had stopped, and I heard the pitter-patter of feet throughout the bathroom.

Soon, the door opened, and Teegan walked over to the couch dressed comfortably in a pair of grey tights and a long-sleeved white shirt. Her hair was in a wavy, curly mess down her back, and her lips looked plump and red. Her warm, olive-toned skin had a subtle glow, complementing her rich, brownish hazel eyes. It may be intrusive to ask about her mixed heritage directly, but part of me wanted to… just to satisfy the slither of curiosity that was already envisioning what our children could look like.

Just looking at her was a fucking privilege.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I have a few flashcards to review,” she muttered, opening her school bag, and I nodded my head in understanding. Another thing I wasn’t used to: a woman who had other priorities than simply pleasing me. It pissed me off slightly, but it made me want her even more.

But I shouldn’t... couldn’t pursue her. She’d run if she knew who I truly was. I was already starting to sound insane. I had known her for less than a day as the most time we’d spent together was about five hours… yet I had already mentioned to her that I would kill two people to keep her happy.

It was utterly pathetic, but the thought of someone other than me making her cry pissed me off even more.

My phone buzzed, alerting me that my men had successfully extracted the information I needed from our newest target. A dark satisfaction settled over me as I read the message.

My little Tesoro had unknowingly provided the perfect drug—one that numbed the man so thoroughly that we could sever his arm without him feeling a thing, yet still leaving him fully aware of just how deep in shit he was for going against me.

Granted, I didn’t know all of what it does… nor did I know if the man truly didn’t feel anything. To be truly honest, I was too busy enjoying his screams of terror as he watched me mockingly shake the hand that was off of his body.

The image of his panic, paired with the eerie calm of his numbed senses, brought a twisted, sadistic smile to my lips. It only made me all the more appreciative of my Tesoro’s unintended contribution.

Speaking of her, I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt a tap on my knee—

“Mr. Amante?”

—and I looked over to see something that immediately made my cock stir. I need to leave. NOW.

There was Teegan, sitting on her knees, flashcards in one hand and her other resting on her thigh… and she was sitting dangerously close to my lower body. Her little ass perched perfectly as her hips and waist gave it more definition. Innocently looking up at me, she unintentionally pushed her chest out toward me—

I need to leave.

“Tesoro. Please, what are you doing on the ground?” I asked her, trying to remain nonchalant as she stared up at me with those beautiful doe eyes. Her innocence should not turn me on as much as it does, but fuck, she was absolutely killing me.

“I wanted to ask if you could help me study. Grayson usually does it, but he’s sleeping on you now,” she muttered, and I internally rolled my eyes.

Of course, the fucking cat helps her with everything. I don’t even know how he does it, and I’m already growing more jealous of him by the second. However, I had to thank him for remaining still on my lap as I was growing a bit… excited if you will.

God, I need to leave this apartment now.

“Here are my flashcards if you want to,” she continued, and it was then that I noticed I hadn’t given her a real answer.

I grabbed the cards from her hand and looked at the words that resembled a different language entirely.

“‘A 35-year-old man presents with pain and swelling in his right arm after scraping it on a tree branch 2 days ago. His temperature is 101°F. On examination, there’s significant swelling and a tender, red lesion at the injury site. The physician notes that the area is particularly sensitive to touch. What is most likely the primary mechanism of the development of edema in this patient?’” I asked her and read her answer choices to her afterward.

She thought about it for a moment. “Separation of endothelial junctions,” she said hopefully, and I felt a surge of pride that she got the answer.

“Good girl. Next question,” I said, fully invested in testing her knowledge, excited to hear her say the correct answer. My eyes went back to the card, but I discreetly caught her little body squirming as her face went red, like it usually did when I verbally praised her.

Our little session went on for a lot more questions, and she was confident in her knowledge of each one, seemingly eager to please me… until we reached one which she didn’t know entirely.

“...Is it the sebaceous gland?” she asked, and I shook my head. She thought for a little while longer before giving me a look of defeat.

“No, Tesoro… think again. You know the answer,” I said almost angrily, and she thought even harder.

“…The eccrine gland,” she whispered, and I internally smiled as I placed her last flashcard on the coffee table.

“Perfect, baby,” I responded, and she squealed softly as she stood up and wrapped her arms around my neck. I briefly took in her scent as I wrapped my arms around her… Fuck, she smelled so good.

“Thank you, thank you!” she said happily before stopping for a moment and pulling away. “Sorry... I just got a bit excited,” she whispered, and I shook my head.

“No need to apologize, Tesoro.”

Looking down at my phone, I noticed I had received another text. I gazed at the message for a moment as she collected her flashcards, and I stood up, slowly moving the fur monster onto the couch.

“I have to go,” I muttered, and she looked over at me as she stood up.

“Already?” she asked softly, and I groaned internally, her eyes begging me to stay. Little did she know, I was digging myself a grave, given the fact that I shouldn’t even be here in the first place. She was too naive, too innocent to realize my thoughts about her and her sexy little body were anything but.

“I’m sorry, Tesoro. It’s important business that I need to take care of.”

She nodded in understanding and walked me to the door of her apartment.

“...Will we be able to spend more time together soon?” she asked me innocently, and I gave her a small smile as I had a somewhat evil one in my mind.

What a cute little question.

“Of course, Tesoro. I’ll text you whenever you want me to and help you study whenever I have time,” I said, reassuring her, and she smiled beautifully as she gave me another hug. I ran my fingers down her hair as I tilted my head, intrigued at the way a small shiver ran down her spine at my touch.

It was strange almost… I’d never met someone so trusting, so eager to please, so desperate for validation. It made her vulnerable and easy to manipulate as she clung to every word I said, every bit of praise I offered, without a second thought. If I were a good person, I would pull away, remind her we were strangers, and let her know I was el Diavolo— the most dangerous man she would possibly ever meet in her life.

But for some reason, I didn’t. Instead, I found myself leaning closer, almost eager to see just how far I could push , how much I could take from her.

My sweet Tesoro has no idea what she’s getting herself into, and for now, that was exactly how I wanted it to stay.

Teegan

“Teegan, you have to come!” one of my classmates practically begged me, and I looked over at her as I sighed. It had been a few days since I’d seen Levi, and although I texted him every day, I didn’t want to bother him.

He seemed to be a very busy man, and I should be doing myself a favor and staying focused on my studying and practicing my procedures so Dr. Wyatt wouldn’t yell at me.

Even so, I couldn’t help but text him every once in a while and get excited when he texted back so quickly and politely. He was such a gentleman.

Now, I was eating breakfast in the hospital cafeteria with my friend Beverly while she was pleading with me to go to Alec’s party, which was apparently going to be at his parents’ house. I assumed the plan involved his parents not being home and gathering all of us to get drunk, get high, and let loose.

“Beverly, I don’t know. I have to study, and Grayson gets lonely after a little while,” I muttered unsurely, and she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, please. You study three times as much as we all do, and Grayson is a big boy. He’ll be fine for a few hours. Pretty please,” she asked as I placed a strawberry in my mouth, and I rolled my eyes. That big boy was still my little baby.

“Fine. I’ll think about it,” I muttered, and she clapped happily.

I went to speak when my pager went off, and there was an alert over the loudspeaker.

“Rapid response team, level one trauma alert, ETA now… rapid response team, level one trauma alert, ETA now...”

I quickly stood up and answered my phone, which was also ringing in my pocket, as I waved goodbye to Beverly. Making my way to the trauma bay, I listened to Dr. Wyatt speak over the phone as he wanted me to come to the trauma bay immediately to gain this learning experience and to see what is done when a patient shows up in such terrible conditions… See, he’s not all that bad.

Upon arriving in the ER, I entered the designated room and gasped softly at the horror that was before me. A man was lying unconscious as he had one of his hands cut off, and the remainder of his arm was in a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Dr. Wyatt grabbed my arm and pulled me back slightly as the other doctors rushed in.

“Tell me if you can handle being in this room right now, Monroe,” he ordered seriously, and I nodded.

“I-I’ll be fine. What happened?” I asked in a panic, and he sighed.

“Well, he was just thrown into the waiting room by some unknown men who must’ve kept him alive somehow for the last ten hours. I don’t think he’s going to make it. He lost too much blood, and there doesn’t seem to be much activity on the monitors. He was still breathing somehow, but it came to a stop a minute or two ago,” he responded, grabbing my arm again and moving me so I wasn’t in the way of the incoming trauma and orthopedic surgeons.

“Why would someone do this to him?” I whispered in shock as I looked over at the man who was now flat-lining and going through intensive CPR. His face was void of any life, but it was filled with color from the bruises that had formed.

“Sometimes, gangs do this to send… some kind of message, if you will, to their enemies. They did a hell of a number on him. He had multiple head contusions and rib fractures. His internal bleeding is probably in too many places to count.”

I nodded in understanding and bit my lip as the surgeons shook their heads.

“All right, the patient is unresponsive. Too much blood loss and no brain activity on the monitors. Heart rate is undetectable, and rib fractures have severely impacted his lungs. Let’s call it.” The surgeon took off his gloves and looked over to the clock. “Time of death, 9:41 AM.” He spoke nonchalantly, and I bit my lip as they covered his body with a sheet.

Gosh, who could do something so horrible to another person? It was monstrous…so cruel.

Dr. Wyatt pulled me out of the room and sighed.

“I’m sorry you had to see something so serious… but you need to know the realities you will face in this field.”

“I know,” I whispered, still in a bit of shock, and he nodded to the door.

“Go take a walk outside and clear your head. You have fifteen minutes,” he muttered, and I nodded as I walked away.

After I stepped out of the hospital, I sat on the bench for a moment and rubbed my clammy hands on my pants. A man lost his arm and his life in that order in less than a day. Gosh. Life is too short sometimes.