Aching for His Discretion (The Discretion Dynasty #1)

21. Levi

Chapter twenty-one

Levi

R unning my hand through my wet hair, I wrapped my towel around my waist as I exited the bathroom. In my room, I bit my lip as I watched Tesoro mio sit on the bed comfortably as she had three books, her laptop, flashcards, and highlighters scattered over the comforter.

Her hair was pulled into a high bun, and after she’d taken a shower, she was sitting dressed in one of my grey hoodies that engulfed her entirely and a spare pair of black boyshort underwear that she kept in her bag in case of emergencies.

Always an overthinker and an over-planner… And too fucking smart for her own good.

Her questioning earlier made me realize how perceptive she actually was to everything around her. It pissed me off. Here I was… trying to hide everything from her and protect her at the same time, and yet she almost found out. Granted, I may have been a bit reckless, but that was just in my nature. I told her the truth initially... how I would kill any man for her. However, her overreaction to me planning to do just that made me switch to my cover plan.

Despite her cleverness, convincing her to believe me was almost too fucking easy. Made me realize how much power a few words can have over her racing mind. Now, all of her worries were at ease, and as I wanted, I was once again the perfect vision of a man in her mind.

Realizing my power over her, it didn’t take much for me to convince her to stay the night. Unfortunately, I had to find a way to bring the cat over so she could actually sleep, but after asking the guys, she was finally excited for our “sleepover.”

As I crossed the room, grabbing some clothes for bed, I could feel her precious eyes watching me. Turning around, I chuckled as a blush rose to her face from being caught, and she looked away as I approached her slowly.

“Don’t be shy, Tesoro...” I whispered as I placed my hand under her chin and made her look back over to me as she bit her lip. “You’ve seen it all, haven’t you?” I muttered, and she stayed silent as she softly ran her fingers up and down my defined torso. I had half a mind to throw her onto the bed and show her who she belonged to, but I kept my composure as I placed a kiss on her lips.

Hearing my phone, I groaned as I pulled away and walked over to my nightstand to answer it.

“What,” I snarled, and Elliot spoke.

“You want to tell me why the fuck the cat was waiting outside with a bag of treats and a toy like he was waiting for his damn Uber?” he asked, confused, and I sighed as I rubbed my temples.

“Teegan called her iPad at home and told him to get ready and that you guys were picking him up,” I muttered, slightly feeling embarrassed and confused as Teegan giggled beside me.

“Fucking ridiculous. How is it that he’s able to answer a call?” Elliot asked.

Micah spoke. “Same reason my he’s wearing a sweater that says ‘mama’s boy.’ He’s gotta be a human… I swear.”

Deciding I’d heard enough of their antics, I ended the call only to still see my Tesoro laughing up a storm. Groaning, I pulled her by the ankle over to me, causing her to let out a soft squeal.

“What’s so funny, little girl?” I asked, and she continued giggling tremendously.

“You and the guys… it’s funny how you don’t know whether or not to treat Grayson as a cat or a person.” She continued giggling, and I rolled my eyes as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her against my naked chest.

“You know it’s not that funny,” I muttered, and she finished her giggling as she placed another kiss on my lips.

Looking into her eyes, I debated whether or not I should say my next words, but I knew that I would need to tell her eventually.

“Tesoro... At the end of the month, I’ll be flying to Greece for a few days to conduct business matters,” I stated, and her mood changed slightly as I could tell she didn’t exactly want me to leave her… Perfect.

“Oh, really?” she muttered solemnly, and I nodded as I placed a kiss on her neck.

“I wanted to ask if you would be willing to come with me,” I said, and she froze, looking into my eyes. “You don’t need to give me an answer now,” I continued, calming her nerves, and she shook her head.

“N-no. I-I want to go,” she whispered, and I smiled genuinely as I caressed her hair.

“You don’t have to make the decision so quickly, Tesoro,” I assured her, even though I had already planned for her to come, and she shook her head once again.

“I want to. It’ll be during my break from my clinical rotations… and our first trip together. I just need to find a catsitter for Grayson,” she said, pondering, and we listened to the bickering of Elliot, Nico, and Micah as they entered the apartment.

“I think I just found the perfect guys. Go say hi. I’ll get dressed and meet you out there for dinner.”

She nodded her head and stood up, making her way to the door. Although my hoodie practically engulfed her frame, her legs had me holding back a groan as I unintentionally imagined them wrapped around my waist.

After getting dressed, I walked out to see Tesoro sitting on the couch. The cat was comfortingly rolling around in her lap, and the guys watched as if they were confused.

“How are you two so inseparable?” Nico asked, and Teegan shrugged as she picked Grayson up and smothered his face in kisses. He, in turn, remained still, letting her express her affection toward him.

“You wish that was you,” Micah muttered, looking over to me, and I rolled my eyes as I beckoned the three of them silently over to the dining room.

“ We may have acted… a bit too fast. There is a private investigator on her tail regarding the boy, the snitch, and Mitchel…” I muttered, switching to Italian to keep our conversation private.

“Did he do anything to her?” Nico asked, and I sighed.

“He threatened her… sent a warning to me too.”

As if a switch went off, the three of them immediately held murderous looks in their eyes.

“Find a way to clean this up… and find him too,” I muttered, and they gave me a nod. I’d come to realize that they were starting to grow a bit protective over her. Even Elliot began to regard her as a little sister rather than a nuisance. I was content knowing they could give her a brotherly connection which her deadbeat brothers couldn’t provide…

This reminds me—

“We’re going to Greece together at the end of the month, and you three are watching the cat.”

They all groaned and began to complain. A smile grew on my lips as Teegan walked over and pieced together what they were bitching about. Holding the fur monster in her hand, she pouted her little lip as she hugged him closer to her, to which he simply remained docile, even purring for a moment as well.

“Grayson will love you guys forever if you watch him... He promises,” she said softly, and I glanced over at the guys, who simply looked at her as if she’d grown two heads.

Nico ran his hands down his face as he shook his head.

“How did we go from being murderers to watching cats…” he muttered in Italian, and Teegan smiled and spoke cluelessly, as she obviously hadn’t understood him.

“Is that a yes? Thank you so much, guys!” she said, smiling, and I held back a chuckle as she left the room to return to studying.

Elliot glared at Nico, who seemed to be even more confused.

“Have fun,” I muttered as I left the kitchen, making my way over to my sweet Tesoro.

Feeling stirring beside me, I opened my eyes to see my Tesoro snuggled into my side comfortably. Looking over to the time, I noticed it was already five AM, and I could tell her internal alarm clock wanted her to wake up to start getting ready for the hospital. Thankfully, her shift today would be starting a bit later than usual, so she had plenty of time to sleep and get some more rest.

My phone began to ring, and I picked it up, slightly annoyed and confused, as it was an unknown number. Not answering it, I silenced it as I turned back to my Tesoro.

She snuggled deeper into my chest, and I pushed the hair out of her face slowly, placing a small kiss on her shoulder.

Hearing my phone buzz once again, I groaned internally as I pulled from her to grab it. Unfortunately, I heard her whimper slightly, and I quickly repositioned myself beside her so she could stay asleep.

As she lay on my chest, I opened my messages to see the same unknown number. I read the message.

Unknown: Don’t be reckless, son. Making decisions based on a little girl will get you in more trouble than you intended.

After reading the message, I placed my phone to the side as my blood began to boil. My fucking father... still making it his goal to make my life a living hell. But not for long .

The bastard went behind my back a few years ago and has been on the “run,” if you will, ever since. He was always a fucking hypocrite and a coward. He would have no reason to run and hide if he was an actual decent father.

But instead, he abuses my mother and attempts to ruin my reputation and all that I’ve worked for... which is why I was planning to kill him. Sadly, he became aware of that and no longer wanted to face me in person, simply because I’d blow his fucking brains out the second I laid eyes on him.

Feeling stirring again, I looked down at my Tesoro to see her opening her eyes slowly as she rubbed them softly.

“Good morning, Tesoro mio,” I said as I moved her to straddle my waist. She continued rubbing her eyes while she lay on my chest. Keeping one hand on her little ass, I stroked her hair as I placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Good morning,” she whispered softly.

“Are you ready to get up? I can make you some breakfast while you get ready, and we can make our way over to your apartment to get you situated before your hospital shift.”

“You don’t have to make me breakfast if you don’t want to. I don’t want to bother you so early,” she mumbled adorably, and I tsked as I flipped us over and placed a kiss on her collarbone.

“Of course I do, my Tesoro… you’re going to have a very long day as usual, and I want to make sure you’re well fed, hmm?” I replied as I sat on my knees and ran my hands up and down her waist as she looked up at me, her sleepy eyes holding appreciation.

“Thank you...” she said, and I squeezed her thigh as I responded.

“Anything for you, Tesoro...”

Absolutely anything for you.