The Fall Up (The Fall Up #1)(21)

She licked her lips, and I was forced to kiss her again. When I finally came back up for air, I continued.

“My name is Samuel Nathan Rivers. I’m twenty-seven. Aquarius. No criminal history. I have a clean bill of health. I’m a democrat, but for God’s sake, do not tell my mom. I own a furniture shop and clear six figures a year. I’m not interested in your money. I’ll show you my tax return if need be. I’m also not a super-fan interested in your fame. But, for the love of all that’s holy, I need you, Designer Shoes, to come home with me.”

Her eyes lit. “Devon would have a stroke.” She pushed my hands off her face in order to take my mouth again.

A frustrated growl rumbled in my chest. My cock wasn’t concerned in the least about Devon’s health.

“Levee,” I grumbled as she folded her arms around my shoulders, pressing her chest against mine. “Devon can—”

“But you can come home with me.”

God f*cking bless America.

Suddenly, I rose to my feet with her still wrapped around me. “Check please,” I called out loudly, digging into my back pocket for my wallet with one hand while she clung to me, giggling.

I couldn’t help my smile as she buried her face in my neck and slid down to the ground.

“I’m going to the restroom. If you must, now’s the time to smoke. I don’t want you to have a heart attack before I get you naked.” She innocently batted her eyelashes at me as if she hadn’t just whispered sweet nothings directly to my cock.

I bit my lip, watching her ass sway as she walked away.

Scrubbing my face, I tried to get myself together while fighting the biggest shit-eating grin known to man. When I looked up, Devon was glowering at me with his arms crossed over his massive chest.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I told him as I tossed a wad of cash on the table.

“I don’t f*cking like this,” he snarled. “She’s drunk and not thinking straight.”

“She’s tipsy,” I amended—just as much for him as for me.

She isn’t really drunk. Is she?

Whatever. I was a stand-up guy. I liked her, and judging by the way she had been rolling her body against mine, she liked at least part of me, too.

“Look, man. I realize this is the first time we’ve met, but Levee and I have been seeing each other for the last week…. Kinda. Or…something like that.” I scratched the back of my head. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Bullshit,” he growled.

I pointedly lifted my eyebrows. “You know what you do need to worry about though? Her going up that bridge every night. One of these days, she’s not going to come back down if you don’t do something about it.”

“Excuse me?” He took a menacing step in my direction.

I stole a glance around him at the empty hall Levee had disappeared down. “Look, you did not hear this from me, but I know for a fact that she’s considered jumping. I’m not sure if she’s suicidal or just depressed, but she needs help. I’m doing what I can to keep her walking down every night, but I need you to get word to her family or whoever she’s close to that she needs serious help.”

“No way,” he scoffed, but I could tell his gears were spinning.

“I like her, okay? A lot. Even before I knew her name. But I don’t know her like you do. I can only do so much.”

He narrowed his eyes and stared at me suspiciously, but the seed had been planted.

“Do not take her back to that bridge alone anymore. If I’m there, I’ll take care of her. I swear. But if I’m not, you drive her anywhere in the world but that bridge.” I held his stare, trying to transfer the truth. He had no reason to trust me, but he also had no reason not to.

Finally, his shoulders slacked and he thrust a rough hand into his jet-black hair. “Fuck,” he hissed under his breath.

I heard the door to the bathroom open, so I busied myself by digging my cigarettes out of my pocket. “She just needs help,” I whispered one last time.

“I’ll take care of it,” he responded, still notably shocked, but my anxiety melted away.

I was going to do whatever I had to do to make sure Levee never stepped off that bridge, but it was no longer my sole responsibility. I didn’t know where this thing with her was going. She could disappear on me tomorrow, but now, I could sleep easier knowing that someone else knew what was going on in her head.

I would have killed for that tip about Anne.

“Hey, beautiful,” I purred as Levee rounded the corner, her eyes flashing between Devon and me.

“Everything okay?” she asked with freshly painted-red lips.

“It is now.” After looping an arm around her waist, I pulled her against me and kissed her cheek, catching a whiff of fresh mango on her breath when she sighed. “I’m going to smoke. I’ll meet you in the car.” Tossing her a wink, I slid my hand down to her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze before sauntering out the back door.





I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I couldn’t even explain it to myself. But I knew that, if I didn’t strip Sam Rivers naked in the next thirty minutes, I was going to implode. I hadn’t been with anyone in well over a year, and while I could easily blame my insatiable desire on being hard up, that would have been a complete and utter lie.