Tempting Levi (Cade Brothers Book 1)

by Jules Barnard

  “Well,” said Hunt, stretching his arms above his head, “it makes sense. Emily’s a hot little piece of—”

  Levi was across the table and had Hunt in a chokehold before his brother could finish his sentence.

  Wes, Bran, and Adam leapt from their chairs. “What the fuck,” Wes said, pulling Levi off Hunt.

  Hunt straightened his collar, his face red with fury as he glared at Levi. “I’m out.” He stormed toward the exit.

  Adam shoved Levi back in his seat, which had to have taken half of Adam’s weight and every ounce of his younger, slightly shorter brother’s strength.

  Levi glanced around, lifting his hand in silent apology to the club’s bar patrons, who now stared.

  Dammit. Not the best way to behave in front of the hotel’s guests. Hunt grated on Levi’s last nerve, but he was on edge and uptight.

  Getting over his attraction to Emily wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped.

  Chapter 18

  So what did you think?” Lisa plopped next to Emily on her couch, wineglass in hand. “Only took two weeks to pin you down for this date. Was it worth it?”

  Emily had agreed to the blind date her sister set up, but with their special clients in town and the long hours, she’d blown it off until now. She wiped at a water mark on her glass, giving herself a moment to form a response. “Zander seems great. Attractive and nice. But I don’t really know him.”

  Lisa rolled her eyes. “Jared knows him and can vouch that he’s a good guy. And you can get to know him. That’s the point.” She leaned in and nudged Emily in the arm suggestively, but since Lisa had had a few glasses of wine already, Emily ended up shoving her sister back upright.

  “I get it.” Emily laughed. “You want me to date him. But how do you know he’s interested?” And did she care if he was? She wasn’t over Levi, even if he’d made it clear he was over her. Though after the way he’d looked at her before she’d left for her date… She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  Lisa dropped her head on the back cushion, her mouth parting. “Emily, how are we related?” She looked over pointedly. “You’re beautiful and smart. Of course he’s interested.”

  “But…don’t you think there’s more to it than that? You and Jared, for instance. He gets you. It’s more than just that you’re beautiful and he’s handsome. You both fill emotional needs for each other.”

  Lisa snorted. “Oh, he fulfills my needs.”

  Emily let out a disgusted noise. “Please, I don’t need visuals. You know what I’m talking about. You can be needy, and Jared, for some freakishly selfless reason, loves to take care of you.”

  “Because he loves me.”

  “Right. But does he love you because he can fulfill your needs, or does he love you because of something intrinsic we can’t put our finger on?”

  Lisa gaped. “Why are you philosophizing? I’m too drunk for this. Or not drunk enough. Jared and I clicked from the beginning, and it only got better from there. There’s nothing about him that bothers me so much that I worry about our future, and I guess the same is true for him. It all just works.” Lisa bit her lip. “Speaking of things working or not working, I spoke to Levi last night when I dropped off your bag. I apologized for what happened in the past with Hunter. I never did that—apologized for my behavior. It felt good.”

  Emily’s heart pumped heavily. She knew something must have happened after she left them alone, but she’d been too afraid to ask about it. “How’d he take it?”

  “He said he forgave me, and I hope he meant it. He didn’t deserve the way I treated him.” Lisa looked up, a sad smile on her face. “He was always so self-confident, and I felt I had to be too, which made me insecure. So it wasn’t really his fault that things didn’t work out.”

  Emily nodded, attempting to squelch how much Lisa and Levi’s feelings for each other affected her. She wanted her sister happy and she wanted Levi happy. But she couldn’t help her attraction to Levi.

  “I never felt good enough for Levi,” Lisa said.

  Emily’s head whipped up. Regardless of her feelings for this man, Lisa was her sister. “That’s crazy. You’re perfect.” In every way that mattered, her sister was perfect. She was beautiful, yes, but she was also generous and kind.

  “Okay, first of all, I’m not perfect and you know it, or you wouldn’t have mentioned my neediness.”

  Emily rolled her eyes. “A small flaw. Nothing that matters.”

  “Maybe, but you must know how Levi is, now that you work with him. He’s always confident of where he’s going and what he’s doing. He had our entire life planned out by the end of the first date. And he’s so damn hot, I didn’t think twice, just nodded and went along with it, but…I also never felt that connection. Which I guess is what you’re getting at with your drunk philosophizing.” She smirked.

  “I’m not drunk, you are.”

  “Anyway, sometimes when you’re caught up in a tornado, the only way to break free is to duck and cover. I covered beneath Hunt.” Lisa shook her pointer finger at Emily. “Never hook up with your boyfriend’s sibling. It results in disaster.”

  Well, duh, Emily thought. And then her palms went cold and she swallowed. Except, wasn’t that what she wanted Levi to do? She was his ex’s sister, but the parallels were close enough.

  Only Levi seemed to know the rules. He’d kept his distance since their moment last night, when all she wanted was to be closer.

  Emily set her glass on Lisa’s coffee table. She’d stay away from Levi, but she wouldn’t date someone else just to have a man in her life. “I didn’t feel that click with Zander tonight. He has all the requirements most people look for: attractive, good job, and we’re compatible. But there was no…click.”

  Lisa looked up to the ceiling. “Damn. I thought we got it right with him.”

  “Yeah, damn.” Because the one guy Emily clicked with and grew more attracted to each day was the one person she couldn’t have.

  Emily took an Uber home from her sister’s place and kicked off her heels as she entered her one-bedroom apartment. Her place was located in the Tahoe Island Park area, within walking distance of a bike path that bordered the woods alongside Emerald Bay Road. Lately, she hadn’t gone for walks on the path. She’d been working too late, then working more once she got home. She seemed to have forgotten how to live.

  She used to know how to have fun. Maybe not Lisa’s glam style of fun, but fun nonetheless. Tonight, she didn’t want to be out on a blind date or any date. Not when her heart was somewhere else.

  Over the last couple of weeks Emily had gotten to know the real Levi, and not just the cute guy she’d crushed on when she was younger. Or the man she’d found attractive all over again when she’d first walked into his office at Club Tahoe. Levi was confident, bossy, and sexy as hell. But he was also committed to his brothers—often at his own expense—gentle with his elderly dog, and good under pressure. He was a protector, and that was extremely sexy. Her father had never been there for her or Lisa. Meanwhile, Levi tried so damn hard to take care of everyone around him.

  Emily could stop at admiration—and okay, ogling his hotness—if he didn’t look into her eyes as though she were something to be cherished. No man, not even her father, had appreciated her. Then Levi kissed her like he was starving. As if she was his island in the stormy sea. That was the part she couldn’t get over. Being needed and desired by a man she admired in return. But she had to get over him.

  He might not be Lisa’s anymore, but Levi wasn’t Emily’s either. Just like Lisa said, Levi knew what he wanted and went for it, and he wasn’t going for Emily. He’d not uttered a single word to address their kiss, nor had he made a move to repeat it.

  So she should move on.

  Emily frowned and sank onto the couch. She dropped her head into her hands.

  It wasn’t until her phone buzzed a second time that she squinted in the direction of her purse beside the couch.

  Who was texting her this late
? It was nearly midnight. No one besides Lisa reached out in the middle of the night, and Emily had just left her sister.

  She reached over the armrest, smashing her stomach and lungs in the process, and grabbed the purse she’d dropped upon entering. Lisa had better not be setting her up again. She didn’t think she could handle another blind date so soon.

  Levi: How was your date?

  Emily’s heart pounded. What the hell? Why was Levi texting her? Some kind of emergency?

  Emily: Everything okay?

  No need to tell him she felt absolutely nothing for the guy her sister had set her up with. Besides, he couldn’t really be interested in knowing how it went. Something had to be wrong.

  Levi: Are you home?

  Emily: Why do you ask?

  Levi: Just making sure my star employee is getting her beauty rest. We have an early morning tomorrow.

  Okay, this felt a lot like he was checking in on her. After she’d told him she was going on a date. Hmm…

  Emily: Will Grace be at the office again?

  Levi: Didn’t you get your fill of my dog today?

  Emily: She’s a good snuggler. I enjoyed my afternoon nap. When I wasn’t getting carpal tunnel from rubbing her ears.

  Levi: No dog, just work. See you tomorrow.

  Emily smiled as she stared at the text messages. She might have bounced up and down on the couch several times too.

  Levi was thinking of her. And if she was reading it right, he was checking in on her after she’d gone out with another man.

  Which meant those kisses might not have been as meaningless to him as she’d thought.

  Chapter 19

  Levi managed to get through the next few days without asking Emily any more questions about this guy she was seeing, by taking evening lake dips to clear his head. No sense in thinking about a woman who was off-limits.

  Only problem? Off-limits suddenly became extremely tempting.

  Levi wouldn’t call himself a rule follower, but you had to maintain order as a firefighter when men and women depended on you to keep them safe. He’d helped raise his four brothers, and that meant he’d kept an eye on them too. He was by no means a saint, but he’d tried to model good behavior.

  So why, he thought as he stared at the woman in question sitting across from him in her buttoned-up white blouse, was he looking to push this boundary?

  He’d not planned for Emily, and without a plan, he couldn’t keep her or anyone safe. Regardless, the club had to be his number one priority right now. But dammit, he couldn’t stop thinking about Emily or those kisses.

  He was tempted. Very tempted to do something about it. Only she didn’t seem like the casual type, and he couldn’t offer her more.

  “So it’s okay,” she said, staring down at her tablet, “if I move forward with the marketing and hospitality team on a children’s program?”

  Levi blinked. And cleared his throat. He’d been watching a long lock of hair brush against her breast as she typed notes onto her device. “Establish a budget, and then let’s talk.”

  Her lips pressed together softly in a light smile, and she nodded before bending her head and proceeding to take more notes. She absently pushed her hair over her shoulder and away from her breast, and he sighed in disappointment.

  Levi wasn’t opposed to the children’s program. He was all for making his guests happy and bringing in additional revenue, but he couldn’t afford to be wrong, not with Shin Electronics still up in the air. They hadn’t heard back from the company, and Levi wasn’t optimistic. However, when Emily had asked to talk about the children’s program, it had seemed like a good opportunity to get her in his office to spend platonic time together—while he admired her from afar. But she’d made salient points he couldn’t ignore. This program could be good for the club on all levels.

  They’d spent all morning with the finance director going over current numbers, which had seemed less painful than normal. Everything was more tolerable with Emily around. And on a positive note, the finance director had said that with the evening entertainment bringing in a steady stream of extra visitors, it was possible they could be in the black within a year—as long as they booked out the meeting rooms. And the only way to do that was by enticing businesses to use the resort for their conferences and meetings.

  Levi stood and walked to the window overlooking manicured pine trees and shrubs made to appear like the natural landscape. Nothing was as natural as the real deal, and every day Levi was cooped up in this office, he missed his land. “Any thoughts on how to attract companies to the resort? We’ve lost five of our biggest accounts, and as you heard this morning, it blasted a hole in our revenue.”

  “About that,” Emily said, her long, graceful finger tapping a manila file folder on her lap. “I don’t understand why we lost those contracts.” Her nose scrunched as she riffled through the paperwork. She pulled out a form and scanned it. “Our hospitality people personally reach out after each conference to gauge how well we did and what could be done better.” She held up the paper. “All positive reviews with promises from our guests to return. We also email every guest anonymous questionnaires, not only the conference attendees, and we rarely receive negative feedback. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  He turned to her and leaned his hip against the window ledge, crossing his arms. “What did the negative reviews say?”

  Her eyes dipped to his chest and arms, and she glanced away quickly. “Oh, um—” She flipped through a few more pages. “‘Needs more tanning butlers.’”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Is this how you knew we needed more cabana boys?”

  Emily glanced up, her cheeks flushed. “I had a hunch.”

  She flipped to another page. “‘Please change out the beach towels. Two of mine were worn on the edges.’” She flipped through a few more sheets and shook her head. “All of the comments are like that. Nothing substantial.”

  He scratched his jaw. “Did we switch out the beach towels?”

  She grinned. “I actually looked into that, and we switched out the towels two months ago. Seems it was already on the list of regular upkeep.”

  “So the reviews are good, but somehow we’re missing the mark.”

  Emily stacked her papers and stood, pacing the room. “That’s the thing. We aren’t missing the mark. Club Tahoe is known as the premier luxury resort in South Lake Tahoe. It doesn’t make sense that Blue Casino was able to steal three out of our five longstanding accounts. Not that there’s anything wrong with the casino your brother works at, but…”

  “Blue Casino caters to a different clientele—more modern versus traditional elegance. And they don’t have the amenities we do.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Yet somehow they still managed to steal our clients.” He looked out the window. “I’ll talk to Adam. See what he knows. For now, connect with marketing and try to come up with more ideas for drawing in larger clients.”

  Emily nodded and turned to leave, but she paused partway, looking back as she hugged her stack of folders. “How’s Grace?”

  Levi dropped his arms and slid a hand into his slacks. He chuckled. “Napping the day away. Her cone is off and she’s more comfortable now.”

  “Oh good. Well, let me know if you ever need a dog sitter.” She smiled shyly and shrugged. “I enjoyed it. Maybe I am a pet person.”

  “I’ll share mine for now and take you up on that offer. I’ve got an appointment in San Francisco this weekend. Wes is setting me up with a player on the golf tour with connections inside the association. We’re going to discuss bringing a tour tournament to the golf course. If we fail to bring in another three or four commercial clients, this could be the next best thing. It’s a long shot, but worth a try.”

  “I’d be happy to watch Grace. Should I pick her up?”

  “I’ve got a large yard. Probably best to come to my place. It’s equipped with Wi-Fi, and a dish if you prefer television. I’ll make sure the fridge is stocked.”<
br />
  She laughed. “Don’t go to the trouble. Grace and I will be fine. I’m looking forward to it.”

  Emily opened the door and swept happily out.

  Levi watched her walk away, then turned back toward the window. Time to make that call to Wes. There was no official appointment in San Francisco, only the seed of an idea he and Wes had discussed over beer the other night. He hadn’t exactly lied to Emily. But the idea of having her take care of Grace and spend time in his home, even if he wasn’t there, had been too good to pass up. He’d be in San Francisco and far away. What harm could it do?

  Emily showed up late morning on Saturday, and the air in Levi’s chest locked up as he opened the door. She wore a thin knit shirt that clung to her delicate curves and she’d pulled her hair back on the sides, revealing all of her pretty face. A face that hadn’t an ounce of makeup on it, not even lipstick.

  He’d never seen a woman so beautiful. She wore fitted jeans that were tight down to her ankles, showing off her legs and her ass from a new and interesting perspective. One he would love to examine further—if she weren’t a woman he was trying to keep his hands off.

  He was trying to keep things platonic, even if he couldn’t resist spending time with her.

  Levi’s lungs released and he opened the door wider. “Come on in.” He glanced into the room. “Grace, your masseuse is here.”

  Grace bounded up to Emily and lapped at her hand. She proceeded to lick Emily’s knee and on down her leg to the toes of her white sneakers, then back up to her knee again.

  Grace never saw a body part she didn’t want to tongue. Levi was getting jealous of the access his dog had. But if he started removing Emily’s clothes and tonguing her the way he’d envisioned when he first saw her on the stoop, it would be inappropriate. And intimate. And crossing lines he told himself to keep in place.

  “Grace,” Levi said, and his dog ran to him, letting Emily be for the moment. He gave Emily an apologetic look. “Feel free to use the kitchen to wash your hands. Grace’s tongue baths leave something to be desired.”