by Kar, Alla
I nod. “Yes.”
Levi shifts and his hand rests on the belt loops on my pants. “’Cuz you don’t wanna be alone with me because you know you’ll fall in love with me.”
I snort and wiggle out of his grip, feeling lonely once I do. “No. Because it looks bad.”
He makes a small sound in his throat. “Only if you keep lookin’ at me like that, it does.”
“I’m not looking at you any kind of way.”
He nods. “Sorry to disagree, Kitten but you look like you want me. Can’t blame you.”
“Well, I guess I’m not the only one. Lauren seems to look at you a certain way.”
Levi rolls his eyes. “I went out with her once.”
“You screw her?” I snap, biting my tongue regretting it.
Levi grins, but it’s forced. “No, you know a gentleman doesn’t do that so soon. You should know.”
I shrug and pull at the end of my curl. Levi stops my fingers and pulls my hand down, not letting go. “Bridget, stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Stop actin’ this way. Just have fun. Let’s just be friends and have fun, ride some rides, play some games, I don’t give a hell what we do, but you need some fun.”
I sigh and close my eyes, pulling my hand away from his. I can be his friend. I can be nice. “Okay, what do you want to do first?”
Levi smiles and tugs me along. He insists he pay for my tickets. It’s a Southern thing. All Southern men pay for the girls’ tickets and food; it doesn’t matter what, they just do it. I forgot how much I missed it.
“Come on,” Levi says, offering me his hand. “Get ya ass on, right now.”
“No, I don’t want to do this ride. I want to do a fast one.”
Levi rolls his eyes and gives the man at the ticket booth a look. “Now,” he says, his voice stern.
I throw my head back and laugh. “Really? You’re going to try and make me get on, in public,” I say, gesturing around to the crowed fairgrounds.
He cocks an eyebrow and steps forward. He wraps a hand around my back and tosses me over his shoulder. “No! Let me down, right now!” I scream and hit his back.
“Here you go, sir, two tickets for the Ferris wheel.”
“Levi James, put me down, you dirty cowboy,” I yell, until he places me down in our seats. I get up, but he blocks my way. “Let me go, I don’t want to go on this ride.”
“Why is that?” he leans down and whispers. “Because of what we use to do on it?”
Yes. “No, I forgot all about that.” Liar.
He leans in, his mouth close to mine. “Get ya pretty ass in the seat, Kitten. One ride, that’s all I’m askin’, then you can take me on any ride you want.” I try not to dwell on the double meaning of that sentence and I sit down, as far from him as I can.
The wheel starts and we move slowly upward. I cross my arms over my chest and Levi chuckles. “Bull-headed,” he mumbles, shaking his head. He places his arm on the back of the seats and sighs. “What a lovely night, huh?”
I grunt.
“So, havin’ fun? Come on over here. Why you sittin’ so damn far away?” he pulls me closer and I make myself not snuggle into his warm chest.
“Yeah, Levi. I’m having a blast.”
“Good,” he says.
“That was sarcasm.”
“I know. But I also know you’re really havin’ a good time with me, or you would have made me take you home by now. You’ve done that before.” I roll my eyes. He is right. Damn it. We go quiet for a bit, and I look over at him.
Levi isn’t looking at me, and I want to ask why. “How is your momma?” I ask.
Levi smiles, showing his white teeth. “I thought you’d never ask. She is good. She asks ‘bout you all the time.”
“Really?” I chock out.
Levi looks down at me, his dark eyes searching my face. “Of course, you know she loves you, Kitten. We’ll have to go see her soon.”
I nod and let myself relax some. “We ever gonna talk ‘bout it?” he asks, low. There is no need to act like I don’t know what he is talking about. I do. I’ve avoided the conversation the entire time.”
“We don’t have to,” I say, looking out over the fair. I can see the entire fair from the top.
“Yes, we do,” he says, sighing. He takes off his hat and rubs his forehead. His hair is mashed because of his hat and I hate that he looks so damn good. Still. His lips are in a hard straight line and he looks concerned. “I’m sorry for makin’ ya choose.”
I stare at him dumbfounded. I didn’t expect him to apologize. I was the one who left him watery eyed at my house, my ring in his hand.
I slide my shoulders up slowly and grabbed the bar in front of me. I feel sick but not from the ride.
Levi, notices, “You okay, you look pale, Kitten.”
“The ride,” I gasp out. “I just feel a little queasy.”
Levi squeezes my shoulder and whispers into my ear. “It’s almost done. We will be off in a few minutes.”
I nod and take an exaggerated breath. Levi doesn’t say anything else for the rest of the ride and I’m relieved. Not that I didn’t want to talk, but because I didn’t want to talk about that. He apologized and I said nothing. I sat there like a damned idiot. I wanted to jump in his arms, apologize and have us be okay, have us go back to how it used to be. What am I saying? We can’t go back, I’m engaged.
“Bridget, are ya gonna get out, Kitten?” Levi asks. I look up and the ride has stopped. He has his hand out toward mine and his eyebrows are furrowed.
“Oh! Yeah, just… sorry…”
Levi shakes his head and helps me down. My legs feel shaky and my head is spinning.
“Okay, since you threw one of ya big hissy fits, which ride would you like to go on?”
I shake my head. “No rides.”
“What the hell, girl…”
“Let’s just play a game.”
He rolls his eyes. “Okay, let’s go.” Levi places his hand on my back and my entire body is melting to that one place where he is touching me. I hate it so much but can’t stand for him to pull away.
“Which one?” Levi says, raising an eyebrow. “Shootin’ them cans, that duck game or tossin’ the ball in the cup?”
“Cup,” I say walking forward. I try to pull out a five, but Levi places his hand on top of mine and pulls out his wallet. I blush and try to hide it quickly before Levi sees.
“Okay, we have four tries,” Levi says. “Ladies first,” he gestures for me to go. I take the ball from the girl behind the counter who obviously wishes she were anywhere but here. Who can blame her?
“Okay,” I say and toss my hand back, ready to throw.
“Wow!” Levi yells, waving his hands in front of his face like I’m getting ready to do something illegal. “Are you kiddin’ me? You’re gonna throw it like that?”
I nod and shrug, giving the girl a what the hell is his problem look. She shrugs and pulls out her cell; obviously knowing this is going to take a while.
“Bridget, have you learned nothin’ in your years of living, darlin’?”
“Sorry, I didn’t learn how to play fair games at NYU. That wasn’t offered.”
He scoffs. “Well, hell, I’m gonna have to give them a call. They have taught you nothin’ that matters in life.” He grins and places a hand on my back. “Okay, if the lady will let me, I’ll show her how to properly throw a ping pong ball.”
I nod and gesture for him to continue.
He pulls his dark brows down and steps behind me. He lets his left hand rest on my lower back and the other one reaches out and mimics my arm holding the ball. I can feel every hard muscle against me. My body heats.
“Now,” he says, his voice is low and I wonder if being this close makes him heated too. “You’re gonna throw it like this.” He shows me how to toss it and looks back at me to see if I got it.
The girl behind the counter rolls her eyes and continues texting. I feel the people behind us
getting restless, but I can’t seem to stop staring at him. He smiles and the dimple on his right cheek pops up. “Now, here we go,” he whispers, bringing our hands back and tossing gently until the ball lands in a red-rimmed cup.
“Damn, New York that was awesome!” Levi yells, throwing his arms up. He hoots and I smile.
“Pick a prize,” the girl says, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Levi is still grinning ear-to-ear and he wraps me in an unexpected hug. It’s the first time he has hugged me since the first day I got here. It’s warm, soft and feels so damn good. Levi pulls back first and I hate that I want him to hold me again.
“Which one, sweetheart?”
I look at the options. There is Tweety Bird, SpongeBob, some dog that says, Adventure Time and a pony.
“The pony,” I say and point. Levi reaches up to get it and his shirttail comes un-tucked. I notice the tanned smooth skin of his back. He pulls back and I look up at him. He has an eyebrow cocked, and I take the pony. “Halo,” I say and nod. “Maybe this will give me some luck with her.”
“Well,” Levi says, pushing us through the line that was waiting on us. “I can give ya some lessons.”
I laugh and point to myself. “I do not need lessons, Levi. I know how to ride.”
“I’ll say,” Levi mumbles underneath his breath and my face heats with embarrassment. “But,” he leans in, “I can give you help with gettin’ Halo to like ya again. You’re not so bad.” He shrugs and digs his hands into his front pockets.
I nod. Why not? I can handle that? I do want to be able to ride her again. “Okay,” I mumbled. “Sure.”
“Alright, it’s a date then.”
I shake my head.
“Nope, not a date,” he says. “Ya want something to eat?” he asks. I nod. We wait in line and I finally get a funnel cake that I have secretly been eyeing all night long.
“It’s not goin’ anywhere, darlin’. You can slow down.”
I blush and put the tin plate in my lap. “Shut up.” I swing my feet and look off into the distance. “It’s been so long since I’ve had one. They’re so damn good.”
“I remember it used to be your favorite.” Levi nods and takes a big gulp of his sweet tea. He has already eaten all of his nachos in a few bites.
“Still is, I guess.”
Levi laughs and I look up at him. We are sitting on a set of picnic tables off to the corner. He is straddling the seat and I am sitting facing outward. “Ya got some sugar on ya lips there, darlin.’”
I try and wipe it off, but Levi shakes his head. “Here, I got it.” He reaches over and his fingers brush against my lips. They are heated and on the verge of quivering under his touch. “There,” he says, his voice low, his face close to mine. “I got it.”
Levi is close to me, his breath minty, and his woodsy smell heavy on me. “Bridget, tell me I can…”
“Well, I’ll be damned to Hell and back if it ain’t Ms. New York editor and big shot herself!” I hear someone screech.
Levi pulls back and groans. I look up and see Katy Harrod standing in front of me. Her hands are on her slender hips, and she has a fake smile plastered to her fake face.
“Well, well. Ya momma told me you were back in town and it was hard to believe. But here you are…” she gestures, “…and with Levi James, no surprise.”
I stand up and try my best not to push the remains of my funnel cake in her face. I’m not a teenager anymore. I can’t act like that.
“Katy,” I say and let her hug me. I want to rip her hands off of me, but instead, I place my hands on her back and give her a little squeeze. “I haven’t seen you in so long.”
“Too long,” she says and pushes her blond hair from her face. She hasn’t really changed. She is pretty, and I hate to admit it. She is tall, long legged, skinny and perfectly proportioned. She glances over at Levi. “I thought you were getting’ married, that’s what cha momma said.”
“I am. I’m just catching up with Levi.”
Katy smiles and steps in to hug Levi. I catch Levi’s gaze over her shoulder and I look the other way. “I can’t believe we’re all here. I saw your brother Holt, the big cop, over there with Cindy. He said y’all was planning on goin’ to Nicky’s later?”
“No…” Levi begins, but I interrupt him.
“Yes, we are going after we’re done here.”
“Well I guess I’ll see ya there. I brought my fiancé with me. He is over there gettin’ us something to eat. We will have to get a table.”
“Sure,” I say and smile.
“I’ll see you guys in a little bit then.” She smiles and swishes her hips off toward the food.
“Bitch,” Levi says and kicks his boot up.
“That was a long time ago, Levi.” I pick up the remainder of my cake and toss it into the trash. “We do not need to keep grudges from a million years ago. It hurts but we’ve all grown up.”
“Oh, did NYU teach you to be a psychiatrist, too?”
I turn toward him. “No, but that happened so long ago. Let’s not keep hating her, Levi.”
“She came over here on purpose cuz she saw me tryin’ to kiss you,” he blurts out.
I grit my teeth. “We were not going to kiss, Levi.”
Levi smiles and winks. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Kitten.”
I open my mouth, but I hear Holt yelling. “I’ve been lookin’ all over for y’all. Get ya asses over here. We are headin’ over to Nicky’s. Let’s get drunk, my fellow Texans.”
I cringe. Cindy is holding on to Holt’s shoulder and Lauren is quiet behind them, staring at Levi.
“Ah shit, this is goin’ to be a bad night,” I mumble.
Levi smiles and places his hand on my back. “Let’s see if Ms. New York can still hold her liquor.”
Chapter 5
Nicky’s is a little tin building off the main road, back in the corner of a vacant lot. You can hear the music a mile away but no one ever comes this way unless they’re going to Nicky’s. There are woods, fields and a river close by, and it’s the perfect place for people eighteen and over to come and have a good time.
If you’re a Texan with nothing else to do that is. I’m so nervous my fingers are interlaced and I’m squeezing them together hard. Levi looks calm, pulling into the parking lot filled with cars. Oh shit, this was a bad idea.
“You still do that, huh?” Levi says.
“Do what?” I barely give him a glance. I’m too nervous, too occupied with the people standing around waiting to get inside.
“That thing with your fingers, ya momma does it, too.”
On impulse, I stop, pulling my hands back and placing them on my knees. “Why are you so nervous?” Levi stops the truck. “We don’t have to go if ya don’t want to. I can take you back home.”
Holt jumps out of his truck and helps Cindy out, who was basically sitting in his lap. “No, I better go. I don’t want to be seen as shady or stuck up because I can see that coming a mile away if I do.”
Levi opens his door and the truck dings. “If the shoe fits,” he mumbles before shutting his door and opening mine.
I step out and the dry air hits my face. I can feel the smoke and alcohol breezing toward us from the open bar door. I cringe. Christopher smokes cigars but not cigarettes, and that is the only thing I can smell at this time. It’s gagging me.
“You never did like that smell,” Levi says, leaning down and whispering toward me. We’re getting closer to the bar and everything is loud and obnoxiously annoying.
“It’s nasty,” I yell back. I crane my neck to get a good look for Holt, but he is long gone in the crowd of people flooding into Nicky’s. When we walk in, Levi’s hand goes straight to my back. I don’t pull out of his grip this time; I lean into him, letting him lead the way.
Holt is sitting at a table and already drinking when we get to him. Cindy, Lauren, Katy and, who I guess is her fiancé, are sitting around the table also. Levi groans and pulls me closer. “Time to
make nice,” he mumbles.
“Thought you’d never make it,” Katy says, wrapping her long arm around a blond headed guy with a pretty face. “This is Brett, my fiancé.”
I give him a little wave and he nods. I can tell he isn’t from here but not from the North. He looks like he may be from a bigger town in the South. He seemed accustomed to Southern living, at least. I couldn’t bring Christopher to this kind of bar, he would have a stroke.
“Nice to meet ya,” Levi says and pulls out a seat for me.
I notice Katy staring at us and I know she is going to say something stupid soon. “So, when do we get to meet your big time lawyer fiancé, Bridget?” she flips her blonde hair and smiles.
“Soon. He should be down in a few weeks.”
“What brings you down here anyways?” she asks, sipping on a fruity drink.
“Um, well, my papaw is very sick, and I needed to spend some time with him because he could go at any time.”
Cindy pokes her lip out and rubs Holt’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t know,” Katy says. “It’s good you came down. We thought you might think you’re too good to be in Texas anymore.”
I grip my thigh. Levi reaches over to rub my hand to calm me down. I knew it was too good to be true. That Katy Harrod would ever stop being a bitch. “Just ‘cuz she ain’t livin’ here doesn’t mean she thinks she is too good; it just means she got the hell out of here and made somethin’ out of herself.”
Katy smiles. “Says the man that is a ranch hand at his ex-girlfriend’s family farm. Guess ya couldn’t get over Ms. Bridget, now could ya.”
“You little bitch…”
“Levi, why don’t you come over here with me to get a drink?” I say, standing up and grabbing his arm. Levi’s stare is hard on Katy’s and I know she knows he won’t hit her. She knows he is too nice for that.
He mumbles something under his breath, and I give the table a dirty look. Holt is drinking and barely listening to a damn word that’s going on and the rest are sitting wide-eyed like little kids.
Levi pulls out a bar stool and sits down. I order him a beer and a wine cooler for myself. I watch Levi down the bottle and I focus on his face, while I twirl my finger around the top of my glass. “Ya know, there isn’t anything wrong with being a ranch hand.”