Victoria pulled her lips to one side giving him an assessing look, “Levi Manor you are a bad boy!” She said mockingly. He laughed lightly and Victoria felt his poor mood from before lift slightly.
“So what kept you at work? Another big project?”
Levi shook his head, “No, it's that asshole Dave. He's never doing his work on time. Then the rest of us have to pick up the slack. I wish they would just fire him already.”
“If he’s so terrible, then why don't they?”
Levi lifted his hand from Victoria’s leg and placed it back on the steering wheel. She saw him grip it tightly.
“Because he's the boss's son. And, honestly, the only other person they have that can do his job is me, and sometimes they don't particularly care for the fact that I don’t have a college degree behind my name. It's bullshit really.”
Victoria nodded her head in agreement, “What idiots! What does it matter if you have a college degree? You know more than most of those guys. Besides, in this economy a lot of kids are going to trade school these days.”
He sighed heavily, “Yeah, except I didn’t do that either. Without any formal education I'm not going to be able to move up within the company.” Victoria could feel the tenseness rolling off of him like waves. She knew it was time to drop the subject. This has been an argument since Victoria had begun taking steps towards her law degree just like Victoria’s father had before her. And she realized that one day she would make a lot more money than Levi and that bothered him. He liked to take care of her, protect her or support her. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate how much Victoria wanted to be a lawyer or that he didn't support her decision to go through seven years of schooling, but sometimes she knew that he felt he could never be as successful as she intended to be.
As they drove through the darkening night Victoria thought back to the night they had begun dating back in her senior year of high school. Levi had already graduated and was working as a freelance computer analyst but many times he still graced the high school crowd with his presence. Many of the Cape Haven alumni did. When you graduated Cape Haven, you stayed part of the town. It was just the way things were in the small coastal village.
It was in the spring and everyone was at some ridiculous party at Trey Valaquez's house. Trey had previously been kind of a nerd, but then his parents won the lottery and somehow he became the most popular guy in school. They liked to leave the house a lot on weekends, or maybe Trey kicked them out, no one was ever really sure. Some people said that Trey was actually a total genius and that he had rigged the lottery system so that his parents would win. Ever since then, he ruled his own little world and most of Cape Haven.
The party was something out of a magazine, with girls dressed in glittery short dresses and the guys all in suits and tuxes. Victoria remembered Levi had saved up money for weeks just to afford the suit that he would wear to the party. Tyne had tailored it for him so it would fit perfectly. Victoria had giggled watching Tyne stick him with pins so he would look dashing. At the time Victoria couldn’t tell him how fine he looked. Neither of them had spoken of their feelings for one another, not yet anyway.
Victoria was already at the party when Levi arrived. He liked to make an entrance and always appeared about an hour after a party had begun. He was a good looking guy and got some attention from the girls, and so, because of this, an entrance was necessary. As he walked by the side of the house and passed the pool, Victoria watched him with a smolder in her eyes. She turned away quickly when she realized he noticed the group of girls she was with standing in the cluster by the bar.
She was soaking up attention from other guys, giggling at their silly jokes and touching their arms in a flirtatious way. It wasn’t that they weren’t attractive, they just weren’t for her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun. Victoria tossed a glance over her shoulder to see if Levi was oozing jealousy. But two could play at this game. Victoria watched Levi as he took the hand of the girl closest to him, a pretty brunette with blue eyes, and kissed the back of it. “You look lovely tonight; can I get your name?” Victoria wasn’t going to let him get away with that. Even if he was playing off of her jealousy, Victoria wore her emotions on her sleeve. Some people would say that’s not a positive trait, but it’s what got Victoria Levi, so she considered it a compliment.
“Levi! Oh I'm so glad you came!” Victoria instantly stepped between her friend and Levi in order to obtain his interest. “You look dashing.” Victoria took her hand and lightly traced the outline of his collar, stopping just above his heart before removing it. It was a subtle touch but intimate, and to others it looked innocent. But Victoria felt Levi’s heart beat quicken with her touch which meant she had won his attention.
“And you look—” Victoria could see he was almost at a loss for words as he took in her beautiful periwinkle dress and dazzling jewelry “—amazing,” he finally finished. “Can I get you something to drink?”
He winked and took her arm as they walked away from the bar and into the house. Once inside, they found a quiet corner to sit in the theater room so they could talk.
“Thanks for saving me back there,” Victoria said. “You know how much I hate those guys. All that they do is treat girls like a piece of meat.” She swept her light blonde hair over her shoulder and immediately sunk into the leather furniture. Victoria was so much more relaxed here, away from all the noise and the people. Levi quickly relaxed himself. He probably felt that being alone with Victoria was just like the old days when they were kids. They could be themselves, no false pretenses needed, it was refreshing.
“No problem, I gotcha covered.” If Victoria only knew how protective Levi felt about her back then, maybe she would have realized just how covered she was.
“So,” She said in her light, airy voice, “what have you been up to these days? Working a lot? I haven't seen much of you lately.” Victoria felt slightly defeated. She missed seeing his face at school every day, but since he graduated she felt disconnected from his new life.
“Yeah, I've been busy. And Tyne has been taking the car a lot more than I would like. But you know how big sisters are. Always doing what they want, and never really thinking about anyone else.”
“Levi!” Victoria shot up from the sofa and shook her finger at him accusingly. “You and I both know that is not how Tyne is at all. She takes really good care of you. Levi, you should appreciate her.”
Levi blushed, proving how right Victoria was. “I know. It's just hard sometimes, you know. But sometimes I wish she could just be my sister, but she's my mom, too. It's weird having a mom only six years older than you.”
Victoria relaxed at his admission and sat back down. Tyne had become like a sister to her over the years, she would got to the end of the earth for her. “I guess that would be weird,” Victoria agreed, “but still she loves you. More than your mom did.”
Comments like that should sting people, really hurt them where it counts, but when Victoria said things like that to Levi it just rolled off him. She was just like that, always saying how she felt. It was never to make anyone feel sorry for themselves, it was just how things were.
Victoria watched Levi sink lower into the leather sofa. He put his hand over his eyes and thought for a moment. Victoria watched the rise and fall of his chest, taking in the attractive man in front of her. They had been so close for so long she sometimes forgot how much they had grown up over the years. In his suit he looked like a grown man. A delicious one.
She snuggled up to him. He lay back on the couch and Victoria simply fell onto his thick chest. It was a small gesture, but it spoke volumes. She was comfortable enough with him to lay there with her eyes closed and enjoy a quiet moment. He pulled his hand away from his eyes and rested it on her head. Victoria laid there in peace until she felt Levi brush his lips over the top of her hair.
She opened her eyes slowly, turning her head to face him. “Did you just kiss me?”
Levi’s face showed his
complete panic. Victoria watched his face go through more emotions than she thought one person could possibly feel. Fear, panic, loss... she didn’t know which ones he truly felt. Victoria sat up slowly until her whole body was directed at him. Their eyes locked. Victoria yearned for more, more of his touch, of his kisses, sweet and innocent.
When he didn’t speak for a long time Victoria decided she needed to lighten the mood. “Well, that took you long enough.” A smile played on her lips; she leaned her head forward and matched her forehead to his. She pushed up on her right arm and slightly climbed on top of him in the corner of the sofa. Leaning closer, she whispered to him, “Levi? Do you promise to take care of me?”
“Yes,” was all he'd said, but Victoria could tell it meant so much more. It was the first promise he had made to her, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.
2
The landscape began to shift around them allowing Victoria to realize just how far they were going outside of her college campus. “Levi? Where exactly are we going?”
He gave her a devilish grin, “I’m not going to tell you that.”
She smiled back at him, “No really, where is this place? You haven’t told me hardly anything about the weekend! And you know how much I don’t like surprises.” She knew that about herself, the perfect type A personality. It didn’t really matter what was going on, Victoria just needed to be in the loop. Sometimes she felt bad for Levi when he tried to surprise her with things and she always found out, but she knew it was probably for the best, because she would just annoy him until he told her what was really going on anyway.
“It’s up near the ridge. Why, you know somebody up there? Afraid we’re going to run into some crazy ex-boyfriend?” He chuckled to himself. Victoria watched as he started to relax allowing the tension from earlier to fall way. She liked seeing him like this, when he was happiest.
“No,” she said shyly. “I was just wondering, you know, if there would be a lot of people around.”
She noticed as the car accelerated quickly. “Is there a reason that you would like to be alone with me Victoria Blane?”
She smiled broadly. “I think you know the exact reason I want to be alone with you Levi Manor.” Victoria liked teasing him, it was her small power over him. Most of the time Levi was saying things to affect her. It was nice when Victoria could have it the other way around.
After driving for more than an hour they stopped at a gas station for some drinks and a bathroom break. The sky was full of stars and Victoria watched them as she stood up to take a stretch break from the vehicle. “Are you cold?” Asked a husky voice in her ear.
She turned slightly to see Levi’s lips right next her ear brushing her cheekbone slightly. “Maybe. Depends how you intend to warm me up.” She said with subtle flirtation.
He wrapped his arms around her slowly allowing his hands to touch her waist for only a moment, “I think that could be arranged.” He hugged Victoria tightly for only a moment and then moved away just as quickly as had he had arrived beside her. Victoria let out an exasperated sigh, clearly Levi was in a teasing mood as well. Sometimes he held more power than she did.
As they continued to drive Victoria felt her eyes getting heavy and so, after another twenty minutes, she closed them allowing herself to drift off into her memories. She watched as a movie of a carnival played in her mind. Levi had played a game for over an hour just to win her a teddy bear she mentioned looked soft. They laughed as he failed and cheered when he triumphed. It was a cloudless summer evening and they had spent all night out under the stars. That gigantic teddy bear now sat in a corner at Victoria’s parents’ house allowing her to reminisce whenever she looked at it. Victoria was startled out of her memories by a bright light shining into her window and Levi’s voice mixed with another man’s.
“It’s just over that hill over there. But don’t drive too fast, son, there’s some mud up ahead from the storm.” Victoria opened her eyes slightly to see an older gentleman with a graying beard shining a flashlight into the window. “Pretty girl you got there, son, make sure you take her up to the hot springs now.”
Levi nodded slowly, “Sure will. Thanks so much.” Victoria sat up a little bit straighter to allow the man to know that she was awake. She took in the older man’s appearance once more, he had a flannel shirt with the sleeves cuffed and suspenders holding his pants up. Victoria thought he was kind of cute, looked a little like the Santa Claus figure of her childhood.
Levi began to drive slowly taking caution on the turns of the road that the caretaker mentioned were slick. There was a lot of mud on the tires by the time the truck finally stopped in front of a small cabin with some smoke rising from a chimney.
“Do you think there’s a real fire in there?” Victoria asked smiling. Victoria couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen a real fireplace; there weren’t any at college for sure and her parents had a gas line.
“Yeah, before you woke up he was telling me how he started one for us since it’s been getting a little chilly up here at nighttime. So much for early spring.” Victoria shrugged. “But I think we’ll be fine, and I’ll keep you warm if it’s really cold,” he raised his eyebrows at the end making light of the situation. She knew that Levi could tell that she was concerned that it wasn’t warmer. Victoria loved to swim in the lakes or go boating or just lay on the sun for the day. That wasn’t really the type of weather that they would be experiencing. She wouldn’t be working on her tan over this weekend.
Levi carried the bags into the cabin and then came back for her. He swept Victoria up into his arms and walked slowly up the creaking steps leading to the wooden deck in front of the structure. Victoria tossed her head back to laugh as he struggled to carry her up the stairs. He set her down on the covered porch and she turned the large metal door handle. It didn’t look like anyone had lived there in quite some time but to Victoria the rustic feel of the small cabin was cozy. There was a roaring fire in one corner of the room next to what looked to be a small kitchenette and then on the other side of the room a simple queen bed with a quilt lying on top to keep them warm. The fire had definitely made the room warmer than it was outside and Victoria quickly moved over to it to warm her hands.
“You like it?”
She smiled, “Yes, it’s perfect!” She threw her arms around him. He kissed her lightly on the lips before beginning to unpack their things as she sat down on a small circular rug in front of the fireplace. Dragging her hand back and forth on the knotted fibers she heard him rustling behind her. She turned around to find him wrestling with a bottle of wine. “Need help?”
“No I’ve got it. It’s just...” Finally the cork popped out and he poured two glasses of the dark red liquid. He handed her a glass before he sat down. He wrapped his empty arm around her and she snuggled into his a crook between his neck and shoulder.
For a few minutes they sat there in silence before Levi said, “Victoria? There’s something I want to tell you.”
She lifted her head up slightly to get a better view of Levi’s chiseled features and his stunning gray eyes. “Sure. What’s going on?” Victoria felt a surge of panic rise into her chest. What if he brought her here just to tell her that things weren’t going the direction that she thought? What if he wasn’t going to ask her to marry him? Or was this it? The moment she’d been waiting for, she couldn’t decide how to feel as she sat on the edge of her self-imposed anxiety.
Levi sighed heavily, “It’s just... It’s just that I love you so much. And I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you.” He took his index finger and lifted her chin up so that he could kiss her, filling Victoria with the sweet sensation of his love. When he had stopped kissing her she shook her head in order to try to regain focus.
“Levi you know that I love you. Why so serious all of a sudden?”
He shrugged, “I don’t know. I just felt like you needed to hear it.” He allowed his eyes to rest on the fire and Victoria snuggled back in between his
shoulder and neck.
“You can say whatever you want. I don’t mind hearing it.”
He laughed, “Good to know. Thanks.”
###
The next morning Victoria was surprised to find it drizzling outside. She snuggled further under the quilt but when she reached over for Levi, he wasn’t there. She groggily opened her eyes and started to sit up looking for him, but he wasn’t inside the small cabin. Wrapping the quilt around her body she shuffled over to the window to look out and see Levi rearranging some things in the truck. Victoria opened it slightly and called out to him, “Morning, did you have breakfast yet?”
He waved back at her, there was mud down his jeans but he looked relaxed and almost cheerful. “No not yet. I’m trying to get down to the main house to get us some, it was included with our stay. God damn truck is stuck in the mud.”
Victoria sighed deeply, so much for getting to see the small town that was close by. “Well I packed some snacks.”
He smiled back at her and shrugged his shoulders before walking into the cabin. He took off his muddy boots just before stepping over the threshold. He walked over to Victoria and delivered a light kiss on the cheek, “How did I get so lucky?”
She smiled back at him devilishly, “Can’t tell ya. So what’s the grand plan for today vacation planner?”
He laughed at her teasing, “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”
She set her lips into a thin line, she didn’t like surprises very much.
“Don’t worry about it. Just eat your granola bar.”
After they ate and Victoria had gotten dressed Levi led her to the back of the cabin to a small trail. “I think you’re really going to enjoy this.”
They walked through the cool spring air while trees sprinkled light droplets on them. They walked in silence, hand-in-hand over small rocks and twigs, through the mud until Victoria finally heard rushing water. “Is that a waterfall?”
Levi smiled at her. “Nope. I did you one better.”
The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories Page 296