“Hey,” I say into the phone.
“Hey, babe. What are you doing?” he asks, voice sounding happy.
“I’m on my way home from work. Where are you? Are you on your way?” Even I can hear the hope in my voice.
“Not yet. I got hung up, but I should be home later tonight. Then we can celebrate.” I can hear the smile on his face.
“I can’t wait,” I agree.
“Can you do me a favor? I was going to do it myself, but getting held up is throwing a wrench in my plans.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I need you to go by Levi’s and pick up a pair of tickets he scored for me.”
“Oh, where are you taking me?”
He laughs. “They’re not for us. They’re tickets I bought for some clients who are coming into town this weekend. I just wanted to make sure they have a good time, give them a little incentive, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, okay. Sure, I guess I can do that.”
“Thanks, babe. I should be getting home between ten and midnight; it depends if the flight is on time.”
“Alright. I love you,” I say into the phone.
“I love you too. Bye, babe.” He hangs up without another word, and I can’t help but smile to myself. It feels like old times again, and I hope things stay this way.
I swing by Levi’s and knock on the door. I end up knocking two more times before he swings open the door in nothing but a towel around his waist, water rolling down every hard muscle.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt your shower,” I mumble, unable to take my eyes off his hard chest and abs.
“It’s no problem. What did you need?”
“Oh, right. Um, Nick asked me to swing by and pick up some tickets?” I have to forcibly move my eyes away from his ripped chest. It feels like my face has been set on fire.
“Alright. Come in,” he says, motioning me forward as he walks deeper into his apartment.
I sit on the edge of the couch and wait while he finds them.
He’s back within minutes. “Here they are,” he says, handing them over.
I take them and stand. “Okay, thanks.” I move toward the door, but he calls out my name.
“Dani?”
“Yeah?” I ask, spinning around to face him.
“I’m really sorry about the other day.” He chuckles. “Well, I’m really sorry about the past week, actually. I know I’ve been acting weird toward you, and I just wanted you to know that it’s not you. It’s me. I’ve just been going through some stuff lately.” His eyes pop up to mine, and I can see how glassy and bloodshot they are. Has he been drinking?
“Do you want to talk about it?” I offer.
“No, it’s nothing. I guess I’m just a little thrown off by this engagement. I mean…never mind. It’s none of my business.” He moves closer to me, reaching behind me to open the door, but I don’t budge.
“What do you mean, Levi? You don’t think Nick will change, do you?” What Levi thinks about Nick is important to me. They’ve known one another for years. Levi knows Nick better than anyone, better than me in some ways because Nick doesn’t open up to me the same way he does with Levi.
Without saying a word, he shakes his head no. “I’d just hate for him to trick you into marriage just so he can go back to his old ways. If you thought you felt trapped a week ago, wait until there’s a legal document binding you to him.”
I open my mouth, but no words come out. He’s right. A ring is no guarantee. The promise he made, it’s no different from all the other promises he’s made over the years.
“I’d just hate to see you hurt, Dani,” he whispers, his breath blowing across my face as our eyes lock.
Something is being exchanged between us in this heated stare we’re sharing. My stomach muscles tighten when this swirl of tingling takes over. Something is drawing us closer. I’m locked in his gaze and can’t escape.
His eyes closed as his lips draw closer to mine. He’s so close that I can taste the whiskey on his breath. He wets his lips moments before his mouth pressed against mine.
My lips begin tingling, and my eyes flutter closed. I lose all train of thought when his tongue slides into my mouth, against my own. My arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer. His hands land on my hips, squeezing, as his chest presses against mine. We stumble backward until my back hits the door. At this moment, I can’t think of anything except the way his lips feel against mine, and how good he causes my body to feel.
Our tongues tangle together at lightning speed, and my hands begin touring his hard chest and abs. He catches my wrist in his hand, and he pins it up above my head as he slowly breaks the kiss. He looks me in the eye, but he doesn’t pull away completely.
“If it’s that easy for you to get lost in a kiss with me, you don’t love him,” he whispers. “Not the way you’re supposed to.”
With his words, I suddenly realize how wrong this is. I remember Nick and our promise to one another, the ring on my finger.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “This is wrong.” I jerk my hand away from his and push him back as I spin around, grabbing the doorknob and running from his apartment. By the time I reach my car, I’m breathless from my quick exit. Tears burn my eyes. I haven’t kissed anyone but Nick in years. And I do it now, now that we’re engaged? What’s wrong with me? I can’t believe I fucked up like that.
One thing is for certain: I can’t tell Nick. He’ll never forgive Levi for what happened, and I won’t be the reason their friendship ends. It wasn’t even his fault. He’s clearly been drinking. I can still taste the whiskey on my tongue. Levi has an excuse, but what’s mine?
Sure, Levi is hot and sexy and sweet. He’s everything Nick’s not. Don’t get me wrong. Nick is good-looking with his short blond hair and green eyes. But Levi, Levi is undeniable. His dark hair and blue eyes are something women everywhere lust for. And he’s a good guy. He’s never bounced from one woman to the next. He’s always been a good friend to me. He’s gone out of his way to make sure I always have someone there to talk with or vent to.
Then it hits me.
The reason Levi has been acting so strange since the engagement. The reason he came out onto the balcony that night. The reason he kissed me. Levi likes me. He doesn’t want to see me hurt because he has a thing for me. And it’s clear he can’t do anything about it because Nick is his best friend.
I let out a sigh. How have I not seen this before?
I go straight home and place the tickets on the counter, so they don’t get misplaced, then I head for a shower. I need to rinse this day off of me. I have to forget it. I refuse to tell Nick about it, and I can’t let my guard down around Levi again. I need this all to go away.
I spend the rest of the day in the house, trying to distract myself from the mistake I made today. It’s pushing ten o’clock when an idea hits me. Nick and I obviously can’t go out this late, but I could run out and get some things for when he gets home. I pull on some clothes, grab my purse, and leave the apartment.
I walk down the street and get us some Chinese takeout, then hit the grocery store and grab all the fixings we’ll need to make ice cream sundaes. I smile as I pick up the whipped cream. This is something we could have fun with. I pay for the items and start my walk back to the building.
Traffic starts to lighten up as I walk home, but the sidewalks are still crowded with walkers, joggers, and bike riders. When I get to the building, I see a black town car parked out front with blacked-out windows. It’s quickly rocking back and forth. I laugh, thinking someone in there must be having a good time, but then I see the back bumper. It has New York plates—something you don’t see a lot of around here.
My stomach sinks and my heart starts to pound. Something tells me that if I open the car door, I know what I’ll see. Slowly, I walk up to it, hand reaching for the handle. I wrap my fingers around it and pull.
I scream when I see Nick, pants around his knees while he drives into
another woman. She screams, and he quickly looks up to find me standing in the open door. Tears flood my eyes as my hand drops the bags.
“Danielle,” he says, pulling away from the girl and trying to get his pants back up in the small space. He stumbles out and reaches for me, but I pull away.
“How could you?” I yell.
“I’m sorry, baby. It’s not what it looks like.” His eyes have doubled in size, and his brows are arched high.
“It’s not what it looks like?” I yell. “Then what the fuck is it, Nick? Because it looks like you’re fucking her a week after asking me to marry you! In front of our apartment!”
“Let’s just go upstairs. Let’s talk this through, Danielle. I love you.” The words quickly leave his mouth.
“You love me?” I spit out. “You love me?” I yell even louder as I rush forward, pushing him backward. “Everyone was right about you.” I pull the ring off my finger and throw it as hard as I can.
He jumps to catch it, but he drops it, and it begins bouncing down the sidewalk, leaving him to chase after it.
While he’s busy trying not to lose the ring, I turn and stomp away.
5
Levi
I can’t fucking believe I kissed her. God, I’m such a fucking dumbass. She probably ran home and told Nick. He’s probably on his way over here right now to kick my ass. How in the hell could I fuck up like this?
I grab my bottle of whiskey and take a long drink as I fall back onto the couch, completely pissed off at myself. How can I fix this? I guess I could tell her I’d been drinking and was just trying to prove my point. Tell her that I was wrong in kissing her and didn’t mean anything by it.
I guess that’s all I can do. It’s not like I can confess my actual feelings for her and expect her to understand. Hell, she probably won’t even talk to me after that.
My eyes close as a deep breath leaves my lungs. I didn’t mean to kiss her. I just couldn’t help myself. She was standing in front of me, looking stunningly beautiful. Her eyes kept taking me in, and her pink lips were parted like they were begging to be kissed. Just thinking about the kiss makes my body come to life. My mind remembers the kiss and takes it even further. What if I hadn’t pulled her hand away from my chest? Would she have removed my towel? If she would’ve, would she be here with me right now?
A knock at the door breaks me away from my thoughts, and my heart starts to pound.
“Yeah?” I yell, almost expecting to hear Nick on the other side.
“It’s me,” Dani says quietly.
I jump up and race to the door to find her standing on the other side, arms wrapped around herself, tears pooling in her eyes.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” I take her hand and pull her inside.
I close and lock the door behind us, then lead her over to the couch. She sits down, and I take the seat next to her. She reaches out and picks up my bottle of whiskey. She brings it to her lips and takes a long drink.
“I caught Nick with another woman tonight,” she confesses.
“What? Who?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know who she was. He called me earlier and said he was held up at work and he wouldn’t be home until late. So I thought I’d run out and get dinner for us for when he made it home. When I walked back, there was a car out front with New York plates, and it was rocking from side to side. He always flies home, so it was weird to see NY plates, but deep in my gut, I just knew it was him inside. So I braced myself for the worst and opened the door. And there he was, pants pulled down, buried deep in a redhead.”
I let out a breath. “Fuck, I’m so sorry, Dani.” I place my hand on her back and rub it up and down to soothe her.
She tips the bottle back again. “I guess this is what I get. I mean, you were right. I should never have believed him. I shouldn’t have trusted him. Why would a ring change anything?” She inhales loudly. “Do you think he’s been cheating on me this whole time? All those nights alone in New York? All the times I called and it went to his voicemail? God, what about the party he threw at the house? Is it possible that while I was outside freezing my butt off, he was fucking another woman right under my nose?” Tears flood her eyes and spill over, flowing freely down her face.
My mouth opens, but I can’t deny it. I won’t lie to her. Instead of saying anything, I just pull her in for a hug. She clings to me for dear life as she cries into my shirt.
We sit this way for a good hour until she has nothing left to cry. When she pulls away, she runs her hand down the front of my wet shirt.
“I’m so sorry. Look at your shirt. It’s covered in makeup and tears.” She laughs as she dries her eyes.
“It’s alright,” I say, reaching down and pulling the shirt off as I toss it onto the floor. “See, all better,” I joke, causing her to giggle.
She tips the bottle back and takes another swig and then hands it to me. I do the same. The room falls quiet, neither of us knowing what to say or do.
“I just,” she starts, shaking her head clear. “I just don’t know what to do now. Where am I going to go?”
“I told you. I have a spare room you can stay in for now.”
She looks up at me from beneath her eyelids. “Will you come with me tomorrow to get my things? I’m scared he won’t let me leave.”
I feel my face pinch. “Why would you think that?”
“Tonight, he grabbed ahold of my wrist. He wanted me to go upstairs to talk, but I pulled away and then threw the engagement ring at him. He had no choice but to go chasing after it, so I took the opportunity and ran off.”
I let out a deep breath. “I’ll go with you. Maybe he’ll feel better if he knows I’m watching over you.”
“Thank you, Levi,” she says, throwing herself into my arms for a hug. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
I inhale the scent of her hair deeply. It washes over me, hot and heavy. It relaxes me but also stirs my emotions. I want her so fucking bad. Our kiss earlier was fucking magical. It made me feel things I haven’t felt in years.
She pulls back, but not away. She looks into my eyes while her arms are still wrapped around my neck. She doesn’t say anything, though. Instead, she wets her lips as her face gets closer and closer to mine. I know I should stop this, but I’m weak. I can’t stop her or push her away. All I can do is stay still. Stay completely frozen, and wait.
Her mouth finds mine, and it’s like an explosion goes off. A dam breaks inside of me, and I lose all control. I pull her closer as my tongue dances with hers. While my hands move up and down her back, she moves onto my lap, straddling me. Her weight pressing against my hard dick feels amazing, like something I’ve never felt before. It makes my entire body tingle and burn with anticipation.
I move us so that she’s laying on her back across the couch, and her body is covered with mine. My hips have a mind of their own as they grind against her. Her nails scratch up my back as she silently begs me for more. Our mouths never stop moving as my hands find their way up to her chest. I gently squeeze, the action causing a current to shoot right to my dick, only pushing me to move faster before she can change her mind.
Then it hits me. She’s hurt and drunk. Granted, I’m drunk too, but I know better. I need to stop this.
I let my hand fall away as I slow our kiss. I savor the last few seconds before pulling away completely.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, breathless.
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Dani, but we can’t do this.” I reach for the bottle and take another swig. “You’re drunk, and you’re hurting. I won’t take advantage of you.”
Her mouth opens, and she sits back up at my side, taking the bottle from my hands, throwing back another gulp.
“I’d argue with you, but I have a feeling there’d be no point, would there?”
I laugh. “No.” I turn and look at her glassy eyes and reddened face. “You’re beautiful, and I’d love to be with you when the time is right. But that time isn’t right now
. You need to process your feelings toward Nick, and you can’t do that drunk.” I snatch the bottle away from her again.
She laughs. “Well, nobody said I had to process my feelings tonight, right?”
I take a drink. “Right,” I say, handing it back to her.
Hours go by, and we end up hanging out on the couch, passing the bottle back and forth, listening to music and talking.
“Why haven’t you ever introduced Nick and me to any of the girls you date?” she asks.
I turn my head and look at her. She’s breathtaking. She has her socks and shoes thrown onto the floor, her bare feet crossed at the ankles, and resting across my legs.
I shrug. “I guess none of them ever felt like they were going to last. Figured, what’s the point of introducing them to my family and friends if I wasn’t even sure about them myself?”
She presses her lips together. “Have there been a lot of them?”
I laugh. “Not a lot, but several, I guess.”
She doesn’t say anything, but already, I can tell she’s comparing me to Nick.
“I’m not a player. I don’t find a girl, take her home, then kick her out and move on to the next. Actually, most of the women I date, I date for at least a month before I ever show her my place.”
“Really?” she asks, all serious.
Her confused expression makes me laugh. “Why is that hard to believe?”
“In today’s world, a world where you can literally pick up your phone and find a hook-up with a few clicks, it’s rare to wait a month before having sex.”
“I guess you’re right. But again, I’m not a player, and I’m not just looking for a hookup.”
She pushes herself up, crossing her legs beneath her. “What are you looking for, Levi?”
I take a deep breath as I think it over. “I guess what most people want: a person to love and marry, to start a family with. Someone who will always have my back. Someone who’s beautiful but not conceited. Someone who’s smart but not a know-it-all. Someone who works hard but can also cut loose and have fun. Just…someone to enjoy spending time with.”
His Every Desire (Contemporary Romance Box Set) Page 41