by Leigh, Ember
“See, it was dumb. That’s not a joke you tell a lady.” Gage glared at his brother.
“Ladies like all types of jokes,” Levi affirmed, bringing out a mixing bowl.
“And any lady that knows Levi has heard about a thousand of them,” Riley added.
Gage leaned on his arm rest toward Riley, almost conspiratorially. “My brother’s not that funny, is he?”
Levi scoffed, but Riley saw the trace of a smile on his face.
“Actually, he’s pretty hilarious,” Riley said, loving this strange brotherly competition between them. This was the last thing she’d expected to wake up to this morning. To find out that all along, Levi had been harboring a teenaged brother. That this living arrangement was what he woke up to and went to sleep with.
“Aww, do you really think that, Riley?” Levi batted his eyelashes at her, flicking on the stovetop so the cast iron skillet could warm.
“Yes, I do.” Riley couldn’t stop the grin from overtaking her face. Like she was a teenager, going gaga for her crush. When she glanced at Gage, she caught the naked look of him taking the two of them in, absorbing each detail of their interaction.
Absolutely fascinated.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, pushing off the stool. “I have to go to the little girl’s room.”
“What does that mean?” Gage crunched up his nose.
“It means she has to go take a piss,” Levi explained. “Or go eat her mop, or whatever.”
Riley laughed as she headed back to Levi’s bedroom, where his attached bathroom waited. She overhead Gage say to Levi, “She’s really hot!”
In the bathroom, Riley splashed water on her face over and over again, trying to wake herself up from this crazy dream. But every time she opened her eyes, she was still here. In Levi’s bathroom. Wearing his clothes. Having a very fun, early breakfast with his family.
As she stared at her reflection and tried to wipe away some of the smudged mascara under her eyelashes, she repeated one thing to herself: You will not fall for him now.
Because somehow, learning about Gage cracked her wide open. Levi almost seemed like his dad, which was probably due to their age difference. The second they’d stepped out into the apartment, she’d caught the subtle shift in Levi. The way he’d straightened, almost beefing himself up more to be around Gage.
And yes, it was all very hot, so now she needed to tread more carefully.
When she rejoined the brothers in the kitchen, soft hip-hop music played from a stereo in the living room. Levi had the scrambled eggs going, and the toaster oven boasted a full rack of bread.
“Gage, you want avocado toast?”
Gage sighed.
“Fine. What about butter toast?” Before Gage could answer, Levi said, “Or frying oil toast? Or toejam toast? What about dryer lint toast?”
Gage snickered. “I’ll take the dryer lint toast.”
“My fave, too.” Levi sent Riley a wink as he turned toward the kitchen island, holding the cast iron skillet handle with a dishtowel as he pushed eggs into three separate bowls. “Riley, you want the toe jam toast, right?”
“I’ll go with avocado.”
“That’s my girl.” His smooth tenor got the butterflies in her belly started again. Riley rested her chin in her palm, smiling over at Gage.
“Were you at Levi’s fight last night?”
Gage shook his head but didn’t offer anything more.
“He doesn’t go to a lot of them,” Levi said. Riley suddenly realized that maybe she’d waded into uncomfortable territory. Her belly cinched with anxiety.
“I would like to,” Gage said pointedly. “But I don’t have anybody to go with.”
“You can go with Tammy,” Levi said, using a tone that sounded like he’d probably said those words tons of times before.
“I’m not going with Tammy, okay?” Gage scoffed. “She’s great and all, but…no.”
“Who’s Tammy?” Riley asked.
“His home health nurse. She’s nice. But I guess not exactly night-on-the-town material.” Levi added a heaping pile of cheese to each bowl of eggs, then chopped cilantro. He paused, looking up at Riley.
“You’re not one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, are you?”
She eyed the bowls. “No. You got lucky. I think it tastes like perfection.”
Levi heaved a sigh of relief and handed out the bowls, then got out three forks. “Dig in, kids.”
Riley was one bite into her fluffy eggs when she realized what was missing. “You got any coffee?”
“We have orange soda,” Gage declared.
Levi narrowed his eyes at his brother, then said, “Yes, I have coffee. Would you like some, m’lady?”
Riley fought a grin and nodded. “Please. I can’t start my day until I get my drug of choice.”
“Ha ha,” Gage said. “I feel that way about cheese.”
“You eat cheese first thing in the morning every day?”
Gage shrugged, looking a little guilty. “Maybe.”
Riley pushed the eggs around in her bowl, relishing everything about this morning…and the night before. She didn’t get why Levi had been trying to avoid this. Why he didn’t want her to meet Gage. He was a funny, bright kid. Hell, she wouldn’t mind coming over more often and hanging out with both of them.
This was nice. Really nice.
Levi clanked around in cupboards, and she noticed him extract a coffee pot, and then after a lot more rummaging, some filters. He seemed to be taking a long time, but she didn’t think much of it as she ate her eggs and chatted with Gage. When the coffee maker was gurgling and the first notes of the brew reached her nose, she released a long sigh.
“See, that’s the smell of a productive morning,” Riley said.
“My productive mornings smell like dried sweat and bleach,” Levi said.
“Why dried sweat?” Gage asked.
“Because everything smells like dried sweat in a gym. Hey, Gage, what did the bodybuilder say when he opened his protein tub?”
Gage paused, his fork suspended midair, a smile curling his lips upward. “Ummm, I don’t know?”
“No whey!”
Gage snorted. To Riley, Levi said, “I’ve got all the gym jokes a person could ask for.”
“You should publish a book,” Riley said, watching as Levi poured coffee into a mug for her.
“You want milk or…whatever?”
She shook her head, reaching for the mug. “Black is good.” Except this coffee didn’t look very black. She assumed it was the mug and took a healthy sip.
A second later, she spit it back into the mug.
Levi’s eyes widened, and Gage dissolved into laughter.
“Are you okay?” Levi asked.
She covered her mouth, trying to stifle the embarrassed giggles threatening to spill out. She nodded, body wracked with silent laughter.
“Sorry,” she said, trying to keep her voice measured. So here it was: Levi’s fatal flaw. He could tell jokes, beat a man to death, sex her from head to toe and make breakfast the next morning…but he couldn’t make a pot of coffee. “That was horrible.”
“What, the coffee?” he demanded.
She nodded, and the laughter rippled out of her. Gage cracked up too, pointing at his brother.
He looked between Riley and Gage. “Okay, okay. I don’t know how to make coffee. So sue me.”
“Was that your first time?” Riley demanded, slapping her palm on the countertop. “You could have warned me!” That’s when she noticed the packet of coffee on the counter. It was instant coffee. Decaffeinated, no less. She fought another round of laughter.
He frowned, tossing the coffee into the sink. “I didn’t think it would be that hard.”
“Oh, honey.” She bit back more laughter, stabbing her fork into the eggs for her next bite. “I appreciate the effort.”
When she glanced up at him, she caught that shimmery chestnut glaze in his eyes, the one that made
her feel warm from head to toe. They grinned at each other for a few moments, like starstruck lovers, like newlyweds, like any man and woman on the precipice of something big.
She liked this man. Every inch of him.
And she only wanted more.
Chapter 14
Once their bellies were full and Gage had wandered back into his bedroom for some Call of Duty action, Levi knew it was safe to take Riley back into the bedroom.
“Did you at least like my eggs?” he asked as she climbed onto the bed and crossed her legs. Seeing her in his own clothes was too cute and too sexy. He already planned to send her home in them. Just so he’d have an excuse to see her again with the pretense of demanding them back.
“Your eggs were a thousand times better than your coffee,” she said, beaming up at him.
“You seem so happy that I can’t make coffee.”
“I discovered your fatal flaw.” She poked her index finger into the air. “It’s exciting.”
He laughed softly. “Oh, trust me. I’ve got some other fatal flaws.” He eased onto the bed beside her so that their arms brushed. Then he scooped her legs up, placing them over his lap. “What are you getting into today?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip as she searched his face. He sensed disappointment in the air.
“I’m taking pictures.”
“Oh.” He couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his voice. “You got a gig?”
She nodded. “Well, it’s for my roommate and her family. We’re gonna do some touristy things, but they want professional pictures. Her mom’s paying and everything.”
Levi smirked. “Not as cool as fight nights.”
“No.” She laughed, holding his hand in both of hers, inspecting his palm. “Definitely not as cool.”
Silence blossomed between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt like a space he could live in and never get tired of. When she spoke, the sound of her voice jolted him back to reality.
“I want to hug you.”
“So do it,” he said, cracking a grin. “I dare ya.”
Riley laughed, scooting into his lap fully and wrapping her arms around his waist. She pressed her head to his chest, and he sighed with satisfaction, encircling her with his arms. She felt good there. Like she’d always been there. Didn’t make any sense.
When she tipped her head up to look at him, her chin propped against his pec, she said, “I should probably get going.”
He grunted, tightening his hold on her. “Yeah?”
She buried her face in his chest again. “I’m gonna call a ride share.”
“Don’t do that.” He shifted, feeling himself harden again, though he didn’t know how it was physically possible. He’d spent every ounce of sexual energy from late last night to the wee hours of the early morning. He’d come something like ten times. The last time he came, he was pretty sure nothing had come out of his body. His cock was faking it. “I’ll drive you home.”
She blinked. “Are you sure?”
Levi brushed his lips against the top of her head. “No, I’m Levi.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Ha ha. Funny joke. I’ll get changed.”
“No. Take those clothes. I don’t mind.”
Something warm shivered between them. As she gathered her things, Levi could already feel the loss of her warmth. Not just beside him, but here. In his space. His head still spun from having the impromptu breakfast with Riley and Gage, head to head, but he didn’t want to process it now. That would come later. He’d decide how all of this made sense once he got back and could decompress.
Levi pulled his hair back into a sloppy man bun once Riley had her stuff together. She smirked at him as they headed to Gage’s bedroom.
“I take out your cornrows and within an hour you have a man bun,” she said.
“Gage loves it. Watch.” Levi rapped softly on the door and then stuck his head in. “Hey, bro. I’m gonna take Riley home.”
“I’m sorry, what did you say? I couldn’t hear past your outrageous hair,” Gage said.
Levi cackled. “That’s what I thought. I’ll be back soon. Say bye to Riley.” He pushed the door open farther so Riley could peek in.
“Bye, Riley!” Gage twisted and waved at her. “You can do better than a guy with a man bun, you know.”
She giggled. “Bye, Gage. It was nice to meet you.”
Levi shook his head, biting back a grin as they headed for the car.
“I don’t have a problem with the man bun,” Riley said once they were out of the apartment. He slung his arm around her.
“Yeah, well, most people that aren’t sixteen-year-old shitheads don’t have a problem with it.” He paused as he pushed the door to the parking lot open. “I say that with love, of course.”
She grinned up at him. “Oh, I know.”
Once they got to his SUV, Riley pointed at the apparatus attached to the back. “Is that for Gage’s chair?”
Levi nodded before walking around to the driver’s side. Once they were inside, Riley said, “It’s a whole thing, huh?”
“What is?” The engine roared to life.
“Taking care of someone with a disability.”
He laughed, but not because it was funny. “Yeah. That’s an understatement.”
Riley rummaged in her camera bags. “I wanted to take a picture at your place, but I totally forgot. I need to take one now.”
“Why? So you don’t forget my pretty face?”
“Sorta. It’s part of this composite I’m making. Like a 365-day thing, but…a little different.”
“I bet it’ll be cool, whatever it is.”
Riley stopped rummaging abruptly, and he could sense the atmosphere of the car shift. He glanced over at her. “What’s wrong?”
She deflated. “I totally forgot.”
“What is it? Do we need to go back?”
“No, no. It’s just…” She rubbed at her forehead, then pulled a lens out of her bag. “This cracked at the match yesterday. I had a run-in with one of the other photographers.”
Heat licked through his veins. He frowned. “Wait, what? Did someone break your shit?”
“Sorta, yeah.” She held it up. The crack ran jagged across the glass. “He pushed me. Someone also smacked my ass. I think it was the same guy. It was kind of a rough night for sports photography.”
His jaw fell open, and he stared at her long enough that she shouted at him to watch the road.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” he demanded. His heart was racing now, and all he wanted to do was find the name of the guy who’d felt her up and show up at his house.
“I didn’t want to spoil your win,” she said. “And then once we got to your house, I honestly forgot. You made me forget,” she said with a little laugh.
“I’m getting you a new lens,” he said, gripping his steering wheel so tightly it made his knuckles hurt. “And I want you to show me who it was.”
“You don’t have to get me a new one. These are expensive.”
“You broke it while taking pictures for an event you wouldn’t have been at if it weren’t for me,” Levi said. “I’m buying you a new one. Send me an invoice or something so I can give it to my accountant.” When he saw her face, he added, “It’s a business expense.”
“Levi—”
“I’m not budging on this. And I’m so fucking mad about this dickhead photographer,” he said, nostrils flaring as the emotion assaulted him again. Who the fuck did shit like this? “Riley, this is not happening again. I promise you. I’m going to take care of it.”
She peeked up at him from beneath her lashes, her lips curved into a tiny smile. “Okay. I appreciate that. And if it makes you feel any better, I jammed my heel into his foot.”
He held up his palm for a high five. “That helps a little.”
The car was quiet while she changed lens and readied her camera, save for the soft hip-hop coming from the speakers. He didn’t do anything while the shutter clicked s
oftly. She inspected the screen, then shot some more. He was just driving—one arm propped up, leaning in his seat.
This was so regular. So mundane. But he liked to think that she wanted to remember their night together. Because he did too.
He just wasn’t sure what should come after.
She guided him to her place, which was a cute little stucco house tucked into the recesses of Los Feliz. He turned off the engine in her driveway, which caused her to lift a brow.
“You want to come in?”
“You saw my bedroom, now I should see yours,” he said. “Fair is fair.”
He could tell she liked this idea. She led him toward the house by his hand, and when they entered the tiny foyer, conversation and laughter filled the house.
Someone happened to enter the hallway—and then shrieked.
“Riley, I wasn’t expecting you!”
Riley toed off her unlaced combat boots. “Sorry if I scared you. Nikki, this is Levi.”
“Oh my gosh, hi.” Nikki glided toward him, extending her hand. Already he could tell that she was a good one. “I was at your fight last night. It was…incredible. You did so incredibly well.” Still shaking his hand, she twisted around. “Ma! Danie! Come here!”
Two more women entered the small foyer, and Riley was sort of pushed aside as Nikki herded her family toward him to shake hands.
“This is a really cool and famous fighter who Riley works with, and he is ascending the charts right now, if you know what I mean,” Nikki explained while her mother and sister shook his hand. Riley laughed into her palm down the hallway.
“What is it that you do?” Nikki’s mom asked, squinting at him. “A fighter?”
“I beat people up for a living,” Levi affirmed. “And, you know, eat really well and work out a hundred times a day.”
“I’m going to show him the house,” Riley blurted, snaking through the small crowd to grab his hand. “Are we getting ready to go? I can be ready soon.”
More chatter erupted as Riley led Levi down the hallway and into a bright living room connected to a modern kitchen. Their backyard was lush and green through the sliding glass doors, with lots of lounge chairs placed intermittently. He loved the place but could already see five different accessibility hurdles when it came to Gage. It was shit like this that made leaving the house so stressful for his brother. Why he didn’t love going new places. Why he hesitated to see the matches.