Top Notch (Man on Top Book 1)

by Nicole Richard

  Then what? If the feelings weren’t mutual, where would that leave the other? Meaning me.

  In that moment, it shouldn’t have mattered. What did matter was the way Levi stood with his chest pressed to my back and his strong hands gripping the handrail in front of me, surrounding me in a cocoon of hard muscle and warmth, making me feel safe and secure. A level of intimacy I wasn’t sure he knew he was offering.

  Contradicting our entire “friendship.”

  We faced the skyline and I lost myself in the beauty of the skyscrapers and the lights and the big city charm, its effects hypnotizing, dulling out the noisy streets below. Levi moved to wrap his arms around my shoulders. His stance was wide, erasing half a foot of height difference so his chin could rest on the top of my head.

  He lowered his voice and reflected back to our first night. “That night, when you were staring out my window, so consumed by the lights, something in me shifted.” I gripped his forearms, loving how warm I felt enveloped in his clutches. “I knew I’d never survive only one night with you . . . I had to come back for more, regardless of how that night ended.”

  My throat became thick with emotion. And my heart full of hope.

  “Which, in all honesty, is odd since I’ve never felt so strongly for someone before,” he confessed.

  I felt inclined to ask, “Have you never been in a serious relationship?”

  “Once. Somewhat, but not for long.”

  “And you . . .” I had no idea how to finish my question without feeling like I was prying. Listening to him talk about being in love with another woman wasn’t something I considered to be good first or second date topic material. Backtrack, Rowan. This isn’t a date. This was starting to get confusing. I needed to let things play out and see where they led.

  “And I what?” His lips brushed the back of my head. Then he turned my chin up to face him. With reverence in his gaze, he searched my eyes. It was such a tender moment, my heart swelled behind my ribs, beating at a strong, but steady pace.

  He lowered his lips onto mine, gently seeking entrance. There was nothing about the kiss that was rushed or demanding. It was sweet and heartfelt.

  When we finally pulled away and my focus returned, I asked, “Take a picture?” I held my phone out, hoping he wouldn’t mind me wanting to capture the moment.

  “Will you text it to me?” I nodded. “Turn around. Let’s get the city in the backdrop.”

  We maneuvered to capture the city behind us, and since Levi had a height advantage, I was able to get cozy and tucked myself into his side. He snapped the photo, and before returning my phone to me, he admired the two of us on the small screen, that boyish smile I was starting to look forward to prominent on his handsome face.

  “We look good together.” His words resonated somewhere deep, filling a part of my heart that didn’t hesitate to welcome him, in any shape or form.

  “I agree.”

  He took my hand in his again and we walked the length of the bridge, soaking up the moment like any normal couple would. My step light, matching the feeling in my heart. The thought of us being new and the feelings it evoked had me giddy, smiling like a fool.

  Rather than cloud our time together with trying to define what was taking place, I let the engineer in me have free rein to explore the sights before me, to visibly inspect the craftsmanship in the near distance. Thinking if I had mastered the discipline of structural engineering, I’d have gotten to see the fruits of my labor erected from the ground up along with what was printed on blueprints.

  “You’re glowing.” He squeezed my hand gently. “I hope it’s because of me.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Maybe,” he mocked and playfully pinched my side.

  “It’s an engineer thing.” As soon as the words left my lips, I felt like a dork. Here we were having a nice night, and I downgrade it with a nerdy retort.

  Levi smiled. “I can appreciate you being passionate about your work.”

  That comment might have made me fall head over heels in love. Understanding, let alone appreciating, an engineer’s mind is not an easy thing.

  We strolled a few more feet, people watching, hoping they weren’t watching us, although it was obvious by the looks some gave that they wondered if the man beneath the beanie was, after all, the man who owned first base for the town’s home team.

  And before our night could be overtaken by spectators and fanfare, I asked, “Wanna get out of here? Take that six-pack back to your place?”

  “What are you saying?”

  “For starters, you said you wanted me all to yourself.” I glanced around at the growing number of people milling about along the street. “You’re a perceptive man. I’m sure you can figure it out.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Rowan

  “Good morning, angel.” Levi’s warm breath tickled my nape as he whispered the greeting, rousing me from an almost dead sleep. His touch and soft kisses made the goose bumps rise all over my skin.

  “Why are you awake?” I groaned, turning away to hide my morning breath but couldn’t help smiling.

  He had kept me up for the better part of the night, showing me just how perceptive of a man he was. How attentive as he took his time, making sure I was worshiped and beyond satisfied, as I did him. And if I was going to function at all today, I would require at least another couple hours of sleep.

  “It’s already past ten. We should get up,” he murmured, his lips tracing my skin, working hard to coax me out of bed.

  Refusing, I buried my face in the pillow and smiled wider while asking myself if this was all a dream. Was I really waking up in Levi Montgomery’s bed after a mind-blowing night or was it all an illusion? It could have very well been a fabrication on my part.

  I inhaled a deep breath. A soft scent filled my nose; it wasn’t a familiar smell and even if I knew better, my heart dropped.

  I swallowed hard, fighting against the question forcing its way to my lips. Knowing I shouldn’t ask, especially while lying in his arms, it came out anyway.

  I popped my head from the pillow. “Please don’t take this the wrong way.” My voice wavered. “But do you at least change the sheets after—”

  “Rowan?” His voice was stern as he turned me to face him. “What are you saying?” He closed his eyes and shook his head for a brief second. “Never mind. I know what you’re asking, it’s just . . .”

  “I’m sorry,” I rushed out an apology feeling like an idiot.

  “Don’t be. It’s just . . .”

  “What?” I scooted to sit upright against the headboard, pulling the sheet with me, more curious than jealous. I knew his indiscretions had surpassed saint status, but still.

  He rubbed his hand over his face and then looked up at me with clouds of unease in his brown eyes. He took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, he said, “You’re the only woman who has ever slept in this bed.” His admission shocked me, leaving me temporarily breathless.

  “But, I thought you had a girlfriend. Did she not sleep over?”

  “My bedroom used to be upstairs. I moved into this room later, and if I did have company, well, we’d go upstairs—”

  The ugly picture already painted, I pressed my finger to his lips. I didn’t need to hear anymore.

  “I get it.” And I did. The part I had difficulty grasping was why he never took me upstairs to this room he spoke of. He brought me to his bedroom, his safe place. He treated me better than I could have ever imagined and definitely not like I was there for the sole purpose of being entertained.

  Taking his words at face value, I smiled and sunk lower on the mattress, meeting his lips. Our hands roamed the expanse of each other’s warm body, his hard and masculine to my soft and feminine, reacquainting, ready for a repeat of last night’s activities until the minty taste on his tongue registered and I realized I still needed to brush my teeth.

  I pulled away with lightning speed and held my hand over my mouth. “I’ll be right back.” I
hauled my naked body out of his bed and to the bathroom, thankful I had left my toiletry bag on the counter.

  I reached for the towel hanging on the back of the door and wrapped my naked self in it. Then, I proceeded to cover my toothbrush with toothpaste, only to hear him laugh and then call from the bedroom, “Why don’t you freshen up, and I’ll start breakfast.”

  With a mouth full of toothpaste, I mumbled back, “Okay.”

  I brushed quickly but thoroughly and then went through my morning routine. I stepped out of the bathroom and so many mixed emotions hit me at once. Needing a second to regroup, I sat on the edge of his bed and took a good look around. For the most part, Levi was a neat person. Everything seemed to have a place, from his furniture, to his essentials, to everything hung and neatly folded in his closet. Do I have a place in your life? I couldn’t help but ponder the thought. After spending time together, getting to know one another, feeling things, what girl wouldn’t question what was taking place? What woman wouldn’t want this exclusively long-term?

  The little we had already uncovered about the other felt personal. More than two people in a casual, no-strings attached relationship should be willing to share. I knew his life revolved around baseball, and had he not been suspended for such a lengthy amount of time, he would have already been back on the road. Gone for days at a time, living out a dream, and I would be on a totally different path, pursuing mine.

  It was too early in the day and relationship to be consumed with such heavy thoughts. I dropped the towel and slipped into my underwear. I grabbed his shirt from last night, the one haphazard thing lying around, and threw it over my head, inhaling his scent as it slid down my body, hoping he wouldn’t mind.

  As I approached the kitchen, I recognized the male voices, barking their opinions back and forth. I listened for a bit and figured out the commentators were talking about Hatch, offering their critiques on the Bucks loss against Arizona a few nights ago.

  “Hey,” I announced loud enough over the two men still going at it on the television. Sometimes those guys could be so annoying talking over the other.

  Looking my way, he reached for the remote and lowered the volume.

  “I think Fullerton has it out for Hatch,” I voiced, looking at the flat screen tucked in the far right corner.

  “He’s an asshole. Always rooted for Arizona and never gave Bucks a fair chance. He’s just pissed his nephew sucks. Come here.” He gave me that boyish smile. “Teeth all minty fresh?” he teased in that low, sexy voice making my body hum.

  “Um hmm, wanna taste?” he groaned and lowered his lips to mine, kissing me in gentle sweeps of his tongue.

  Somewhere between him coaxing my mouth open and the slow burn that kick-started in my belly, he grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me up onto the counter. I squirmed at the cold feeling against the back of my thighs. He stepped between my legs, his hands resting high on my thighs, gently caressing my warm skin.

  “I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get enough of you,” he admitted earnestly. The look in his eyes told me he was caught off guard by his own admission, but he meant every word of it.

  “I know what you mean,” I acquiesced.

  Levi was a natural charmer, humbly enticing me into his world while conveniently rocking said world. And if given the chance, you hold on to someone like him.

  “What do you think about going to the game tonight?” He reached to the side for the plate holding egg whites, bacon, and breakfast potatoes.

  “I thought you’re not allowed to.”

  “Eat.” He handed me a fork while holding the plate for me. “I’m not allowed in the dugout or the clubhouse. Anywhere else, I’m fine.”

  I gave it a quick thought and made sure to swallow my food before replying, “I’d like that.”

  “We could invite Spencer and whoever else you’d like. Could be fun, maybe meet up with the guys at Bucks?”

  “You’re sure this time?” I huffed out a chuckle, losing myself for a second in his warm brown eyes but then thought about last night and how he wanted to avoid the place altogether because his friends were there.

  “Yeah, I’d like you to meet them.”

  He brought a shaker cup to his lips and gulped what had to be a protein shake. Explained why he wasn’t eating along with me.

  “I’d like to meet them too. And I think Spencer would love hanging out. Maybe I could ask Gabby to tag along too. I haven’t spent as much time with her lately.” I took another bite, savoring every morsel that appeased my palate. “What’s with the face?” I asked. He looked to be in deep thought.

  “I’ve been curious.” He paused and I raised my brow. “How are you and Spencer only friends? I mean, how did you two become friends?”

  “It’s simple, really. He dated my roommate in college. After finding out we shared the same major, he and I hit it off. They broke up shortly thereafter and we remained best friends.”

  “And she never suspected anything?”

  “Oh, she did. She suspected a lot actually. But when she saw Spencer had already moved on and it wasn’t with me . . .” I laughed, thinking back to when the shitshow unfolded. “She knew he and I would never be more than friends.”

  “I bet that was ugly.” He chuckled.

  “At first.”

  “And have you guys—” He gulped.

  “Never.” Hopefully that explanation killed his curiosity for good.

  Levi sighed in relief and smiled. “Good. So, what do you want to do now?”

  “What time does the game start?”

  “Seven.”

  I gave it a quick thought. I usually dedicated a couple hours on Saturday to my work, if not, it was easy to get distracted and fall behind during the week. If he didn’t mind, there was enough time to call my best friend and sister, work on the Bowers project, and get ready for the game.

  “Well . . . I usually put in a couple hours on this one project I’m working on. Gives me the time I need, uninterrupted, so I don’t fall behind.”

  “On your day off?”

  I nodded. “Yes, on my day off.”

  “You really are devoted to your work.” He eyed me and I hoped he didn’t think I was some kind of workaholic who didn’t know how to relax and have fun. “Did you bring your work with you?”

  “I did.”

  “Well, then. Why don’t you work on your project, and I’ll get a workout in. I’ve been slacking this last week.” The look in his eyes and the smug grin on his face told me he put all the blame on me.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive. You can use my office upstairs if you’d like.”

  “That would be great, thank you.”

  I hopped down from the counter, and before I could get past Levi, he grabbed my wrist and pressed his chest to my back. “And, angel?”

  “Yes,” I purred.

  He let go of my wrist and squeezed my butt. “Do me a favor and put some clothes on.” I bit my lip, giggling under my breath. “You little thief.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Rowan

  I pushed my glasses to the top of my head and rubbed my eyes. Then I leaned back into the leather chair, realizing I had been working at the site plan in front of me for close to two hours. Losing track of time was easy when I blocked the world out and gave the Bowers project my full and undivided attention.

  Taking a minute to relax, I thought about last night and this morning. How things were progressing, maybe quickly but naturally, in my opinion. Last night was amazing, and then this morning, I had to be one of those girls asking a question I should have squashed the second I thought it.

  My mind wandered back to our first night and him vaguely mentioning something about taking me upstairs. That didn’t happen, and he didn’t waste any time. He took me right there on that damn thick wall of glass.

  But then he let me into his private space. A place no other woman had been.

  With a hopeful heart and an overthinking mind, my e
yes panned the sleek office space. The right side of the large oak desk butted up against another wall of glass. The wall to my left and the one in front of me were lined with floor-to-ceiling dark wood shelves housing an eclectic collection of books, more framed photographs, and a ton of sports memorabilia.

  I pushed to my feet and moseyed toward the shelves, my mind stuck on that room he mentioned and if I should search it out. See for myself if it was that kind of room or just your average normal space: a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser; a room that held no insight into the man who had an appetite to entertain.

  A slow knot of self-torture formed in my stomach and grew at a rapid pace. Just how many women had he invited into his home and how long were they welcome? Were they all just for the night, or did they get a little more of him too? Did he tend to them like he had me, making them feel all kinds of special? Not liking the feeling at all, I refocused my attention out the wall of glass and on the backyard.

  Tranquil and serene, the water sparkled in the daylight as it spilled effortlessly over the edge of the infinity pool. A spa big enough for ten sat tucked in the far left corner, and I made a mental note to ask Levi if we could take a swim since I had packed my favorite royal blue bikini, the suit that left little to the imagination while deepening the blue of my already sapphire eyes.

  I reached across the desktop for my phone and typed a group text to both Spencer and Gabby, asking if they’d like to join us at the game tonight and at Bucks afterward. Almost instantly, Spencer replied with a “Can’t make the game, but count me in for Bucks” and “What time?” I texted the information and waited an extra minute to see if Gabby would reply. When she didn’t, I set my phone and glasses down about the time I heard music blaring through the house.

  The sound lured me to the doorway of the office, where I stopped and listened. The song was edgy, and I assumed it was what Levi listened to when he worked out. It would only make sense.

  Letting my curious mind take the lead, I padded slowly down the stairs, my ears guiding me toward the vibrating beat. Between the jarring sounds of bass and the male vocalist’s sharp words, my ears tuned in to the sound of flesh whacking against what I assumed was a punching bag.