by Leia Shaw
“I told you she was friendly,” Levi said, chuckling.
Darren smiled. “I’ll let you guys get going. Good luck.” He patted Levi on the back. “Safe travels.”
They watched him leave then Levi stepped through the door, holding a small duffle bag. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah. I’ll get my stuff.” Already, this felt weird. Sharing a small space with a guy she hadn’t known for more than a few weeks. Spending two days alone with him. The intimacy of the situation sunk in. What did she get herself into?
With a sigh, she shut the door behind him. “Um. Have a seat, I guess. It’ll just be a few minutes.” She looked at the couch and cringed. Maybe having a seat was a bad idea. Jess was already grinning like a maniacal villain.
It was too late now though. Levi was already making his way to the office chair across from the couch. At least Dani was distracting Jess by starting another round of wrestling.
“Stop!” Jess said, laughing. “I want to talk to Em’s…friend.”
Shit. She rushed to her room and gathered her stuff quickly before Jess and her creepy girlfriend grilled him like some potential suitor in a sitcom. With her coat and laptop bag on one arm the suitcase in her other hand, she flew out of her bedroom.
“I’m ready,” she said to Levi, panting, then looked at Jess. “No fucking on the couch.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “I have a bed, thank you. And I’m a grown up, not a teenager with raging hormones.”
By the way they were acting earlier, she wouldn’t know it.
“Don’t forget what I told you,” Dani said. In an exaggerated whisper, she added with a wink, “Pull over.”
“Oh my god.” Em turned for the door. “Let’s go, before this gets weirder.”
Levi chuckled. “Good to see you again.” He waved to the girls.
In a sing-song voice, Jess said, “Byyye.”
Emerson was more than happy to slam the apartment door shut and leave her meddling, giggling roommate behind.
“They seem nice,” Levi said.
She snorted.
“Let me take that.” He reached for her bag with his free hand but she held it away.
“I’m fine.”
He arched a brow. “I wasn’t asking.” With a quick yank, it was gone from her hands.
She didn’t bother fighting for it so he carried both their bags down the one flight of stairs to the parking lot then followed her to her car. At least he was a gentleman. How long would that last?
After she popped the trunk of the little gray Prius, he placed their bags inside. “Keys?” He held out his hand.
She considered him for a moment. It was her car, her trip. Maybe she should offer to drive first. But then her laptop called to her. Even a few hours of work would be helpful. Travelling to the conference wouldn’t be a waste. With that, she slapped the keys into his hand.
He smiled. “Let’s go, road trip buddy.”
She scrunched her nose and he laughed then opened the driver’s side door and climbed in. She went to the passenger side and placed her laptop bag at her feet and her coat in the back seat. It was a little chilly without it but she always got stuffy in the car.
“Do you know where you’re going?” she asked once he started the car.
He nodded. “I looked at a map last night. When we get closer, I’ll set up the GPS on my phone.”
“Okay. If you don’t need me,” she pulled the laptop out from between her feet then crossed her legs on the seat, “then I’m going to get to work.”
Once they made it through the city and onto the interstate, the quiet hum of the engine became background noise to her work. She had a request from a new client who wanted her to look into a financial problem with her small business. The woman suspected her partner was cheating her out of money. Grumbling, she ignored the email and started on something more interesting instead.
Prime numbers.
It wasn’t long before she was lost in her work. Time often felt like it went by faster than it actually did. What seemed like an hour to her usually ended up being three or four in real person time. She called it real person time because sometimes time didn’t apply to her the same way it did other people. The majority of Americans didn’t last more than three minutes thinking about one thing. She lived in an ADD world, but she had the opposite problem – or gift depending on how one saw it. Emerson was hyperfocused. She could spend a large amount of time thinking about one single concept or idea, and nothing else. Sometimes it was more of a curse than a gift. Like when she lost track of time and ended up late for events. A few times, when the event was important, she’d had set an alarm for herself.
“So,” Levi said, interrupting the peaceful silence, “whatcha working on?”
Slowly, she turned her head and glared.
His face fell when he took in her expression. “Oh. No talking?”
She shook her head.
“Okay. Sorry. It’s just, I’m used to having background noise pretty much 24/7. Music usually, or a movie if Darren is home. The silence is kind of weird.”
“Shh!”
“Okay! Jeez.”
Miraculously, he stopped talking. She started working again, trying to get back into the groove, but having trouble not noticing him there, so close. His body took up so much space, his presence took even more, filled the car. They were almost touching elbows. Now that he’d broken her concentration, it was harder not to be aware of him.
“Can I at least turn the music on?” he asked.
She nodded. It wasn’t hard to tune out music. Jess had a thing for obnoxious pop songs. “As long as it’s not too loud.”
He turned on the radio and fiddled with the buttons. When he found a station he liked, he sat back with a satisfied smile. Guitar riffs played from the speakers. With a deep breath, she pushed him from her mind. His smell, his biceps so close she could lick them, his rumbly voice that sent shivers down her spine. Somehow she managed to block it from her mind and focused back on the code she was writing.
Sometime later, a second voice joined with the singer, following the tune perfectly. She turned to look at Levi. He drummed his hands on the steering wheel as he belted the rock song, bobbing his head to the beat. He seemed oblivious to anything but the music. At a particularly high part, he scrunched his face, straining to hit the note. Who knew Levi could look like such a nerd? It was fucking adorable.
A short laugh broke free and Em slapped a hand over her mouth, hoping he wouldn’t notice. But he did. He turned to her then turned the music off.
“Sorry,” he said frowning. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll stop.”
She lowered her hand from her mouth. “No. It’s okay. It was…” she bit her lip to keep from laughing again, “amusing.”
He gave her a sidelong look. “Are you laughing at me?”
“A little.”
His mock growl made it even funnier.
“Oh come on,” she said, chuckling. “Don’t be offended. It was cute.”
“Cute?” He arched a brow. “Maybe you should get back to work, little robot.”
With a sigh, she closed her laptop. “I wasn’t getting far anyway. And I’m starting to get carsick.”
“Yuck. My sister gets it real bad. Wanna switch places? For her, it’s better when she drives.” He glanced at her quickly before watching the road again. “Or you could take a nap? That might help.”
She stretched her arms above her, feeling stiff from sitting in the same position for too long. “I had a coffee this morning so I’m wide awake. Maybe I could drive for a bit.”
“Sure. I’ll stop at the next rest area. I need to stock up on candy anyway. Didn’t I promise you that?” He grinned. “What’s your favorite kind? Wait. Let me guess.”
Amused, she leaned her head back and watched him. This should be interesting.
“Let’s see. You like your coffee sweet, but you have a prickly personality so… Sour patch kids?”
“No. And I�
��m not prickly.”
“You are a little.”
She turned to stare out the passenger side window. Prickly? That was how he thought of her? She didn’t understand why but it bothered her. Why should she care what he thought? They weren’t even friends. They’d have no relationship past this trip anyway. They were a travel pair made by convenience and that was it. Still, it stung just a little.
A warm hand fell on her thigh. “Hey,” he said. “I didn’t mean it as an insult. I’m sorry.”
She wanted to snap “whatever” and roll her eyes, but it was hard to focus on his words when his hand was in such an intimate place. Or maybe she was a bit sex starved – he was closer to her knee than her girly bits. But still, she was keenly aware of it sitting there, radiating heat through her jeans. A tingly sensation crept up her thigh to between her legs, where a throbbing started.
Fuck. She brushed his hand off and kept her face toward the window. Her cheeks were burning. He’d notice her blush and think she was stupid, or desperate, or both. He wouldn’t be wrong.
“Nerds!” he shouted, slapping his hand on his knee.
What?
Oh. The candy. “Very funny.” Forgetting her embarrassment, she scowled at him. “No. And you’ll never guess it.”
“Something chocolate?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm. Skittles?”
She shook her head. The silly game pulled her attention away from where his hand had just been. Better that way. She didn’t need her mind to stray down that path.
“I was really hoping it was Nerds,” he said. “Maybe you should reconsider.”
“I’m more than just a nerd.”
“Are you?” he asked, sounding curious. “What else are you then?”
Now that she was on the spot, she wasn’t sure how to answer. Swallowing hard, she thought through the question she’d been trying to answer most of her life. Misfit went with the nerd thing. Smart went without saying but that wasn’t all of it either. Just one side of her. The rest, well, the rest was just…indescribable. Narrowing a person down to a few words wasn’t possible.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled.
Silence stretched on, making her feel stupid. Why had she said anything at all?
Finally, he broke the awkwardness. “That’s okay. I don’t think we’re supposed to know who we are entirely. I mean, we’re only in our early twenties. We have a lifetime to figure it out. That’s what life is about, right?”
Was it? Sometimes she did feel a little transient, always evolving, changing as life went on. Not everything, just little bits of her – ideas, values, perceptions, those things were more flexible. At her core, her heart, she probably stayed the same.
“Are you a philosopher now?” she teased, trying to take the pressure off of her.
He chuckled. “Most musicians think they are.” Something on the road caught his attention. “Aha.” He pointed to a sign that advertised a rest stop.
A few more wrong guesses at her favorite candy then he pulled off the highway and into a parking spot. After he turned off the car, he looked at her, narrowing his eyes like he was studying her face for clues. “Okay. I give up. Tell me.”
With a smirk, she answered, “Gobstoppers.”
“You’re right. I never would’ve guessed. So why those?”
“I can suck on them while I’m working and they last a long time.”
Slowly, a grin stretched across his face. His eyes lit up.
“What?”
“You like to suck on things, huh?”
“Ugh!” Just when she was starting to think he was cute. “You’re such a guy.” She opened the door and climbed out of the car, ignoring the chuckles behind her.
“I’m going in,” he said, pointing to the plaza that contained a few chain fast food restaurants and a snack shop. “You?”
“Yeah.” She might as well use the bathroom and stretch her legs while she could.
They walked silently through the parking lot then split up inside. After using the restroom, she found Levi at the checkout of the snack shop. She stayed outside the store and waited for him. A young woman with bleached blonde hair and a fake tan stood behind him in line. She brazenly looked him over then whispered to her friend, who also checked out his ass.
Emerson snorted. Girls.
Without her permission, her gaze traveled down his back then lingered on his ass. The loose-fitting jeans worked for him. Even with the silly t-shirt that read Lord of the Strings and had a picture of a guitar, he looked sexy. Like one of those guys who didn’t have to try to look cool – they just were. If only they knew he’d just been singing, badly, to an eighties rock ballad in the car.
When she’d first met him, she’d thought he was unattainable. Girls swooned over musicians – especially guitar players. Badass, but with a charming streak – a highly sought after combination. She’d assumed he was used to girls hanging all over him, that he liked the attention and thought he was hot shit. But now that she was getting to know him better, she realized he was just a dork with a nice ass.
He turned from the counter, holding his bag, and their gazes met. One of the bimbos behind him tried to get his attention but, for some reason, he either ignored it or didn’t see it.
With a smile, he walked to Em. “Why were those girls laughing at me?” he said when he reached her.
“They weren’t laughing.” He seriously couldn’t be that clueless about his sex appeal. “They were giggling.”
“There’s a difference?”
She sighed and turned for the exit. “There’s a big difference.”
Chapter 12
Emerson took the driver’s side when they returned to the car. Once inside, Levi reached into the shopping bag and pulled out a box of Gobstoppers.
He turned to face her and said, “Open your mouth. I’ll feed them to you like grapes.”
“Absolutely not.” But a vision already formed in her head – Levi hand-feeding her fruit, maybe not grapes but something juicy, like strawberries. There was something sensual about eating from someone’s hand, licking their fingers, sucking on them.
She exhaled a deep breath, trying to clear that from her mind.
Bad, Emerson. Behave!
She started the car and pulled back onto the highway. The rustling of a package caught her attention. She turned to see what Levi was doing.
“Pixie Stix?” she said. “What are you? Twelve?”
He didn’t answer for a moment – no clever quip or comeback – so she glanced over at him.
With his face turned toward her, two Pixie Stix dangled from either side of his mouth, like walrus tusks. “I’ll have you know,” he said, slightly muffled. “Pixie Stix are a very dignified candy, Emerson.”
Eyes back on the road, she bit her lip, trying to hold back her laughter. She checked on him out of the corner of her eye. He tipped his chin to fix her with an exaggerated stately glare. He looked completely ridiculous. Finally, a snort broke free. Then a full laugh.
He pulled the sticks from his mouth and gawked at her. “What? You don’t agree?”
Shaking her head, she reined in the last of her chuckles. “You’re so weird.”
“You didn’t think you were the only one, did you?” He dumped the contents of both sticks into his mouth.
Most guys were too concerned with looking cool to be silly, but Levi didn’t seem to care. Maybe because he hung out with kids so much he’d lost perspective, or maybe he truly didn’t care what people thought of him. He’d probably make a great father one day – the kind that dressed up as a superhero and ran around the yard with his kids when they were little then did it again when they were teens just to embarrass them and make himself laugh.
“I thought you were a health nut,” she said. “You drink shakes and not coffee. You go on runs.”
“I am.” He downed one more Pixie Stix then shoved the package with the rest to the floor. “Once in a while, I splurge.”
“
Pixie Stix is your splurge?” She laughed.
“What?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“Most people splurge on French fries or chocolate ice cream.”
He shrugged. “They remind me of my childhood.”
She thought back on the pop rocks she’d grabbed at the gas station the other day. “Fair enough.”
His phone beeped. “Oh!” He shot up in his seat and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Heidi must be out of work. Is it okay if I chat for a minute? I don’t want to be rude to you but I haven’t talked to her all day.”
“I don’t care. There’s been enough socializing on this trip already.”
“Great.” He smiled. “You want the radio on or anything?”
“No. I’ll just do work in my head.”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “Whatever works for you.” Then he began texting, the little clicks the only noise in the car other than the engine.
Ignoring him, she retreated into her mind, plotting equations and codes. Levi laughed, startling her. She glanced at him. He was grinning down at his phone like a love-sick idiot.
He laughed again.
A spike of jealousy speared her. He’d been laughing with her just a second ago, and now he was ignoring her in favor of some random chick who’d called herself Hope Love. As if that wasn’t enough to condemn her.
Why did she even care? She didn’t want to talk to him. Then why the hell was she suddenly feeling so possessive?
When he laughed again, her frustration spilled over and she snapped, “Something you wanna share with the rest of the class?”
He stopped abruptly then looked at her in surprise, as if he’d forgotten she was there. That stung.
“Sorry,” he said. “She’s just…funny.” Then he sighed. He sighed like a teenaged girl dreaming of her wedding day. That manly charm she’d found so attractive deflated whenever he talked about Heidi.
“You really love her, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think I’m close. Like you, I’ve never been in love. I’ve had a few girlfriends but nothing serious. Once I meet Heidi though, I’ll know for sure.”
