by Leia Shaw
At the time, she’d thought it was just a superficial infatuation, but by the silly look on his face, she could tell it went deeper. “Just seeing her is all it’ll take?”
“I pretty much know I love her mind.”
“There’s a lot you could be missing.”
“Like what?”
Like a healthy dose of reality. How did someone his age manage to avoid cynicism, especially surrounding the internet romance? He was too trusting, too optimistic.
“Mannerisms. Body language. Annoying habits…”
“All of that is superficial. I doubt there’s anything bad enough for me not to overlook. As long as she’s a real person, and the one I’ve been talking to all this time, I don’t see why I wouldn’t take the final step with her.”
She thought for a moment, filtering through things that would be turnoffs for her. “What if she smells?”
He burst out laughing.
“I’m serious! That could be a deal breaker.”
“I’ll buy her perfume.” His laughter faded somewhat but he stared at Em, grinning.
With a grunt, she turned her attention to the road. “Fine. Get your heart broken then.”
“It’s sweet that you care about me,” he said.
Shocked, she looked at him. He was still smiling but she couldn’t tell if he was teasing or not.
“I don’t,” she answered, sounding defensive to her own ears.
“You don’t want my heart to get broken. It sounds like you care.” He was definitely teasing.
Growing annoyed, she scowled and gripped the wheel tighter. “No. I just don’t want to spend the ride home with a sad fool who thought an online romance would work out.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. It wasn’t nice, and it wasn’t true. She did care, to some degree, that he ended up happy after all of this. She wasn’t that callous. But he didn’t need to know that.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him, waiting for him to get angry or sad, but he just nodded and kept smiling. Then he leaned over the center console, bringing his face toward hers. She tried to move away, as far as the seatbelt would let her, but he followed her. What the hell was he doing?
He stopped when his lips were at her ear. Warm breath hit the sensitive skin on her neck and she held back a shiver. His scent wrapped around her – masculine but sweet from the Pixie Stix.
She cleared her throat, ready to tell him to move, but then he whispered, softly, in her ear, “I think you care about many things you pretend not to, grumpy pants.”
And just like that, he was gone.
How the hell did he make the words “grumpy pants” sound so sexy? And when did it get so hot in the goddamn car? After inhaling a deep breath, she turned the dial for the AC to high then sat back stiffly against the seat.
Levi had returned to his seat and taken a swig of the ice tea he’d picked up at the store as if nothing had happened. And here she was having hot flashes, her bones feeling like they were melting into the seat and her clit in danger of exploding. All from one teeny tiny whisper.
He was messing with her. She gave her head a shake, trying to clear her mind, focus on something, anything, other than the fact that he was sitting right beside her, smelling like a man, turning her insides to mush and throwing her hormones into overdrive.
Numbers. Think about numbers.
She listed multiples of three in her head. It was how she fell asleep at night sometimes. Three, six, nine. Sixty nine… That was a multiple of three.
Fuck. Don’t think about sixty nine.
Irritably, she pressed the button to turn the radio on and pretended to be interested in whatever song was playing. Beside her, Levi texted with Heidi again, and every time he laughed, she turned the volume up on the music. He was so immersed in his conversation, he didn’t even notice.
Soon, her thoughts drifted to her work, Levi dozed off, and two hours flew by, uneventfully. They were somewhere in the middle of New York when Levi woke up with a big yawn. He checked the clock then sat up straight and stretched as much as he could in the small car.
“You’ve been driving a while,” he said. “Pull over. I’ll take a turn.”
She shook her head. “We should stop for the night. I’m hungry and if we sleep well we can leave early in the morning. I want to be at the conference as early as possible.”
“Okay.”
“I saw a sign a couple of miles back for a town that has restaurants and motels.” She squinted into the dark, looking for another sign. “Right there.” The exit was up ahead and another sign for a few restaurant chains.
She turned off the exit and looked for a decent hotel. “No pay by the hour. That shit is skeevy.”
“There.” He pointed up ahead on the left. “That’s a three star I think. Cheap but pretty clean.”
“Okay.” She pulled into the lot and they started unpacking the car. Levi insisted on carrying her bag again. She rolled her eyes but didn’t fuss.
At the desk, he took the lead. “We need two rooms. One night. Non-smoking.” Then he placed his credit card on the desk.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Shush. I’m paying. Don’t argue.”
“Of course I’m gonna argue!” She dug in her bag for her debit card then he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
He turned from the desk and pierced her with a stern look. “This is far out of your way, you said so yourself. We’re taking your car. You drove most of today, even though I promised to. I’m paying for the room. End of story.”
When he took a step toward her, it was almost as if he was trying to intimidate her with his size. She craned her neck to look up at him. Had he always been that tall? She gulped, but her muscles got all gooey and a flutter started in her belly.
Still, she didn’t answer to anybody, especially someone so pushy.
She opened her mouth to protest but before she could get a word out, he snatched her wallet from her fingers then smiled. “Glad we understand each other.” Without another word, he turned back to the desk.
Emerson was left gaping, fumbling for words. That arrogant asshole. A low growl escaped her throat as she glared at his back. When he turned back around, he was still smiling. He handed her a room key card and her wallet then picked up their bags and walked toward the exit.
“This way, Em,” he said over his shoulder.
She had no choice but to follow him out. Seething, she trailed behind him down the sidewalk until he stopped at another door into the hotel. He held it open, waiting for her to walk through it.
Giving him her you’re so dead stare, she said, “This isn’t over.”
He rolled his eyes. “Settle down, killer. You can buy dinner.”
It was a small consolation. She’d have to work with it for now. They walked down another hallway then he stopped at room one hundred and sixty nine. She almost laughed at the irony.
“This one’s yours.”
Of course it is.
She slid the card through the slot and the door opened up. Levi placed his bags in the entryway and took a look around. “I’m across the hallway.”
“Okay.” She waited for him to leave, but he just stood there, staring awkwardly. She raised her brows. “Anything else?”
That shook him from his daze. “Uh, no. Well, I saw a restaurant next door. Wanna get cleaned up then meet in…say half an hour?”
“Sure.”
The door shut behind him when he left. She inhaled a deep breath then exhaled it slowly. Distance was probably good right about now. Levi had somehow managed to wiggled his way into her head, jumble things up in there, boss her around, then leave her reeling. She needed a reset button.
Shower or work?
Thirty minutes. Just enough time to check on a few things on her laptop. She set it up at the desk and logged on to see if the new software she was waiting for had downloaded yet. Then she checked her three email accounts. Lastly, she signed into Facebook.
Hope Love.
Shit. She must’ve logged in last as Hope when she’d been digging for information. Just as she was about to sign out, the chat alert dinged. A new private message from Levi.
Curiosity urged her to click on the chat tab. He spent most of the car ride driving her mad with his constant snickering. She deserved to know what in the hell was so funny. But if she looked, she couldn’t justify it as work anymore. This would be spying, without a doubt.
Her finger hovered over the mouse as she bit back a groan. She had an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil on the other. It was wrong, she knew that, but so, so tempting. What were their conversations like? What did this girl say that hooked Levi so strongly?
No. She couldn’t do that to him. She wasn’t that kind of person.
She was about to close the page but, another alert dinged. This one was from a different person. Mika Anders.
The name looked familiar. She’d seen it in Heidi’s inbox. Alarm bells rang in her head. Was Heidi talking to other guys at the same time as she was Levi? It wouldn’t be unusual for a girl to be catfishing several people at once, especially if their main motivation was getting money from them. While she’d pretty much proven Heidi wasn’t totally catfishing him, checking out this Mika guy could definitely be considered part of her job.
She clicked open the chat box and read the only three lines of conversation.
Hope: I can’t wait to see you! My bed is ready and waiting. Miss you <3
Mika: This has been a long time coming.
Hope: Text me on my cell. You might not get wireless in your travels.
Shit. Her stomach dropped. She stared, mouth open, at the page. This was bad.
“Fuck.”
Her gut twisted, making her feel like vomiting. Oh god. She had to tell him. He was going to be crushed. This whole trip wasted. The last four months wasted! She’d never hated her job as much as this moment.
A knock at the door startled her. That would be Levi. What should she do? Tell him now? Maybe after dinner. Yes, let him eat first. But what if he puked? No, she was the one about to puke. He’d probably be fine.
Not fine, but not puking either.
He knocked again.
Shit!
She shot up from her seat at the desk and went to the door. Hand on the doorknob, she gave herself a pep talk.
Play it cool. At least until after dinner.
She opened the door. On the other side stood Levi, damp hair sitting in a messy pile on his head, grinning in his adorable way as he looked her over.
His smile faded and he furrowed his brow. “You okay?”
Crap. He could tell. She’d never been a good liar. Already her palms felt sweaty. She heaved a breath and clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Plastering on a small smile, she nodded.
He gave her a sidelong glance. “You look like you’re gonna be sick.”
“I’m fine.”
Without permission, he pushed by her and walked into the room. “If you’re not feeling well, it’s better we don’t get greasy diner food.”
“I’m not sick.”
“You look terrible.”
Ugh. This was never going to work. She couldn’t sit through dinner, smiling and pretending not to know his dreams were about to crumble down around him. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.
“What’s wrong?” He sounded concerned.
She heard the bed squeak under his weight. He’d sat down. Great. Now he’d refuse to leave until she gave him an answer. He was stubborn that way.
When she opened her eyes, he was gazing at her, his lips turned down in a frown. “What’s wrong, Em?”
She felt her face crumple. Her eyes burned. In a small voice, she answered, “I don’t want to say.”
“Okay, now you’re scaring me. You need to tell me what happened.”
Right now, she needed to pound Heidi’s face in for stringing Levi along, for breaking his heart. The intensity of the feeling shocked her. She wasn’t the violent type.
Levi sat here, waiting patiently, his eyes growing big with worry.
She sighed and dropped her gaze to the floor. “I don’t think you’re the only guy Heidi is…talking to.”
Seconds ticked by in silence. She refused to look at him, to see the devastation on his face.
“Why do you think that?” he finally asked.
“I saw a message pop up on her Facebook page. From a guy. She said her bed is ready for him and she misses him.”
Another awkward silence. She lifted her head. He stared through her, forehead wrinkled in confusion. Then he jumped up. “That could mean anything. Let me see it.”
She nodded and went to the computer. The page was already up, the messages sitting there like evidence in a trial. Levi moved in and read the three small lines.
Em bit her lip and watched him.
He must’ve read it over several times because he stared at it for a long time. Finally, he straightened and sighed deeply.
Arms crossed over his chest, he looked at Emerson. “Well fuck.”
To say the least.
A humorless laugh escaped him. He shook his head then ran a hand through his tousled curls. She backed up a few steps. He was taking this far too well.
“I’m sorry, Levi.” She cleared her throat. “Um. Maybe we should head to that restaurant. I bet there’s a bar.”
“Fuck!”
“Yeah, a bar is good. How about a drink?”
He shook his head. “I just need a few minutes to myself, okay?”
“Of course.” She moved out of the path of the door.
Levi strode toward it.
So much for dinner. She sighed. Maybe there was a vending machine.
Partway to the door, he turned back around. “You know, I’m actually not surprised.”
“Oh. We’re talking now? Okay.”
“I mean, there were the red flags that made me contact you, but it hadn’t crossed my mind that she’d be talking to more guys than me. It wasn’t as if she were after my money. Not like I had any.” He started pacing the width of the room. “But she was always vague about her plans. She’d say she was going out with friends but not who or where. Now I know why.”
He headed toward the door again, leaving her floundering for something to say. She sucked at this part. Comforting words weren’t her thing.
At the door, he stopped and spun to face her. “This is so hypocritical. She used to get suspicious of me when I went out with friends. God forbid there was a girl there. If I even mentioned a girl’s name, I’d get hell for it.”
She took three steps back. He was revved up now. The muscles in his neck strained. His face was bright red.
“I figured she was possessive. Isn’t that sweet? She loves me so much she’s worried about losing me.” He shook his head, staring at the floor. With a deep breath, his body seemed to relax a little. “But no. It was all about crowd control.”
Emerson stood in place, still unsure of what to say – though it didn’t seem like he needed comfort so much as an outlet for his feelings. Maybe just being there, listening, helped.
A few minutes went by and his breathing slowed. Finally, he looked up at her.
“You know what? Fuck her.”
Yeah. Fuck her.
She hadn’t liked this Heidi girl from the beginning. How could anyone trust someone named Hope Love, even if it was fake?
Levi’s face crumpled in sadness. Without thought, she walked to him. She didn’t know the right words to say, but his suffering was killing her. Levi was smart and funny and sweet... He’d given himself wholeheartedly to this bitch and she’d stomped on his heart. He didn’t deserve this.
Before she knew what she was doing, she stepped into his body and hugged him. She rested her cheek on his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso, hoping she did
n’t just make this ten times more awkward. She wasn’t normally a hugger so it already felt weird and uncomfortable.
A moment later, his arms came around her. His scent washed over her, and the warmth of his body against hers caused a fuzzy feeling to grow inside her. This wasn’t so bad. A small smile settled on her lips.
Not good.
The man was hurt and she was smiling? She was a fucking sadist.
She went to pull away but Levi’s arms drifted from the middle of her back, down to her lower back, just above her ass. Warmth slid down her spine, following the path of his hands. She shivered. Her eyes drifted shut as all of her focus centered around the weight of his hands on her back.
Was she that touch starved? It was just a hug but she felt it all the way down to her toes. His hands lifted, then he dragged his fingertips over her ass. She fought back a full body shudder. He cupped her face in his warm hands then forced her head up to look at him.
“Fuck her,” he said, gazing intensely into her eyes.
Yes. Fuck me instead.
Confliction was evident in his eyes. Did he wish she was Hope? She didn’t want to be anyone’s sloppy seconds, but when she tried to pull away, he held her still. His features sharpened as if he’d just remembered he was mad. Then he crushed his mouth to hers.
He tasted like Pixie Stix. The kiss was angry but somehow that made it sexy. His lips moved urgently against hers as he turned his head sideways to fit better. She let her lips fall open so he could access her mouth. His tongue slipped between her lips. Kissing had always been erotic to her. She found it more intimate than sex. Faces pressed close, tongues dancing, mimicking the motions of sex. Sharing that space, that experience with someone was significant.
Maybe she should stop him. He was obviously rebounding. But he smelled so good, felt so good. Tomorrow, she’d blame her dry spell and live with the regret. He probably would too.
Screw it. She was too turned on to care.
Levi edged her toward the bed then fumbled with the hem of her t-shirt. Barely pausing the kiss, he yanked the shirt up and over her head.
What bra was she wearing?
When he stopped a moment to look at her, she dropped her gaze to check. Of course she’d be wearing her girliest bra – black but with colorful little hearts all over it.
