by Lelly Hughes
She’s right. I nod and take another step back so I can start thinking about granny panties, manure, and any other thing that don’t associate with the hot rocker babe standing a few feet away from me. Zara stands in front of the full-length mirror and runs her hands down the front of her dress and over her ponytail. My hand didn’t even get a chance to wrap around the silky strands of hair, but I plan to tonight.
“I’m ready,” she says, giving me a curt nod.
I take her hand and lead us down the hallway. Willow jumps when she sees us and proudly proclaims that we’re getting a dog. Zara looks at me wide eyed.
“I didn’t say yes, Willow.”
Zara chuckles beside me, knowing all too well that I’m going to cave. Every man who owns acres of land needs a dog, and apparently so do his girls.
“We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Memaw will be here shortly.” I kiss both of the girls and watch with apt attention as Willow says goodbye to Zara.
“You look really nice, Zara,” Stormy adds. “It’s nice to see you back to Zara Phillips.”
I gather the comment is meant to compliment Zara and not insult her. I suppose Stormy is used to seeing her differently since she’s a fan.
“Thanks, Stormy.”
Once I have Zara in the truck, which proved to be rather difficult because of her dress, it’s only a matter of minutes before we’re pulling into Chet’s neighborhood. Cars line the street, making me a bit nervous about showing up. It’s a hard line to draw when you become someone that people seek, and you still want to hang with your friends. It’s not like I can put demands on him and Lori, or any of my other friends.
There’s one spot near his house that I take, parking as close as I can to the curb, so Zara doesn’t have too far to step down. “I’ll buy a car,” I say when I open her door.
“Don’t even worry about it. I like the truck.”
“But it’s hard for you to get in and out of.”
She steps to me, placing her hand on my chest. Even in her heels, she’s not even close to my height. “Know what’s not hard?”
“Not me,” I say winking. I’ve been sporting a semi since we stopped making out in the guest room.
“Hiking my dress up over my hips and riding you in that truck of yours.”
The semi is now a full-fledged stiffy, begging for attention. “Zara…” I draw her name out in agony.
She pulls me down to her level and whispers into my ear. “Keep the truck, Levi.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She doesn’t have to tell me twice. We link hands and walk up the driveway and into the house where I’m instantly greeted. As soon as my name is said, all heads turn. I say hi to a few people as we weave our way into the house. I refuse to let go of Zara’s hand, even when people want to shake mine. The last thing I want is for her to get swallowed up in the crowd. This is a grown-ups version of a keg party, and I’m already itching to leave.
“Levi, you’re finally here. I have someone…” Holly stops in front of me and looks at Zara, and then down to our hands. Chet told me that this girl is hung up on me and that Sarah keeps pushing her to try and take me out.
“Hey, Holly. Do you remember Zara? My girlfriend?”
“Oh… I didn’t… um…” she’s clearly flustered, and it’s making me feel like an ass, but I have no interest in dating her. She might have been someone I’d take out if I hadn’t met Zara.
“Austin, you piece of shit bastard,” Chet comes up and slaps me on the back. “And who do we have here?” he asks, pointing to Zara.
I look at him a bit cock-eyed and wonder how much he has had to drink. “Zara Phillips,” I tell him. “You met her at my house not too long ago.” Although it was dark out and she had her hair hiding inside a beanie.
“Chet, you dumbass. This is the chick he stopped screwing Holly for,” Sarah says, stunning us all.
Chapter 29
Zara
I try to pull my hand away, but Levi’s grip tightens. There’s a part of me screaming that I knew there was more to him and Holly when I met her, and the other part is telling me not to be stupid, that Levi is not Van.
The woman from the other night, I vaguely remember her from the bonfire. Holly I definitely remembered because I’ve seen the way she was staring at Levi before when women would stare at Van. Shit, even thinking about Van right now has me wondering if he was sleeping with those women too.
“Huh,” Levi says as he adjusts his stance. He’s not rigid. He looks confident. When he smiles, my confusion grows. Instead, he cocks his head to the side and rubs his thumb over his lower lip causing my insides to quiver. “So let me get this straight, and maybe you can help me out, Chet. Y’all came over to my house after I got back from California and introduced me to Holly, yet I somehow knew her before I started dating Zara?”
Oh, I like this question. Not only does it tell me if Levi was honest about knowing Holly, not that I doubt him, but it puts his friend in the hot seat. Chet’s mouth opens and closes a few times before he backs away with his hands up. Levi turns his penetrating gaze onto Sarah, who seems smug and ready for battle.
“I know what I know, Levi.”
“You don’t know shit, Sarah, and let me tell you why. You see, since I came back, Zara has been at my house and in my bed. There ain’t no way in hell I’m interested in anyone but her, and you can bet your ass it won’t be your skanky ass cousin.”
Mouths drop open all around us, but it’s the gasp that catches my attention. Holly was standing on the cusp of the crowd. I want to fist pump and show her that I won, but the look on her face keeps my reactions more reserved. She either really wants to date Levi or she genuinely likes him. I’m going with the dating part because according to him, they just met.
“Levi, I don’t know what’s gotten into you,” Sarah says.
“What’s gotten into you, Sarah? I don’t understand why you’re disrespecting my girlfriend.?”
On the inside, I’m smiling like a girl with a fresh bag of pink cotton candy right now. I like that Levi is referring to me as his girlfriend. As childish as it sounds, it makes us official, especially with his friends.
“Levi, you can’t be serious?”
His eyes widen, as do mine. “You know there’s a reason Iris stopped talkin' to you, Sarah, maybe I should revisit my memory and see why that was.”
“You wouldn’t,” she says in a voice barely above a whisper, and if I’m not mistaken, there are unshed tears pooling in her eyes.
“I would,” he says, shrugging. “Zara is my girlfriend and if you can’t accept that then you don’t need to come around anymore.” He pulls me to him and kisses me square on, in front of everyone to see. This will be on social media before his lips leave mine.
When I look back at Sarah, she’s crying and throwing daggers at me. It’s not my fault I met Levi at the right time or that she can’t grasp that he’s happy with me.
“Chet,” Levi says as he reaches for his friend’s hand. “Tell Lori I said hi.”
“You leavin’?”
“Yeah, man. This ain’t my thing. If my girlfriend ain’t accepted than I have no place here.”
Levi places his hand on the small of my back and points to the door that we came through as our exit. A few people mumble incoherently as we leave, but it’s Sarah who follows us out, begging Levi to stay.
Not me.
Just Levi.
He ignores her and helps me climb into the truck, then runs around front and hops in. Levi reaches for my hand and pulls me until I’m sitting next to him. He places my hand on his thigh, making me smile.
“Sorry about that,” he says as he pulls onto the street.
“I would never blame you for the actions of your friends.” Just like I hope he never blames me for the shit that Darian, Rusty, or Gabe might say to him when they meet. “Can I ask you one question, though?”
He nods. “I didn’t sleep with her,” he says before I can ask. I love how he knew that was on my mind. “The ni
ght everyone came over is the first night I met her. She was comin' on pretty strong, but that didn’t matter because I was already interested in someone else.” He looks at me and winks before turning back toward the road.
I lean into him and kiss his shoulder, leaving my nose pressed there so I can inhale his cologne. Every so often he tilts his head enough so he can kiss me on the top of my head, and for some reason it makes me feel warm on the inside. He makes me feel loved.
Considering I have only been out of the house once, I have no idea where we’re going, but I get the sense we aren’t going in the direction of his house.
“Where are we going?”
“Well, I promised you a night out, and that is what I’m going to do. Besides,” he says as he comes to a stoplight. He looks down at me and grins. “You’re smokin’ hot in that dress, and I want to show you off.”
I sit up so I can see his expression better. There’s a glint in his eyes; it’s almost mischievous and daring. “What about ending up on social media?”
He shrugs and turns his gaze back to the road. “Are you ashamed to be seen with me?
There’s a hint of sadness in his voice, and I don’t like that. If we weren’t in a moving vehicle being commanded by him, I’d straddle his lap and show him exactly how not ashamed I am of him.
“Levi, I’d be seen with you anywhere, any day of the week.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. So where ya takin’ me?” I purposely drop my “g” to sound like him.
Levi chuckles. “I know a place, darlin’.”
Between his usage of darling and his southern accent, I’m a mess on the inside. If someone had told me that when I went through a major life changing event I would fall for someone like Levi so quickly, I would’ve laughed and called them a fool. But here I am, sitting next to a man who is offering me everything and has asked for nothing in return. He’s let me set the pace on our relationship, making sure that I am comfortable with everything and anything that we’re doing.
It’s not long until he’s parking his truck and rushing around to the passenger side to let me out. It seems silly, honestly, that I didn’t just slide out the driver’s side door since I was closer. He pulls me into his arms. His hand cups my cheek, and his thumb brushes against my bottom lip.
“You’re so beautiful, Zara. I’m the luckiest man in the world right now.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you chose me,” he says, making my knees weak. If he didn’t have his arm around me, I’d be on the ground by now. “You could’ve had any man, beggin' you for a date, but here you are.”
“And yet, here I am, with the one man that didn’t beg. He didn’t even make a move out of respect for my situation. He didn’t pressure me to do anything that I didn’t want to do. And here I am, happy and falling in love.” If I expected the L word to throw Levi back, I would’ve been burnt. But instead, he smiles. It’s wide and beaming, and perfect.
“Yeah?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I tell him, not needing to know what he’s referring too.
“Keep falling, baby because I’ll be there to catch you.” Levi cradles my head between his hands and kisses me right there, on the street with people passing by and cars honking. Someone yells for us to get a room, but we ignore them and continue to make out. When he pulls away, I want to tell him to get back into the truck and drive us to some backwoods area where I can have my way with him, but I don’t. Being out tonight is important to us as a couple. It may not seem that way now, but it will be. Together, we need to be able to handle the scrutiny of the media and our fans.
When he finally pulls way, he continues to pepper small kisses on my lips until he rests his forehead on mine. “Do you want to go dancin'?”
“What kind?”
“It’s country, but I’ll teach you. I won’t let you fail, Zara.”
I smile while my head moves up and down almost frantically. “With you, I feel like I can do anything.”
Levi winks, causing yet another round of fluttering to occur and motions for me to follow him. As if I wouldn’t. By now he should know I’ll go anywhere he asks simply because that means I get to be with him.
We walk down two blocks, which in heels is tricky. It makes me wish for valet, but this is where the action is, Music Row. He leads us into a bar, passing everyone on the street. His name is called, and subsequently mine as well. Out of my peripheral, I see the flashes from their cameras trying to get our picture.
Levi stops to have a word with the bouncer who seems excited to see him. They shake hands and hug, and when I pass by, he calls me by name and tells me to have fun. Fun is what I’m going to have despite being wrongly dressed. All the women are in jeans or short dresses that aren’t skin tight, with cowboy boots. My deadly heels do not belong in a place like this, but I don’t care. I’m with my man.
The band on stage is singing their hearts out. The dance floor is jam packed with bodies. Some are moving to the music, and others are off in their own little world, not paying attention to anyone other than the person in their arms.
My concerts aren’t like this, even when we played in bars. People jump around, bob their heads up and down, but don’t dance. The more I think about what I’m going through, the more I’m wondering if it’s me that needs the change. Maybe the signs have all been there, but I’ve been ignoring them. Maybe I’m the one who drifted away from the life Van and I were living but was just too blind to see it or too afraid to recognize I failed at my marriage.
Levi doesn’t waste any time and leads us out onto the dance floor. The second my feet touch the hardwood he pushes me into a full spin, ending up right back in his arms. It’s when I look into his eyes that I can see how happy he is, and that sends me over the moon. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that I’m meant to be in Levi Austin’s life, and fully intend to stay there until he tells me that I’m no longer welcomed.
Thing is, though, we’ve both been hurt by our exes, and I can’t fathom he would do anything to hurt me, and I know damn well that hurting Levi is the last thing I would ever do.
Now if I could convince Stormy and Barbara that I’m here to stay, I’d be all set.
One day at a time, Zara. One day at a time.
Chapter 30
Levi
I know she’s watching. I can feel her eyes boring into my skin. Her gawking started when I took my shirt off. Frankly, it’s too hot to be working outside with one on, and with no neighbors as far as the eye can see, who cares if I’m shirtless?
Zara cares, that’s who, and each time I walk by the deck where she’s pretending to read a book, I make sure to run my hand over my stomach or flex so she can get an eye full. Guaranteed I’m hotter than any guy she’s reading about in that book of hers.
Last night was a game changer for us. After the debacle at Chet’s, she opened up when I thought for sure she was going to shut right down and tell me that we’re moving too fast. That would’ve been the conventional thing to do. Put on the brakes, lock feelings down and go our separate ways. But Zara is anything but conventional and shocked me by telling me she was falling in love. And boy do I want her to fall.
I told her I’d catch her, and I meant it. If she wants to jump with two feet, I’ll be right there to hold her hand and take the leap with her. I’m there, and my love for her is growing exponentially every single day.
Every. Single. Day.
I don’t care how long it’s been, even though I know we haven’t reached a month yet, I feel like I’ve known her for years, that we’ve been traversing our lives together for eons. Not hours and days. Ridiculous numbers that people think have to be met can’t measure what we have. We’re falling in love with each other, and it’s the best damn feeling in the world.
I disappear into the barn to muck stalls. It’s not fun, but it keeps my mind focused. Right now, I’d rather have Zara spread out on my bed and writhing beneath me. Last night, after the club, I thought about taking her
to a hotel but felt that I’d be cheapening what we are building. Instead, we went home and acted like parents who had to tuck their children in. After my mama left, Zara and I met in my bedroom where I helped her out of her dress and heels before I carried her into my shower and made love to her.
Now with Willow being at my mother’s and Stormy training, I’m asking myself why the hell I am doing chores when my house is empty, and my gorgeous girlfriend has been eye-fucking me for the past hour or so.
Just as I decide to give up and go inside to find her, she comes trotting into the barn as if she owns the place. She’s wearing a cowgirl hat, probably one of Stormy’s or Willows, with her hair plaited, along with cut-off shorts that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination to go with a plaid shirt that is tied in a knot, showing just enough skin to make my mouth water.
“Howdy,” she says, coming to stand in front of me with her hands on her hips.
I do everything I can to contain my laughter, but none of it works. “You’re really fuckin' cute,” I tell her as I pull her closer to me.
“And you’re sweaty,” she says as her hands rest on my chest.
“I think you need to be as well.” I pick her up, making sure my fingers are nestled into the opening seam of her shorts, finding out immediately that she’s gone without any underwear. “Jesus, Zara, you’re killing me here,” I say, only for her to place open mouth kisses along my neck until she reaches my ear.
She tugs gently and whispers. “Yeah?” she asks.
“Ye-yeah,” I grunt, pushing my fingers into her core. She bites down on my ear and starts moving up and down slowly as I fumble our way to the back of the barn where the stairs will lead up to the hayloft.
Each step is more agonizing than the previous. The rough exterior of my jeans is rubbing against my hardened shaft; creating the friction I need right now. The caveman in me is tempted to toss her over my shoulders and run fireman style up the stairs.
