by Foster, Lori
The second Kent nudged Brooke’s legs open so he could settle between them, she gave in to him with familiar enthusiasm.
“That’s better,” Kent whispered to her. “Much, much better.”
5
Watching Levi sleep proved an interesting pastime for Beth. He looked just as rugged and sexy in slumber as he did awake. Even a serious case of bed head that had his brown hair sticking up at odd angles didn’t detract from his masculine impact.
Dark-beard shadow covered his jaw, and a low, even snore half mesmerized her.
Never had Beth been this fascinated watching Brandon sleep. In fact, Brandon had never really fascinated her in any way. Yet looking back, she realized that she’d always been intrigued by Levi, his connection with kids and his easy smiles, his sense of humor and his loyalty to friends.
She’d always liked being with him.
She’d always enjoyed talking to him.
Levi was a man’s man, but ladies adored him, too. Only…he hadn’t had a serious relationship with a woman in all the time she’d known him.
Maybe because of that, she’d never consciously considered him beyond a sexual fantasy. He hadn’t struck her as the marrying kind, not when he seldom saw the same woman more than three times. To Beth, he was the quintessential bachelor—and that, along with his friendship to Brandon, had made him completely off limits for anything other than a very private fantasy.
Yet here she was, by her own volition, in bed with him. And he wanted to marry her, had all but insisted on it.
Out of guilt because he’d enjoyed making love with her? Or maybe out of that profound sense of responsibility, because she had been his best friend’s fiancée and they would have eventually married.
Did he offer to marry her because he thought that’s what she wanted? Or because he wanted it?
Did he hope to continue making love with her, except without the guilt?
There were too many questions, and not enough answers for Beth to consider marriage. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had it bad.
Unlike her mistaken feelings for Brandon, this was the genuine article. Love with a capital “L.” The real McCoy. Everlasting, overshadowing, “till death do us part” love.
Now that she felt it, she knew how shallow and superficial her feelings for Brandon had been. At first, she’d have given anything to do over her wild weekend with Levi. Now she cherished the time she’d had with him. She wanted to do it over, again and again.
But…did Levi feel the same?
Her sigh roused him, and he began to stir. Stretching out his limbs while scrunching up his face a little, Levi flexed all those macho muscles that never failed to make her giddy. His biceps bulged, his abdomen drew into a tight, sexy six-pack, and a deep rumble came from his chest.
Leaning over him, Beth put a peck on his mouth and whispered, “Good morning, Levi.”
He froze in a comical pose. His movements halted, his breath caught. Suddenly his eyes popped open. When he saw her face so close to his, bewilderment darkened his green gaze. Without moving anything but his eyes, he searched the position of her body over him, then the room, and then her face again.
Alert and wary, he murmured, “Good morning.”
God, he even sounded wonderful to her now-enlightened ears. “You look incredibly sexy in the morning, Levi Masterson.”
Keeping his gaze glued to hers, he asked, “I do?”
Beth nodded. “I’ve been awake for an hour.”
His brows pinched in a frown. “You should have nudged me or something.”
“No, it’s all right.” She glanced down his body, but that took her thoughts in a dangerous direction so she quickly took her attention back to his face. “I stayed busy watching you sleep.”
A new awareness came over Levi. His gaze grew piercing. “Busy how?”
“Just thinking.”
His eyes narrowed. “About?”
Beth hated the watchfulness that tightened his expression. She’d been so unfair to him that he didn’t know if he should expect rejection or interest.
She drew a deep breath for courage. “Levi, from now on I want to be as honest with you as I can be.”
Relaxing into his pillow, he said, “So you’re admitting that you haven’t been honest?”
“Not with myself and not with you.” Rather than explain that she hadn’t misled him on purpose, Beth said, “I’m sorry about that.”
“You’re forgiven.”
Knowing he waited for an answer to his question, Beth gathered her nerve. “Since I woke up and found you asleep, I’ve been thinking about how nice it was to be this close to you without you pressuring me, or me molesting you.”
The corners of his mouth quirked. “You can molest me any time you want, honey. I don’t mind at all.”
That reply proved a perfect example. “There, you see? Now you’re awake, so the pressure starts again.”
“It was just a joke, not a suggestion.” He encouraged her to continue by saying, “Tell me what else you thought about.”
“Everything.” Daring and brave in light of her new attitude, Beth stroked a hand over his warm chest. She relished the feel of his crisp body hair, his strong muscles. And looking at his chest instead of into his eyes made it easier to say, “Mostly, I’ve thought about how foolish I’ve been.”
Annoyance had Levi shoving upright. “Damn it, Beth—”
She threw herself over him, flattening him again. “I have been foolish.” A finger over his mouth quieted his protests. “In lots of ways, but mostly for thinking myself in love with Brandon.”
He bit her finger, and when she yanked it away, he caught her wrist and brought it back for an apologetic kiss that made her tingly.
“You were in love with him.” Levi held her hand close. “Weren’t you?”
She’d always thought so, but now that she could compare her feelings for Brandon with her feelings for Levi, she knew there was no comparison. “I was probably more in love with the idea of being in love with him. If that makes any sense.”
Levi began kissing her fingertips one by one. “If you weren’t in love with him, I’m glad, but yeah, it makes perfect sense. You’re a mature, domestic, caring woman. You wanted to settle down.”
“Gawd, I sound like a grandmother.”
Taking her seriously, Levi said, “No, not grandmotherly at all. But you’re not a partier, either, and you’re not a woman who wants to spin her wheels on the dating scene. Like me, you value commitment and security.”
“Yes.” Beth wished that she’d realized sooner how much they had in common. “I’m trying to come to grips with some truths about myself.” She looked at his mouth. “Another truth is that I enjoy you.”
“Sexually?”
“Yes, definitely. But I enjoy your company, too.”
“You always have.”
Why did it sound as if he’d known that forever, when she was just figuring it out? “You’re probably right.”
Her easy admission had him staring hard at her again.
“Okay,” Beth said, “so what are you thinking?”
“That I need up.” Those words struck Levi funny, and he turned his head on a rough laugh. “Hell, what am I saying? I’ve been up since I opened my eyes and realized you were still here.” He looked back at her. “In bed.” His voice lowered. “With me.”
“Of course I’m still here.” Beth pretended affront. “I told you last night that we’d talk this morning.”
“You also told me that you weren’t letting me go. But you were half-asleep and I’d just given you an orgasm, so I wasn’t sure how much stock to put into those words.”
“You thought that maybe after everything we did last night, I’d freak out in the light of day and dodge you again?”
“That worry did keep me awake for a while.”
They needed time to iron out all the misunderstandings and come to an agreement, one they could both deal with, Beth decided. “Well, we
’re here, and we’re talking now.”
Levi smiled. “And I’m thrilled, I really am. Except that before we get too involved, I’d like to hit the john, brush my teeth, shave—”
“Modesty?” Beth teased. “You want to greet me at your best?”
“You deserve the best.”
He said that so seriously that she wanted to confess undying love. But before she did anything like that, she needed to figure out how Levi really felt, and why he wanted to marry her.
“I snuck into the bathroom without waking you.” She brushed his mouth with hers in a feather-light kiss. “No morning breath for me.”
His thumb skimmed her jaw. “No whiskers, either.”
“I like your whiskers, Levi.” What an understatement. She loved everything about him. “And your disheveled hair, and the warm, sleepy way you smell…” She put her nose to his neck and inhaled.
On a groan, Levi caught her upper arms, lifted her up and away from him and put her on her back beside him. “Do me a favor, will you, honey? Hold all those tantalizing thoughts while I do a rush job here, okay?”
Beth nodded.
His gaze dipped to her legs, exposed beneath the hem of her pajama top. Thanks to the cold, she’d buttoned up to keep her chest warm, but she hadn’t bothered with her bottoms at all.
Levi slowly inhaled before visibly girding himself and, wonderfully naked, he strolled into the bathroom.
Beth watched him until he was out of sight, then she squeezed her eyes shut and hugged herself. Now that she’d accepted her involvement with Levi, things were easier.
And exciting beyond belief.
When she heard the water come on, she jumped out of the bed and called the front desk to request a pot of coffee and a basket of Danishes. Being Ben’s stepsister got her priority service, and she barely had time to drag a brush through her hair and pull on her pajama bottoms before the knock sounded on the door.
Looking refreshed and resolute, Levi stuck his head out of the bathroom.
Beth deliberately confused him by grinning. “Unless you want to be seen in your birthday suit, you better duck back into bed.”
“Breakfast?”
“Coffee at least.”
“You’re an angel.” And with that, he stepped into jeans and went to the door for her. After signing the charge and slipping a few singles to the bellhop, he turned back to Beth, tray in hand.
Beth patted the bottom of the bed. “Put it here, and we can get comfortable together.”
His jaw worked, but he gave in with a shrug. “If you say so.”
Beth went about pouring coffee for them both. “I suppose you’re wondering about my change in attitude, huh?”
“A little, yeah.”
His dry tone made her chuckle. As she handed his coffee to him, she tried to explain. “Well, you know I talked with Grace and Sierra and Brooke last night?”
“Yeah.” He took the cup from her and sipped.
“We talked about…us. You and me.”
“I figured.” He took another sip.
“I told them how I felt like a marauding sex fiend with you.”
Levi choked. He looked at her, then sputtered and choked again. Quickly, he set the steaming cup of coffee back on the tray and stood.
“Are you all right?” Jumping to her feet, Beth went to the other side of the bed and started to pat his back.
Still coughing, Levi shot to the side to dodge her. “I’m okay,” he wheezed.
“Are you sure?” He didn’t sound all right.
Holding out a hand, he kept her at bay while he sucked in a few strangled breaths. When normal color returned to his face, he looked at her, put his hands on his hips and opened his mouth.
Beth blinked at him.
He said nothing. His mouth closed. He frowned.
“Did I embarrass you by telling them about us?”
He shook his head, more in confusion than denial. “Sex fiend?”
Maybe she shouldn’t have shared that with him. “You have to admit that I’m not really myself with you.”
“You’re exactly yourself.”
“I hadn’t been that way before.”
“Because you hadn’t been with me before.”
He sounded pretty confident about that. “It’s not what I’m used to. It’s not how I thought things should be.”
“It’s how I hope things will always be between us.” Shaking his head, Levi said, “Forget what you told your family. I don’t want to think about that.”
“Not my whole family,” Beth corrected. “Just the women.”
“Ha.” He shook his head again. “They probably made beelines to tell the men. They probably shared stories. Hell, they’ll all be grinning at me this morning, you watch and see.”
“They wouldn’t do that!”
“No, you’re right. Ben will probably want to kill me for debauching his little sister.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “I’m not really his little sister, just a stepsister, and I seriously doubt that Sierra said anything to him.”
“She’s his wife. If she doesn’t tell him everything, then she should.”
Beth scowled. “So you’re saying that you think she should have told him?”
Levi held his head. “I think you should have talked to me about this instead of telling them.”
Damn it, Beth hated feeling guilt, and Levi had made her feel more guilt in a week than she’d felt in her entire life. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He dropped his hands. “We’re here talking about it, and that’s a big improvement to me chasing you. However we got to this point, I’m grateful.” He came back to his seat. “So, you feel like a sex fiend, huh?”
Now he was smiling! Beth cleared her throat. “My point, before you started strangling to death, is that none of the women were surprised.”
“You know why? Because what we did was perfectly normal.”
“I didn’t tell them anything we did.”
“No?” He relaxed a little. “Then what did you tell them?”
“That it was more than I’d ever done before, and that it—you—made me feel so much more.”
Levi absorbed all that before smiling again. “And they told you that was a good thing, right?”
“They told me to own up to my feelings, which is what I’m trying to do.” To keep Levi from interrupting further, Beth shoved a cherry Danish toward him. “Now, since we’ve just established that I enjoy you, and you haven’t denied enjoying me, I think we should continue to…enjoy each other.”
Levi knew if he took a single bite of the Danish, he’d start choking again. He set it aside on one of the small plates that had come with the tray.
So, did Beth want to commit to him? Or just sleep with him?
It was a first, but damn it, he felt used. Insulted. He wanted everything, not just sexual satisfaction.
After a long look at Beth, he went to his overnight bag and withdrew a small wrapped package. “Here.”
Rather than take it, Beth stared at the ribbon. “What is it?”
“A Christmas gift.” Levi took her hand and pressed the package into it. “I know it’s not Christmas yet, but close enough, so open it.”
Excitement twinkled in her eyes. “Okay.” Careful not to rip the shiny paper, Beth opened the present. “A CD? Oh, by my favorite artist! I was going to get this next month.”
“I know. I heard you mention it. You’d already spent so much on Christmas shopping that something for yourself wasn’t in the budget.” He went back to his overnight bag and withdrew a larger gift. “Open this one, too.”
“But—”
“Just open it, honey. Please.”
Happy to oblige, Beth tore through the tissue paper. “The decorating book I mentioned.”
He tossed the next present to her, and without argument, she opened it, and then laughed. “Socks?”
“Special socks to keep your feet warm.”
“Because I’m always compl
aining of being cold?”
He nodded. “That’s right.” Digging deeper into his bag, he withdrew one more gift. “I wrapped this up after.”
“After?”
He looked into her beautiful blue eyes and said, “After you were no longer Brandon’s. After you were no longer off limits.”
Her lips parted. “Levi…”
“After you became mine.” He handed her a beautifully decorated, slender box.
For long moments, Beth just stared at the package. Finally, with infinite care, she opened the red-velvet ribbon, parted the silky paper, and lifted the lid.
“Oh Levi.” In no more than an awed breath of sound, Beth lifted out the delicate bracelet with a dangling pearl held inside a three dimensional heart-shaped pendant. “This is the exact bracelet that I fell in love with last summer.”
Levi crossed his arms over his chest. “I know. We were downtown for a play that Brandon wanted to see, and you stared at it in the jewelry window.”
Slowly, Beth brought her gaze from the bracelet up to Levi. “You noticed that?”
“I notice everything about you. I always have. I just didn’t let you or Brandon notice me noticing you.”
Beth hugged the bracelet to her chest and gave a tremulous smile. “I’ve always noticed a lot about you, too.”
“I know.” He crossed the floor to sit beside her on the bed. “Sometimes it worried me, because I didn’t want to be the cause of problems with you and Brandon. I kept wondering when the two of you would marry, and I didn’t know how the hell I was going to handle it.”
“Now you don’t have to handle it, because Brandon and I are over and you had nothing to do with it.”
Levi took her hands. “You like your gifts?”
“Yes, very much. All of them, but especially the bracelet.”
“While you were still engaged to Brandon, I didn’t dare give it to you. CDs and books were platonic enough, but jewelry…”
“It was so long ago, I’m surprised you were able to get it.”
“After seeing you admire it, I bought it the very next day.” He shrugged. “You wanted it, so I didn’t want anyone else to have it. I’m glad I can finally give it to you.”
Beth grinned. “It’s so beautiful. Thank you.” She reached for him.
