Chapter 2
“Levi.” My greeting is short and clipped, just as I intend for my presence in this room to be. Clearly, he forgot I was coming and planned a private gathering, of which I have no intention of being a part of.
“Vista,” he drawls, stretching my name out in a way that makes it sound almost obscene. At the sound of that deep, naturally seductive voice, my mind conjures all kinds of inappropriate scenarios involving the two of us, alone, with no clothes on.
His light gaze flickers over me again, sending a tiny shiver racing through me. It’s probably just a casual observance on his part, but my brain twists it, perceiving it as a physical caress that warms me all the way down to my toes.
Clearly, I am a sick individual in need of professional help.
Shrugging the woman off, Levi sets into motion across the open floor to the kitchen, his crutches taking the lead and the brunt of what appears to be considerable weight. I watch as he pulls glasses down from a cabinet, the muscles in his back and arm flexing, and lines them up along the counter. “Wine?”
He’s asking everyone, but when his clear blue gaze flicks up, his eyes are fixed on me. As he begins to pour, I shake my head.
“No, I’m fine,” I tell him, my voice weak even to my own ears. I’d always assumed that wine was too refined for arrogant assholes. What am I still doing here? This interaction has already gone on too long. It’s messing with my head.
I watch him pour, resisting the urge to comment on his choice of alcohol.
Knowing I need to extract myself from the situation, I stand up and brush bits of granola crumbs from my clothing onto the pristine floor. “I’m tired, so I’m just going to turn in for the night.”
“Turn in for the night?” Levi barks a laugh. “What are you, fifty?”
His guests laugh at his attempt at a joke and I grit my teeth to withhold a snappy retort. This Levi is easy to hate. He reminds me why I left in the first place.
“Sorry to be a downer,” I sneer, “but some of us have jobs in the morning.”
“Jobs?”
“Yeah, that thing people like me refer to as work. I’m sure the word is foreign to you, so I don’t expect you to understand the concept.”
Lifting his glass, Levi wraps his full lips around the rim and takes a drink as he studies me through narrowed eyes. The look is cutting, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable in this cavernous room of stark modernity. I am aware of the curious, watchful eyes of his friends as they attempt to figure out just what the hell is going on between us. Good luck with that, I want to tell them, because my lips are sealed. They don’t need to hear all the sordid details of our fucked up history.
Somehow, even with his crutches, Levi heads toward me with a fluid grace that leaves my mouth dry.
He is everything I’ve told myself I should loathe, but there’s something about him that stokes a fire within me. Always has, ever since the day we first met, and a part of me fears always will. My stomach flips and if I ever doubted it, I don’t now. Nothing has changed. Levi is still hot as holy hell and more than capable of reducing me to a love-struck teenager whose brain trips over itself at the mere sight of him.
Everything about Levi is the same as I remember, only bigger. The only indulgence I’ve allowed myself over these last four years was following him in the media, but seeing him in magazine spreads and on television hasn’t prepared me for what stands here now.
He’s somehow even more devastating in person.
Levi stops directly in front of me, so close the heat of our bodies merge. He smells of clean linens and soap, and when he speaks, sweet wine.
“When did you get in?” His tone is soft, easy. Conversational. Not at all what I expected considering the harsh look in his eyes.
“Uh...a couple hours ago, I guess.” It’s difficult to think with him standing so close.
“You showered,” he murmurs, his voice dropping an octave as he looks me over once more, his eyes pausing on my chest, making me acutely aware that I’m not wearing a bra. My nipples tighten under his lingering gaze, and it doesn’t escape his attention. His lips curl up on one side.
Oh God. Five minutes in his presence and I’m already hopeless. “I hope you don’t mind. It was a long flight,” I rush to say, flushing as I think about being in his personal space, using things he set out for me—mint shampoo and conditioner, lavender body wash, luscious towels. Stupid girl. A man like him probably has an assistant who does this for all the girls he brings home. It doesn’t mean anything.
“You’re staying here now,” he says, his voice rough as his eyes zero in on my naked shoulder. He reaches out and pinches a lock of damp hair between his fingers, releasing a droplet of cool water that soaks into the material covering my left breast. He follows it with his eyes and his tongue darts out to wet his lips, and a tingling of passion erupts between my thighs.
“Help yourself to whatever you want,” he grunts. “Did you find your room okay?”
“Yes, thank you,” I reply breathily. The bedroom is stunning, done up in warm blues and grays, the complete opposite of the rest of the rooms here, and I almost feel guilty for staying in it. I never expected my accommodations to be so nice. The walk-in closet was orgasm-inducing, big enough to house the apartment I shared with my roommate back in Ohio. Another thing I never expected was for my bedroom to be one of only two, making us neighbors. My face heats just thinking about how close we’ll be at night.
Another thought occurs to me. He’d better not think he’s going to have women spending the night while I’m here. This month is going to be challenging enough without having to listen to his sexual escapades echoing through the walls.
“And do you like it?” His words are smooth, rich, sending another tingle of awareness rebounding through my body like the snap of a rubber band as he recalls my attention. Gradually, Levi begins twisting the lock of hair around his finger, and the slight movement sends delicious tickling sensations dancing along my scalp.
Lifting my chin, I look directly into his eyes. They’re a pale blue, like the morning sky, and remind me of tropical islands and sandy beaches. I’ve never seen a pair quite like them, and I’m astonished to find that they still hold the power to turn me into mush. For a moment, I just hold my breath, drinking him in, before finally managing to break through the fog.
“I love it.”
Those eyes of his...they switch back and forth between mine, like he’s searching for something. I can’t tear my eyes away from his. For one long moment suspended in time, we’re the only people in the room. No time has passed. We’re just Levi and Vista again.
It reminds me of the way things used to be, when we hardly knew each other. Before that night happened. Before everything got complicated. Before he broke my heart.
“It’s over, Vista. It was fun, but this was never going to go anywhere.”
“But, Levi—”
“There’s nothing left to say, Vista! It was just sex. Why can’t you just accept it? I have.”
I’ve replayed those words in my head countless times. Enough to drive a person crazy. Was it just sex? Because it felt like so much more than that to me. We had a connection. I gave him everything that night, only to have him walk away, leaving me feeling like the biggest fool.
“Are you sure you’re too tired to have a drink with us? Not even one?” Levi asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.
Glancing over his shoulder, I see the guy who walked in with him keeping the women entertained while they wait for Levi to rejoin them. There’s no way I’m going to be the third wheel. Or fifth. Whatever. Besides, the smart thing to do here would be to keep as much distance between me and Levi as possible. The less time I have to spend with him, the faster this month will go. The faster I’ll be able to get back to my life.
“I’m positive,” I tell him with a bitter edge to my words. Reaching up, I reclaim my hair and toss it back over my shoulder. “You clearly forgot I was going to be here tonight, and I would never dream of intruding on your...date.” Dates? What is the correct terminology for what they’re doing together? Fuck buddies? Orgy? Or could one of those women actually be his girlfriend?
The instant I think it, I throw the thought away. According to everything I’ve read about him, Levi has never been seriously connected to any one woman. He’s a total man whore. So, I’m going to assume they’re fuck buddies.
Funny, that pill isn’t any easier to swallow now as it was when I was still hundreds of miles away.
“That’s not possible,” Levi says, dropping his voice to a bare whisper. The words are spoken so softly I almost miss them. I don’t think he intended for me to hear him, but I have. I freeze, my gaze locked with his, which is why I notice the exact moment he slips back into his usual persona—casual, cocky, unaffected. Raising his voice, he taunts, “But if you’re dead set on being a Debbie Downer, then far be it for me to stand in your way.”
My gut twists. It’s the same feeling I had when he walked away from me that night after telling me that we were never going to happen. He’s baiting me. I know this, and yet I can’t help wondering if it’s how he really thinks of me. But, I quickly remind myself, nothing Levi Black says or does affects me anymore, and I shrug it off. To hell with him. In fact, I should be grateful he’s such an ass. It makes it so much easier to walk away.
Everyone is looking at me now thanks to him, and even if I had wanted to stick around, I certainly don’t now. Levi Black can kiss my lily white ass.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I spin around and march toward the stairs, relieved that he’s unable to follow, but not before Levi gets the last word.
“Sweet dreams...sis.”
That son of a bitch.
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