I link her fingers with mine, and we walk the block or so down to the waterfront, wandering along the paved path. Families are having picnic dinners, couples walk and wait for the sunset.
Kites fly, boats float past.
It’s something out of a postcard.
“It smells good,” Starla says, taking a deep breath.
When we’ve reached the end of the public beach, I lead her to an empty bench. We sit, and she immediately scoots next to me, leaning into me and resting her head on my shoulder. Jesus, she fits perfectly right here next to me, like a puzzle piece.
“I’m going to take this walk every evening,” she says as if she’s talking to herself. I want to warn her not to, that she’s too recognizable to walk here alone. But she’s a grown woman, and if a walk along the waterfront makes her happy, who am I to tell her no?
I’ll just make sure I’m here to walk with her.
“The sun is slipping away,” she murmurs.
The sky is a riot of purple and orange, painting a gorgeous picture for us. I’m as comfortable and content as I’ve ever been. The exhaustion and frustration from the past few months has lifted after just a couple of hours of being with this woman.
After the sun slides into the water, we stand and start the walk back to her place. The sky is a deep purple when we reach her door.
“Do you want to come in?” she asks.
I lean on the doorframe and sigh. “I want to come in more than I want to breathe, but I won’t. Not tonight.”
I drag my fingertips down her smooth cheek.
“Okay.” Her eyes fall to my lips. I won’t sleep with her tonight, but I’m no saint. I can’t keep my lips away from her. From the look in her baby blue eyes, I’d say she wants a kiss as much as I do.
I frame her neck and jaw in my hands and lean into her. Her lips touch mine, and I’m gone, slipping into the sweet haze of lust that comes whenever I’m close to her.
She holds onto my sides as if she needs something to ground her as I plunder her mouth, exploring, reacquainting myself with her.
She’s sweet. Sexy.
Delicious.
But I slowly pull away and smile down at her.
“Thank you for going to dinner with me tonight.”
She licks her lips, surely still tasting me there.
“Thanks for asking me.”
I laugh. “I think I told you.”
“I could have said no.”
I cock a brow. “Could you?”
“I could.” She clears her throat and squares her shoulders. Her sassiness turns me on even more. “I’m attracted to you, Levi. I like you. But make no mistake, I’m a strong woman, and if I didn’t want you here, I would tell you so.”
I nod and kiss her forehead. “Good.”
She opens the door to walk into the house and glances back at me with a smile.
“I’ll text you tomorrow. I’d appreciate a reply.”
“I can do that.”
She closes the door, and I walk to my 4-Runner. I’m not ready to go home, but Wyatt’s busy with a deadline, so walking over to his place is out of the question.
I shoot our other brother, Jace, a text.
Are you home?
I pull out of Starla’s driveway and head back toward my place, a condo in the heart of downtown. It’s convenient to work.
I’m at a stop sign when Jace replies.
Sorry, no. At the hospital. Emergency?
I shoot off a quick reply. No. I’ll be over for breakfast.
Jace sends back the thumbs-up emoji. It seems I’m headed home, after all.~Starla~
“I freaking love this car,” Meredith says while bouncing in the passenger seat of my new ride. “Jaguars don’t suck.”
“No. They don’t.” I laugh at my friend and fiddle with the air conditioning. “Summer sure is hanging in there.”
“This is definitely warm for September,” she agrees. “But I’m not complaining because soon, it’ll be cold and rainy. I’m enjoying every minute of summer.”
“Good point.” I merge onto the freeway, driving away from Meredith’s home in the suburbs toward downtown. She picked me up this morning, and we bought this new little F-Type. I like the sporty feel of the car, and that it has so much get up and go.
Once the purchase was finished, I followed Mer back to her place where we dropped off her car and hopped in my new one, ready to go shopping in downtown Seattle.
“Thanks for going with me,” I say with a smile. “Jax and Logan had something come up today.”
“Oh, it was entirely my pleasure to watch you work that salesman. He didn’t know what hit him.”
“I’m just good at getting my way when I need to.” I hook my hair behind my ear. “And if he thought I was going to pay that much over MSRP just because I can, he clearly doesn’t know me.”