“I’m serious. And if you keep calling me that, then I will have to steal your panties.”
“You already did,” I say with a wicked grin. I remain nestled in the warmth of the clean, dry towel.
“Not intentionally.” Levi dries off and opens the bathroom door, stalking into the bedroom to get dressed.
“Right.” I roll my eyes, unconvinced. Although by now, he doesn’t have to lie to me. Early on, it was probably his pride, and he didn’t want to bruise his ego.
I hate to admit it’s fun as hell to tease him. The banter between us is its own brand of foreplay, exclusive to Levi Luxenberg.
“You’ll text me,” he says, wanting assurances.
“Yes, I will text you, but I’m sending you the bill. I don’t have international roaming.”
“When we get back to New York, I’m putting you on my phone plan. In the meantime, don’t worry about the cost. I’ve got it covered.”
“That’s crazy, Levi. I can get a SIM card, and it’ll be a lot less money.”
His eyes glint, and he reaches for his wallet. He hands me a credit card that readsCurrency Passport. “It’s preloaded with foreign currency. Not that I want you to waste it on a SIM card, but you’ll need money for admission if you want to take Amelia to a museum or go up inside the Eiffel Tower. And if you need cash for a vendor, you can take it out at an ATM with that card.”
“I’ll need the pin number.”
“It’s Amelia’s month and day of birth, October 31st. The pin is 1031.”
I didn’t realize her birthday is in less than two weeks. We’ll have to plan something magnificent for her to celebrate turning six. “You don’t want to join us when we go up inside the Eiffel Tower?” I ask.
“This isn’t my first trip to Paris. Amelia should have fun. I don’t want you girls cooped up inside this place all day.”
“How much is on the card?” I ask, placing it beside my phone while I get dressed.
“More than you should be able to spend in a day. Several thousand.”
I try to hide my shock that he’s handing me so much money, but I won’t spend all of it. Unlike when he left me shopping for hours, and I realized Amelia had nothing to play with or anything educational. That money I used to make her feel at home with Levi.
I’m still nestled tight in my towel. Levi is fully dressed and glances me up and down. “Your luggage is in Amelia’s room,” he says with a sigh. “Stay here.”
He’s quiet as he sneaks through the penthouse and opens the bedroom door, careful not to wake his sleeping daughter. He carries the suitcase instead of rolling it, probably not wanting to alert Amelia to his presence.
“Here you go,” Levi says, placing the suitcase on the floor.
I keep the towel secure while I bend down, unzip the suitcase, and grab a short sundress with yellow daisies. It’s not like Levi didn’t just see me naked in the shower, but somehow in the bedroom, I’m trying to be modest.
“Thanks,” I say. I gesture for him to get out.
He chuckles and grabs his last few items: wallet, watch, and phone from the bedside table.
“Will you be done before dinner?” I ask.
“Yes, I’m hoping to finish around three o’clock.”
He pulls me against him, his lips crashing down on mine as his fingers tangle in my wet hair. “Woman,” he growls, trying to pull back, but I keep leaning in, my lips meeting his again and again. “You’re going to make me late.”
“Very late,” I whisper, running my fingers over his suit and dropping my towel.
His face reddens, and he shifts his weight on his feet, like he’s trying to decide if being good and making it to the meeting on time is really that important.
The kisses are heated and passionate, but I don’t undress him. My hand rests against his chest, his heart pounding against my palm.
“Go,” I say with a laugh, glancing down, “before I rip your clothes off.”