“I want to take you out for dinner.”
Hannah let out a puff of laughter and then shook her head. “There is no way that is happening,” she said firmly.
He waved his hands in front of him and then began to walk toward the staircase. “I am not staying under house arrest, for what? Days? Months?” he said, still walking away from Hannah.
“Levi,” she said through gritted teeth. “Don’t.”
He continued walking, unsure what her reaction would be if he simply didn’t take no for an answer. He continued, bracing himself for her strong hands on his body, pulling him backward, hell, even restraining him. But after telling the chef that he could get off early, he managed to get to the garage without a single touch from his bodyguard.
A part of him was certainly disappointed about that.
7
HANNAH
Hannah considered grabbing Levi by the collar and dragging him into his room. By the looks of it, she would have to restrain him physically, and that wasn’t something she felt ready to do. If he was her fated mate, she would be denying him in so many ways. Plus, there was always that possibility that she could hurt him.
Her job description didn’t include having to physically restrain someone, and she wasn’t entirely sure that it would look great on her record for the next job. So she simply sucked it up and did her job, following the client and protecting him at all costs.
Levi led her into his garage, where there was an assortment of different cars and trucks. She had never seen so many in her entire life, especially under a single roof.
He clicked a button that made one of the cars give a blinding, blood-red flash, and she shot her eyes in its direction. Levi stood there smiling with the pride of a lion as he opened the side door for her.
“My lady,” he said, taking a little bow.
Hannah felt her cheeks bloom hot, and she climbed into the car as fast as she could to conceal it. She couldn’t let him see how attracted to him she was, even when his musky scent was becoming way too overpowering to handle.
She did her best to keep on the cold, strict look and vibe as Levi climbed into the car and started the engine. It purred sweetly, sending a chill up Hannah’s spine.
“Have you ever been in a car like this?” he asked.
Hannah shook her head.
“Nothing even close,” she said.
Levi revved the engine a few times while the garage door opened. The day was fading into evening, a crisp, golden light pouring through the door. It was increasingly difficult for Hannah to maintain her professional and detached sensation when Levi was just so damn adorable and charming.
He wrinkled his nose and animated his expression as he revved the engine a few more times for her, and she emitted a little chuckle. His emerald eyes swam at her with excitement, and she began to feel the walls of her emotions beginning to crumble.
Levi blasted into the city, making her grip the side door a few times and instruct him to slow down. Each time she did, he would for a moment, then he’d slam his foot back down on the gas. She would gasp and try to hold in her laughter.
“You’re going to kill us before we get there,” Hannah said, clutching at the door.
She was doing everything within her power to keep from feeling thrilled, maybe even a bit relaxed. The way he teased her was turning her on immensely. Her underwear was beginning to dampen beneath her tight slacks.
She told herself to get it together, to focus. She was working, for god’s sake!
They eventually arrived at an establishment that was the opposite of discreet. Neon lights the colors of the rainbow pulsed against the sign over the entrance to a warehouse-sized building. The parking lot was packed with an assortment of people, including children and adults of all sizes.
Anxiety rose in Hannah’s chest as her eye began to twitch, gazing up at the flamboyant display. She had an idea about what the place was all about. It wasn’t just some restaurant or bar. It was entertainment central, packed with people who lived for the weekend and spent money like it was water.
“Levi,” Hannah said.
She was still sitting in the car when he came around to her side. He opened the door, doing his sweet little bow again.
“What’s up?” he asked.
She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned out, sniffing the air. She was slapped with a collision of scents, from sweat to melted butter, to beer and bubble gum. A busy place like that would make it difficult for her to see or smell any enemy coming. It was a wretched, mixed bag of stimulation, like a mandala horror film.