Once he was steady on his feet, Levi rounded the corner of the mattress to find Thane’s arm extended, reaching out, trying to catch him as he walked by. “Don’t go.” Thane tried to rise to one elbow, but his arm gave out and he fell back onto the bed. “You nailed me so good I don’t have the energy to move.”
Levi didn’t utter a single word when he went into the bathroom or when he left the bathroom in search of his clothes. He dressed in the darkness of the living room, staring out at the open balcony. He was so relaxed; the ocean easily mesmerized him. But not nearly as much as that man who was still lying in the bed where he wished he could be.
“You’re gonna make me work for this,” Thane said, pulling him from his distracted thoughts.
Levi looked over to see Thane standing in the doorway, staring at him. Thane was so damn sexy. He turned away from the tempting sight, drawing his jeans up around his waist and gathering his wits before looking back. “I don’t know what that means.”
Thane barked out a laugh as his shoulder hit the doorframe.
“We’re dating,” Thane declared as Levi took a seat on the edge of the chair, reaching for his socks.
“So, dating means we go out occasionally, and I suspect, that means to you that we’ll have regular sex,” he stated, maybe wanting to understand the specifics, at least as Thane saw them.
He reached for his shoes and began toeing them on. He struggled to get his foot in. Levi bent, using his finger to help pull the heel on, and it still took a second. He was so tired, and more than anything, he needed a good few minutes alone to recover from their amazing round of sex. When Levi stood, stars sprinkled his vision, causing him to give in, dropping back down on the chair, resting his head against the back, closing his eyes.
He hadn’t heard Thane move. Didn’t realize he’d come closer until he took the seat directly beside him and said in a husky, deep, satisfying voice, “No question, I do enjoy making love to you almost as much as I like spending time with you. Your family’s incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight, even if you were in that weird made-of-stone, silent-in-all-your-indignation mode at dinner.”
Levi didn’t respond to any of that, because seriously, what could he say? He’d been exactly all those things. Thane always threw him off his game, made him so damn nervous. “So how about Thursday after I get—”
“Levi, that’s six days from now.” Thane immediately cut him off. All his good-natured teasing vanished. His tone turned from sultry to hard and questioning in seconds.
“Then Tuesday,” Levi countered, opening his eyes and turning his head toward Thane.
“How about Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday,” Thane said, proving he’d put some thought into this. Thane was always going to be a force to be reckoned with.
“I can’t commit that much. It’s too much time away from my brothers. I don’t know why you want to do this with me. I have responsibilities that tie me down.” Levi pushed forward in his seat as he realized the true logistical nightmare of having a relationship with anyone, let alone someone like Thane, who was used to having no restraints on his time. “You do understand that I’m their legal guardian. I have to be home with them. They have no one but me to depend on, and we’re leaving California in a few months and moving to the other side of the country.”
The humor was back in Thane’s voice as he leaned forward, bending enough to look him in the eyes. “You’re not scaring me, so quit trying. How about, Tuesday night when you get off, we’ll have a quick dinner then you can go home. We can also go out Friday and Saturday night. One night alone, and one night we’ll take your brothers with us, so you can be with your family.”
Levi remained at that awkward angle in his seat, just staring at Thane. He so didn’t need this in his life right now. He couldn’t even focus. His brain was scrambled and the too handsome and even more charming Thane Walker was hard to resist. Levi shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts of the craziness while his dick began to stir. No, he’d be hard in a matter of seconds if he sat there staring at Thane like this.
Levi hoisted himself up, moving for the door on unsteady legs as a full-fledged hard-on built. He patted his jeans for his wallet and phone. Both were there, and he fished out his cell to find the nearest Uber driver. He made it as far as the door before Thane’s palm hit the metal and kept the door closed tight. The man’s warm breath on his neck and husky voice stroking his eardrum sent goose bumps springing up along his arms. “You’ve gotta stop making me pay for my misstep. I’m really into you. You’re all I think about. Please, let me try to show you I’m not a bad guy.”