Plus, the last thing he wanted was to taint the evening. He wanted her to be relaxed and at ease in his company—something she currently seemed to be, which pleased both him and his demon.
“Being mine won’t be so terrible, you know,” he told her. “You’ll see that soon. But only if you don’t hold me at arm’s length. We can’t truly otherwise get to know each other. So, can you agree not to insist on my giving you space the same way I’m agreeing not to insist that I don’t have to give you time?”
She licked her lips, and fuck if his gut didn’t clench. An image of that tongue licking its way up his cock flashed in his mind’s eye. He inwardly cursed.
He really shouldn’t be letting his thoughts turn X-rated around her. But, honestly, he didn’t see that stopping anytime soon. Discovering Piper was his anchor, that he had such singular rights to her, had only intensified his need for her.
Would he be able to keep his hands off her? In the short-term, maybe. But in the long run? Probably not.
He definitely couldn’t afford to act on what he wanted now. She was skittish enough as it was. She needed time to adjust to him being her anchor before she could even think of letting him touch her that way.
The problem was … Levi wasn’t confident that his demon would care to bear that in mind. It was too focused on her. Too determined to find out how her mouth tasted. Too intent on knowing just exactly how hot and tight she’d feel around—
Fuck, now his cock was twitching to life. Levi subtly drew in a steadying breath through his nose, willing his body to calm the hell down. His demon chuckled, the bastard.
“Yeah, I can do that,” she finally said, snapping Levi out of his private struggle.
At her agreement, something in him settled, making a knot in his gut unravel. “Good. Now tell me … just how much of a problem is Kelvin making of himself?”
She flicked up a brow. “Is this how things are going to be? You’ll see I might have some issue, and you’ll want to take care of it yourself?”
“Yes. You can handle your own problems, I know. I simply don’t intend for you to have to. And you won’t make that difficult for me, will you?” It was a firm suggestion.
She didn’t bristle as he’d expected. She instead said, “Of course I won’t.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I want your word that you won’t be stubborn and surly when I step in to fix your problems for you.”
She held up a hand. “I swear it on my dead canary’s ashes.”
He blinked. “You had a canary?”
“Yeah. Paulie. He died of scabies. Very sad.”
Both he and his demon frowned, not entirely sure they believed her. Deciding to let it go for now, Levi prompted, “So, Kelvin?”
“He’s not an ‘issue,’ just a minor annoyance. But if that changes, I’ll let you know.”
“Does he want you back?” Levi asked, managing to keep his voice casual. “I know you two dated for a short while.” His demon tensed as it awaited her answer.
“He’s not interested in anything other than keeping me as an employee.”
“You sound very sure of that.”
“I am.”
Levi wasn’t. There’d been something in the other male’s eyes earlier. Something dark and resentful. As if seeing another man near her had made Kelvin feel threatened on some level. “Who dumped who?”
“It was a mutual agreement to part ways.”
“That doesn’t mean he was happy about it.”
“No, he was fine with it. Seriously. He moved on very fast. Like uber fast.”
“He might have been hoping to make you jealous. Or he could have been trying to prove to himself that he was okay with the separation by fucking other women.”
Piper shook her head. “Kelvin doesn’t want us to get back together.”
Levi felt his insides seize as he asked, “And if he did?”
“He’d be awfully disappointed. I’m not interested in giving things another shot.”
Like that, Levi’s system relaxed. He might not be planning to put any moves on her anytime soon, but he wouldn’t be able to stand back while Kelvin or other males made a play. Levi’s demon would warn them off if he didn’t do it himself. “On another note, what time is your job interview tomorrow?”
“Ten thirty a.m.,” she replied, her shoulders stiffening slightly with what appeared to be nerves.
“I’ll pick you up and take you.” He raised his hand before she could object. “You have your own car, I know. I’ll leave my car here and ride shotgun if you’re intent on driving yourself there. Either way, I’m going with you.”
Her eyes flashed. “Are you now?”
“As I’ve already pointed out, we can’t get to know each other if we don’t spend time together. Besides, I don’t want you going alone. Job interviews can be nerve-wracking, and being under the same roof as Khloë Wallis for any length of time can give anyone a case of anxiety.”