Hired Hottie

“We clear?” he pushes.

I nod. “Crystal.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Levi

I’m an idiot. How did I not notice the way she looks down at the floor anytime I compliment her? Or that she nibbles her thumbnail, her cheeks turning pink anytime I toss a grin her way? She’s been in love with me for years, and I was simply too wrapped up in my own world to notice.

Leading Charlie to the subway, my hand touches her lower back, and she quivers in response.

Quivers.

It takes everything inside of me to resist the urge to push her back up against the nearest wall and take her the way she so desperately wants me to.

Not tonight, I promise myself.

“So, where are we going?” Her voice is soft as she looks over her shoulder at me.

“You’ll see.” I check the time on my watch then usher her onto the right train. Scanning the area, I find two seats next to each other then guide her to them.

It’s quiet between us, and I’m grateful for the comfortable ambiance of the subway that is doing exactly what it was meant to.

“Nice touch,” Charlie notes, glancing over at me before staring lazily out the window. It’s showcasing a less than stellar view of the subway.

“You noticed, huh?” I tease.

“That you brought me to one of my favorite spots in the city?”

My mouth quirks. “Only crazy people find comfort in the underground transit system, Charlie.”

“Then send me to the loony bin, my friend,” she quips. “And come on. Let’s be real. This place is perfection. If anyone ever wants an up-close and personal experience of the city, they only gotta jump on the nearest subway train.”

“Is that right?” I challenge, taking in her thick, dark lashes. I’ve never noticed how damn long they are. Hell, they’re practically reaching her arched brows.

“Yup.”

I’ve heard this argument before, but there’s just something about the way her face lights up with passion that encourages me to keep prodding. “How so?”

“The people. The smells. The hustle and bustle of hopping on and off. It’s got the whole package.”

“Except the food,” I argue.

Sighing, she rubs her stomach. “Ooo, good point. I’m a sucker for the food.”

“And the baseball.”

She grins up at me. “Are you trying to prove a better point than the one I just made?”

“Of course not!” I raise my hands into the air as though she’s got a gun pointed at me instead of the mocking, narrowed glare that’s pinning me in place. “I’m just saying that if there were a lineup of baseball players and your favor

ite hot dog within reach down here, you’d find your own quirky Utopia.”

“Ahh, now we’re talkin’.” With a dreamy smile, she rests her head against my shoulder. “If only.”

As the city zooms above us, we fall into a comfortable silence. The mundane tasks of the week slough off us the longer we stay in our urban transit bubble until I’m positive I never want to leave.

Then, I imagine Charlie’s look of surprise that I know she’ll be sporting when she realizes where I’m taking her. And it’s just enough to get me to stand.