Hired Hottie

“Which means we’ll be leaving,” Indie says before grabbing the stack of dresses. “You’re going to have a blast. Call us later with an update.” Giving Indie a quick hug of gratitude, I find myself in the middle of a Charlie sandwich as Suzette and Sophie join in.

Another knock breaks our little moment, and they scatter to clean up their stuff as I go to the door and open it.

“Hey!” I greet him in an attempt to act casual, though my fingers are digging into the door like it’s a lifeline.

“You look….” Levi’s eyes slide back down my body, reminding me of our date the day before. Only this time, there’s an edge of heat that accompanies his look, warming me up from the outside in.

The girls interrupt him from finishing his comment by squeezing out the door and giving me a final wave behind Levi’s back, panting and smacking the air as if it were Levi’s butt. I bite my lip to keep from laughing at their antics. Turning to see what all the fuss is about, Levi watches my friends drop their act and turn on their heels, disappearing down the hall.

“Did my best friend finally learn to get along with other girls?” he teases, turning back to me.

“Maybe.”

“Ooo, I like it.” Wrapping his arms around my lower waist, he gives me a soft, slow kiss, and I sigh into his mouth.

“I missed you,” he admits quietly.

“I missed you too.”

“You ready to go?”

“Yup.” I wiggle out of his embrace and grab my clutch, phone, and keys then lock the door behind me.

As we walk down the hall, Levi glances over at me before grabbing the back of his neck and squeezing. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” I press the down button on the elevator, and the doors slide open.

After we both step inside, Levi mutters, “Does Conner know you’re not interested in him?”

Another wave of guilt hits me square in the chest, and I rub my hands along my bare arms. “Not yet.”

“I figured.” Clenching his jaw, Levi drops his chin to his chest. His gaze is glued to his black loafers as the elevator slides down a few more floors.

I can feel him slipping away from me, his frustration palpable in the small elevator, so I rush to fix it. “I didn’t feel like it was fair to him to do it over a text, and I haven’t had any time to meet with him and break it off officially. But I promise I’ll do it tonight, okay? I promise.”

Reaching for his fisted hand, I tangle our fingers together and squeeze.

“I know you guys weren’t official. I know that you only went on one date together and that you only kissed him once. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel guilty as hell for stealing you from him.”

“You didn’t steal me,” I argue. The elevator doors slide open, interrupting my argument. Levi doesn’t reply right away. He waits until we’re on the bustling street before giving me his thoughts.

“I feel like I stole you, Charlie. I feel like I was back in grade school and didn’t like that someone else was sniffing around my favorite toy. I know that isn’t fair to him, and it sure as hell isn’t fair to you, but that’s how I feel.”

Pulling him to a stop outside the door, I grab both sides of his face and stand on my tiptoes to make sure I have his full attention. “Levi, I was always yours. You were just too blind to see it, and I was too stubborn and scared to admit it to you.”

“You sure about that, Charlie?”

If he only knew.

“Positive. And Conner will be fine. Like you said, it was one date. Hell, you practically forced me to go in the first place, remember?” I laugh at the memory, but my comment only makes Levi freeze. Sensing the change in his behavior, I ask, “You okay?”

“Fine,” he grits out. “Let’s just get going, okay?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

He leads me to a black car with a driver waiting by the open back door. “Mr. McCoy. Ms. Bannon.”

After sliding into the back of the car, I whisper, “A town car, eh? Fancy.”