Dance With Me (With Me in Seattle 12)

It’s mid-morning. I slept like the dead last night and woke up feeling feisty and ready to go. The best part?

No dizziness. None.

It’s amazing how good I feel.

I’m paddling backward, enjoying the way the sunshine feels on my face and listening to the birds singing in the trees. I should use my pool more often in LA. If I were home more.

When I reach the end of the pool, I flip over and do the breaststroke to the other side, then turn onto my back and mosey back the way I came.

All in all, it’s not a bad way to spend the morning.

After a few more laps, I stand to walk out of the pool.

“Fuck!” I scream, clutching my chest over my pounding heart at the sight of Levi lounging lazily in a pool chair. “How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to count ten laps,” he says with a smile. “If I’d known you swam naked, I would have come by earlier.”

“Funny.” I don’t bother to cover my nakedness as I walk into the house to the bathroom where I have towels and fresh clothes waiting for me.

“You’ve got a great backstroke,” he says from the doorway, grinning like a fool.

“I’m glad you got a good show.” I laugh as I tie my wet hair up in the towel and reach for my underwear. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I brought coffee.”

“I don’t drink coffee.”

“I remember.” He sips from his to-go mug, smiling at me over the rim. “But I wanted coffee.”

“Do they not sell coffee by your house?”

“Where do you think I got this?”

I tilt my head, watching him. “None of this makes sense.”

“I wanted to drink my coffee while I sat with you.”

“Huh.” I unwrap the towel and comb my tangled hair, then twist it into a wet knot. “Well, looks like you managed to pull that off.”

“I sure did.” He chuckles. I should be mad at him for watching me when I didn’t know that he was there, but I’m not. At all. He’s already seen me. And I like having him nearby. “I thought I’d pick you up to go to Nat and Luke’s for dinner, too.”

“We don’t have to be there for about seven hours.”

“Oh, good. We have time then.”

“You’re so mysterious today. Time for what?”

“You’ll see.”~Levi~

“I’m not dressed to go anywhere,” Starla says in protest as I lead her by the hand out her front door. “Seriously, I’m a mess.”

“We’re not going far,” I assure her. We walk past our cars and across the street to Wyatt and Lia’s house.

“I’m definitely not looking good enough to see your family right now.”

I stop in the middle of the road and tug her to me. God, she molds against me like she was fucking made for me.

“You would look good with the damn plague, Starla. Just trust me here, okay?”

Her eyes roam my face, and finally, she nods once. “Okay.”

I kiss her forehead before setting off again, moving up Wyatt’s driveway to ring the doorbell.

“You’re here!” Lia exclaims when she opens the door.

“Lia, this is Starla,” I say lamely as Lia takes my girl’s hand and happily leads her into the house.

“Duh,” she says with a laugh. “I didn’t get to meet you when you were in town for the show because Wyatt and I were on our honeymoon, but I heard it was ridiculously amazing.”

“Thank you,” Starla says with a smile. “Meredith has told me a bit about you guys.”

“What, my loving brother-in-law hasn’t been singing my praises?” Lia props her hands on her hips and glares at me. “Just kidding.”

“Hi, Starla,” Wyatt says as he holds his hand out to shake hers. “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” Starla replies again. “I’m happy to meet you both, I’m just a little—”

She looks at me for help, but before I can say anything, Lia jumps in.

“Confused as to why you’re here,” Lia guesses. “Levi called me this morning and explained that he would like to date you properly, which I kind of swooned over if I’m being honest.”

Starla blinks rapidly, still staring at me, and her plump lips part in surprise.

“And he told me about your challenges with being recognized in public, which I can completely understand. I don’t have even a fraction of the celebrity you do, and I’m recognized sometimes, too. Not to mention, my cousin is married to Luke Williams, and we have Will Montgomery and Leo Nash in the family.”

“That’s one intimidating family,” Starla says. “Every time I go to a family function with you guys, it’s like being at the Grammys and the Oscars at the same time.”

“I know,” Lia says with a laugh. “And I’m not rattling all of that off to show off, but to say that I understand your need for privacy and to just go to the grocery store without it being an event.”