I POURED myself a second glass of wine and looked around the kitchen. My mom had texted to say that they were waiting for Eduard to get into radiology, but the doctor had confirmed that his collarbone was broken. They were just trying to determine to what extent. My father ended his golf game early and met them at the hospital. My job was to continue to prep for tomorrow’s meal.
Had Eduard’s basketball injury actually been an accident? Would Levi intentionally hurt Eduard? I wished I knew who had initiated the basketball game, but I couldn’t remember who had invited whom to play.
“What are you cooking?” asked Levi, slightly out of breath behind me.
I forced myself to focus on the cutting board and not him. My voice sounded surprisingly normal. “I’m preparing the potatoes for tomorrow. How was your run? Want some water?”
“Thanks, that’d be great.”
I poured him a glass and turned to him with his water. Sweet Lord, the man was half-naked, wearing only a pair of running shorts. I sloshed water over my hand as I struggled to keep my eyes off his glistening, muscular body.
“Sorry,” I said as I handed him the wet glass.
I watched as he drank greedily, his thick neck exposed while his Adam’s apple bobbed. I wanted to say something, but I seemed to have lost my words.
He handed me the empty glass. “One more?”
I refilled his glass and handed it to him. “My mom called from the hospital. They’re waiting to get into radiology.”
Levi accepted the glass while he held my gaze. “That was a nasty break.”
The question came out of me before I considered if I actually wanted the answer. “Was that an accident?”
He took a long sip of his water. “What are you asking?”
“I’m asking if you intentionally hurt Eduard when you were playing basketball.”
His tone became quiet and serious. “Why would I do that, Krista?”
Because you’re protecting me. I couldn’t say it out loud in case it had been an accident. I didn’t want to make this into something more than it was, but still, my heart pounded in my chest.
He stepped into my space. He lifted my left hand to his right shoulder and held it there. “For the next six to eight weeks, one hard shove with the palm of your hand will slow him down significantly.”
Holy shit. Levi had deliberately hurt Eduard. And now his injury was a weapon that I could use to protect myself. Such strong emotions whipped through me I could barely decipher how I felt.
I looked at Levi, feeling as if I were seeing him for the first time.
In my mind, he had been this younger, hot, less experienced rookie. Now I realized in some respects, none of that mattered. Events of late had made me realize that when push came to shove, dominant strength mattered more than I wanted to admit.
Physically, Levi was a force, and his body was built for speed and strength. He was faster, stronger, and bigger than me, and he was using those gifts to protect me from Eduard.
I couldn’t seem to remember what Levi and I had been talking about. I looked up to his face. He patiently waited for me to speak.
It was a heady feeling, to be protected, but it also came with the realization that at the end of the day, no matter how much I bossed him around—he could be in charge if he wanted.
“Okay,” I said.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes.” My voice sounded unnatural.
“You mind if I shower?”
“You can use the bathroom in my bedroom.”
“Thanks.” My hand that lay flat against his shoulder felt empty the second he stepped away from my touch. I listened as he went up the steps. Then I heard the sound of the water running above me.
I struggled to remember why I was supposed to resist him. I nursed my wine as I imagined him stepping into the hot stream of water while he lathered up every inch of his body. I felt my face flush hot.
I looked around my mom’s kitchen and willed myself to start another item on the list, but instead, I set my wineglass down on the island and headed upstairs.
I had no idea what I was going to do or say when I got to my destination, but I strode through the bedroom and then pushed open the door of the bathroom.
He was in the shower, facing away from me, so I got a full view of his tight muscular ass and huge hockey thighs through the glass door of the shower. He looked over his shoulder at me and watched me walk into the room, but he didn’t speak.
In a moment of self-awareness, I realized I had chosen to walk in on his shower because being wet and naked made him vulnerable. And right now, I wanted to find my mojo again.
He turned to face me, completely unabashed about the fact that his magnificent cock was swollen and ramrod stiff. He didn’t seem remotely vulnerable. Instead, with his strong body on display, he seemed to be the epitome of strength.
I worked to keep my eyes off his magnificent manhood. I felt drawn to his power, but it also made me uneasy.
“You confuse me,” I told him, my hand on my hip.
He openly stared at my hips. “You coming in here or what?”
“No, of course not.” My eyes dropped to his huge member, which tantalized me.
“You like what you see?” His voice cut through my thoughts.
I more than liked it, and I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes off it. “Let’s keep this meeting professional, please.”
He stared at me for a long moment and then started laughing. “Is that what you are calling this?”
I jutted my hip out, knowing he was calling my bluff. “What?”
“I’m naked, and my dick is hard.”
“It’s no different from the locker room, and I’ve been there plenty of times.”
He slicked water off his face. It reminded me of that afternoon on the beach, when he had just gotten out of the ocean. “You want to change the rules.”
Yes, I desperately do. I frowned. “No, I don’t.”
“You want wild, hot sex and probably a lot of it, so you came in here to change the rules.” He thought for a moment. “I’m okay with that, but I have one rule of my own.”
His words made my heart pound and my stomach pitch. I knew I was playing with fire with this conversation, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself from engaging. “What rule?”
He shut off the water and pulled a towel off the railing. “You need to stop dating other men.”
My lips parted. “You have no say in my personal life.”
He gave a shrug and brought his towel up to dry his hair. “I don’t share.”
Was I going to do this? Was I actually going to cross this line? “Believe it or not, but I don’t share either.”
He ignored my defiance. “So we agree.”
I had no idea what I had just agreed to. I felt a familiar rumble on the floor. It was the garage door opening. Someone was home and about to walk into the house.
We needed to move this along. “I’ve agreed to nothing.”
He gave me an amused look. “You will.”
My eyes dipped down to his cock, which was mere inches from my fingertips. “I will never agree to anything more than a working relationship with you.”
I casually moved my hand, hoping to brush accidentally against his cock, but his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, preventing me from touching him.
“You know you want this.”
“Says you.”
“You should know that you can boss me around all you want as my agent, but that won’t fly in the bedroom.”
“Maybe you’d like to be bossed around,” I taunted him.
Something glowed in his gaze. “Not as much as you’d like it.”
Those words jolted me so hard it felt like a tripwire to my inner core. It was a response I didn’t understand, because I always remained in control, especially during sex.
I heard a door slam downstairs, then my mom’s voice calling, “Krista?”
“Coming,” I shouted hoarsely over my shoulder.
He dropped my wrist and stepped back. “You have a lot to think about.”
“No, I don’t,” I told him.
IT WAS ALL I could think about. I sat at the island and folded cloth napkins while my mind warred with my body. It was preposterous that I was even considering his terms. The thought of relenting to him made my body throb in anticipation, but it also scared me. It was too much of a risk. And what about his comment about wanting to be in charge? I didn’t like to give up my power. I can’t risk giving up my control.
I needed to remember what was at stake, but when I thought of his impressive cock, all my concerns faded away.
My mom’s sharp tone pierced my thoughts. “Krista, are you listening to me?”
I blinked at my mom’s annoyed expression. “I am now.”
“Eduard is upstairs, heavily medicated, and Helene is sleeping. Your father went back to the clubhouse. Where is your… Levi?”
“I sent him out to buy ice for tomorrow.”
She crossed her arms. “Can we talk about him for a moment?”
I continued to fold napkins. “Talk about what?”
“Did you really think that Levi was the most appropriate choice for this weekend?”
I eyeballed her. “I’ve given up trying to please you, mom, especially when it comes to men.”
“Excuse me? When have I ever been critical of your dates?”
“I once brought home a neurosurgeon who ran ultramarathons, and you told me he had ugly feet.”
“They were ugly.”
“What’s your problem with Levi?”
“Krista, people talk. I mean, with your age gap and the other obvious differences between the two of you, it’s practically a reality TV show.”
I narrowed my gaze. “What do you mean, obvious differences?”
She shook her head slowly, as if disappointed that I couldn’t follow her logic. “You’d think after Eduard, maybe you’d…”
“I’d what, Mom?” My tone went sharp.
She raised her eyebrows. “I was going to say that maybe you’d learn your lesson.”
I blinked several times. “My lesson? Are you somehow blaming Eduard’s indiscretion on me?”
She rolled her eyes and poured herself a glass of wine. “I’m trying to mince my words here.”
“Just say it.”
“Levi is extremely handsome—and he’s younger than you. What do you think will happen down the road?”
I folded three more napkins while I let that one sink in. It didn’t matter that she was talking about a hypothetical relationship. It was her thoughts that hurt so much. Even if I had much the same thoughts. “You think he’ll cheat on me?”
“Well, history has a way of repeating itself.”
“You think because Levi is younger and better looking than me, it’s inevitable he’ll cheat on me?” I thought about that for a moment. “Wait. Do you think Eduard cheated on me because you think he’s more attractive than me?”
“Why do you always have to be so literal?” my mom complained. “If you want a relationship to work out, you could take a few lessons from your sister. She knows how to focus on being a partner first.”
I stood up, unable to listen anymore without getting into a massive fight.
“Where are you going?” she demanded, as I walked out of the kitchen towards the front door.
Without responding, I stepped out into the cool night and slammed the door behind me. Then I sat down on the steps. Emotions churned inside of me. In the real world, I had thick skin impervious to the worst of verbal attacks. One hour with my mom, and I felt almost mortally wounded.
I should leave. Levi and I should pack up and walk out of here.
A car drove up the driveway, its bright lights shining in my eyes. I raised my hand until the engine turned off. Levi got out of the car and walked over towards me.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
“I got the ice.”
“Thank you.”
He sat down beside me on the steps, but he didn’t speak after that. When Eduard cheated on me, it had shaken my confidence. Now my mom’s caution against Levi made him seem even more off-limits. Not to mention how he had hurt Eduard to protect me and then our talk in the bathroom. He wasn’t who I thought he was. And that threw me.
I stared into the dark. “You know, I thought being here this weekend would be different.”
I could feel him looking over at me. “How so?”
I gave a self-conscious shrug. “My sister wronged me—no one can deny that fact. I thought they would care about that, but instead…”
“Instead, they’re pretending it didn’t happen in the first place.”
I met his gaze. “It makes me feel stupid for caring.”
“Keep fighting for what you want from people.”
“Krista!” My mom called from inside. “I need your help.”
I dropped my face into my hands. “I don’t know why I care so much. I am so stupid when it comes to these people.”
He put a big hand on my neck and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You care because they’re your family.”
I stood up. “I’ve moved your bags into the guest room across the hall from me.”
He gave me a nod. “Have a good night.”
