Break Away Page 13

  He didn’t take the hint, instead widening his stance and crossing his arms over his chest. “So, Justin Trainer.”

  “What about him?”

  “I got a gay sense from him that first night here, but not so much tonight.”

  “Justin’s a good friend.”

  “That’s it?”

  “We were roommates for a while, if that matters.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “Nope.”

  “How’d that happen?”

  She shrugged. “I needed a place to stay when I first moved here. Justin’s been living in the house he grew up in. He inherited it from his dad. It’s a big place and he rents out a room. It’s through him I met Eva and reconnected with Diego.”

  “You two ever hook up?”

  “What is this, Levi? If I hooked up with Justin, it’s absolutely none of your business.”

  A muscle jerked in his jaw. “Right. Because we’re not dating.”

  “Even if we were, I don’t see how Justin is an issue.”

  “Because you were standing right in front of me when he came up, grabbed you, and kissed you on the lips. I think he was staking a claim.”

  “Staking a claim like I’m a piece of property? Get real. Justin was jerking your chain.”

  “You even let Diego kiss you.”

  “Diego, who’s happily married to your cousin and my friend, Eva.”

  He scowled, running his fingers through his hair.

  “What’s this about, Levi?”

  “Really? You let two guys kiss you tonight and you won’t go out on a real date with me because I’m a cop. Firemen must be on the approved list.”

  “I’ve kissed you too.”

  “And then you stomped on the brakes. You’re judging me based on your experiences with two assholes who should never had been cops in the first place.”

  She took a deep breath. She prided herself on being open-minded and tolerant. Levi had done nothing to make her think he was anything but a good man. When she looked at him, she saw a guy who loved his family and community, and was a good person.

  The raw emotion in his eyes pulled at something deep inside her. Blocking out the warning bells, she went with the feeling and grasped the front of his jacket to pull him down so she could reach his lips. He stood absolutely still for one long, pulsating minute until she was afraid she’d miscalculated. Then his mouth moved over hers, and he grasped her hips and yanked her to him.

  When his lips moved against hers, her heart rate spiked. He smelled of sweat and hot male, and she gasped from the headiness of it. His tongue swept inside and ignited the liquid fire banked low in her belly.

  Her hands flattened against his chest where his heart was thudding as wildly as hers as the kiss deepened, his arms squeezing tighter. He moved his mouth to her jaw, where his beard scratched her with a rasp. She angled her chin and his teeth tugged on her earlobe, making her shiver. He continued his exploration, warm lips nuzzling the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder. “Mm, you smell good,” he murmured as he nibbled lightly, his teeth scraping against her skin.

  “I was thinking the same about you.”

  He pulled back, his hands cupping the back of her neck, his thumbs stroking both sides of her jaw. He dipped his head to take her lips once again. She closed her eyes and saw stars when white lights flashed against her eyelids.

  “What the hell?”

  Levi pushed her onto the cushioned loveseat as headlights blinded her.

  “Stay down.” The order was issued sharply as Levi leapt off the porch. Inside the cottage, Lucy whined and scratched at the door. Same as the previous week, the driver slammed the car in reverse and backed onto the road, tearing away with tires squealing.

  Levi raced to his bike.

  “Did you see who it was?”

  He unhooked his helmet and pulled it on. “Silver or light gray SUV with California plates. Get inside and lock the doors. Keep Lucy with you. Don’t answer for anyone but me.” He swung his leg over his motorcycle.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To see if I can catch up with the asshole.” He pulled keys from his pocket and slammed down the face shield.

  “Wait. What if this person is armed, or crazy?”

  The motorcycle roared to life and disappeared down the driveway, its taillights fading as it sped down the road going in the same direction as the car.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Charissa loosened her grip on the steering wheel to wipe her sweaty palms against her jeans. The garage door clanked shut behind her and her breath shuddered. That had been too close. She’d taken a stupid risk and almost been caught. There was a part of her that wanted to be caught. If Levi caught her, then all his attention would be hers. She wanted to know what it would feel like to have those gorgeous blue eyes focused solely on her. If that happened, then maybe he’d really see her and he’d understand that they belonged together. Then Levi would tell her he’d harbored a secret love for years, and would grab her hand to kiss it as he dropped to one knee.

  Oh heavens. The hand she’d imagined kissed flew to the ignition to turn off the engine. She’d left the car running in the closed garage. How could she be so careless? She was stressed. Zoey Hardesty was in the way and Charissa was worried. She needed to do something to keep Levi from doing as Brad had done, marrying the wrong woman.

  Hurriedly, she exited the car holding her breath, and opened the side door of the single-car garage. She fanned the door a few times to get the carbon monoxide out, then shut and locked it before entering her tiny house through the kitchen door. She set down her purse and took a minute to admire the photo stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. In it, she was standing next to Levi, his gaze adoringly on hers. She pressed her lips to his image as she did every day. She’d gotten several more pictures developed, and would add them to her special display.

  With a sigh, she opened the fridge to pull out a bottle of wine. She tilted it to check the contents. How come there was only a quarter of the bottle left? It was one of the extra-large bottles and she’d found it on sale. She’d opened it only the night before and was pretty sure she’d only had two glasses, three tops. She must have opened it two nights ago, because drinking most of the bottle in one sitting wasn’t healthy, however much she needed it to settle her nerves. She poured the pinot grigio into a glass and sat at the table.

  Why wasn’t Zoey Hardesty getting a clue? Charissa had seen her at the post office and made a stab at being friendly even while trying to find out if the stupid woman considered Levi her boyfriend. Damn the clerk for calling the next customer before Zoey could respond. Charissa thought the LookBook post on the city’s community page would cause something to happen. Levi must have seen it. Why didn’t he realize how inappropriate the hippie woman was for him? Apparently, subtlety wasn’t going to get the point across. Charissa needed to be more direct. That’s why she’d followed Levi after softball practice.

  Sitting in her car in a corner of the parking lot of Gio’s Pizza, she’d watched and waited. She could see through the back window of the restaurant all those police officers with their wives or girlfriends. There were even female cops, which she thought was stupid. That wasn’t a proper job for a woman.

  Levi had walked outside with Zoey, and Charissa had slid down in her seat, but neither of them had noticed her. Oh, how she had wanted to be the woman with Levi. She’d dress better than that slut, plus she was taller and better suited to be with Levi.

  One day Charissa be the one sitting next to Levi. He’d want to hold hands because he wouldn’t be able to bear not touching her. He’d steal kisses, and she’d have to pretend to shoo him away. Then she’d laugh and kiss him back. All the while, their friends would be looking on with a touch of envy at how close she and Levi were, how obviously in love.

  Zoey and Levi had stood together next to the woman’s hippie car, talking for several minutes. Something in their posture, the way they were standing a
bit closer than people normally stood, the way Levi had reached out and touched her arm, had intensified the sick churning in Charissa’s stomach.

  She’d rooted around in her purse and pulled out the little white bottle and popped three of the pills in her mouth. Taking the prescribed single pill wasn’t getting the job done. She had no idea how many she had already consumed that day. The water bottle in the cup holder had been in the car all afternoon and had been warm, but she’d used it to wash down the pills anyway, swallowing the tablets that were her only relief from the constant knot in her stomach.

  Zoey had pulled out first, then Levi had followed her, looking like a sexy bad boy on that motorcycle. She hadn’t needed to follow them because she knew where they lived. She’d waited five minutes, then had driven to their houses, turning off her headlights when she was close enough to creep up to the driveway. That’s when she’d spied them on the porch and that bitch Zoey had yanked Levi close to kiss him like the slut she was. A roaring had started in Charissa’s ears that had blocked out any other thoughts.

  She’d slammed her car into gear, then floored it into the driveway, tires spinning in the gravel. It was satisfying how they’d jumped apart like they’d been caught doing something dirty. She’d had the insane urge to stomp on the gas pedal and ram the car into the porch, anything to disrupt that kiss. But she’d lost her nerve when Levi had jumped down the stairs and grabbed his helmet.

  She’d sped down the road at breakneck speed, her breath coming in gulps, the single headlight of the motorcycle appearing in her rearview mirror. She’d turned onto the highway, cutting off a semi, grimacing when the angry driver laid on the horn. Desperation had her speeding up to pass another car. She’d driven recklessly, she knew that, but she’d been desperate to get away. As much as she wanted Levi’s attention, she knew he wouldn’t understand. Her street had appeared and she’d made the turn, hoping he was too far back to see, and sure enough, she’d lost him.

  She drained her glass and picked up the bottle. Huh. It was already empty. She got up, holding the back of her chair when the room spun, then walked slowly to the cupboard where she carefully stored her bottles lying on their sides.

  Everyone knew you laid wine on its side to keep the cork wet. When she and Levi were married they’d get one of those fancy wine racks she’d seen in a magazine. She picked out a bottle, Stella Rosa this time, and once uncorked, topped off her glass.

  For her plans to come to fruition, Zoey Hardesty would have to be dealt with. Charissa had been plotting to marry into the Gallagher clan for years, taking little actions here and there, but being patient. She’d miscalculated when Brad had been more serious about Emmaline Kincaid than she had given him credit for.

  Charissa wasn’t going to make that same mistake with Levi.

  He was hers, and she wasn’t going to share.

  ***

  Levi should have gone to the cabin and bed, gone to the brewpub and hung out, gone anywhere but where he was. He felt on edge, wired from the chase, worried about Zoey, and not able to get that kiss out of his head. Even knowing the odds were that he’d get a door slammed in his face, he knocked on the door.

  He heard Lucy’s bark and then her snuffling noises, then Zoey’s quiet murmur.

  “Zoey, it’s me.” His voice sounded hoarse.

  She opened the door, Lucy at her side, and he swept her with a look. Men’s boxer shorts, a yellow t-shirt with text that read “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” and her wild black curls escaping from a ponytail. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything hotter.

  Add the challenge in her expression and she was irresistible.

  “Did you catch the car?”

  “No. I tailed it to the highway, but the driver almost killed him or herself when he cut off a semi to get away.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “It’s a light-colored SUV crossover. Not much help.”

  “Okay. Thanks for trying, Levi.” Her end-of-conversation tone didn’t match the hungry look in her eyes, but he was betting on the latter.

  “You going to invite me in?”

  The question hung in the air, both aware of what he was asking. Her gaze locked on his, the moment stretching as they silently took each other in, her internal battle evident in her turbulent dark eyes. Then she moved back to hold the door open wider. He stepped past her, and when she shut the door and turned the lock, he could feel the answering click like a physical opening of his heart.

  He moved in and she met him halfway. His mouth crashed down on hers in a wild tangle of lips and tongue, his hands cruising over the curve of her hips, over her ass. He boosted her so their lips could more easily reach, hitching her up with her back against the door. His need was raw and powerful, urged on by the heat generated wherever they touched. With her hands in his hair and the blood roaring in his ears, a bomb could have gone off on the other side of the door and he wouldn’t have noticed.

  He wanted to feast but forced himself to slow down, to make sure she was with him. He moved a knee between her legs and let her rest on his thigh so he could free his hands. With both palms framing her face, he used his thumbs to brush along her cheekbones. Her eyes were open and aware, and the way she rubbed against his leg was making him crazy. He reined in the urge to take what was his, and asked, “You good with this?”

  He saw the hesitation and thought that was the end, that by asking he’d given her the moment she’d needed to regain her senses. But then her hands went to his face to pull him down to her. “Oh yeah,” she spoke the words against his lips.

  Her sweet mouth went wild and met his in a kiss that ignited his blood. He boosted her once more, this time a little higher. She raised her legs to wrap them around his hips, pressing her heat against his rock-hard erection, and his blood roared in his ears. He should slow it down, savor their first time, but he couldn’t get his actions to obey the orders from his brain.

  Not that Zoey seemed to have any thoughts of slowing down. Her hands slid under his shirt to skim over the skin of his back, then tugged it up and over his head. “Oh yeah,” she murmured again as she dipped her head to press her lips to his collarbone. She ran her hands through the hair on his chest, then ducked her head to use her tongue on his nipple.

  He hissed out a breath. “Good god, woman.”

  “Like that, do you?”

  “I like everything about you.” He kissed the soft skin under her jaw, then scraped his teeth down the column of her neck.

  She shifted her attention to his pants, trying to slide her hands under the back waistband to his ass. His belt blocked her, so she pushed her hands down between them and went to work to loosen it.

  While she was busy with that, he pulled up her shirt, forcing her to raise her hands for a moment. Christ, she wasn’t wearing a bra. He feasted his eyes on the bounty that were her plump, firm, rosy-tipped breasts. He wanted them in his mouth so badly he had to swallow before he started drooling like the dog. He boosted her higher.

  Her hands went to his shoulders. “Wait, I had the buckle undone and was getting to the good stuff. I want—”

  His mouth latched on to one perfect breast, taking it into his mouth with a hard pull, and felt her long, low moan vibrate through him. He tasted and savored, swirling with his tongue, and after a long minute, loosened the suction to give the other breast the same treatment.

  He could have spent the entire night on her breasts alone, but eventually moved his lips to the luscious curve of her neck. He buried his face, breathing in the fresh scent of her hair. His hands had moved up her bare thighs to cup her ass under the boxer shorts.

  Luckily, they were wide at the leg and gave him free access to the bare skin underneath. He nearly erupted in his pants when his fingers found no underwear, only moist warm flesh.

  The next moan was his.

  His thumb glided through her slicked folds as her breath caught, and when he slid two fingers into her, she let out a soft cry. He continued moving his hand, slowly at first, then picking
up the intensity, working her until her breath came in uneven gasps even as she chanted his name over and over. Her head was tipped back, resting against the door. He accepted the invitation, and ran his tongue from her jaw to the sweet-smelling skin below her ear. He kept up the pumping rhythm while circling his thumb in time with the thrust of his fingers, and then she was coming apart against his hand with a sobbing cry.

  She dropped her legs and her head tipped to rest against his shoulder. “Oh lord.”

  “You good?”

  “Good? I’m amazing. Now it’s time to make you feel amazing.” She drew in a shaky, shuddering breath, then her hands were at his belt again, and this time he let her have at it. When she had his fly unbuttoned, she reached in to wrap her hands around him, pulling him out even as she stroked.

  “Hmm, impressive.” She grinned. That smile with her hand wrapped around his erection nearly had him losing it right there. “I don’t suppose you have a condom with you?”

  He couldn’t hold back his answering smile. “As a matter of fact.” He pulled out his wallet and retrieved the small packet, ripping it open with his teeth.

  With protection in place, he lifted her, and when her legs went around his thighs, he lowered her to take him in as he thrust up. He caught her moan in his mouth as they moved together, setting a rhythm.

  Her hands gripped his shoulders and he watched her watching him. The tone shifted from the playful to intense in a heartbeat. Her eyes were deep enough to drown in. The sensation of her surrounding him, welcoming him in even as he thrust deeper and harder, brought a response from him that was more than physical.

  He held back, building the tension, feeling her need growing, matching his, until her eyes glazed and she shuddered around him. She rode out her orgasm with her face buried against his shoulder. He continued thrusting slow and deep, her lips warm against his neck as he picked up the pace, and he felt his own release building until the glory slammed through him, pushing him to climax with a hoarse roar.

  Time stood still, their heated breaths the only sound he heard.