Hired Hottie - Kelsie Rae Page 0,66
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.”
His rigid posture softens before he wraps his arm around my shoulder. I snuggle into his side.
“Alexandra wanted to help me woo you,” he admits with a wolfish grin.
“Who’s Alexandra?” The name sounds familiar.
“She’s the woman with the set of twins you met at Get Baked a little while ago.”
“The girl you introduced me to?”
He nods.
“Oh, yeah! She was really nice! How does she know about us?”
“She may have heard me and Conner arguing about you the other day after your date with him.”
Grimacing, I shift in my seat before glancing up at Levi. “You got into a fight with Conner?”
“It was nothing,” he consoles, trying to put me at ease. “But, yeah. Then Alexandra pulled me aside and helped me come up with a plan to sweep you off your feet.”
“She did, did she?” The thought makes me smile.
“Yeah. The town car was her idea. What do you think?”
“I think I like it. But you shouldn’t have to go out of your way for me, Levi. You’ve already won me over, remember?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t treat you the way you deserve, either.”
“Well, thank you.” Lifting my chin, I wait for him to get the hint and give me a kiss. And because he’s a badass mind reader, he does exactly that.
When we reach the new arts center, the driver pulls up to the curb then opens the back door.
Cameras are flashing, and I squint my eyes to let them adjust to the unexpected attention.
“Damn, Levi. I didn’t know this was the red carpet,” I mutter under my breath. A soft smile spreads across Levi’s face when he hears me.
His arm wraps around my waist, practically plastering me to his side before he leans down and whispers, “With a dress like that, you look like you’d blend right in with that type of crowd.”
I take in his chiseled, freshly-shaven jaw, his slicked-back hair, his crisp suit that fits like a second skin. The whole package belongs on the front of a magazine.
“Ditto, Mr. McCoy. You