that time. At five o’clock she was back at the office, popping ibuprofen and chasing them down with a bottle of water, dealing with emails including a complaint from Ammen about one of their billboards.
That done, she sat back in her chair. The office was quiet, most people having left. Now she knew she had to go talk to Levi. She’d overreacted that morning and once more had been a bitch to him. She needed to apologize. So they’d made the mistake of sleeping together. She needed to clear the air about that too so they could work in the same office.
She pushed up out of her chair and carried her bottle of water down the hall to Levi’s office. Which was empty.
Huh. For once, he’d left on time. Which made her feel like even more of a bitch, because he really did put in long hours. She paused and eyed the huge poster of Justin Bieber on one wall. That was…odd.
“Looking for Levi?”
She turned to see Mason. “I was. Looks like he’s gone.”
“Yeah, I saw him heading out about five minutes ago.”
She smiled and nodded. “No worries. I can catch up with him tomorrow.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow.”
Back in her office she tried to get a bit more work done, but she was antsy. She wanted to get this conversation with Levi over. Finally at about six thirty, she gave up work.
In her car, instead of heading north toward her condo, she turned onto Illinois. She easily found Levi’s building. Parking was another matter, but around the corner she lucked into a spot on the street. Inside, she gave the doorman her name and he called up to Levi’s condo.
“Go on up,” the doorman said, and she took the elevator to the twenty-first floor. She’d had a few drinks last night, but she remembered the number of his unit.
He opened the door just as she knocked, wearing a wary expression. “Sloane.”
“Hi, Levi. Can I come in and talk to you for a few minutes?”
“Are you going to give me shit again? Maybe because I left on time even though I came in late?” Despite his words, he stepped aside to let her in.
Chuck came galloping to greet her. Apparently they were now BFFs since she’d spent the night. She crouched to rub his silky head and he gazed up at her with beautiful big brown eyes that made her chest fill with emotion. Then she rose and faced Levi. He looked more like the guy she’d met in the hotel hall that morning, wearing loose cargo shorts and a well-washed T-shirt. His feet were bare.
“I’m not here to give you shit,” she said. “I’m here to apologize.”
His eyebrows rose. He wandered over to his kitchen counter and leaned against it. She followed him in.
Last night she hadn’t seen much of the condo. It was really lovely. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room overlooked a city view. Hardwood floors in a deep taupe color shone in the light from the big windows. The walls were a lighter taupe with white woodwork, and a big red sectional faced a flat screen TV on one wall. The counter Levi leaned against separated the living area from a generous galley kitchen.
“So I’m sorry,” she continued after briefly taking in her surroundings. “I was a bitch this morning. I was tired and grouchy and annoyed at myself. I shouldn’t have taken that out on you.”
He folded his arms across his chest, which she had seen last night to be impressively muscled. She swallowed, remembering that. His face remained neutral. “Thanks,” he said quietly. “I appreciate that.” He lifted his chin. “Last night you told me it wasn’t personal. This morning…it felt personal.”
“Yeah. Again, I’m sorry. Look, we made a big mistake last night. That should not have happened. I don’t know…” She closed her eyes briefly. “Anyway. I just wanted to clear the air and assure you it won’t happen again. It was one night and one night only.”
“Huh.” He rubbed his chin. “I don’t think so.”
She blinked. “Pardon me?”
“Did you enjoy it?”
Heat washed up into her face. “Let’s not talk about it.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
“Okay then. Come here.”
“Wh-what?” She stared at him.
He straightened and held her gaze. Damn, when he did that, it was like he put her into a trance. Last night in bed all the heavy eye contact had just melted her brain. She’d never felt so worshipped, with all that sexy attention focused solely on her. Even when guys