Page 19 of Ace of Spades

My eyes shoot open when I realize he's not making a move.

He takes a deep, ragged breath before he takes a step back. His voice low and hoarse, almost wrecked, he says one word. "Don't."

My heart is pounding against my chest. Any other man would've taken me. Any other man wouldn't care to know how old I am.

Levi doesn't seem to be like any other man.

"Why not?" I press. "There's nobody here. I'm single. So are you. Unless…" I pause. I never considered that he might be with someone that's not his ex-wife.

As if he can read my thoughts he quickly says, "There's no one."

The way that comment alone lifts a heaviness from my chest that I didn't even know had settled there, surprises me.

I've never been this way. I've never known with such certainty that I wanted someone without first getting to know them.

But with Levi, I feel like I alreadydoknow him. And my resolve is fueled by Julian’s challenge to me earlier.

I won't leave this garage tonight without knowing what it feels like to have this man kiss me.

Levi exhales through gritted teeth. He drops his hands from their hold on my hips and looks at me.

"We can't.”

“Why not? I don’t work for you.”

“Because if I kiss you, Ms. Riley, I won't stop."

The admission hits me like a freight train, crashing through my body and turning my knees week.

"And that won't be a good thing," he adds.

Before I can say another word, he takes another step away from, putting distance between us.

When he's safe and away from me he grabs the trash bag and pulls it over his shoulder.

"Go home, Sienna."

I should be disappointed. Embarrassed even that this man who I find to be wildly attractive just rejected my advances.

But he hasn't really. He admitted that he wants me too.

So much for Julian's ridiculous suggestion,year of yes, my ass. He forgot to consider that kissing a stranger would require them to also want to do so.

I watch as Levi's muscles coil under his dark shirt as he bends and continues to pick up cans.

He can try to stop this all he wants but if he won't kiss me. Then I'll at least try to go in for the kill.

"Tell you what," I say to his back.

He halts at the sound of my voice as I approach him again. "You can ask me anything you want to know and in exchange for my answers you can do one of two things."

His eyes are on me, the light glinting off them as he waits patiently for what I'm about to say.

"You can either kiss me… or hire me. Either way, you get your answers and I get something I want."

He drops the bag on the floor.

"Is that why you stayed behind, Ms. Riley?"

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