Page 21 of The Love Raffle

“Oh, sorry. Am I stressing you out?” Amber asked genuinely. She didn’t want to make the guy uncomfortable. She just found this amusing. And quips came naturally to her around him. She wasn’t usually the quipping type.

Levi fanned this off. “It’s fine. When you laugh at my freak-outs, it’s kind of funny.”

Amber looked into his eyes.

Levi looked into hers.

The door swung open, and the doctor returned with Amber’s prescription.

Once Amber was released, the two walked to the exit side by side. They trailed the hallway slowly. Levi kept an eye out for fans, but the only people around were nurses and doctors. They were too busy handling medication and rushing about to even cast them a glance.

Amber wasn’t sure what to say. She swerved around a vacant wheelchair, lost in thought. The night was already over. It would be wise to ask for his number, but he might not want to disclose it. They had talked a lot, but Levi had only done this for the show. She was still a stranger to him. He had been sweet, but Amber preferred not to jump to conclusions. Levi Marks was simply fulfilling an obligation.

They walked through the empty waiting room and reached the glass doors. Levi paused.

She stopped when he did. “You okay?” She held the steel door handle.

He hummed while rubbing his neck. This was hands down the quickest night out he’d ever had. Or at least it felt that way. “Yeah. I just…”

Amber’s lashes fluttered.

Levi got tongue-tied.Don’t rush in.“Did you have fun aside from this whole hospital fiasco?”

She looked out at the parking lot beyond the glass. “Yeah. Before it started killing me, the food was good.” She smirked.

Levi laughed again. Had he laughed this much before? “You’re funny. Are you usually this funny around other people?”

“Not really. My friends are much funnier than I am. Maybe they’re rubbing off on me.” Amber swayed from left to right. “Didyouhave fun?”

Levi nodded. “But it’s getting late, so I’ll drop you home.”

She was relieved that he offered. “Thanks.”

Levi opened the door for her but stopped. “Would you…”

Amber held her breath.

Levi didn’t understand his own hesitation. “Can I have your number?”

Amber’s heart stopped for a second. “S-sure!” How easy was that? He wantedhernumber?Beca, I did it!She called out the digits with a grin. “Got all that?”

“Yep. Thanks.” Had he really asked? “Yeah, well, um…come on.”

“Right.” Amber walked through the door, and he followed her, both smiling.

* * *

His latest cellphone contact was tempting but Levi knew better than to give it a tap only the day after. Yes, his hectic schedulehad left him off the market for a few years but that didn’t make himcompletelyclueless.

Levi started when Oscar dropped a stack of papers in front of him. The script nearly left a dent on his dining room table. He pushed thoughts of last night from his mind then read the front page. “Is this a movie or an updated Bible?” He shifted his plate of eggs and toast and dragged the pages towards him.

Oscar took a seat across the table. As soon as he’d entered the superstar’s penthouse, he’d opened all the curtains by pushing a button near the front door. Now the early morning sky could be seen through Levi’s glass doors and windows. There was a terrace next to his living room with transparent doors leading to it. Out there was the gorgeous city view that Levi never seemed to appreciate.

“It’s the script to part one of your next Captain Evolution movie. It’s going to be split into two parts.” Oscar picked up the saltshaker and poured some crystals into his palm. Levi’s kitchen was simple since the guy lived alone.

“Part one?” Levi breathed. He tightened the belt of his bathrobe. “What does the script for part two look like?”

Oscar didn’t answer. “You’ll be on set for a table read as soon as Monday so I need you to get on this as fast as you can. I know it’s short notice but there were some serious delays with the script. The studio wants to get this started sooner rather than later. ” He perched an arm on the back of the chair and crossed his legs, grinning. “Hope that little date and guest appearance on that cheesy game show did you good. Feeling ready to take on the spotlight again? Because according to your episode’s ratings, the world is ready foryou—”

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