Page 61 of Stroke of Fate

And when I don’t think it can get any better, he pulls out three takeout containers stamped with the Static logo. Flipping each one open, he shows me the contents.

“You did not!” I gasp.

My eyes light up as I stare at the cake slices. Red velvet, carrot cake, and chocolate. They all look delicious, and my mouth waters just staring at them.

“Oh, I totally did.” He laughs.

The sound pulls my attention from the sugary goodness, and I catch his eye. His smile doesn’t waiver, and I realize that being more than friends with Levi could be easy. Almost effortlessly so.

The direction of my thoughts brings a lump of emotion to my throat, and I quickly avert my gaze.

I don’t want to get hurt again.

What if it’s an act?

Did you forget about Hunter and how that ended?

No, I didn’t forget. But Levi is not Hunter, I remind myself. And assuming otherwise wouldn’t be fair to him.

Shaking off the heaviness creeping in, I plaster a smile on my face. It doesn’t take much effort. I’m genuinely happy he knocked on my door tonight.

“Thank you,” I say softly. “I can’t believe you went through all this trouble for me.”

His face softens. “None of this was trouble, Bear. Not for you.”

My heart races at his words. Not out of fear, I realize, but something else. Lingering nerves? Gratitude? I’m not sure, but whatever it is makes my chest squeeze as I stare at him.

In moments like these, when not even my mind can conjure a reason to run, he manages to chip away at my walls.

After a beat, Levi says, “Why don’t you take some pain meds and have a shower? I’ll be here when you get out.” Then, as if second-guessing himself, he quickly adds, “If you want me to be. Or I can leave if you’d rather be alone.”

I nibble my lip, knowing my answer carries more weight than I’d like to admit. But I’m tired of overthinking everything and don’t want him to leave.

So, I shake my head. “No, stay. I mean, if you don’t have any plans or anything.”

“Okay.” He offers me a soft smile, then grabs the Ibuprofen bottle while I unscrew one of the drinks.

He shakes out a tablet into my waiting palm. I pop it in my mouth and swallow.

“I won’t be long.” I slide off the chair, grabbing the box of shower steamers before heading to the bathroom.

After my shower, I feel refreshed and more level-headed when I join Levi back in the living room. He must have gone home while I was busy because he’s changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt. He’s also turned the couch into a makeshift bed by pushing the ottoman against it and bringing out my comforter from the bedroom. The cake slices sit neatly on a tray with forks and drinks.

“You’ve been busy,” I say, sitting beside him on the couch.

While showering, I decided I wanted to enjoy my time with Levi. There’ll be plenty of time to overthink tomorrow, but tonight, I just want to be carefree and soak up the damn moment like everyone else my age seems to do so easily.

“I hope you don’t mind. I thought this would be more comfortable for you.” He offers me a lazy smile that has my core tightening.

“It’s perfect, thank you.” I manage to squeeze out without my voice betraying me.

Grabbing the box of heating pads, he tells me to stand. “Let’s get one of these on you.”

I offer to do it myself, but he shakes his head, so I push to my feet instead of arguing.

Levi gently tugs my sweatpants down, exposing my lower belly. His hands settle on my hips, thumbs caressing the smooth skin, causing goosebumps to ripple across my flesh. The skin-to-skin contact feels so good that a shiver racks through me. Levi’s lips pull into a small smile as he continues stroking the pebbled skin.

Neither of us says anything; our shallow breaths are the only sound filling the space between us.

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