Page 92 of Stroke of Fate

That smirk I’ve grown to love appears. “You should come to every meet so we can test the theory.”

“I don’t know about that Whiskey Eyes. Contrary to what you think, you can’t take me everywhere with you.”

As much as I’d love to attend all his meets, I can’t expect to get off work every weekend to travel with him or keep swapping shifts.

“Let’s circle back to that,” he says. “Can I at least get a kiss for my performance today?” His gaze drops to my lips, and heat blooms on my skin.

“Absolutely.”

My body goes limp when his tongue meets mine. Only Levi’s strong arms prevent me from sliding to the floor and dragging him with me.

With every blazing touch of his tongue against mine, the heat turns up a notch, and we’re practically dry-humping against his car door. Somewhere in the frenzy of my sex-fueled brain, I hear the distinct beeping of a car before someone shouts at us to get a room.

We freeze, and our lips stop moving, but neither of us pulls away. His chest vibrates with laughter, and my cheeks warm for an entirely different reason now.

I press my palms against him, urging him to put me down. Levi steps back, and my feet find solid ground again. He quickly opens the car door, ushering me inside before buckling me up.

Leaning over me, he cups my cheek, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. “I’m happy you were here today, Teddy Bear.”

When we step into the house, the smell of a home-cooked meal greets us, and we head straight for the kitchen.

Sophia hugs Levi, telling him how proud she is. After admiring his medals, she shoos us to the table.

We fill our plates with perfectly cooked steaks, mashed potatoes and veggies. It’s simple but tasty, and everyone practically inhales their food after a long day.

Conversation flows at the table. We talk and laugh as we eat, discussing everything from embarrassing baby stories, courtesy of Sophia, to more serious topics like our classes and upcoming exams.

Levi assures his mom that his grades are fine and, yes, he’s still on track to graduate with his finance degree.

Not only is my boyfriend good-looking, but he’s also got a knack for numbers, hence his finance degree.

When Sophia directs her questions at me, I explain that I plan to get my doctorate in physical therapy and that my dream career would be to work with children. As it turns out, she works at a local children’s hospital and happily offers to connect me with someone when it’s time to do my practical hours.

As it turns out, she works at a local children’s hospital and happily offers to put me in touch with someone when it’s time to do my practical hours.

“That was great, thanks, Ma,” Levi says with a yawn, pushing his empty plate to the side.

“Yes, thank you. It was delicious.” I add, my own plate empty.

“I’m glad you both enjoyed it.”

When Levi lets out another yawn, Sophia switches into full-on mom mode, telling him to brush his teeth and go to bed.

“I know how much these competitions wear you out. Leave the dishes to me.” She says, standing.

“I don’t mind helping you, Sophia.” I offer, gathering mine and Levi’s plates.

“Thank you, Bear.” She gives my arm a gentle squeeze. To Levi, she says, “Head to bed. We’ve got this covered.”

Levi comes around the table to hug his mom, and Sophia reminds him she has a shift at the hospital in the morning.

When he reaches me, he kisses my cheek softly and whispers, “Goodnight.”

Sophia and I rinse and stack the dishes in the dishwasher, chatting as we work. It doesn’t take long before the kitchen is clean and the dining room straightened out.

“That’s everything, then,” she says, hanging up dishtowel. “Thank you again, Bear.”

“You’re welcome. My mom usually cooks at home, and my dad and I were always on clean-up duty.”

---