Page 33 of This Baby Business
Levi
Levi was ina hurry dropping off Grace the next morning, so he simply locked gazes with Carly. “We need to talk. Later.”
She blushed, took Grace from him, nodded, then shut the door.
His morning was spent with Jedd, helping him with diagnostics on a plane they’d recently sidelined. Later, Levi strolled inside the hangar to meet a client for a flying lesson. He topped off his morning by taking a couple daredevils skydiving over Napa Valley. To each their own. He’d never jump out of a perfectly good plane.
Grabbing a quick lunch from the roach coach that dropped by every day, his thoughts turned to Carly again. Her cheeks had been flushed when they’d left the park after meeting Irene. She’d clearly been embarrassed and so he’d let it go, while reminding her frequently, via text, that they still had to talk about this situation. She wasn’t getting away from him. They were going to have to find a way out of this lie and save face with the Lanes. He didn’t want to pretend at anything, least of all a relationship. Besides, hadn’t she been the one to remind him that the two of them together was a stupid idea? Given the way she kissed him—like she wanted to inhale him—he didn’t necessarily agree, but he understood. He didn’t need to sign on to a serious relationship right now. He hated lies and wasn’t about to go along with this one.
Levi caffeinated for the fourth time when he got back from lunch. He’d been awake at two in the morning again, but not because of a woman. There were good reasons to lose sleep, and then there was Grace. At the moment he was thinking about the very best reason to lose sleep—with Carly writhing under him or on top of him, crying out his name. She’d shift her hips to take him deeper, and his eyes would roll to the back of his head with the intense pleasure. Then she…
“Look alive!”
“Huh? Whaaa?” Levi turned to see Matt had sneaked up behind him.
“That never would have worked pre-Grace. Still taking your power naps?”
“Yeah.”
Stone wouldn’t let him take any early-morning flights and forced him to take naps if he needed them. Even if he popped NoDoz and was hyped up on coffee, safety came first. For now, he was stuck with the later commuter-duty charter flights, and a flight lesson here or there.
“Can you take my flight to Tahoe tomorrow afternoon? I want to leave early to take Sarah out to dinner in Santa Cruz. It’s a surprise.”
“Sure.” It was like the freakingLove Boataround here, except with planes.
“You could slow it down, old man.” Levi slapped Matt’s back. “I think you’ve landed her. She’s yours and all that. Hooked and reeled in.”
“I’m gonna let that go, seeing as your grandfather used to own a bait and tackle.”
“Seriously though, you’re such an overachiever. You don’t have to wine and dine her every night.”
“Says who?”
“Great,” Levi said. “Just one more reason I can’t get married. Can’t afford it, for one thing.”
“She isn’t my wife yet. Not going to lose her before she says ‘I do.’”
“Not until you’ve got her tied up and shackled and thrown away the key, huh?” Levi winked.
“Gonna let that one go, too. Know why?”
“Why?”
Matt gave an ear-to-ear grin. “I’m one happy man.”
Levi gave him a hard shove. “Get out of here, you freak.”
Stone stuck his head out of his office. “If you ladies are ready, we’re having a meeting.”
“Another meeting?” Levi moaned.
“This one is about the fund-raiser Emily has been working on for months—Pilots and Paws.”
It was an organization Stone and Emily loved and supported, so they all did what they could to help. Levi brought up the rear as all three filed into the office. Emily, Sarah, Jedd and Cassie were already seated. “What are we doing for this thing?”
“We’re…washing dogs for a donation,” Stone said.
“That’s easy enough,” Levi said.
