Page 65 of Tempting Levi
More than put-downs from her asshole ex.
She’d never had a man who cherished her, but she deserved one.
She’d gotten to know Levi. He was dependable, honorable, and protective of the people he cared about. But he was being an ass. If he wasn’t willing to put her first, she wasn’t going to continue pining after him, no matter how much she cared for him.
Stupid men. She growled—and a crumb of cookie lodged in her throat, making her hack. Which made her cry harder.
Stupid tears!
Why would the universe do this to her? She’d fallen in love with the most stubborn male alive. And now she had to live with not living with him.
Emily reached for the tissue on her nightstand, but her stationary bike was too far away and she nearly tipped it. She pulled out the tissue from inside her pocket, but she’d used it so often the material disintegrated in her hand.
Tugging out her earbuds and hauling her wobbly legs off the bike, she walked across the room and blew her nose a few thousand times until she could breathe again.
And that was when she smelled it.
Smoke.
* * *
Levi pulledup to Emily’s house right as the firefighters were climbing down from their trucks. He overheard the words “fast attack” on one of the crew’s radios, but he didn’t need the update. Flames were visibly pouring out of the upper left window.
Levi’s heart raced, his muscles bunching.
While the crew jogged to the main staircase and around the back of the building, Levi ran for the side railing. He’d be in deep shit if he hindered the firefighters’ ability to do their jobs, but no way in hell he was staying out here while Emily was inside. She wasn’t answering her phone, and he didn’t think she’d be out and about if she’d called in sick. Even if her reasons for doing so were to stay away from him.
Jesus Christ.Emily.Why hadn’t he told her how he felt? Why had he let her walk away?
He leapt onto the railing that ran along the bottom floor and reached for the railing on the second floor, pulling himself up. Deaf to the shouts of the firefighters, he raced down the hallway, scanning apartment numbers. He hesitated for a split second in front of apartment number nine, checked the temperature of the door, then twisted the handle.
Locked.“Emily!”
He peered inside the window and didn’t see her. He didn’t see smoke either, thank God. But trace amounts were likely creeping in her apartment and would soon fill it unless the firefighters put out the flames quickly.
Levi kicked the door once. Twice. A loud crack sounded after the third kick. He slammed his booted foot into it a fourth time and the door flew open.
“Emily!” He swept inside, scanning the first bedroom that was small and didn’t fit much more than a desk and chair.
And then she was standing in the hallway, her eyes puffy and red. It looked like she hadn’t slept in days, dark crescents beneath her eyes.
A rush of air eased out of his chest. He moved forward and squeezed her to his body. “You’re okay?”
“What’s going on?” Her voice was muffled against him, and he loosened his hold, but not by much. “I just noticed the smoke and heard the sirens.”
He didn’t answer, simply threw her over his shoulder, and hauled her out of the apartment and past the firefighters on their way up the stairs.
“Levi Cade!” the company officer shouted. “After I put this fire out, you’ll be hearing from me.”
Levi stopped in front of Adam’s truck and hesitated, not wanting to let Emily go.
“Levi”—Emily tapped his back—“put me down. You didn’t need to carry me. I could have walked.”
Course she could have. But he’d felt a hell of a lot better being in control until he got her out of the burning building. Bad things happened in burning buildings. Roofs collapsed. Cement blocks landed on heads.
He lowered her to the ground, keeping her body close to him. He knew what he needed to do, but for the first time in his life, putting out a fire was the last thing hewantedto do. Still, he should check in with the firefighter in charge. “Will you be all right for a moment?”
“Yes,” she said, but she wrapped her arms around her chest, looking so small.
