Page 36 of Tempting Levi
Shit. He was thwarting his own plan to stay away from her.
Levi walked over and held out a hand. “How did you end up on the ground?”
Emily plucked a Grace-colored hair from her white blouse. “She was chewing her stitches. I tried a bunch of stuff to get her to stop, but this was the only thing that worked.” She took his hand, and he pulled her up in one smooth move.
“Lying prone on the ground with her sitting on top of you like that?”
Emily sent him a look that said she wasn’t amused. “Of course not. I went over to pet her. She seemed to need a little scratching behind her ears where the cone was covering her fur.” Emily waved her hand and winced, cradling her wrist. “As long as I rubbed her ears, she wouldn’t lick her wound—which, in some doggy Houdini move, she was able to do despite the cone. You should take that thing off. It’s completely useless and only irritates her skin.”
“I told you she was smart. Can’t leave her alone.”
“Yeah, well, at some point she inched closer, and I kneeled to get a better angle. Before I knew it, she’d crawled on my lap.” Emily shrugged. “It was cute at first. And then she got comfortable and added more of her weight. And her legs. If I stopped scratching her ears, she’d bark. At first I tried to shush her, but then I realized she weighed a ton and I couldn’t get her off me. I was crying for help and no one came!”
He wanted to smile. The scenario she painted was…sweet. And it also made him feel doubly bad for leaving Grace with her. “So you were sitting on the ground with Grace on your lap. How did you go from sitting to lying with her sprawled on top of you like a blanket?”
The side of her mouth pulled back and she glared. “It’s not funny. I might have lain back to rest for a moment. That was when Grace really got comfortable and wouldn’t budge.” She bent over and pulled off one of her heels. “I can’t feel my toes and I think I have carpal tunnel in my wrist.” She held her arm up to show him.
He gently took her hand, kneading it with his fingers and moving up her forearm. Okay, it had been an excuse to touch her, but dammit! Her scent filled the room—along witheau de dog. Emily was adorable and sexy as hell. This close, he had impulsive touching problems.
She closed her eyes, and he took the opportunity to stare at her while he rubbed her arm and wrist. Her hair was blond, but she had dark lashes that rested against smooth skin. Her small nose was perfectly shaped, and then there were those lush lips… He gazed farther still, over the swell of her small breasts that, despite their size, he had the urge to touch, on down to her flat stomach and the curve of her hip. When he looked up, Emily was staring at him.
He didn’t look away at first, caught in that stormy gray gaze that should be cold, but only made him warm. And then he realized he’d been caught checking her out and that she likely read every thought that had just passed his mind. He reluctantly released her and took a step back.
He was supposed to be setting her straight—and himself straight too. Instead he was touching her and thinking about all the ways he wanted to continue touching her and where. “How long has she been sitting on you?” he said, to distract her from anything she might read on his face.
“An hour? Maybe two? I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I lost track. I think I dozed off once or twice. She’s kind of warm and cuddly.” Emily frowned at Grace. “You knew what you were doing, didn’t you?”
Grace’s tongue lolled out in what was most definitely a dog smile.
Emily’s lips parted. “Did you see that? She’s mocking me.”
Levi didn’t hold back his grin this time. “You shouldn’t let Grace take advantage of you. She’s addicted to love. She’ll use anyone who doesn’t mind petting her for a few hours.” His smile faded. “Are you really okay?”
She hobbled over to her desk and sank into her seat. “Yes. But next time, you’re in charge of the dog.” She glanced at her phone. “Crap, I have to go. I can’t believe it’s this late.”
Emily forced her foot back into her shoe, stood, and grabbed her bag, rubbing her lower back. “You owe me a massage.” He lifted his eyebrow and her face turned bright red. “From the club spa, not… You know what I mean.”
He walked her to the door. “Agreed. Thank you for taking care of Grace. I won’t force her on you again.”
Emily glanced at Grace, who had the most innocent puppy look—for a grown dog. Grace was good. Damn good.
“I don’t mind. She’s sweet. Maybe I am a dog person after all. Just give me a heads-up next time, okay?” She checked the time again.
“Where are you off to?” He really didn’t have a right to ask her what she did after hours, but he’d never seen Emily in such a hurry to leave the office. His assistant was a workaholic.
“I have a date… A blind date. Courtesy of Lisa. Wish me luck.”
Before Levi knew it, Emily was out the door and down the hall.
His throat closed, his heart hammering in his chest.A date?
Chapter 17
The Fireside Lounge was busy, with the guitarist Emily had secured bringing in a new, livelier crowd. Levi sat with his brothers and Wes was in full scout mode.
Levi glared at him. “Not a good idea for you to hunt on Club Tahoe grounds. It was fine when Dad ran the place, but we have a responsibility to our customers now.”
Wes shot him a look. “Stop being so damned uptight. Shouldn’t have missed our Friday round of golf today. It would have loosened you up.”
