Page 38 of Tempting Levi
Adam wore jeans and a West End Brewery T-shirt instead of the designer duds he used to sport when they went out. It would be an early night for Adam. He was likely minutes away from ditching them for his fiancée.
“The guys are probably wondering,” Adam said, “what in the fuck has happened to you?”
Levi stretched his neck. He still wore his buttoned-up work clothes, and they were strangling him at the moment. “Nothing. I’m the same.”
Adam tapped his finger on the table. “Levi, man, you’re more uptight than I’ve ever seen you. And that’s saying something, because you’re typically controlling and overbearing.”
“Your point?”
“The point is, what’s causing you more stress these last few days than everything else combined—the loss of Dad, running Club Tahoe…Wait.” His finger stopped its tap dance. “You said Emily is on a date?”
“So?” Levi’s voice came out more irritated than he intended.
“Damn.”Adam said. “Hayden called it, but… Are you really thinking of starting something with Emily?”
Hunt snickered, shaking his head as he checked out a busty waitress approaching. Bran, Wes, and Adam, however, continued to stare at Levi, waiting for his response.
His brothers’ combined focus left Levi sweating as though he were under a stage spotlight. “Course not.” He gulped the last of the beer in front of him.
“No, I think you’re on to something, Adam,” Wes said, his dark eyes flashing.
“Agreed.” Bran nodded, oblivious to the busty waitress Hunt had been checking out, but who kept her eyes on Bran.
“Well,” said Hunt, stretching his arms above his head, “it makes sense. Emily’s a hot little piece of—”
Levi was across the table and had Hunt in a chokehold before his brother could finish his sentence.
Wes, Bran, and Adam leapt from their chairs. “What the fuck,” Wes said, pulling Levi off Hunt.
Hunt straightened his collar, his face red with fury as he glared at Levi. “I’m out.” He stormed toward the exit.
Adam shoved Levi back in his seat, which had to have taken half of Adam’s weight and every ounce of his younger, slightly shorter brother’s strength.
Levi glanced around, lifting his hand in silent apology to the club’s bar patrons, who now stared.
Dammit.Not the best way to behave in front of the hotel’s guests. Hunt grated on Levi’s last nerve, but hewason edge and uptight.
Getting over his attraction to Emily wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped.
Chapter 18
So what did you think?” Lisa plopped next to Emily on her couch, wineglass in hand. “Only tooktwo weeksto pin you down for this date. Was it worth it?”
Emily had agreed to the blind date her sister set up, but with their special clients in town and the long hours, she’d blown it off until now. She wiped at a water mark on her glass, giving herself a moment to form a response. “Zander seems great. Attractive and nice. But I don’t really know him.”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “Jared knows him and can vouch that he’s a good guy. And you can get to know him. That’s the point.” She leaned in and nudged Emily in the arm suggestively, but since Lisa had had a few glasses of wine already, Emily ended up shoving her sister back upright.
“I get it.” Emily laughed. “You want me to date him. But how do you know he’s interested?” And did she care if he was? She wasn’t over Levi, even if he’d made it clear he was over her. Though after the way he’d looked at her before she’d left for her date… She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
Lisa dropped her head on the back cushion, her mouth parting. “Emily, how are we related?” She looked over pointedly. “You’re beautiful and smart.Of coursehe’s interested.”
“But…don’t you think there’s more to it than that? You and Jared, for instance. Hegetsyou. It’s more than just that you’re beautiful and he’s handsome. You both fill emotional needs for each other.”
Lisa snorted. “Oh, he fulfills my needs.”
Emily let out a disgusted noise. “Please, I don’t need visuals.You know what I’m talking about. You can be needy, and Jared, for some freakishly selfless reason, loves to take care of you.”
“Because he loves me.”
