Page 52 of Hopeless Romantic
“Yes, she was. She had on a T-shirt. This shirt is red and has buttons. Lots of buttons, even though zippers are more efficient.”
“I’m more of a zipper man, too,” Levi agreed, while eyeing her zip-up jeans.
“She was nervous,” Thomas said, focusing on the porch rail directly behind Levi.
If the lack of eye contact bothered Levi, he didn’t show it. In fact, when he spoke to Thomas, he kept his gaze on Beckett. “Nervous, huh?”
“I’m not nervous,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“Yes, you are,” Thomas said, each word receiving the same emphasis. “You changed your clothes a lot of times.”
“A lot?” Levi teased gently. “What’s under the jacket, Beck?”
“A few,” she corrected. “And none of your business.”
“Interesting,” Levi said, and she could swear he purred. “How many times did she change clothes?”
Thomas clapped, thoroughly enjoying this fun game with his new buddy. “Eleven, not including shoes. And she checked herself in the mirror before answering the door and then straightened her shirt. Grooming for one’s mate is the first step in fornication.”
“Thomas!” She put a hand over his mouth.
He pushed it away. “It’s Tommy.”
Levi lifted a brow. “You thinking about fornication, Beck?”
“No, I’m not!” She forced annoyance into her tone to distract herself from the intense sexual awareness bubbling up inside.
“You wore a new top,” Tommy—aka Traitor—informed the group. “You applied makeup. You keep licking your lips. You found matching socks. You want to fornicate.”
“Eleven changes is a lot of primping for someone who isn’t thinking about fornicating,” Levi gently teased.
“And that is not including shoes,” Thomas reminded them.
“Okay, fornication expert, time to say goodbye. I set the alarm for dinner. If it goes off and Dad doesn’t hear it, then go remind him.” She kissed her finger and pretended to touch his nose. “And be good for him tonight. You can play video games until nine, no later.”
“I will try,” he said, and Beckett knew that, unless she wanted a meltdown, it was the best she’d get. “Bye, Levi.”
“Bye, Buddy.” Levi waved and stepped back to allow Beckett out.
“I like Buddy better than Tommy,” Thomas said as he disappeared down the hallway.
“I’m so sorry about all that,” she said, closing the door behind her. “I caught him looking at porn the other day and realized he’d googled fornication.”
“I’m not,” he said. “But you should know I’m not that kind of guy. I need to be wined and dined before I fornicate. It’s important that you respect me for my mind and soul, not just my body.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She searched his eyes. “Do you know anything about a mysterious pair of flip-flops that arrived in the mail for Thomas?”
He grinned. “They fit okay?”
“They could have been ten sizes too small, and he would have shoved his feet into them like Cinderella’s stepsister,” she said. He looked so proud of himself, she had a hard time keeping a stern face when she said, “Levi, they were way too expensive, overly generous, and if I could have sent them back, I would. But he made sure to wear them through the mud before showing them to me.”
“So he liked them?”
“Loves them. He’s the flip-flop king around the house.” She sighed. “So thank you.”
“Then my job here is done.” His lips curled softly at the corners. “You have a pretty smile. You shouldn’t hide it so much.” She tried to suppress the urge to smile even wider, but her will was no match for Levi and his “it’s Friday somewhere” personality. He was always smiling and having fun, two things she needed more of in her life. Why fight when giving in seemed so much more enjoyable?
“I’ll remember that when I’m wiping the floor with you.”
