Page 45 of Break Away
“Because you were standing right in front ofme when he came up, grabbed you, and kissed you on the lips. Ithink he was staking a claim.”
“Staking a claim like I’m a piece ofproperty? Get real. Justin was jerking your chain.”
“You even let Diego kiss you.”
“Diego, who’s happily married to your cousinand my friend, Eva.”
He scowled, running his fingers through hishair.
“What’s this about, Levi?”
“Really? You let two guys kiss you tonightand you won’t go out on a real date with me because I’m a cop.Firemen must be on the approved list.”
“I’ve kissed you too.”
“And then you stomped on the brakes. You’rejudging me based on your experiences with two assholes who shouldnever had been cops in the first place.”
She took a deep breath. She prided herself onbeing open-minded and tolerant. Levi had done nothing to make herthink he was anything but a good man. When she looked at him, shesaw a guy who loved his family and community, and was a goodperson.
The raw emotion in his eyes pulled atsomething deep inside her. Blocking out the warning bells, she wentwith the feeling and grasped the front of his jacket to pull himdown so she could reach his lips. He stood absolutely still for onelong, pulsating minute until she was afraid she’d miscalculated.Then his mouth moved over hers, and he grasped her hips and yankedher to him.
When his lips moved against hers, her heartrate spiked. He smelled of sweat and hot male, and she gasped fromthe headiness of it. His tongue swept inside and ignited the liquidfire banked low in her belly.
Her hands flattened against his chest wherehis heart was thudding as wildly as hers as the kiss deepened, hisarms squeezing tighter. He moved his mouth to her jaw, where hisbeard scratched her with a rasp. She angled her chin and his teethtugged on her earlobe, making her shiver. He continued hisexploration, warm lips nuzzling the sensitive skin where her neckmet her shoulder. “Mm, you smell good,” he murmured as he nibbledlightly, his teeth scraping against her skin.
“I was thinking the same about you.”
He pulled back, his hands cupping the back ofher neck, his thumbs stroking both sides of her jaw. He dipped hishead to take her lips once again. She closed her eyes and saw starswhen white lights flashed against her eyelids.
“What the hell?”
Levi pushed her onto the cushioned loveseatas headlights blinded her.
“Stay down.” The order was issued sharply asLevi leapt off the porch. Inside the cottage, Lucy whined andscratched at the door. Same as the previous week, the driverslammed the car in reverse and backed onto the road, tearing awaywith tires squealing.
Levi raced to his bike.
“Did you see who it was?”
He unhooked his helmet and pulled it on.“Silver or light gray SUV with California plates. Get inside andlock the doors. Keep Lucy with you. Don’t answer for anyone butme.” He swung his leg over his motorcycle.
“Where are you going?”
“To see if I can catch up with the asshole.”He pulled keys from his pocket and slammed down the faceshield.
“Wait. What if this person is armed, orcrazy?”
The motorcycle roared to life and disappeareddown the driveway, its taillights fading as it sped down the roadgoing in the same direction as the car.
Chapter Thirteen
Charissa loosened her grip on the steeringwheel to wipe her sweaty palms against her jeans. The garage doorclanked shut behind her and her breath shuddered. That had been tooclose. She’d taken a stupid risk and almost been caught. There wasa part of her that wanted to be caught. If Levi caught her, thenall his attention would be hers. She wanted to know what it wouldfeel like to have those gorgeous blue eyes focused solely on her.If that happened, then maybe he’d really see her and he’dunderstand that they belonged together. Then Levi would tell herhe’d harbored a secret love for years, and would grab her hand tokiss it as he dropped to one knee.
Oh heavens. The hand she’d imagined kissedflew to the ignition to turn off the engine. She’d left the carrunning in the closed garage. How could she be so careless? She wasstressed. Zoey Hardesty was in the way and Charissa was worried.She needed to do something to keep Levi from doing as Brad haddone, marrying the wrong woman.
Hurriedly, she exited the car holding herbreath, and opened the side door of the single-car garage. Shefanned the door a few times to get the carbon monoxide out, thenshut and locked it before entering her tiny house through thekitchen door. She set down her purse and took a minute to admirethe photo stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. In it, she wasstanding next to Levi, his gaze adoringly on hers. She pressed herlips to his image as she did every day. She’d gotten several morepictures developed, and would add them to her special display.
With a sigh, she opened the fridge to pullout a bottle of wine. She tilted it to check the contents. How comethere was only a quarter of the bottle left? It was one of theextra-large bottles and she’d found it on sale. She’d opened itonly the night before and was pretty sure she’d only had twoglasses, three tops. She must have opened it two nights ago,because drinking most of the bottle in one sitting wasn’t healthy,however much she needed it to settle her nerves. She poured thepinot grigio into a glass and sat at the table.
