Page 38 of More With You

Clive shrugs. “It’s not something we bother talking about, since we’re happy as we are.” He pauses. “Do you know, that’s why I come to your table instead of someone else’s. You’re easy to talk to, Summer. I can shoot the shit with you or play blackjack, and I’m satisfied either way. Gena prefers it when I just talk to you, so it doesn’t lighten my wallet as much.”

“I love that woman.” I grin, feeling lighter myself.

Just then, John walks up and gives me a tap on the shoulder. It’s time for me to finish up and get out of here. For once, I have something to look forward to. My lips are already tingling at the thought of kissing Ben again. After twelve hours at work, it feels like it’s been days since I last saw him.

“Buy yourself a nice dinner or something, okay?” He tosses me a hundred-dollar chip, and I clasp it like it’s made of solid gold. Every cent counts now, and Clive is the sweetest golden goose.

“Thank you.” I do another show for the cameras and for John, tapping the chip on the “box” to get his approval. He nods and points to his watch. “Sorry I can’t stay longer, Clive. It’s been a pleasure, as always, and give my love to Gena.”

Clive stretches out his arms. “Will do, Summer, and don’t you worry about me. I’m sure you’ve got better places to be.” He winks, and I wonder if he told his story because he knew it might be close to the mark for me. Even if he’s oblivious, I’m grateful.

As the new dealer steps in, I hurry out, grabbing a quick shower and a change of clothes in the locker room before I make my way to the parking structure.

It’s nearly twenty-past midnight by the time I reach the shady underbelly, but another dealer wanted to switch shifts, so I don’t have to be in until eleven tomorrow. It means working later, but I don’t mind if I get to have a lazy morning in bed with Ben. After all, I’ve vowed to make the most of this week, since I don’t know what’s going to happen afterward. I’m pretty certain I can’t give Ben up, but there’s more to consider than what I want or what we want.

Stepping out of the heavy fire door, I falter at the sight of a figure up ahead. Steeped in shadow from one of the lights that I’ve told maintenance to fix a thousand times, I can’t make out much, other than the figure is big and they’re blocking my path to my car.

Shit… I carefully tease my keys out of my purse and slot them between my fingers, the way grandma taught me. There’s pepper spray, too, but it’s probably expired and I don’t know if it’ll work.

After all, I haven’t seen much of Levi since his intrusion at my table the other night. It’d be just like him to show his face when I’ve started to forget it, to remind me that he’s always prowling around.

At that moment, the shadowed figure turns. They’re much taller than I thought, and they’ve seen me. I think about retreating back through the fire door, but I’ve got places to be. I can’t let this idiot scare me. My car is literally a few parking spaces away.

“Are you going to stab me with those?” An amused laugh drifts through the selective darkness.

I pause. “Ben?”

“Who did you think it was?” He steps into the light and my heartrate plummets to a less frantic beat.

“An axe-murderer. A kidnapper. A pissed-off customer. Levi.” I toss a few options at him and take the keys out from between my fingers, feeling the dents left behind by their silver sides.

Ben cringes. “Shit, I didn’t even think about that. I wanted to surprise you.”

“In a dark parking garage?” I raise an eyebrow. “A moment later, and you might’ve had a few nasty scratches on your face.”

He laughs. “Instead of my back?”

“Touché.” I run the last few paces to him, and he sweeps me up in his arms. My legs lock around his waist, and I peer down into his eyes, feeling safe again. I dip my head to kiss him, enjoying the sweet release of his mouth on mine.

He breaks away for a second. “You should talk to someone about that light. Needs fixing.”

“Tell me about it. Getting from that door to my car is like a Fear Factor challenge, every damn time.”

He frowns. “I can fix it, if they don’t. Shouldn’t take long.”

“If you do that, you’ll never escape. You’ll be their handyman forever,” I warn.

“I don’t mind. I’ll need a new side hustle after my gallery showing, unless the series sells really well.” He carries me toward my car, though I wish I’d left it at home, so I could’ve taken a ride on the “Indian.”

Setting me down on the hood, he pushes a strand of hair out of my face. “You’re coming to the opening, right?”

“As soon as you let me know the date.”

He pulls a face. “Don’t remind me. I need to let them know.” He leans forward to steal a kiss, pushing me back against the cool metal.

“Cameras,” I whisper, laughing.

He rolls his eyes. “If they’re anything like that light, they won’t be working.” He deepens his kiss, running his hands up the sides of my waist and pressing his hips hard against mine, where I can feel, plain as day, that he hasn’t got jazz on his mind.

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