Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Everly
He did not just say that to me?
“I have an apron,” Levi said, his forehead bunched in confusion, “if you’re worried about your clothes.” Then his eyes widened. “Oh shit. I meant in the kitchen. Cooking. I meant cooking.”
“Pizza,” I mumbled as if coming out of a trance. “We’re making pizza.”
He rubbed his forehead and laughed. “What an idiot.”
“A phrase like that could have many meanings,” I said, my cheeks burning.
His expression sobered. “You’re the smartest person I know, Everly. I meant me. Freudian slip. Ready to make pizza?”
Freudian slip? As in he wanted to get dirty with me, not making pizza? Because that’s what I focused on instead of the compliment about my intelligence or the question meant to move us past my embarrassing misunderstanding.
When I didn’t answer, Levi stood and started toward the kitchen, Sherly trailing behind him. “Have you ever made pizza before?” he asked, lobbing another question my way since I’d apparently lost all social function.
“Um, no,” I said, jumping from the couch. I slipped my shoes back on in case Sherly decided to stomp my toes because I crossed some invisible line with her man.
When we reached the kitchen, my eyes widened.
Potted herbs grew on a vertical garden by the window, and the counter held more small appliances than my parents and Mr. and Mrs. O’Malley had combined.
Expensive-looking cookware hung above the center island, and a magnetic strip held a set of chef’s knives on the tile backsplash.
This was a serious kitchen. The kind where someone made culinary experiences, not just food.
Levi had his back to me, washing his hands at the sink, so he didn’t notice that I’d gone slack jawed at his space. Again.
“Did you want an apron?” he asked.
“No, I’m good,” I said, crossing the room to him. I washed my hands when he finished, and he waited beside me to hand me a towel. It was covered in pigs, and I couldn’t fight the smile on my face.
“Oh, I have worse,” he said, with a smile of his own. “I don’t know where Tristan finds the stuff.”
Sure enough, he opened the fridge and pulled out several small bowls shaped like pigs, as well as a few others that matched the bowl the peppers were in.
“I’m afraid I only have turkey pepperoni and sausage,” he said. “I can’t bring myself to eat pork now.”
“Understandable,” I said as Sherly pranced by his feet, making tiny little snorts.
“Besides peppers, there’s onions, black olives, and mushrooms. I also have fresh mozzarella and basil if you want classic Neapolitan. Is there anything else you like on your pizza? I keep the fridge and pantry pretty stocked.”
Sherly squealed at the list of foods, and Levi tossed her a mushroom.
I stepped closer and took in all the toppings neatly arranged on the counter.
“No. This all looks great. Do you make pizza often?” I asked.
“All the time,” he said, pulling a towel from a wooden bowl with a lump of dough inside.
He sprinkled flour onto the counter and spread it out before dumping the dough on top.
I watched as he shaped it into a flattened circle before working his fingertips around the edge to make the crust, gently pressing down the bubble that formed in the middle.
Next, he picked up the dough and let it slip through his fingers, stretching as it dropped.
“Sometimes I make my own sauce,” he said, not even looking at the dough, “but I didn’t have time this week. I found an Italian specialty shop in Jericho that sells fresh sauce. It’s decent. Not as good as my mom’s recipe. Of course, I’m biased.”
With that, he tossed the dough into the air and spun it open a couple times before dropping it perfectly in the center of a large pan. His every movement was so elegant that the moment the crust thudded on the metal, I grabbed his face and pressed my lips to his.
When my mind caught up with my body, I gasped and he deepened the kiss.
Those talented fingers sank into my hair as he slid his tongue into my mouth, taking control.
I’d never been kissed stupid, but that’s exactly how I felt.
His mouth moved against mine, obliterating every rational thought in my head.
We melted closer, and my body caught fire as he hardened against me. I slid my hands from his face to his chest, his heart pounding beneath my fingertips as I explored every muscle. He groaned, the sound so deep and gravely, I ached to hear it again.
A squeal filled the air, and something slammed into my legs. Not something. Sherly, who snorted and snapped at me.
“I’m sorry,” I said to the pig before looking back at Levi. His shirt was wrinkled where I’d gripped it, and his pupils were so blown only a thin circle of green remained. He looked almost feral with desire, and my core tightened at the sight of him.
Sherly squealed again.
“I should go,” I said, backing toward the hall.
“Everly,” he called after me, but I was already running for the door.
I made it all the way to my car before I remembered my keys were in my purse.
The purse that was sitting on the couch in the well-decorated living room of the Peace Falls police officer I’d just kissed.
I didn’t even have my phone, so I couldn’t order a ride and send Maddie back to grab my bag and drive my car home.
It was only five miles. I could walk. I’d just started down the road when I heard the front door open and close behind me.
“Everly,” Levi called, running.
I stopped because, even fueled by an odd mix of arousal and mortification, I couldn’t outrun a man in his shape. Instead, I braced for the awkwardness.
“You forgot this,” he said, handing me my purse.
“Levi, I’m—”
“Wait,” he said. “Before you say anything. Just go home and wait.”
“For what?” I screeched. “No amount of time is going to make what I did in there OK.”
“It wasn’t OK,” he said, pulling me into a tight hug. “It was everything.”
My throat tightened and I rested my head on his chest. Why did his arms have to feel so good? I wanted him to hold me until the panic left, but he was the reason I was panicking.
“Please, just go home and wait,” he said against my neck. “I’ll call you later.”
“That’s not a good idea,” I said, even as I savored the warmth of his arms and his intoxicating scent.
“I’ll text you later then,” he said and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“That’s even worse. Then everything will be in writing.”
A laugh rumbled from his chest. “I guess I could swing by your office on Monday.”
“You wouldn’t,” I said. My stomach dropped, and I finally stepped out of his arms.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t do that,” he said with a small smile. “But I want to talk after I’ve had time to prepare.”
“Prepare?”
His face became serious. “I need to form an argument for why I should kiss you again.”
“You can’t kiss me again,” I said. No matter how much I wanted him to. “Our jobs—”
“Have protocols in place for situations like this.”
Damn it. They probably did.
“Protocols mean documentation and hoops and career suicide,” I said.
“So, you know the protocol at your firm?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Not exactly,” I mumbled.
He nodded. “OK. Let’s go over everything tonight. I’ll work on my argument for why we should kiss again. You’ll work on your counterargument for why we shouldn’t. And we’ll both research what happens when we do.”
“You sound awfully confident,” I said, digging in my purse for my keys. The conviction in his voice just made me want to kiss him again.
“Fake it ’til you make it,” he said.
I burst out laughing. He smiled back at me, and I knew that even if it was a terrible idea, I wanted to hear what he’d say.
“Fine,” I said. “I’m not coming back here with your attack pig.” Or your bed. He probably had soft lighting, throw pillows, and a mattress like a cloud. “We need to meet somewhere public since I obviously have control issues around you. How about Centennial Park? 11AM tomorrow?”
The smile he gave me had my insides fluttering. “Can’t wait.”
He turned and walked back toward the house as I stood on the side of the road, replaying the last few minutes. Once he’d disappeared inside, I ran to my car, texting my sister as I went.
SYS
The phone rang as I pulled onto Church Street, and I connected the call through my car speakers.
“I kissed him,” I shouted. “You know how I get when someone does something skilled, and he made his own pizza dough and then tossed it in the air like it was nothing, and the next thing I knew, I was kissing him.”
Maddie giggled. She giggled.
“Maddie!”
“How was it?” she asked.
“Inappropriate,” I said, gripping the steering wheel. “And incredible.”
Maddie giggled again.
“Stop laughing. I’m in big trouble here. If his pig hadn’t headbutted me, no telling how far we’d have gone.”
“Is that a euphuism for something?”
“No, his actual pet pig. Sherly probably thought I was mauling him.”
“I bet you were.”
“Are you even listening?” I huffed. “I kissed a police officer who’s investigating my client. It’s so wrong on so many levels.”
“Isn’t the DA married to a defense attorney?”
“No, she does contract law, so it’s not really an issue.”
“OK, first, take a deep breath. You speed when you’re upset.”
Sure enough, I was flying down the road doing forty in a twenty-five. I eased off the accelerator and breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth.
“So, his pig cockblocked you, and now you’re driving home in a tizzy. How’d you leave things with Levi?”
“He wants to meet tomorrow after we research how we can kiss again.”
“That’s so practical, yet oddly romantic. Did you agree to go?”
“I did,” I mumbled.
Maddie giggled again. “Do you need me to come with you? I can headbutt you if you get too frisky.”
“Stop it,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Your brain is too valuable for headbutting.”
“Facts, Sis. Listen, I’ve got to get back on the floor. Promise me you won’t spiral too hard before I get home.”
“Not promising that.”
Maddie sighed. “Then at least promise me you’ll drive safe and text me when you’re at the apartment, so I can concentrate on my patients.”
“I promise,” I said, my voice catching. No matter how much time passed, the fear of losing someone in another car accident hadn’t dimmed for either of us.
“Everything will work out, Everly. Just keep an open mind. Got to go.”
I drove the rest of the way home in silence, focusing on the road instead of the what-ifs that would no doubt keep me up all night.