13. Levi
CHAPTER 13
LEVI
Walking into the kitchen, the first thing I do is turn the coffee pot on. I need liquid energy if I’m going to make it through the day. I was definitely tired enough this morning that it probably would’ve been a good idea to sleep in a bit, but I’m not willing to do that on our days off. They are just so few and far between that I try to soak up as much of the free time as possible.
I just wish I had a bit more energy to enjoy the morning. I tossed and turned the entirety of the night, immediately regretting that I didn't kiss Quinn when I’d had the chance, and that was all I could think about until the damn sun came up. I wanted to kiss her at the bar. Hell, I wanted to kiss her outside the bar when I got her settled on the scooter. I sure as fuck wanted to kiss her when we got inside my house and she looked up at me with those come-fuck-me eyes I fall for damn near every time.
But I didn't—because boundaries and all that bullshit.
At least that's what I keep telling myself, but at this point I’m not even sure. It feels like I’m constantly flip-flopping inside my own brain, and I can’t keep up. The only thing I know is that I'm afraid if I get too comfortable with her, my heart won’t understand that this is supposed to be temporary, and I might get attached.
It's a survival mechanism that stems from the fear of losing people I care about, and it’s the same reason I never date. It feels like the second I let down my walls, I’m just setting myself up for heartbreak. It probably started when my parents left and is just something I’ve never fully gotten over. Or the fact that the one woman I was stupid enough to get a ring for and tried to plan forever with was the wrong woman and ended up cheating on me.
But last night was one of the few times that I almost snapped. All I could think about was throwing our one fucking rule—or, rather, our no fucking rule—out the window and taking her right where we stood.
But I didn't.
Instead, I just gave her a kiss on the forehead and sent myself to bed.
It sucked, and I hated walking away from her, but at that moment there wasn’t another choice for me.
Which would be fine except I've had a hard-on since I went to bed last night, and it's still here this morning.
At this point, I'm sort of over it, and unless I get to bury my boner inside Quinn, I'm ready for it to fuck off already.
“Good morning,” I hear a sleepy voice say from behind me. “Please tell me there’s still coffee.”
Turning around, I realize there really is no chance of this boner leaving as long as this woman is in my house. She’s too fucking sexy standing there in a long t-shirt and short shorts, making it damn near impossible for me to hide this thing. So I don’t. My sweats hang low on my hips, and I know if she gazes down she won’t be able to miss it, but thankfully right now she’s on a mission for coffee.
Reaching into the cupboard, I grab another mug before getting her a cup of coffee, her eyes immediately lighting up. “Of course, there’s coffee,” I say with a smile before moving to the fridge and grabbing her favorite creamer. The smile on her face when she sees it in my hand is worth the three stores I had to go to in order to find this specific mint chocolate chip creamer.
I may be a dick, but I pay attention. I’d be a fucking great boyfriend if I could just learn to trust someone fully. Even just her sharp tongue is enough to get me hard. I mean, I love someone being a bit feisty with me. Turning back to the fridge, I start to look for the food I bought to make us breakfast.
“God, this is delicious,” she groans into her cup, the sound going directly to my cock.
It’s at this moment I realize that if we don’t get the fuck out of this house, there’s no chance I’m keeping my hands to myself.
“So I know you just woke up, but I was wondering if you wanted to come hang out with me for a bit?” I ask, immediately feeling like an idiot.
“What do you have in mind?” she says with a smile.
“I was thinking about going to Stella’s bakery, and then I like to go bowling on my days off.”
“Bowling?! I love bowling. I haven’t been in years!” she says with a little shimmy, her coffee nearly spilling as her tits loosely bounce in her shirt, my eyes immediately falling to them right as her eyes drop to my cock. Licking her lips, she looks at my boner for more than a few seconds, and I can’t help the ego boost it gives me.
I know she knows exactly how big I am, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to watch her admire my cock. I like to think it’s one of her favorites since she keeps coming back for more, which is something we agree on because it’s my favorite too.
“Are you still thinking about bowling?” I question, and her eyes immediately shoot back up, her cheeks turning pink as the embarrassment hits. “It was a serious question there, Angel.”
“Fuck off,” she snarks, but I see the little smile on her face, and I know she’s fine. “How much time do I have?”
“How much time do you need?” I ask, trying to decide if I’m showering and getting rid of this boner or if I’m just changing and hoping for the best.
“Just a few minutes to change,” she says. “I’m starving.”
“Go change, Q. Then we’ll get going.”
* * *
“Oh, my God,” Quinn moans as she bites into her cookie butter waffle, one of my absolute favorite things here.
“While your response is completely understandable, I’m going to need you to stop moaning like that if you want me to be able to stand up anytime in the next hour,” I tell Quinn, looking around to see the place full of families while she’s damn near replicating that famous When Harry Met Sally scene.
“It’s not my fault that this is the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth,” she spouts back at me as cookie butter spills out.
“I take offense to that statement.” I glare as I lean back and watch her, my food already finished now.
“The truth hurts sometimes.” She shrugs as she sets down her fork. “But if I eat anymore, I literally might die.”
“Hey, guys,” Kenzie, the manager of this location, says as she walks over, her usual smile on her face. “How was everything today?”
She’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, so I’m glad she knows Stella and was able to help her out. But I’ve known Kenzie for a while, and I know that it’s also helping out her situation too, so I’m glad they have each other.
Stella’s has been open for almost a year now and it’s easily become one of the most popular places here in town, a lot of which is because everyone adores Kenzie, and she does a kick-ass job of running this place.
“Perfect as usual,” I tell her with a smile.
“This was the most delicious waffle of my life . I don’t mean to sound impolite; it was just fucking orgasmic,” Quinn says, and Kenzie looks at her for a moment before she busts out laughing.
“Aren’t they? When Stella told me she wanted to try this, I thought she was crazy. But the second I tried a bite, I knew she nailed it. After that, I’ve never questioned a damn thing she’s wanted to make—unless it includes orange. I refuse to let her experiment any more with that.”
“It sounds like there’s a story there?” I laugh, but Kenzie shakes her head.
“No, no, no. I’ve already said too much. Ask her that one yourself.”
“Do you know when she will be in town next?” I ask.
“She’ll be here for the Cyclones game coming up. She wanted to check in on everything and figured she’d join Miles and the team,” Kenzie says as she turns around to see a group of people heading toward the front. “Sorry guys, I’ve gotta help them. It was good to see you both.”
“Good to see you, too, Kenzie,” Quinn says with a smile as she hurries off. “She’s so nice,” she finally says.
“She really is,” I tell her, looking down at my phone to see it’s just about time to head to the bowling alley.
“You about ready to head out?” I ask, and her eyes light up.
“Is it bowling time finally?!” she says with a little clap.
“It is,” I reply, and she’s standing up before I can say another word.
“Say less. Lead the way.”
“Come on, Angel,” I tell her as I grab her hand, a feeling I’m starting to get more and more used to. “Let’s go so I can kick your ass in bowling.”
“Bet,” she says with a smirk.
* * *
Bowling during the day in the middle of the week is always my favorite because it’s usually not too busy. Plus, the people who are here at this time are either really nice, or pretty much just leave you alone—probably because a majority of them either know my nana or live in the same retirement facility as her. The question of if she liked them or hated them usually influenced whether they came to say hi or not.
Obviously there’s a select few who love to come say hi to me just to piss her off, but I usually do my best to avoid them. Nana is the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet, unless she feels like she can’t trust you or you’ve wronged her in a way—then you’re on her short list, and it’s better to just avoid her at that point.
The sound of bowling balls rolling down the lanes and pins crashing down is like music to my ears. It’s a comfortable feeling because just like a hockey rink, bowling alleys are like a second home for me. I grew up spending my weekends here watching my grandparents until, finally, I was old enough to start bowling with them.
I’ve even convinced a few of the guys to join a bowling league with me in the off-season. I’m pretty sure they all hate me for it—well, except for Coop. That man loves just about anything. This is Quinn’s last turn, and if she doesn’t get a strike, I win.
It’s even better than that, though, because even if that girl gets nine out of ten of those damn pins, it’s still only a tie. Based on the rules my nana taught me, in those cases age trumps beauty, so I win.
Standing up right in front of the lane, her hot pink ball in hand, Quinn does her cute little butt wiggle before taking a step closer.
"Better not fuck this one up, Angel," I joke, and she turns around and blows me a kiss...with her middle finger, obviously.
"Boy, is that any way to talk to a lady?” I hear a voice from behind me, and I cringe because I’d recognize that voice anywhere.
Nana.
Fuck.
Turning to face her, I see she’s surrounded by three of her friends who all look like they’re about to burst out laughing at me getting scolded.
“Hello, ladies,” I tell them with a smile before walking over to my nana and giving her a hug. “Hello, Nana,” I say as I kiss her cheek.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Nana says, her hands now on her hips.
“Hi, Nana!” Quinn says, and it’s like I forget they’ve met on multiple occasions when I was with her sister. Will this ever feel normal?
“Hi, Quinny,” Nana says, pulling her in for a hug and whispering something I can’t quite make out, but all I know is it makes Quinn smile, so my curiosity is spiked. “Sorry my boy has forgotten his manners lately, but I have a feeling you’ll have no problem whipping him into shape,” she says with a wink.
What? I hadn’t told her about any of this because I didn’t want to deal with the backlash since I was engaged to her sister. But Nana isn’t even batting an eye at the two of us being out together; in fact, she almost seems happy about it.
“Show the boy how to bowl a perfect strike, pretty girl,” Delilah, Nana’s best friend, says from behind me.
Damn ladies, always rooting against me.
“Miss Delilah, why are you always out for me?”
“You’re too pretty,” she says with a shrug. “It’s the only way we can keep you humble.”
Shaking my head, I smirk as Quinn takes her spot, bowling ball in hand, the game on the line. But she doesn’t seem worried, and it’s clear when she bowls a perfect strike—right down the middle, each pin flying as she seals her win—that she had no reason to be.
“Damn, Q!” I whistle, earning me a slap upside the head.
“Language.” Nana glares, and Quinn starts laughing.
“Are you ladies bowling?” Quinn asks.
“Yeah, we’re actually in the two lanes next to you,” Delilah says as they all start getting set up.
“Perfect,” Quinn says with a smile, genuinely seeming happy that they’re here. “I’m going to go grab some food. Does anyone want anything?”
“Nachos, please,” my nana says with a smile. “And ice cream.”
“Both?” I ask with a laugh.
“Yes. I want both,” she spits back.
“Yes, ma’am,” Quinn says before heading to order food.
* * *
Spending the next few hours bowling with my nana and her friends was not on my list of things to do today, but somehow it’s turned into the best day I’ve had in a long time and I’m bummed it’s coming to an end. Getting Nana and her friends loaded up in their car, I turn to look at Quinn, who’s standing there with the biggest smile on her face. Even though I know we’ll just be going back to my place together, I also know that involves her going to her own bedroom, and I’ll be the first to admit it—I don’t want this day to end yet.
I’ve had so much fun with her, watching her interact with my nana, the patience she had, the way they made each other laugh and smile, and fuck, it threw away every excuse I’ve ever had not to be with her. It was hearing her admit to Quinn that she has Alzheimer’s and was struggling a bit with her memory, something she doesn’t share with anyone, something even I haven’t shared with Quinn, that made me wonder if she really is someone I can trust.
I’d spent years thinking there was no way I would ever find someone I could truly trust; the only people who have never let me down are my grandparents and my best friends, none of whom are a life partner for me. The last time I even considered having a life partner...well we know how that turned out.
I guess if my parents ever were to come back into my life, I can thank them for the trust and abandonment issues.
“Ready to go home?” she asks quietly, shifting on her feet as she watches me, waiting for my answer.
“Not really. Wanna go on a drive first?” I ask nervously, feeling like this is quickly shifting from just friends hanging out into actual date territory. More specifically, like a date where I’m spending time with my fake girlfriend who I’m realizing I wish was my real girlfriend.
Quinn looks down for a moment before looking back up at me with a big smile. “Yes,” she says quietly, and I about fist pump right there in front of her but thankfully keep it cool with just a smile.
Thank God she said yes.
Now I just need to figure out what the fuck the two of us are doing.