Chapter 13
LEVI
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As I slid my key into the lock and gingerly opened the apartment door, I held my breath and listened for sounds of life inside. I exhaled in relief when nothing but silence greeted me, thankful for the reprieve, however brief it was. I knew it wouldn’t last forever. It’d been a couple days, but eventually, I’d have to come face-to-face with Harper after that kiss on the Ferris wheel and the ride on my motorcycle.
I knew when I did, I’d have to fight the overwhelming urge to do it all over again. To feel her lips under mine, the soft glide of her tongue against my own… Listen to those breathy little moans and the tiny gasps that said she was loving every second of it. How, when we’d been riding, her arms had tightened around me, her hand pressed flat against my chest, right over my heart. As if she was commanding it to beat solely for her.
And that was exactly the kind of shit I couldn’t be thinking about. Not when it came to Harper.
I tossed my keys on the counter and flicked the door closed behind me. Except instead of shutting, the door bounced back and smacked me in the arm. “What the fuck?”
Mabel poked her head through the open doorway. “Oh good, honey, you’re home!”
“Would it have mattered if I wasn’t?” I asked dryly. “We both know you would’ve just let yourself in.”
She shot me an unrepentant smile and shrugged, as if to say Yeah, probably. “You forgot your teddy bear the other night when you ran off like your pants were on fire.”
On reflex, I grabbed the stuffed animal Mabel pressed into my chest before tossing it on the counter. “You could’ve given it to one of the kids there. What the hell am I going to do with it?”
“I don’t know, but I wasn’t about to give your bear away. Especially when Harper won it for you.”
“How do you know that?”
“Please, I heard about it three minutes after it happened. Don’t underestimate the whisper network.”
“You mean the gossips who have nothing better to do than talk about me and Harper?”
“Speaking of Harper…” Mabel said, shifting the conversation without remorse. She not so subtly glanced around at the space, as if hoping my temptation also known as my roommate was going to pop up from behind the counter. “I come bearing gifts to apologize for the little…misunderstanding…last week.”
“Misunderstanding?” I leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms as I leveled her with a stare. “You mean when you invited someone to move in to my apartment without talking to me about it?”
“Yes, well, I’m sorry about that.”
“So, you’ll make her leave, then?” A boulder landed heavily in my gut as soon as the words left my lips. Like most everything else when it came to Harper, I ignored it.
Mabel scoffed and swatted a hand through the air. “Heavens no. But I did bring you cookies to wipe that grouchy look off your face.” She held out a plastic container between us, as if she were presenting me with bars of gold.
Truth be told, she wasn’t far off. Her cookies were fucking amazing, and she knew it. Knew she could get away with murder if she baked up a batch of these in apology. She pulled off the lid and wafted the container under my nose with a flourish. The cookies smelled delicious like always, but I froze when I got a good look at them.
“Mabel.” I split my gaze between her serene face and the phallic-shaped cookies, overemphasized in their lewdness. “You didn’t bring me cookies. You brought me dicks.”
I couldn’t even say I was surprised. When it came to this woman, nothing surprised me. For years, she’d been peddling her sex toys at the town festivals and markets, in her smut shack, and in the resort’s parlor when she hosted book club, so I was used to her brand of eccentricity. What did surprise me, however, was the glittering silver cross on the head of the cock cookies.
I lifted my chin toward the treats. “What’s that on the end of them?”
“Oh, that.” Mabel cleared her throat and averted her gaze. “It’s for your, ah, accessory.”
And of course, because God or the universe or whoever was in charge of my fucked-up, useless life hated me, Harper chose that moment to walk out of her bedroom. “What accessory?”
As if she’d been invited to the conversation in the first place, she strolled right up to us, reached into the container, and plucked out one of the dicks. Her brows lifted as she got a better look at it.
I ignored her as best I could and narrowed my eyes on Mabel and her angelic face, which was the biggest facade I’d ever seen in my life. “How the hell do you even know about that?”
The older woman sniffed and straightened her shoulders. “Never underestimate the dedication of a journalist. Especially when it comes to penises. I’m sure Harper can regale you with stories while you snack on these.” She grinned and shoved the plastic container into my hands.
“Are there walnuts in these?” I asked.
Harper shot me a surprised glance before wiping the expression clear from her face, looking to Mabel for a response.
“The cookies are clear of walnuts,” Mabel confirmed. “Well, I’ll leave you kids to it. Have fun!”
Before I could say anything in return, she scurried out of the apartment, the door shutting behind her with finality. And then it was just Harper and me in this too-small space, a dozen dicks between us, and the memory of our kiss haunting me. My body had no qualms about reminding me of that fact. It hummed with awareness, just like it always did when she was near.
Harper shook her head as she studied the cookie in her hand. “I don’t get it. Why is there a cross on the—” Her words cut off abruptly as she snapped her eyes to mine. Then she let her gaze drop down my body until it rested on the front of my jeans.
I didn’t know whether the lift of her brows was shock or interest, and I sure as hell had no intention of finding out. Except the traitorous bastard she was currently focused on twitched behind my fly, eager and fucking aching for any crumb of attention she gave it. Especially after the brief taste I’d had the other night.
But those feelings didn’t belong here, and they definitely didn’t belong between the two of us. Harper and I were nothing. By design.
By my design.
And I intended to keep it that way.
That meant I needed to squash whatever flicker of interest I still held for her before it sparked into an inferno. The night at the carnival had proven it wouldn’t take much. She’d kissed me back with just as much urgency as I had. She’d held me just as tightly as I’d ached for her to.
And that was exactly the problem.
If she wasn’t going to push me away, firmly, forcefully, and without hesitation, I had to do it for her. Or everything I’d done all those years ago would be for nothing.
I stepped into her space and leaned close. So close, her scent invaded my nose and my dick got even harder. She straightened, feigning aloofness, but I could tell she wasn’t as immune to our proximity as she’d like me to believe. After the carnival, there was no misjudging her tells. No misunderstanding that this attraction wasn’t one-sided.
Dipping my head, I inhaled deeply and traced my nose along the curve of her shoulder and up her neck without ever touching her skin. Her breaths came out in soft pants against my cheek, a rosy flush spreading down her neck and across her chest.
With my lips brushing her ear, I murmured, “If I tell you the secret, will you get on your knees and pray to it, sparrow?”
If I hadn’t been so close to her, I would’ve missed the hitch in her breath. How, for a split second, she stopped breathing entirely, her body reacting to my words or my nearness or me before she could squash it.
Same as mine did.
But just as quickly as that reaction came, she shoved it down and stepped back. Away from me. That cool, aloof mask slipped back into place as she regarded me with disinterest.
“I’m not much for praying.” With her eyes locked on mine, she lifted the cookie to her mouth. “And I’ll never get on my knees for you.”
Then, without another word, she bit the head of the dick clean off before spinning on her heel and stalking back to her bedroom.