Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
L evi pushed back from the table, grabbing his and Kasi’s plates before she could.
“I can get that, Levi,” she said, rising as well.
“You cook. I clean.” He’d made the same offer every night for the last four nights, and now, as every time before, Kasi ignored it, working beside him as they cleared away the dinner dishes.
“Let me go get Daddy’s tray, and then we can start the dishwasher.” Kasi headed upstairs, while Levi grabbed a washcloth to wipe the dinner table.
Ever since dining with his brothers, Kasi’s father had joined them at the table for dinner. However, tonight he’d turned down their invitation, remaining in his bedroom. He claimed he had a headache, but neither Kasi nor Levi believed that. It appeared there was no rhyme or reason to his down days.
Kasi returned downstairs, looking troubled.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She shrugged, gesturing to the tray of food, which was basically untouched, but she didn’t say anything.
While Levi remained hopeful that they were turning a corner, not a lot of progress had been made in the last four days. Mr. Mills hadn’t joined him and Keith as they tackled their chores on the farm, and he still spent far too much time in his room. Even though he’d eaten dinner with them at the table, he didn’t contribute much to the conversation, only replying when asked a direct question.
Levi walked over to her, giving her a playful hip bump. “It’s my turn to cook tomorrow for my brothers. I’m making a pile of pork barbeque, and Mom’s making us her homemade coleslaw to go with it. I’d like you, your dad, and Keith to join us again.”
Kasi hesitated. “I’m not sure…”
“Baby steps, Kasi. Remember? We’re not packing it in at the first sign of defeat. We’re going to keep trying.”
She considered that for a second, then smiled. “You’re right. We’re not.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Now you’ve got me changing pronouns. Still not sure how me,” Kasi pointed to herself, “became we.” Her finger waggled between the two of them.
He caught her finger with his, linking them together, giving her a kiss that let her know exactly how they became a we .
When they parted, her eyelids were heavy with desire, and he understood just how overrated words were. From now on, every time she questioned this thing between them, he was going to show her just how right it was.
Grasping her hand, Levi led her out of the kitchen. “Come on. Let’s go to the living room. We’ll be more comfortable there.”
For the past four days, Levi had split his time, working mornings on Lucky Penny Farm before returning to Stormy Weather after lunch, tackling things there while Kasi ran the stand. Then, each day, he made his way back down the mountain in time to help her close. He continued to help her prep the baked goods after dinner, but with two of them working, they were able to double their output, making enough pie crust, bread dough, and cakes to last for two days.
Tonight was their off night, meaning, they had time to snuggle on the couch before he headed home.
He’d made some serious headway on her list, managing to make a lot of the repairs needed to the outbuildings, house, and some of the farm equipment. Keith had finished fixing the fence, a major job that had taken him the better part of the last four days. He was still caring for the animals as well. His attitude hadn’t improved, but as long as he was working and not being outwardly rude to Kasi, Levi decided to leave it alone.
Unfortunately, tonight, Levi had hit the end of the line as far as helping her because harvest time was upon them, since the majority of the grapes had ripened. That meant, he needed to be on Stormy Weather Farm full-time starting tomorrow until they all were picked. This was the time of the year when nearly everyone in the family, as well as a dozen seasonal workers, converged on the vineyard to begin the backbreaking work of picking the grapes by hand.
Levi hated the idea of not being able to see Kasi as much during the day, and he worried about her returning to bad habits, working too hard, staying up too late, taking too much onto her slim shoulders.
He sank down on the couch, pulling Kasi onto his lap as she laughed.
“There’s plenty of room for me to sit on my own cushion,” she said, though he noticed her sinking down more comfortably as she spoke.
“You’re right where you’re supposed to be.” Levi backed that proclamation up with a kiss.
Every night for five nights, they’d sat together on this couch, kissing each other senseless until he was forced to slowly disentangle them before he took her right here, no matter who was in the house. Nowadays, he’d added an extra item to his list of pre-bedtime routines. Because in addition to showering and brushing his teeth, he had to jerk off in an attempt to avoid blue balls. His nightly showers involved his hand, body wash, and the memory of Kasi’s sweet kisses and tempting touches. It was the only way he could manage to go to sleep.
At this rate, the callouses on his hands weren’t just going to be the result of a hard day’s work, but thanks to a relentless hard-on constantly in need of relief.
Until Kasi accepted that this thing between them was forever, Levi held back from taking them to the next level. He’d approached her with all the subtlety of a tornado, so she was still struggling to see this as a genuine relationship, viewing it instead as what he could only assume she thought was him scratching an itch.
It didn’t help that Levi hadn’t had any long-term relationships in the past, and Kasi knew it. No doubt she was using his track record against him, probably convinced he’d move on before long because he could sense her holding back from him emotionally.
Which made sense, he supposed. She’d just lost someone she loved deeply, her heart still bruised from the pain of her mother’s passing. And on top of that grief, she was stressed out about the farm. He had hoped she would talk to him about the things causing her anxiety, but so far, she’d been stubbornly tight-lipped, determined—despite his assurances he was there for her—to deal with a lot of things on her own.
Levi was trying to give her time, trying to be patient. The problem was, he was all in, and he couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see and accept that, couldn’t follow his lead.
Kasi shifted on his lap, twisting until she straddled his thighs. Levi hadn’t done this much dry humping since he was a teenager. He longed to strip her out of her tight shorts and panties and drive his cock deep inside her.
Her fingers glided through his hair as they kissed. Levi slipped his fingers under her shirt, stroking the soft skin of her midriff before going higher. Kasi moaned when his fingers found her nipples, pinching them through the lace of her bra. She arched her back, a silent invitation to pinch harder, and he accepted it. Then he lifted her shirt, his gaze locked on her hard nipples pushing against her bra. Unable to resist, Levi sucked one into his mouth, soaking the material.
“Levi,” she breathed.
“You’re so beautiful, Kasi.” He turned his attention to her other nipple, giving it the same attention.
She gyrated on his lap, driving her crotch again and again over the bulge in his pants, searching for her own relief.
Levi felt his grasp on control slipping because stopping didn’t feel like a viable option tonight. He needed her too much. Needed so much more of her.
So…he decided to up the ante.
Mentally, he made a deal with himself, promising he’d pull back before the point of no return. He hoped that was a vow he could keep.
Slipping his hand between them, he released the button on her shorts, then tugged down the zipper.
Kasi jerked when she felt his fingers slip under the elastic of her panties, stroking her clit.
“Oh!” She was breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed with need. “Oh God.”
Levi dipped his finger lower, slipping through her arousal. “Nice and wet,” he murmured.
Using some of her juices, he returned to her clit, twirling his finger over it, harder and harder.
This was the first time he’d unfastened her pants, aware that doing so would make it nearly impossible for him to put a stop to things when he should. He figured as long as his pants stayed on, he could manage.
Maybe.
Kasi’s body writhed above him as he continued to work her clit, determined to see her come. He’d dreamed of it so many times, it was hard to believe he hadn’t already seen it.
“Levi,” she whispered, cognizant of the need to be quiet, too aware of her father just upstairs.
He growled because he didn’t want her silent, didn’t want her worrying about her father overhearing them.
This was why he hadn’t let things go this far before.
It was too late now, though, because his girl was right there. He could see it in her almost-desperate expression, hear it in her panting breaths, feel it as more juices flowed over his fingers. He slid through her slippery slit once more, pushing one of his fingers inside her tight—Jesus Christ, too -tight pussy. He was glad he hadn’t started with two because he would have hurt her.
That thought didn’t have time to linger because mere seconds after he penetrated her, she fell apart, her body tensing as her head fell back, a low, soft keening noise slipping from her lips.
Levi watched her through it all, as his cock throbbed with a painful need that was almost blinding.
It took Kasi a minute or two to land, to regain focus, and when she did, she gave him the sexiest, most satisfied smile he’d ever seen. Especially when he lifted his finger to his mouth, sucking it inside. “Delicious.”
“Levi,” she said, her voice husky. “That was incredible.” She leaned forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder, her body trembling slightly in the aftermath of her climax.
He held her, the two of them silent, Levi trying to quiet the nagging voice in the back of his head insisting that something he couldn’t believe was true.
“Kasi.”
“Hmmm,” she hummed.
“Have you had sex before?”
She lifted her head slowly but didn’t answer.
There was no fucking way a woman as beautiful as Kasi was a virgin. It simply wasn’t possible. And if so, what the hell was wrong with the men in Gracemont?
“My mama was pretty strict,” she said. “And very overprotective. To be honest, the only friend she ever let me sleep over with was Remi because she knew your parents and grandparents and trusted them to keep an eye on me. Of course, that’s not to say Remi and I didn’t sneak out, but that was just to steal a bottle of wine from the vineyard.”
“Is that supposed to be an answer to my question?” Levi knew it was, but he needed her to keep talking before he gave himself away. His inner caveman had emerged with a vengeance and was currently beating his chest in true Tarzan style.
Kasi had never slept with anyone else. A woman’s sexual experience had never mattered to him before, and to be honest, it wouldn’t have mattered this time.
But goddamn…
He was going to be her first, last, and only.
Kasi shrugged. “You want me to say it? Fine. I’m a virgin. But not an intentional one. It’s just like I said. Mama was overprotective, and I’ve always had a lot of chores on the farm. Even before she passed away.”
“You’ve never had a boyfriend?” Levi thought back, but that fact wasn’t something he would have noticed because he hadn’t ever looked at her and thought mine . She’d been underaged for most of their acquaintance. The thirteen years between them was a hell of a lot less significant now that they were both adults, but prior to that, it had been as wide as the damn Grand Canyon.
“I’ve gone out with a few guys, done some dating, but none of them were…” She bit her lower lip, and Levi could see she had something more to say.
“None of them were…” he prompted.
He thought she’d been flushed when she came, but that color didn’t hold a candle to the red in her cheeks now.
“None of them were you.” She spoke the words so quickly, he wasn’t entirely sure he’d heard her correctly.
“Me?”
Kasi blew out a slow breath. “I had a crush on you when I was younger.”
“I know.”
“You knew?”
Levi chuckled. “You started hovering when you were in high school, always trying to catch my attention, even when Remi was trying to get you to do something else.” He ran his knuckle over her pink cheek. “And this blushing started whenever you talked to me.”
“Ugh. That’s embarrassing!”
Levi shook his head. “No, it’s not. It was sweet. It’s just… I thought the crush ended at some point. I mean, I’d never gotten the sense that you were interested in me since you became an adult.”
“I saved you a pie every damn day,” she pointed out. “For years.”
“Doesn’t exactly sound like someone who’s,” he finger-quoted the last bit, “not interested in me.”
She laughed. “You already called me out for that lie.”
Levi chuckled as he gripped her ass, tugging her closer, then wrapped his arms around her. “You’re right. I did. And I guess I should have realized you still had feelings, but up until a few days ago, I didn’t know you were saving the pies. I only suspected. What did your mother think about your feelings?”
“She teased me about it a little. I think, like me, she knew nothing would ever come of it.”
“Like you?” Levi didn’t care for that response at all.
“You’re older than me, Levi. And you’d never given any indication that you were looking for a relationship. I think a lot of the matchmaking mothers in Gracemont have put you in the confirmed bachelor column. Plus, Mama knew and trusted you, so she knew you would never take advantage of my schoolgirl crush.”
“You’re not a schoolgirl anymore.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “I’m not.”
“You think she wouldn’t have approved of us as a couple?” That idea bothered Levi a lot. One, because he’d always respected Mrs. Mills, and two, it was clear her mother’s opinion was important to Kasi.
Kasi grinned. “Mama was ten years younger than Daddy. Honestly, I think this—the two of us—would have made her really happy. She liked you. Always said you were a good man and a hard worker, just like Daddy. I know her biggest hope for me was that I’d find a love like what she and my father shared.”
A weight lifted from Levi’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t say I was a confirmed bachelor. I was looking.”
“Not very hard. I mean,” Kasi waved jazz hands in the air, “ hello , I was right here the whole time.”
Levi wrapped his arm around her neck, messing up her hair playfully. “The difference in our ages doesn’t matter to me now. But you had a bit of catching up to do before I opened my eyes and realized who you were to me. Do those thirteen years bother you?”
“Not at all,” she confessed. “Honestly, I think a lot of my lack of dates and interest in guys closer to my own age was their immaturity. It turned me off.”
Levi gave her another kiss, trying to let the dust settle on what he’d learned. That was when he realized that waiting to move them to the next level was more important than ever.
She might not have been intentionally saving herself, but the fact was…she had. Which meant he needed to prove to her that he was here for the long haul. He didn’t want her to have any questions about him or—God forbid—regrets if he took things too fast for her.
Placing his forehead against hers, he sighed. “I should be going.”
There was a brief flash of panic in her eyes. “Because of what I told you?”
“Jesus, no.” Levi gripped her face in his hands. “Little bear, I want you so fucking much it hurts, but this isn’t the place or the time. When I take you for the first time, it’s going to be special.”
Kasi scoffed. “I don’t need special, Levi.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yes, you do. And so do I. I haven’t lived like a monk, Kasi. There have been other women in my past.” Levi liked the flash of jealousy in her gaze. It meant she was starting to feel what he felt. Because just the thought of any other man looking at her had him seeing red.
“I don’t need a list of your conquests,” she said, huffily.
He chuckled. “Yeah, well, before you go getting your panties in a wad, I can assure you as far as lists go, mine’s relatively short. I’m no Maverick.”
That admission prompted a grin. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but your brother’s sort of a manwhore.”
Levi laughed. “No ‘sort of’ about it.” Maverick’s reputation as a ladies’ man was well-known in Gracemont, as well as most of the surrounding towns. “But what I’m trying to say is that, while there have been others, emotions weren’t a part of the package. Those nights were about shared attraction and nothing else. You’re different, Kasi. And I want you to know that. Want the opportunity to show you just how different and special you are.”
Kasi smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
“So when we’re finally together, it’s going to be in a bed, and we’re going to have all night. No, fuck that, we’re going to have days.”
She shivered. “Days?”
“Days. But, Kasi, a crush is one thing. Reality another. You need to be sure of your feelings for me. I won’t let you do anything you might regret later. So take your time, sort this out in your head…and in your heart. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered.
Levi stole another kiss, careful to keep it quick. Then he helped her stand before refastening her shorts. Kasi walked him to the door, bidding him good night, and tonight, as he did every night, Levi fought against the desire to return to her. It was starting to feel as if they were hooked together by a giant rubber band, and the farther away he got from her, the tighter the pull, the harder it was to resist snapping right back to her side.
Levi drove home in silence, not bothering to turn the radio on because his thoughts were loud enough.
When he pulled up in front of the farmhouse, he was surprised to see all the lights on. Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, he realized it was still early. He hadn’t been home before eleven o’clock once this past week, his brothers all in their bedrooms by the time he tromped in.
Walking in, he made his way to the living room, where five of his brothers were hanging out on the oversized sectional and recliners, drinking Rain or Shine beer and watching an old Alien movie.
“Hey,” he said, claiming an empty spot on the sectional, thanking Sam, who followed him into the living room and handed him a beer.
“Thought I heard your truck pull up,” Sam said, reclaiming an empty recliner.
“Wait a second. You still live here?” Theo laughed, making it clear Levi was quickly becoming a stranger in his own house.
“Very funny,” he retorted.
“So…” Sam muted the movie, and Levi prepared himself for the long-overdue inquisition. “You and little Kasi Mills,” his brother mused aloud with a shit-eating grin.
Levi narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Do you need to put little in front of her name?”
Sam shrugged. “Don’t need to, but it’s funnier if I do.”
Given the chuckles of his other brothers, obviously Sam was right.
“Assholes,” Levi muttered good-naturedly. He didn’t take offense because razzing each other was the norm in this household.
“Seriously, though,” Everett piped in. “You dating Kasi?”
Levi shook his head. “No.”
Given the six dubious expressions fired in his direction, Levi hurried to explain.
“Dating is too mild a word for what Kasi and I have. Dating makes it sound like we’re taking a test drive to see where things go. I already know where we’re going. She’s it for me. The one. The end game. Forever.”
Grayson whistled, long and low. “Damn. Never thought I’d hear you say those words.”
“I swear it happened just like it did for Mom and Dad. One minute, I’m standing there minding my own business, the next, the blinders fell off and I just knew.”
“They just fell off, huh?” Jace, like Theo, was laid-back and capable of taking most things in life in stride. Levi wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his youngest brother riled up, so he wasn’t surprised when Jace gave him a grin and added, “Wicked.”
For seven boys all raised by the same parents, Levi was constantly amazed by how different he and his brothers were. As the oldest, he’d always been a bit more serious, trying to set what he hoped was a good example for his brothers.
After him came Sam, who was just one year younger. Granddaddy always referred to them as Irish twins. Sam was a lot like Levi, though softer spoken and a hell of a lot more introspective, which was saying something because it wasn’t like Levi was a big talker. Sam was also creative, something that had served him well as brewmaster at Rain or Shine Brewery.
The mild-mannered mold Levi and Sam shared was broken when Theo arrived two years after Sam. Theo never met a party he wasn’t the life of, and his loud laughter was the permanent white noise in their house, which was why he was the perfect brother to serve as “the face” of the brewery, training the servers, hiring entertainment, and schmoozing their patrons as they indulged in tastings. Sometimes, Levi thought people came to the brewery to hang out with Theo as much as they did to drink the beer.
Maverick, their resident playboy, came next. The man had been blessed with a face made for Hollywood, and he loved women—all of them—a lot. Levi was starting to suspect their expert-winemaker brother was perilously close to working his way through every eligible lady in Gracemont, as well as the neighboring towns. God only knew what Maverick would do once he’d run out of women to charm and seduce.
After Maverick was Everett, their book-smart, computer-geek brother. As a kid, Everett had made a career of getting out of doing work on the farm, coming up with some ingenious excuses for why he couldn’t go outside. His outright aversion to manual labor was something none of the rest of them could begin to understand, but they’d stopped bitching about it when Everett declared himself the farm’s marketing and IT guru. He’d put both Rain or Shine Brewery and Lightning in a Bottle winery on the map in the last decade, drawing in countless visitors as well as widening their distribution circles.
Levi’s youngest brothers, Grayson and Jace, were polar opposites despite their kid brother statuses. Where Jace was all smiles and laid-back, Grayson was a grumpy, no-nonsense perfectionist, who preferred order and control above all else.
Jace had recently started training to become a brewmaster under Sam, filling the void left when their cousin Lucy found true love with not one man but two. It had taken a little getting used to, but it was clear Miles and Joey were both head over heels for Lucy, and they were great guys to boot.
So when Lucy followed them to Philadelphia, it was Jace who’d stepped in to fill her shoes. Prior to that, he was a jack-of-all-trades, taking on the countless, endless jobs that always popped up on a farm of this size. He was a master mechanic, so he was instrumental in keeping the equipment at both the brewery and winery running smoothly.
Grayson, on the other hand, worked with Maverick in the winery, and despite their vastly different personalities—Maverick with his suave nature and appealing smile, and Grayson’s permanent resting bitch face—Levi suspected of all the brothers, those two were the closest, the best of friends.
“You saying this was love at first sight?” Grayson asked.
“Dad always said that was how it was for him and Mom,” Sam pointed out.
“Can’t be love at first sight,” Everett countered. “He’s known her forever and seen her a million times.”
His brother was right. Levi leaned his head back against the couch cushion. “You’re right. I have. So maybe it’s more accurate to say it was love at first touch. When she passed out in that fruit stand, I reached out to catch her and…” Levi raked a hand through his hair. “Something came alive inside me. About an hour after that, I was hugging her in her kitchen, and a future I never imagined started playing in my mind. One that included a wife to care for and babies.”
“She’s a lot younger than you,” Jace pointed out, though his grin told Levi that his kid brother was just saying it to give him shit.
“I’m aware of that,” Levi grumbled, unwilling to let anyone toss that in his lap as an excuse as to why he and Kasi shouldn’t be together. “And it doesn’t fucking matter.”
Jace laughed. “You’re right. It doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean some people around town aren’t going to say it.”
“Don’t give a shit.”
“I like the idea of love at first touch,” Maverick said. “Even though, I think part of you must have known she was yours even before that. Because, dude…how many years have you been driving by that stand to buy one of her pies?”
“At least three,” Levi confessed. Had he known she was his? He hadn’t thought so at first, but there was no denying she’d always been the bright spot in his day. While they’d never talked much, he looked forward to their silly song and dance about the change and seeing her had never failed to make him feel…happy. Of course, he’d chalked that up to her sunny disposition and delicious pies. Now his brother’s comment left him wondering if his daily trips to the stand had been less about pie and more about…keeping an eye on her.
Grayson, clearly uncomfortable with all this talk about love, changed the subject. “What’s going on with her dad?”
Levi realized he owed them an explanation because he was hoping to convince Kasi, Keith, and her father to join them for dinner tomorrow. “He’s had a hard time bouncing back since the death of his wife. A real hard time.”
Grayson nodded, his brows furrowed with concern. “Can’t have been easy on Keith or Kasi, either. I mean…I can’t imagine losing Mom or Dad.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck. It would kill me.”
Every head in the room nodded in agreement. Levi knew it was probably odd for all seven of his brothers to still live on the farm where they were born, but family was the most important thing in his life. It was extremely rare that a day passed where he didn’t see and speak to both of his parents. He sought them out when he needed advice or whenever he was feeling stressed or depressed. They’d been his rocks, the foundation on which he’d built himself into the man he was today, and he was grateful for their love and guidance. The same held true for his brothers as well.
“Kasi has spent the last eight months since her mother’s death taking on almost all of the chores around the farm. Working herself to the point of exhaustion,” Levi explained.
Sam scowled. “What about her brother?”
Levi sighed. “Keith seems to have gotten stuck on the ‘anger’ level when it comes to the five stages of grief. He’s spent most of the time since his mother’s death running away from the farm, getting into some trouble around town.”
“So Kasi’s been running the whole farm?” Everett asked. Levi glanced around the room, his heart swelling at the expressions on his brothers’ faces, all of them as concerned about Kasi as he was.
“Yeah. She’s passed out twice in the last week. She’s been getting four hours of sleep a night, on average, and never takes a day off. I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure there are money concerns, so that’s adding to her anxiety.” Levi rubbed his chin, toying with his beard. He was long overdue for a trim—hair and beard. “I’ve been trying to help as much as I can because too many things have fallen to the wayside. It’s why I’ve been spending so much time there.” He paused. “Thanks again for picking up the slack for me here.”
Theo, who was sitting next to him, leaned over, bumping his shoulder against Levi’s. “We’re always going to have your back…and Kasi’s.”
Levi knew that but it was nice to hear. “Problem is, the heart of harvest time is upon us, so I’m going to have to curtail my trips to Lucky Penny Farm to help her. I’m worried she’ll revert to bad habits, not sleeping enough, forgetting to eat.”
“Then we’ll take it in turns,” Everett said. “We can all find time during the next few weeks to check on her, to stop by and lend a hand.”
Levi smiled widely. “You’d do that?”
Theo grinned. “Of course, we would. We’re family, and we look out for our own. Sounds like little Kasi Mills is about to become our first sister.”
Levi punched Theo on the arm good-naturedly as payback for the “little” joke, but inside, he felt a huge weight lifted from his chest. He’d been worried about leaving Kasi on her own for too long, but with his brothers’ help, he had a feeling things were going to be okay.
Sam lifted his bottle of beer. “To little sisters.”
Everyone followed suit, toasting before taking a sip.
Levi took a drink as well, grinning.
Best family ever.