Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
L evi slapped Jace on the back as they walked into the farmhouse together.
“Thank God for your mechanical mind,” he said to his youngest brother. “I was afraid it was going to be a long night if we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with that destemmer.”
Jace grinned at the compliment. “Yeah, well, Theo and Maverick provided me with some pretty strong motivation.”
Levi chuckled. “Still planning to hit the bar?”
Maverick had declared earlier in the day that after working their asses off for weeks, they all deserved a little downtime. And because it was Maverick, he decided that time should be spent at Whiskey Abbey for ladies’ night.
Then the destemmer had gone down.
Technically, the destemmer was Maverick’s domain as winemaker, but the poor guy had been putting in seventy-hour work weeks since early summer. So Levi told his brother to keep his plans for the night, and that he’d fix the machine. Mercifully, Jace had volunteered to stay home to help as well.
“Hell yeah, I’m going. I’m only about a half hour behind them,” Jace said, checking his watch. “I can catch up quick.”
Levi glanced into the living room where Everett and Grayson sat on the couch, each with a controller in hand, playing Call of Duty .
“Already finished?” Grayson asked, spying him and Jace in the doorway.
Levi nodded, jerking his thumb toward Jace. “Wonder kid here had it sorted out in record time.”
“I’m heading to the bar,” Jace added. “Y’all sure you don’t want to join me?”
Both of his brothers shook their heads.
“Having the game of my life. Kicking this miserable bastard’s ass,” Everett replied with a shit-eating grin. Everett was the epitome of a homebody.
“You’re not kicking my ass,” Grayson grumbled before turning back to them. “I’m perfectly happy on this couch. Too tired to deal with people.”
Levi didn’t bother to point out that was pretty much always the complaint when it came to Grayson. His younger brother was one of those people who could live quite happily on a deserted island for the rest of his days, never once longing for companionship or conversation.
“Your loss,” Jace said. “Always lots of pretty girls there on Wednesdays.”
Everett and Grayson waved them off, then returned to playing their game.
“Guess it’s a waste of time to ask if you want to come,” Jace said to Levi as they reached the stairs.
Levi wiggled his eyebrows. “Total waste of time. I’m going to call Kasi to see if she’s still up. If she is, I’m heading to Lucky Penny Farm to steal a good night kiss or twenty.”
“You’re pussy-whipped,” Jace said good-naturedly. “But that’s all right. Just means there are more girls at the bar for me, Theo, and Mav.”
Levi pulled his phone out of his back pocket just as it started to ring. “Speak of the devil,” he said, showing his brother Theo’s name on the screen.
“What’s up, Theo?” Levi said as he and Jace started climbing the stairs.
“I was wondering how the destemmer repairs are going,” Theo said.
“Just finished.”
“That was quick. Jace?”
“Yup.”
“In that case, thought you might be interested in joining me and Maverick at the bar,” Theo said.
“Nope. Just told Jace I’m heading over to Kasi’s.”
“It would be a wasted trip,” Theo replied.
Levi frowned. “Why?”
“Because your girl is here with Remi, and the two of them look like they’re trying to set some kind of record for most lemon drop shots pounded in a single evening.”
“Kasi’s at Whiskey Abbey?”
Jace had been about to enter his bedroom, but he stopped when he heard Levi’s question.
“She sure is. Dancing up a storm and looking as pretty as ever. Thought you might want to know that, considering there are more than a few young bucks circling her and Remi on the floor. Assholes look like sharks going in for the kill—and fucking Scottie Grover is leading the charge.”
Levi hadn’t felt an ounce of jealousy in his life before falling for Kasi. But after hearing his brother mention other men jostling to get Kasi’s attention, his green-eyed monster roared to life.
“Keep the assholes away from her,” Levi said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hung up the phone.
“Meet you downstairs in fifteen?” Jace asked, obviously hearing enough to know Levi would be going to the bar. “I need to grab a shower really quick.”
“Same,” Levi grunted. “But make it ten.”
Jace laughed and gave him a thumbs-up.
Thirty minutes later, Levi and his kid brother walked into Whiskey Abbey. Given the number of cars in the parking lot, he’d say ladies’ night was an inspired idea on the part of the bar’s owner, Abbey Wagner.
Abbey was a Gracemont transplant, moving into town a decade earlier. After retiring from government work, she’d decided she wanted a slower pace of life, somewhere away from the hubbub of Washington, D.C. She claimed she’d always wanted to run her own bar, so she made her way to Gracemont, where she’d spotted a For Sale ad in the newspaper for a bar.
Prior to renovating the older building and breathing new life into it, Whiskey Abbey had been a sagging, run-down dive simply called The Bar, and the only patrons of the previous place had been a dozen or so grizzled old guys who preferred shots of whiskey to spending time with their wives.
Abbey had changed all that with her establishment, finding ways to entice most of the residents of Gracemont to stop by for a drink at least once during the week.
On Tuesday nights, she ran a music bingo game, Thursday was trivia night, and on Fridays and Saturdays, she always had some local musical talent performing. And while all those nights drew in decent crowds, the one night that seemed to overshadow them all was Wednesday—Ladies’ Night—where there were drink specials for the women and the floor was crowded as everyone kicked up their heels to country music.
Levi nodded when he spotted Theo waving to capture his attention. He and Jace made their way through the crowd. Levi kept glancing toward the dance floor, trying to find Kasi, but he couldn’t see her. There were too many damn people out there bumping and grinding.
Maverick pulled out the stool next to him, gesturing for Levi to sit, while Jace claimed the other empty chair next to Theo. “We ordered beer as soon as you said you were coming because this place is slammed, and the poor waitresses are behind. They just delivered these a couple of minutes ago, so they should be nice and cold,” Maverick said, pointing to the round on the table between them.
Levi nodded his thanks, taking a sip as his gaze traveled around the room.
Theo pointed to a table on the opposite side of the bar. “Kasi and Remi just took a break from dancing. They’re over there.”
Levi spotted her in an instant, his dick sitting up and taking notice of the deep red blouse she was wearing. It had a plunging neckline, treating him—and every other guy in the place—to a generous peek of her cleavage. He now understood why the sharks had been circling.
Most days, Kasi pinned her hair up in a ponytail, so he’d only seen it hanging loose around her shoulders a few times in the past couple of weeks. Tonight, she’d gone the extra mile, curling her straight hair so that it was full and fluffy and shiny. His fingers itched to see if it felt as soft as it looked, then he imagined himself kneeling behind her in bed, pulling on those long strands as he took her from behind.
Jesus. Something was going to have to give. Lately, he couldn’t go more than ten minutes without thinking about his girl, and every time he did, he had to start reciting the times table in his head to ward off the erections that always accompanied thoughts of Kasi.
He shifted in his seat, his jeans cutting into his now half-hard cock. He needed to look away from her until he managed to get himself under control, or else it was about to become obvious to everyone in the bar he was sporting one hell of a boner.
Unfortunately, looking away was impossible because he’d never seen Kasi looking so happy, so carefree, so…young. She was wearing makeup, her long lashes lined and thickened with mascara so that her bright blue eyes popped. She was laughing at something Remi had said, the two of them sitting together, their heads close so that they could hear each other over the loud music.
He was about to turn his attention back to his brothers when he spotted Scottie Grover making his way over to Kasi and Remi’s table.
Levi growled.
“Down, boy.” Maverick placed his hand on Levi’s shoulder.
But he growled again when Scottie stopped next to Kasi. It wasn’t so much the fact the douchebag mayor was talking to his girl that pissed him off, though he could admit that was definitely irritating the fuck out of him. It was the way the smile faded from Kasi’s face when Scottie started talking to her.
Scottie pointed toward the dance floor, clearly inviting her to dance.
Levi started to stand, but again Maverick’s hand was there, holding him in his seat.
He glared at his brother, ready to shove him off, when Maverick said, “You forget who she’s with.”
Levi frowned, then turned back just in time to see Kasi shaking her head as Remi shooed the man away, not bothering to feign the slightest bit of politeness.
Remi, as well as the rest of the family, knew all about the fight Levi and Scottie had last fall when the asshole had grabbed Lucy, forcing himself on her. Remi might be the youngest of the Storms, but damn if she wasn’t the fiercest. When she’d learned Scottie had hurt her big sister, it had taken him and two of his brothers to stop her from driving down the mountain and straight to the mayor’s office to kick his ass. Since then, she’d made a career out of finding ways to cut the man down to size, with barbs that would bring a stronger man to tears.
Obviously she was doing that now, as Scottie’s face turned red, a blend of embarrassment and anger. Within seconds, Remi had sent the man packing, and Levi’s jealousy waned when he read Kasi’s lips, watching as she said, “thank you” to Remi.
Levi took a minute to watch the two women together, the same warmth he felt whenever he was near Kasi filling him.
When he’d first heard she was at Whiskey Abbey, he’d felt a twinge of worry. This thing between them was still new, and while his feelings were fully engaged, and he didn’t feel a speck of doubt about her being the one for him, Kasi wasn’t there yet.
“You know, they haven’t noticed us sitting over here,” Maverick said. “Should we invite them to join us before you wind up starting a barroom brawl?” His brother tilted his head toward the girls’ table, where Levi saw two more men approach, offering to buy them drinks.
Remi wasn’t as quick to send these guys away.
“Think they’ll be pissed if we interrupt their girls’ night out?” Jace asked.
“Doesn’t matter if they are,” Levi said, rising. “It’s time to set the men in Gracemont straight on Kasi’s lack of single status.”
“The men or Kasi?” Theo joked.
Levi scowled, then said, “Yes,” prompting all three of his brothers to laugh.
“Oh man. This should be fun.” Theo rubbed his hands together like he was getting ready to watch a boxing match.
Jace and Maverick rolled their eyes at Theo’s excitement, but this time, his brothers let Levi make his way across the bar unhindered.
Levi recognized the two men chatting with Kasi and Remi. Hell, he knew everyone in Gracemont, so he was perfectly aware that Henry Martins and Ezra Kenner were nice guys and harmless, but that didn’t mean he wanted them flirting with his girl.
Levi couldn’t stop his chest from expanding with pride and love and happiness and a fuck-ton of other emotions when Kasi spotted him walking in her direction. Her smile reappeared, and damn if it wasn’t brighter than before. He didn’t stop until he was sliding behind the tall stool she was sitting on. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he leaned forward to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“Having fun, little bear?” he murmured in her ear, seeing the confused looks on Henry and Ezra’s faces, as well as the extremely amused one on Remi’s.
Remi schooled her expression quickly, narrowing her eyes at him. “What are you doing here? Because if you’re planning to steal my girlfriend away on the one night I’ve gotten her in months?—”
“I’m not stealing my girlfriend from you,” Levi stressed the pronoun, then gestured across the bar to where his brothers were sitting, still watching them. Theo waved, grinning widely. “The boys wanted to blow off some steam after a hell of a long week.”
Remi had spent a few days with them in the fields, so she knew exactly how hard they’d been working.
“I’d intended to head to your place to steal a good night kiss,” he said to Kasi, “until I was informed you were here. So I made a little detour.”
Kasi clearly didn’t mind his detour. “I thought you’d be working on the destemmer until late.”
That was exactly what he’d told her on the phone. “Yeah. Well, I was blessed with the greatest mechanic on the planet for a brother. Jace fixed the thing in no time.”
“He really does know his way around an engine,” Kasi concurred. “Our piece-of-shit tractor is running like a dream ever since he worked on it. Paul swears it’s like having a new tractor.”
“Fellas,” Levi said, acknowledging the two men who were now awkwardly shifting on their feet, wondering where to go from here. “Having a good night?”
“I will be if I can get this one out on the dance floor with me,” Henry said, smiling down at Remi.
She rolled her eyes playfully, even though it was obvious Henry was getting that dance.
“We never miss ladies’ night. So…you and Kasi, huh?” Ezra asked.
Levi nodded.
“Not going to say I’m not disappointed. I was happy to see you back out,” Ezra said to Kasi. “It’s been a while.”
“It has,” she agreed.
“Well, you caught yourself a good one.” Ezra gave Levi a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Happy for you two.”
The two men quickly moved on after Remi promised to find Henry later for a dance.
“Marking your territory?” Remi asked.
Levi snorted. “Damn right.” Then he leaned close to Kasi again. “You didn’t mention going out when I called earlier.”
Kasi gave him an adorable grin, looking at him over her shoulder. “It wasn’t even a plan until about an hour ago. Remi showed up with wine, intent on chilling with me in the kitchen, but I knew that wasn’t going to cut it.”
He frowned, suddenly worried. “Why not? Bad day?” She hadn’t given him that impression when they’d spoken on the phone.
The shadows in Kasi’s eyes answered the question for him, but he noticed they passed quickly.
“Not really,” she said. “Just…more of the same.”
He’d spent enough time with her to know exactly what that entailed, so he assumed her father had hidden in his room most of the day. And it was probably a good bet that Keith had been a little shithead. Those two things were the primary reasons Levi had been pushing harder this year with the harvest, pulling longer hours in hopes of finishing sooner.
He wanted to get back to the routine he’d established the week prior to this one, splitting his days between the two farms. Levi knew that wasn’t going to work in the long-term, mainly because he couldn’t keep asking his brothers to cover chores for him, but damn if he wasn’t determined to make it work for as long as he could. Because even with makeup on, he could still see the faintest hint of the dark circles under Kasi’s eyes that said she wasn’t getting as much sleep as she needed.
“I’m glad you took the night off to enjoy yourself. You deserve it.” He took a couple steps away from the table, ready to excuse himself because he really didn’t want to crash girls’ night. She needed it badly, and he knew from personal experience that Remi was good for the soul, the perfect person to cheer up Kasi and ensure she had a great time.
Then he tallied the empty shot glasses on the table, taking in the flush on Kasi’s—and Remi’s—cheeks, thanks to the vodka. He tipped her head back with a finger under his chin. “Did you eat dinner?”
He expected her to say yes because she’d promised to take care of herself…so when her eyes lowered, darting to the side, he narrowed his own.
“Kasi.”
She lifted one shoulder. “I wasn’t hungry earlier. Then Remi came by, and we started getting ready to go out, and I forgot.”
Levi pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll order a couple of apps for you and Remi when I get back to my table. You need something in your stomach to soak up the alcohol.”
“You’re not hanging with us?” Kasi asked, clearly disappointed.
“Do you want me to?” He was pleased as hell to think she did.
“Of course,” Kasi said.
Levi’s gaze slid over to Remi, who laughed. “I said you couldn’t steal her. I didn’t say I wouldn’t share her.”
He chuckled. “I’d love to join you. Should we move over with Mav, Theo, and Jace? They have a bigger table.”
“That sounds like fun,” Kasi said.
“Now that you’ve said appetizers, I’m starving. Let’s order a few of them. I want cheesy bacon fries, wings, and the big pretzel. Then you guys can get something for yourselves,” Remi joked as she stood, picking up her last full shot glass.
Kasi grabbed her shot as well, taking the hand Levi offered as he guided them through the crowd. Levi plucked a couple available stools from nearby tables, adding them to the one he was sharing with his brothers.
Jace smiled when the girls joined them. “Hot damn. Now it’s a party!”
Theo waved down a waitress, ordering a couple pitchers of Rain or Shine IPA, which Abbey always kept on tap, as well as too many appetizers.
The six of them ate and drank, laughing and talking, while Levi sat next to Kasi, his arm slung around the back of her stool. She kept leaning into him, her shoulder pressed to his chest, their closeness allowing him to catch the occasional whiff of her strawberry-scented shampoo, as well as the sweet smell of lemons on her breath from the shots.
Because of Kasi’s longtime friendship with Remi, it truly felt like she was one of the family, his brothers teasing her the same way they teased their female cousins.
As the evening wore on, Maverick was the first to peel off, spotting a cute blonde across the bar. It didn’t take the charming bastard more than three minutes to get her on the dance floor, the two of them pushing the limits when it came to dirty dancing.
Remi followed Maverick’s example, finding Henry to drag him out for the dance she’d promised earlier.
Theo and Jace remained at the table, both uninterested in more than chilling out with a beer and people watching.
“You want to dance?” Levi asked, when a slow song came on, Carrie Underwood’s “Like I’ll Never Love You Again.”
Kasi nodded enthusiastically. “I love this song.”
The two of them made their way to the floor, and Levi smirked when he spotted Scottie watching them. The mayor shot him a dirty look, obviously still pissed about Levi punching him. It had happened nearly a year earlier, but apparently the fucker held a grudge.
Levi wrapped his arms around Kasi’s tiny waist, tucking her close to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders for a minute or so before shifting them to his hair. He’d noticed during their nightly make-out sessions that she was a fan of his long hair. He dipped his fingers beneath the hem of her blouse, desperate to touch skin.
The past week had been an experiment in torture and control as they continued to push the envelope on the couch. Kissing had given way to exploring each other’s bodies—her fingers drawing patterns on his chest, his toying with her nipples, tickling and stroking her breasts and stomach. From there, they’d upped the ante to her straddling his thighs, pressing her pussy against his crotch, both of them cursing the material in their way.
Last night, he’d pushed her to her back, caging her beneath him on the couch, as he shoved her T-shirt up, dragged her bra down, and feasted on her breasts for a good half hour while Kasi squirmed beneath him, breathlessly begging for more. He’d never spent this much time with a woman without having actual sex, and while Levi loved pushing her hot buttons and taking the time to discover her erogenous zones, he needed her.
Needed her like he needed air and water.
He lowered his head, resting his cheek against hers, grinning when she giggled.
“Your beard tickles,” she admitted.
When he’d first arrived at Whiskey Abbey, Levi could tell Kasi was tipsy, thanks to the lemon drop shots. However, that buzz appeared to have waned. She’d had a fair amount of the appetizers, and she’d drunk the two large glasses of water he’d poured for her. Her focus was crystal clear when he cupped her cheek, pressing his forehead against hers.
“Come home with me tonight,” he whispered.
If she’d still been under the influence of the alcohol, he wouldn’t have made that request. Kasi was a virgin, and he was determined to make her first time as special as possible.
Kasi’s smile grew, and she nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. Okay.”
He tilted his head. “You sure?” he asked, wanting to make it perfectly clear what he had in mind.
“So sure,” she quickly replied. “So, so sure.”
He smiled and kissed her, the two of them giving Maverick and the blonde a run for their money on public indecency. Once they parted, he grasped her hand, dragging her to the table despite the fact the song hadn’t ended.
“In a hurry?” she asked, laughing.
“Sweet Jesus, Kass. I’m only human, and these last couple of weeks…” He didn’t bother saying more. Mainly because she was nodding in agreement.
“I think I’ll die if you and I don’t… I need you inside me,” she whispered.
Levi closed his eyes, sending up a silent prayer that he managed to make it home. Right now, there was a fifty-fifty shot he’d take her in his truck in the damn parking lot.
Only Theo and Jace were at the table when they returned, Remi and Maverick still dancing with their partners. Levi pulled out his wallet and tossed several twenties on the table. “That should cover mine and Kasi’s part of the bill. You okay to catch a ride back with Theo?” he asked Jace.
His brother nodded. “Yeah. We were just discussing that. We’ll drive Remi home too. Theo will bring her back here in the morning to pick up her car.”
“Good,” Levi said, glad they were getting Remi home safely. Like Kasi, she’d switched from shots to water, but she’d still consumed enough that she wouldn’t get behind the wheel of a car. “We’re heading out. See you later.”
“You kids be good,” Theo called out. “And use protection!”
Kasi laughed, but Levi didn’t have time to do more than playfully flip his brother the middle finger over his shoulder. Her hand was gripped tight in his as he dragged her toward the exit with too much haste, Kasi half jogging to keep up with his long strides.
“Levi,” she said, trying to slow him down.
The second they stepped out of the bar and into the parking lot, he pushed her against the side of the building, lowering his head to kiss her. He didn’t have a fucking clue how he was going to make it to the farm without taking her. He’d never wanted a woman with this much desperation. Somehow he’d managed to bank his desires so far because time and location had never been on his side.
Tonight, it was all systems go—and his dick fucking knew it.
Kasi moaned into his mouth, her fingers clenched tightly in his T-shirt, her arousal matching his. They continued to kiss—God, the word kiss was way too mild for what they were doing—until some jackass wolf-whistled and another person told them to “get a room.”
Levi pulled away slightly, loving the way Kasi’s eyelids were heavy, the way she gasped for air. It took her several seconds to focus on him.
“I want you so bad,” she confessed.
“Fuck, Kasi. You’re killing me.” He forced himself to put a few more inches between them. “Come on,” he said, reclaiming her hand. “The sooner I get you home, the sooner I can strip you out of these clothes.”
Kasi grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
They crossed the parking lot and Levi opened the passenger door of his truck, latching her seat belt after she climbed in. She didn’t bother to point out—again—that she was capable of buckling herself.
He liked taking care of her. Not because Kasi needed it but because he did. He hadn’t downplayed her importance to him.
She was his, and he intended to make sure she never wanted for a single thing. He planned to spend every moment of his life easing her burdens, spoiling her rotten, filling her up with as many babies as she’d give him, and growing old with her. When he looked at her, he didn’t see days or years. He saw decades, a lifetime.
Crossing in front of the hood, he climbed behind the steering wheel and turned the truck toward Stormy Weather Farm. They were quiet on the ride. Levi didn’t know what was going through her mind, but he was currently running through a grocery list of all the things he wanted to do to his sexy, beautiful girl.
Kasi looked at him curiously when he turned down a less-used dirt path rather than following the paved driveway all the way to his farmhouse.
“We’re going to the cabin we stayed in a couple weeks ago,” he said in response to her unspoken question. “My farmhouse isn’t any more private than yours, little bear.”
She grinned. “It’s less private with seven of you living there,” she pointed out. “I thought the cabins were typically booked this time of year.”
Levi nodded as they pulled in front of the cabin. “They are, but this one needs a bit of a facelift,” he said, as he turned the truck off. “My brothers and I have been replacing some bad boards in the porch, scraping and painting the outside windowsills whenever we have some time, while Mila plans to give it a fresh coat of paint inside once harvest season is over.”
Climbing out, he met Kasi on her side before she could get out of the truck. She giggled when he lifted her so that her legs wrapped around his waist, his hands gripping her ass as he carried her inside. On the way, Kasi peppered his cheeks, chin, and neck with kisses, and the erection he’d barely held at bay on the drive to the cabin returned with a vengeance.
Kasi wriggled, expecting him to put her down once they were over the threshold, but Levi tightened his hold, squeezing her ass cheeks, not stopping until they stood in the same bedroom where he’d tucked her in following her trip to the hospital.
Once there, he put her down, cupping her cheeks in his large hands. “Point of no return, Kass,” he said softly. “You sure about this?”
“There is nowhere else on earth I’d rather be than right here, right now, Levi.”
Those were the best words Levi had ever heard. He bent lower, kissing her. Unlike the kiss at the bar, this one was gentler, calmer.
Having her here helped him temper his needs.
But only a little.
Because the second her tongue found his, the instant her hands reached around his midsection and gripped his ass firmly, it was fucking on.
Levi deepened the kiss as he slow-walked her to the bed, not stopping until the back of her legs hit the mattress. Kasi pulled away, glancing behind her before facing him once more with a smile that was equal parts breathtaking and seductive.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, his lips sliding along her brow, down to her ear. “And you’re mine. Now take off those damn clothes.”