Chapter 5
Levi
Hotel life was slowly killing me. The four walls of my room were closing in on me, making it hard to breathe.
And it sure didn’t help that my home search had come to an abrupt halt when my realtor decided to wash her hands of me. Sure, I’d been contacted by her colleague, Brad, who was eager to set up a time to show me a handful of houses I’d already seen, but I told him I was busy.
It was an excuse. The truth was, I was still hung up on Arizona.
The woman was drop-dead gorgeous. Exactly my type with legs for days, perky tits, and hair long enough to wrap around my fist.
But she’d turned me down flat.
A week later, I still couldn’t make sense of it.
Never had a woman decided to stomp on what I was putting down instead of picking it up. Usually, all it took was a flash of the pearly whites to have them throwing their panties at me.
Arizona was different. And like a puzzle I couldn’t solve, I became obsessed with figuring her out.
She hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring, but that didn’t eliminate the possibility of a boyfriend.
The thought had crossed my mind that she preferred women to men, but I quickly dismissed the notion, given that her pupils had blown out when I invaded her personal space.
My visceral attraction to her was reciprocated. I was sure of it.
So why didn’t she take me up on my offer? All I’d asked for was a date, a chance to see if the sparks caught fire, and if they didn’t, I would have happily bought a house and moved on. But she’d twisted it around to make it sound as though I viewed her as nothing more than a prostitute.
The idea was laughable. I didn’t need to pay for sex. Not when I could take home any woman I wanted.
Except her. And it chafed at me.
I needed to get out of here, needed to get some air and clear my head.
Through the window, the ocean sparkled in the morning sun, beckoning me.
Becoming one with the sea, feeling the power of it beneath my feet as I carved through the waves, would be the perfect way to turn off my brain.
“Mind if I wait here?”
Straddling my board, I turned to find a teenage boy had paddled up beside me. It had been pretty quiet until now; most people were too busy in the middle of the day to go surfing, but given my new companion, I must’ve been out here long enough that schools had let out for the day.
“Sure. What’s your name, kid?”
He slicked the dark hair away from his forehead. “Austin.”
“Levi,” I offered mine in return. “You come out here often?”
Austin shrugged. “When I can manage to bum a ride.”
I didn’t know this kid beyond his first name, but his response resonated with me.
At his age—I’d guess him to be somewhere around fourteen or fifteen—my parents each worked a second job to be able to afford my hockey gear, ice time, and any additional costs associated with playing high-level hockey.
Looking back, I could appreciate how much they’d sacrificed so I could make it to the pros, but when I was living in it, I hated that they were never around.
And the reason wasn’t something heartwarming like I missed them; it was purely selfish.
On those rare days when I didn’t have hockey practice, I wanted to join my friends on their trips to the beach or the movies or the mall.
But there was no one home to drive me, and it was too far to ride on my bike.
It outright sucked being left out because I didn’t have a stay-at-home mom like a lot of the other kids.
Scanning the area for someone else his age, I asked, “You come here with a friend?”
“Nah.” Damp strands of shaggy hair whipped across his face as he shook his head. “I hitchhiked.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline.
Damn, okay. Not sure I’d have ever had the balls to get in the car with a stranger, but I could applaud his determination to do whatever it took to get out on the waves.
Blue eyes that seemed vaguely familiar narrowed in my direction as he gauged my reaction. “You got a problem with that?”
I held up both hands, palms facing outward. “Hey, man. I’m not your parent.”
Face tilted toward the sun, Austin scoffed. “Fucking parents.”
My chuckle couldn’t be contained. Teenage angst was a lot more amusing when you were watching from the outside.
“I come out here to quiet my thoughts. What about you?”
The teen scooped up a handful of water, letting it slide through his fingers. “Makes me feel alive, ya know?”
Yeah, I sure did.
“Ah, so you’re an adrenaline junkie,” I teased, hoping to draw him out of his shell.
His head tilted from side to side. “Maybe.” There was a pause before he added, “Life is too damn short. You gotta make the most of it while you’ve got the chance.”
While I couldn’t argue—fully aware that I was one bad hit away from my career ending every time I stepped onto the ice—I wondered what this kid had been through to come to that realization at such a young age.
Done talking, Austin jerked his chin toward deeper water where the rise of a wave was forming. “I’m gonna take this next one if that’s okay.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
I watched as he turned his board so that he was facing the beach in the distance before lying on his belly and paddling. He waited until he caught momentum, then hopped onto his feet with practiced ease, his balance perfect as he dropped into the wave.
Impressed, I let out a hum. He exhibited a level of agility that couldn’t be taught; it was inherent. The kid was a natural.
Austin swam back to where I floated, and we took turns when rideable waves came our way. Neither of us felt the need to fill the silence in between, content to share a moment of tranquility without words.
A shrill sound reached my ears, and I glanced upward, expecting to find a flock of seagulls overhead. Prepared to duck and cover from an onslaught of their so-called “lucky” presents, I was surprised to find the sky clear above me.
There was a hiss from the teen at my side. “Shit. I gotta go.”
I lowered my gaze to find him headed toward the shore, where a woman stood screaming and waving one arm frantically.
Without conscious thought of the repercussions of inserting myself into someone else’s domestic situation, I swam after Austin, hoping that I might be able to reason with who I could only assume was his mother.
While I could agree that hitchhiking was dangerous as hell, maybe if they understood how much he needed this release, they might be willing to go lighter on whatever punishment they were ready to hand down.
By the time I caught up with the kid, we were close enough to the beach that I could get a good look at the screeching banshee standing on the sand. A spark of recognition hit me, and I sucked in a sharp breath.
There, in wide-leg trousers and a sleeveless blouse with a pair of heels dangling from her fingertips, was the woman I’d come out here to forget.
With my windpipe closing up, my voice came out strangled. “Is that your mom?”
I wasn’t often discerning with the women I took to my bed, but single moms were where I drew the line. Kids were cool—Austin in particular—but I wasn’t looking to become anyone’s new daddy.
No thanks, not for me. I planned to stay childfree for life and was happy as hell with that decision.
“Sister,” Austin corrected on a grumble.
Relief slammed into my chest, and I remembered how to breathe, my lungs expanding on a much-needed inhale.
The hope was still alive that I could bang Arizona’s brains out and, hopefully, get her out of my system for good and move on.
“What the hell, Austin?” she screamed. “I was in the middle of a showing when I got a call from school that you skipped out after lunch. Then I track your phone, only to discover you’re playing hooky at the beach?”
Yikes. He was in deeper trouble than I’d initially thought.
She pushed her sunglasses up so that they rested atop her head, her blue eyes scanning her brother critically. “And where did you get a wetsuit and surfboard?”
The lanky teenager shrugged. “Rented it.”
“Rented it,” Arizona huffed, her face growing redder by the minute. “With what money? Do I need to start keeping track of how much cash I keep in my wallet?”
Austin’s air of nonchalance faded in an instant, and his jaw clenched. “Did you just accuse me of stealing?”
Propping the hand not holding her shoes on her hip, she didn’t back down. “Well, did you?”
“No, Arizona. I earned it by mowing Mrs. Yates’s yard.”
The suspicion never left her eyes. “So, you won’t mind if I call her and ask, then, will you?”
“Nice to know you don’t trust me at all.” Anger colored his words.
She scoffed. “You want trust? You have to earn it. And skipping school to go surfing isn’t the way to do that.”
Neither of them seemed to care that they were engaging in a heated altercation in public, nor did they notice that fellow beachgoers had begun to stare.
Hoping to cool things down, I inserted myself into their conversation. “I’m sure you can remember what it was like at his age. School stresses you out, and it doesn’t feel like your parents understand you. He needed a release.”
Arizona’s head whipped in my direction. “Listen, buddy, I don’t know who you are, but this doesn’t concern—” Her words cut off abruptly, then came a growled “You.”
Strategically positioning myself behind my board so she couldn’t see that my dick had suffered significant shrinkage beneath my skintight wetsuit—the Pacific was cold as fuck—I flashed her a grin. “Miss me?”
Blue gaze sharpening, she bit out, “Are you stalking me?”
I reared back at the accusation. “What? No!”
She scoffed. “You expect me to believe it’s pure coincidence that I find you with my brother after the stunt you pulled?”
Austin’s head moved on a swivel as he watched our interaction. “Uh, do you two know each other?”
“Wish I didn’t,” Arizona muttered under her breath.
“She’s my realtor,” I explained.
“Former realtor. You’re Brad’s problem now.”
“Wait, are you the professional athlete client?” Austin asked.
My chest puffed out. “That’s me.”
“No shit,” he breathed.
“Language!” The sharp reprimand came from Arizona.
Ignoring her, he asked, “What sport?”
“Hockey.”
Austin cringed. “Oof. The Surf suck.”
Tell me something I don’t already know, kid.
“I just got traded here last month, but since then, we’ve got a new coach, and things are starting to turn around.”
“If you say so.”
His voice was full of skepticism, and I couldn’t blame him. No one—not even those on the payroll—had high hopes for a team that consistently found itself at the bottom of the standings.
Brows furrowed, Austin turned to his sister. “Did you say you passed him off to Brad?” I could see the gears turning in his head. “Is this why we’ve been eating plain pasta on repeat for the past week? Because you turned down a monster commission?”
A flush of pink worked its way up Arizona’s neck, and she hissed out through gritted teeth, “We will talk about this at home.”
Because I couldn’t resist waving a red flag in front of a raging bull, I remarked, “You know, Brad does leave something to be desired.”
The glacial glare she shot me would have terrified most men, but it turned me on. Which was strange because I preferred an easy lay, not one I had to work for, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop fixating on this impossible woman.
“What? Tits and a vagina?”
Well, yeah, but I wasn’t about to say that out loud.
“Passion,” I replied instead.
Arizona pinched the bridge of her nose. “What do you want from me, Levi?”
My voice dropped an octave. “You know what I want.”
Curious, Austin asked, “Someone care to clue me in?”
Eyes lifting skyward, his sister blew out a breath. “He wants a date.”
“With you?”
“No, with Brad,” she deadpanned.
I made a cutting motion across my neck, stage-whispering, “Not with Brad.”
The teenager’s jaw dropped. “And you said no?”
“It’s complicated,” Arizona said.
He shook his head, scoffing. “Only you could turn down an opportunity like this while screwing us over financially.”
“Austin.” She let out a weary sigh. “If you’ll let me explain—”
“Don’t bother.” He cut her off. “All you are is a broken record, repeating, ‘It’s for the best,’ when it’s only what’s best for you, and never me.”
Arizona opened her mouth, ready to argue, but before she could utter a single word, I declared, “The offer still stands.”
Her wide-eyed gaze swung to me, murderous intent sparkling in those dark blue depths.
I probably should’ve felt bad for taking advantage of their tight money situation, but that wasn’t my style. Not when it was the key to getting what I wanted—Arizona writhing beneath me, screaming my name as I brought her to climax over and over and over again.
“One date, and I’ll make an offer on a house of your choosing from the listings you’ve shown me with your name as the realtor on record.”
The woman’s free fist clenched, likely imagining what it might feel like to strangle me. Hey, if that’s the kinda kinky shit she liked, I was more than happy to play along.
Austin groaned. “For God’s sake, Arizona. Let the man buy you dinner.”
“Return your stuff. I’ll meet you at the car.” She turned on her heel, trudging through the sand toward the parking lot.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, the kid standing beside me let out a deep exhale. “Sorry about her. She can be a real bitch sometimes.”
A laugh was pulled from my chest. “Don’t ask me why, but I’m kinda into it.”
“Anyway, I’d better get going before she goes full nuclear meltdown, but thanks for not ratting me out on how I got here today. I’d have ended up grounded for life.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve got you, man. But can you do me a favor?”
Austin pointed to his chest. “You need a favor from me?”
“Yeah, the next time you need to get out and you don’t have a ride, give me a call. If I’m not on the road, I’ll come pick you up and take you where you need to go. You’re a cool kid, and I’d hate to see something happen to you because you got into a car with a stranger.”
He let out a disbelieving exhale. “You’d seriously do that for me?”
Lifting one shoulder in a half shrug, I replied, “Just doing what I wish someone had done for me at your age.”
Still mildly stunned, he nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
We exchanged numbers, and then he took off toward the stall that handled beach rentals.
I might not have gotten the girl—yet—but I had an in with her younger brother.
My foot was in the door. Now it was up to me to work my way into Arizona’s bed.