Chapter 3
Chapter Three
LEVI
My head was killing me. My body felt heavy, almost like I couldn’t move.
Which was weird. In the past, even when I got blackout drunk, I’d never experienced having a heavy body as a hangover effect, but maybe that was one of the side effects of getting old.
Not that twenty-five was old or anything, but it was clear the days I could have a couple drinks and still feel like a hundred bucks the next morning were long gone.
I slowly peeled my eyes open and tried to lift my arms, but they felt like they were being tied down by something hard…and warm?
No matter how hungover I was, there was no way I was imagining the very hot touch that I now noticed enveloped my entire body.
I lifted my head as much as I could, trying to ignore the throbbing at my temples, and almost screamed at the strange man who had me in an octopus hold. He had all his limbs wrapped around me like I was his personal body pillow or something.
Who the fuck is this guy?
Racking my brains to place the man, I tried to remember how I’d ended up bringing him home, but I came up blank.
He was handsome, with strong eyebrows, a prominent nose, and pouty lips I was sure some men would go crazy over. But he was not nearly silver fox enough for my tastes. He looked around my age, which I typically didn’t go for, so imagine how surprised I was to find him in my bed now.
It took me another second, my mental processing working slowly, to realize that I was, in fact, not in my bed. Hell, this wasn’t even my room, though I wasn’t unfamiliar with it. It was one of the rooms at the B&B my family ran.
Shit.
Had I slept with a guest?
That would be so fucking unprofessional. What would our guests think if they found out I was sleeping around with the people who stayed here?
I had to get the hell out of dodge before the dude woke up and this thing became a whole situation.
Fuck, how the hell had I gotten myself into this?
I knew I could do stupid shit when I was drunk, and sure, I was a little flirty, but I wasn’t the type of drunk to fall into bed with randos. It was usually my mouth that ran off and got me into trouble, but it looked like my mouth bit off more than I could chew this time.
Fuck.
This wasn’t the time to contemplate past-Levi’s choices. Getting out of here took priority, but how the hell was I supposed to do that when this man had arms like steel bands?
I wasn’t small by any means. Growing up at the B&B, there was always work to be done, and helping my dads when I was younger had kept me in shape.
But this man above me? He had the arms of fucking Hulk if my trying to get him off me—and failing—was anything to go by. No matter how much I struggled to push his limbs off, they were like lead and fell back onto my body.
I blamed it on the alcohol sucking away all my morning strength and the awkward position I was in, with both arms bound underneath his. It didn’t help that my legs were wrapped between his as well.
Who the fuck slept while holding someone in a death grip anyway?
As if he knew I was thinking about him, the stranger groaned in his sleep and rubbed his cold nose against my skin, burying his head deeper into my neck.
I stared up at the ceiling, head throbbing like a thousand drums going off at the same time, and…fuck, now I had to use the bathroom too. It was like after I gave up struggling, all the alcohol I had last night decided it needed to come out right this very fucking second.
Just great .
Fuck, I was never drinking again.
This was already embarrassing enough, and I would not let it get worse by being locked up by this hellishly strong man until… motherfucking hell , I didn’t even want to think about what would happen if I couldn’t escape from here soon.
As if a second surge of energy passed through me at the thought of making an even bigger fool of myself, I managed to slip under his arms to sit up, then pulled my legs out from under him, and I was home free. I’d never been so happy in my life, and I raised my hands over my head in a silent cheer.
Soft chuckling had me pulling my arms back and swinging my head around to find the stranger watching me with amusement. He was propped up on his elbow, his longish hair flopped over his ears, casting a shadow over his eyes.
I narrowed my gaze at him. “Were you awake this entire time?” I accused.
It was no wonder he seemed freakishly strong for someone who was sleeping. The fucker only smiled, and I had my answer.
“Did you think it was funny or something? Seeing me struggle like that?” I hissed, trying to turn my body toward him.
As if the morning couldn’t have started out even worse, the action caused my center of gravity to tip over, and suddenly, I was falling off the bed for the first time in my entire life.
The stranger lunged to grab me, but his attempt only had his hands grasping at the air. A loud thud rang inside the room as pain shot through my backside.
“Are you okay?”
A head popped over the side of the bed to look down at me.
I glared at him. “This is your fault.”
“My fault? How do you figure that?” His pretty brow raised in question. Fuck him and his handsome face.
“If you hadn’t surprised me like that, I wouldn’t have turned around in shock and fell.”
He chuckled, soft and low. A sound that did something to my already confused and hurting body.
The stranger stood and held out a hand for me. “Since I’m at fault, it’s only right I take responsibility.”
Suspiciously, I watched him for a second. Here I was, basically blaming him for all my troubles this morning, and he was laughing it off and trying to help me? Either he had the temperament of a saint, or he was plotting something.
The stranger didn’t look fazed by my glare and only smiled wider. I reluctantly accepted his hand and used it to propel myself to my feet .
“Thanks,” I muttered and rubbed my backside. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now my ass was sore, and I really hoped it was from the fall and not anything else.
Then I remembered the entire reason I was here instead of my ownbed and started glaring at the man again.
What kind of person took advantage of a drunk like that? Nobody in our small town for sure, so he was definitely a tourist. Hopefully, he was only passing through and I’d never have to see him again.
Instead of getting all defensive like I thought he would, the man smiled again. The amusement was clear in his eyes, showing me he obviously found this situation hilarious. At least one of us was having a good morning.
“We didn’t sleep together, if that’s why you currently have this puffed-up cat look going for you,” he said.
I gave him a what-the-fuck look and gestured to the bed we both came—or, in my case, fell —from.
He laughed. “Okay, fine, you got me there. But I promise all we did was sleep. You were too drunk last night to tell me where you lived, so I figured bringing you back here for the night was better than letting you fend for yourself at the pub.”
I eyed him suspiciously, and then bits and pieces of last night started coming back to me through the fog of my hangover.
Yesterday had been rough. The guy I’d been seeing for a month had just broken up with me, claiming it wouldn’t work out since we were in different phases in life. I was still young, and he was ready to settle down and have kids.
Funny how none of that came up when he was fucking me into the mattress an hour before. Nor did he ask what I was looking for, because I was exactly the settling-down type. And while I didn’t see myself having a child so soon, I would consider having one with the right person .
But nope, that ass left before I could even finish getting dressed, leaving me sitting in the hotel room feeling like a used condom.
My friends took me to Dove’s Fountain for some drinks and to lend an ear as I complained about men. They were very understanding and tried their best to console me, but after getting nowhere on the dating scene for years, I was feeling defeated, which only made the liquor go down smoother.
We drank for a couple hours before Austin and Jim had to call it a night, but I’d opted to stay, despite their worried offers to take me home. It was only after I promised not to drink anymore that they finally left me to my own devices.
I hadn’t kept that promise. Especially not after I saw the striking older man enter the bar.
They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone new, so that was my plan.
A sexy, older man without a ring on his finger was just my type. He had to be a tourist since I hadn’t seen him around town. And from the appreciative glances I’d seen shot my way, I knew he, at least, found me attractive.
That was what had prompted another shot or two for liquid courage to go up to the man. Maybe I drank a little more than I could handle because the last thing I remembered was striding over to the bar, trying to exude fun, sexy confidence to win him over.
I probably ran my mouth like I usually did when drunk and scared my target away. But that still didn’t explain how I’d ended up with this dude instead of the sexy older man I had my eyes on last night.
“I was sitting next to the silver fox. You sat in his seat after he blew you off, and I didn’t just want to leave you alone like that,” he said, as if he’d seen the question on my face. Which only had me furrowing my brow .
Was I still drunk and speaking out loud without realizing it, or could this guy read minds?
“You have a really expressive face,” he added with a chuckle.
Well, that answered that question, though it was only one on the long list to figure out what the hell I was doing here, but I had to ask the most important one first. “So, we really didn’t sleep together ?”
While I wasn’t a prude about sex, I wasn’t happy about the idea of potentially doing it at my family’s B&B. It just felt wrong somehow.
“We didn’t. All we did was sleep, I promise,” he said with a cheeky grin. “Besides, I’m not into men. Not that I have a problem with people who are. I just prefer a woman’s body, you know?”
I hummed in reply. Not in agreement with him because I’d known I was gay since before I knew what love was, so I did not , in fact, understand the appeal of a woman’s body, but whatever floated his boat.
Now that he mentioned it, the pain in my ass had disappeared, so it was likely from landing on my bum when I fell off the bed. And if we had slept together, it wouldn’t make sense for both of us to be fully clothed now.
Letting out a huge sigh of relief, I flattened my wrinkled T-shirt. My gaze flicked to anywhere besides his, feeling utterly ashamed by this entire situation.
The man had helped me last night and here I was, blaming him for the rough start of my morning. I wasn’t usually this suspicious, but maybe the breakup had affected me more than I wanted to admit.
I wasn’t even especially heartbroken either. I liked the guy just fine. He was my type, fifteen years older than me and screamed confidence, but it wasn’t like I was in love with him. I was just tired of dating all these guys and feeling like I was being used for my body.
That was the problem with dating older men, at least for me. Most of them learned of my age and never took me seriously, thinking I only wanted something casual when it was the complete opposite.
But those were hot shower thoughts for later. I had other things to focus on right now. I peeked at the man, and he was watching me quietly. A smile splayed across his face, like he still found this situation funny.
“Anyway, thank you for, you know, making sure I was safe. I’ll get out of your hair now,” I said, then looked around for my things.
Thankfully, my phone and wallet were on the nightstand. I quickly pocketed them and strode to the door but paused before leaving. Guilt was eating at me for leaving like this when he’d been nothing but helpful.
I let out a quiet sigh of frustration, then turned around and walked to the small table in the corner where I knew we kept a writing pad and pen for our guests. I jotted down my number, tore the paper from the pad, then handed it to the stranger.
“If you’re around later, text me, and I’ll treat you to drinks or something as thanks for last night,” I said. And then, this time, I really did stride out the door, leaving the man standing there holding my number.
I hoped he left town soon and left this awkward memory where it belonged, never to be mentioned again.