23. Alexis
Alexis couldn’t sleep. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, her thoughts racing.
How had the whole evening unfolded in such an unexpected way? She’d kind of been dreading the blind date, but she’d been surprisingly excited to discover Levi was the person she was supposed to meet.
She hadn’t planned on inviting him out for dinner, but the suggestion of the fake date to appease his mother had slipped out before she’d fully thought it through. She was glad she’d offered now, though.
That kiss… even recalling it an hour later made her toes curl. If it hadn’t been for Tofu calling out from the other side of the door, she wasn’t sure what would have happened.
She threw herself around her mattress like a teenager swooning over their favourite celebrity crush. What was wrong with her? She never got this worked up over a guy. Maybe it was true what they said about there being a fine line between love and hate. The intensity with which Levi had initially annoyed her had suddenly flipped to… she wasn’t exactly sure how to define this emotion.
And then she realised they’d never taken the selfies as proof of their evening together. Oops. At least that gave her an excuse to see him again soon.
She’d visit in the morning before he left for the office. She’d be babysitting Elias anyway—potentially for one of their last sessions—so she’d go downstairs a little earlier than usual.
She just had to get through the night first.
Alexis tossedand turned for several hours, checking the time every five minutes. At 6am, she jumped up and showered before dressing. She weirdly wasn’t tired at all. But why did she have so much trouble picking outfits these days? She settled on a pair of caramel-coloured pants and a black shirt, quickly tying her hair into a low ponytail and stepping into a pair of ballet flats.
Just before seven, she knocked on Levi’s door. Elias opened it.
He rubbed his eyes. ‘Why are you here so early?’ he complained. ‘Levi’s still in the shower.’
The mention of Levi in the shower made her blush, and it took a significant amount of willpower not to push Elias aside and ask Levi if she could join him. If Elias hadn’t been there, she may have done just that.
‘Uh…’ She suddenly forgot what she was going to say.
Elias gave her a knowing look. ‘Ah. My bro told me what happened last night. You must have been shocked, huh?’
‘You can say that again.’
‘To have your date stand you up would have been upsetting. I promise you, it’s no reflection on you as a person. I personally would never have done such a thing.’
Alexis stared at him. ‘Wait. What are you talking about?’
‘Oh, are you annoyed Levi told me? He didn’t want to say anything, but I was persistent. I wanted proof you really did have a date.’
‘And that’s what he told you?’
‘Well, I did accuse you of making up the whole thing, but he assured me it was real. He said you showed him the text message Chad wrote to cancel and everything.’
Chad?Alexis was confused. Why would Levi not tell him what really happened? But then, did she want all the creepy innuendo Elias would surely spout if he knew the truth? Maybe Levi had wanted to save her from that.
At that moment, Levi came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was damp and brushed away from his forehead. Alexis almost gasped out loud.
Levi looked over, his eyes widening as he saw her.
‘You’re early.’
‘Yeah, sorry, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.’
‘Uh, right.’ He made eye contact with Elias and quickly came to a conclusion. ‘We’ll go to my room.’
Elias chuckled. ‘You don’t want to put some clothes on first? I’m sure your date from last night wouldn’t appreciate you being in your bedroom with another woman when you’re dressed—or should I say undressed—like that.’
‘Stop being so immature. By the way, you can go home tomorrow.’
Elias pouted. ‘I can’t believe you’re trying to get rid of me just as I’ve settled in. But fine. I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll be in the kitchen making breakfast.’
He sauntered off, and Levi looked back at Alexis, nodding his head in the direction of the hall.
She hesitated for a moment before following.
They entered his bedroom, and Levi closed the door behind her. It was a very different mood to the time she’d helped him into bed after he’d collapsed following their first encounter.
Her brain went blank.
His eyes twinkled as he studied her. ‘You couldn’t keep away?’
‘Stop it. I just remembered we didn’t take any photos last night, and I wondered if you wanted to take one this morning.’
‘Oh. Yes. We should do that.’
‘But apparently you don’t want Elias knowing I was your blind date?’
‘It’s for your own good.’
‘Why?’
‘Because my family is completely messed up, and as soon as my parents find out who you are, I worry they’ll mess you up too.’
‘Then you don’t want to send your mum a photo?’
He thought for a second. ‘We could. But we can get a little creative about it.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘Here.’ He went over to his bedside table and picked up his phone. He then approached her and pulled her close, holding the phone behind her head and smiling at the screen.
Having Levi’s bare chest pressed against her body required a Herculean level of mental strength not to push him backwards onto the bed and have her way with him.
She barely managed to form a coherent sentence. ‘Won’t your mum know this is your bedroom? And see that you’re not wearing a shirt? That could be a little too much implied information to send to a parent.’
He laughed. ‘It would serve her right for getting involved in my personal life in the first place.’
‘Still. You don’t want to give her a heart attack.’
‘Don’t you worry about her. I’m already concerned enough with you having to spend another day with Elias.’
‘Are you worried I’ll tell him what really happened between us last night?’
‘A little. Please don’t.’
‘I’ll think about it. What if he starts flirting with me?’
‘Ignore him. Why? Do you like him more than me?’
‘Of course not.’
Levi suddenly seemed to realise they were still standing ridiculously close to each other, and he was practically naked.
He looked at her lips, and she wondered if there was time for one more kiss before…
Her phone rang.
Damn it.
She reluctantly stepped back and pulled it from her pocket.
‘Hello?’
Levi watched her, a combination of amusement and frustration on his face.
‘Hi, it’s Sadie. I was wondering if you could take Princess Blueberry for an additional day next week? I have a specialist appointment that’s going to take a considerable amount of time, and I don’t want to leave her home alone all day.’
‘Oh. That might be possible, but I’ll have to check my schedule. Can you message me the details and I’ll call you back to confirm?’
‘Very well. Please reply as soon as possible.’
She hung up, and Alexis sighed. She was starting to tire of being an on-demand pet-sitter.
Levi was still watching her.
‘I should… I should probably let you get dressed,’ she said hurriedly.
‘Probably,’ he said, grinning.
She started backing toward the door, but he quickly stepped forward and pressed her against the wall, kissing her deeply. The rest of the world disappeared, and she lost herself in the feeling of Levi’s lips on hers.
But then, as quickly as it started, it ended.
Levi pulled back, grinned at her again, and opened the door, gently pushing her out.
‘I can’t be late for work.’
She shook her head. ‘You play dirty.’
‘You have no idea.’
He closed the door again, leaving her to catch her breath alone.
That guy was going to be the death of her.