Page 39 of Wicked Dares
I shoot him a skeptical look. “Youwere a boy scout?” There’s no way. This guy is the rebel, the kind of guy who sets his own rules and expects everyone else to live by them.
He huffs out a deep laugh. The sexy sound does strange things to my nerves. “No. But I can still give you my scout’s honor.”
“Alright, I guess that works.”
“I promised you a simple dinner. Think of this as a wine tasting.”
I nod, and we taste wine while we wait for our food, which doesn’t take very long.
The ravioli looks like it was plucked from one of Aunt Bess’Great Foodcookery magazines. And it smells divine. I swear I can smell every single ingredient and herb that went into making it.
“Go on, taste it. Trust me, you won’t regret it,” Levi prods.
I stab my fork through one of the ravioli pockets and bring it to my mouth. I take a bite and instantly wonder how I’ve lived for twenty-six years and never tried this.
“Oh my God,” I mutter, shoving the rest in.
“Told you.”
“Hmmm. I never thought it would tastethisgood.”
“Just don’t try the shitty can version. You’ll regret it.”
“I’ll take your word on that.”
We both tuck in and eat, but I can feel his eyes on me, watching my every move. He polishes off his food within minutes of starting, while I continue to savor every bite.
“So, how does a girl who wants to start her own company end up doing admin at my company?” he asks when I’m nearly done.
“It’s a foot through the door for now.” More like money to pay my bills. It’s becoming clearer every day that there will be no progression for me in the marketing department. Today, Helen was talking about getting a permanent member of staff as opposed to me—the temp—who’s already there willing and able. She just doesn’t like me.
“Is that for your fresh start?” From the curious look in his eyes, I get the impression he was hedging around to ask me that question.
God, what should I say? The answer is twofold. Part of it could help me explain why tonight can’t be any more than a simple dinner date.
“I kind of needed to make a start somewhere new after a really bad… relationship.”
I feel a little exposed admitting that. There haven’t been many people I’ve had to explain it to. Everyone who knows me already knows what happened with Reece.
Levi’s expression shifts, the ease slipping. His jaw tightens and his gaze sharpens like he’s seeing more than I’m showing.
“Bad how?” Even his voice sounds more serious—stripped of the light humor I’ve gotten used to.
“Really bad. Bad enough that I’m lucky I walked away.” My hands tremble as a memory presses too close.
I always get like this when I talk about anything to do with Reece.
Levi’s gaze darkens but steadies quickly when his eyes fall on my trembling hand on the table. He covers it with his, then gently raises it to his lips and brushes them over my knuckles. The tenderness of the barely-there kiss spreads through me.
The gesture is old-fashioned in a way that catches me completely off guard, but it’s… nice.
Warmth blooms beneath my skin, slow as molasses. I shouldn’t read too much into the comfort settling inside me, shouldn’t crave the way his lips linger a second longer than they need to. But it’s the gentleness that ruins me. Anything else, I could brace for.
“Well, now, this is a mighty pleasant surprise.” A hearty voice cuts through the moment, touched with a rich Texan drawl.
Levi and I turn toward the sound.
Standing in the archway across from us is a tall, broad-shouldered man in a beige suit. Silver threads through his short dark hair, more pronounced at the temples. There’s a polish to him that makes it easy to picture him in a boardroom, or out on a ranch.
