Page 54 of Every Single Broken Piece
Resting his left forearm on the table, his pointer finger brushes along the rim of his plate.
“She initiated the first time we had sex.” He lets out an embarrassed chuckle. “Fuck knows why she married me. I just laid still and let her do all the work.”
“Me too,” I admit. “I had no idea what to do, so I kept my arms crossed over my chest and kinda prayed for it to be over as quickly as possible.”
His gaze softens on me. “Two peas in a pod.”
As I spear a strip of steak, I say, “I’m sure that won’t be the case if we ... do the deed.”
“Yeah?” Levi’s lashes lower, and his features tighten with hunger, his eyes dilating. Then the man’s teeth tug at his bottom lip.
Heat flushes my core, and my abdomen clenches hard. The fork clatters against my plate as it slips from my fingers.
“Yep.” My voice is hoarse, and I clear my throat before continuing, “I’m willing to bet everything I have that things will be pretty explosive.”
Levi keeps looking at me as if he prefers to have me for a meal instead of the plate of pasta. “I think you’re right.”
Chapter 15
Levi
After showering, I pull my brush through my damp hair before I walk to my study. It’s Thanksgiving, but I’ll only see Kelcie later this afternoon.
Sitting down behind my desk, I turn on my laptop. While I wait, I check my emails on my phone and see one from my agent, checking in with me.
I type out a quick reply, telling him to relax and that I’m halfway done with the book. Just as I set the device down, another email pops up. The subject heading has my eyes narrowing.
One and only warning.
I open the email and stare at the two words.
Leave Verona.
My author email is on my website, and this message can be from anybody, but my initial thought is that it’s from Colby or someone in his family.
Kelcie said Colby is more bark than fight, and this is probably him barking.
Anger simmers in my chest as I read the words again before blocking the sender’s email.
Letting out a sigh, I roll my shoulders, then opening my manuscript, I read the last piece I wrote and get to work.
The words struggle to come, and after trying for an hour, I lean back in my chair and glare at my laptop.
Lick lifts her head and wags her tail.
I quickly save the little work I’ve managed to get done and shut my laptop. When I climb to my feet, Lick darts up and pads to the kitchen, impatiently waiting by the door for me to open it.
I let her out, and noticing the snowflakes floating to the ground, I take the steps down to the backyard. Holding out my hand, I catch one in my palm and watch as it melts.
It feels like a forewarning. Kelcie is fragile like this snowflake, and being with me might lead to her getting hurt in such a way that she can’t come back from it.
What if she somehow finds out I watched her like a creep for a year?
What if she learns I bought this house because it was next door to her?
What if . . . What if . . . What if . . .
So much can go wrong, and if the worst happens and she realizes who I am and what I’ve done, I know it will kill whatever love she feels for me.
