Page 88 of Wilde Ride

His voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Thanks,” I replied as I walked back into the living room. I handed him the plate and silverware, then set his beer on the coffee table.

I sat down next to him, ignoring the heat of his body against mine. I cut the quesadilla in half, put his share on his plate, and handed it to him.

“I hope you don’t mind sitting on the sofa to eat. I’m not much of a formal person. Most meals are eaten right here.”

“Woman after my own heart. If it were up to me, all meals would be eaten this way. My mother insists on eating at the dining room table for every meal except breakfast. That one, we can eat at the breakfast nook.” He shook his head and smiled. “I really need to find my own place, and soon.”

“Have you started looking?” I asked before taking a bite of food.

“Not really. I wanted to get Rhett settled in the town a bit more before I started looking for a place. He’s really enjoying living with my parents at the moment. My mother is spoiling him rotten, doing everything she did for me when I was growing up. She’s a far cry from my ex.”

Frowning, I said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

He shrugged. “There were times when I wondered if Caroline even had a maternal bone in her body.”

“I can honestly say I had the best mother growing up.” I smiled. “Now, as well. I know if I needed anything from her or my father, they’d drop everything for me.”

Levi nodded. “That’s how my parents are. I guess that’s why I was so surprised by Caroline’s lack of motherly love. Don’t get me wrong, I believe she loves our kids; she just doesn’t know how to show it. At least, that’s what the therapist tells me.”

“Rhett did so good this past week. He thrived here at the camp, and it looks like he’s made a few friends.”

Levi smiled. “He has. You have no idea how much this has helped, Em. He’s now looking forward to starting school. Before, he was really worried about not knowing anyone. He’s moving from a large school to a much smaller one, and you know how kids can be. Especially in a small town.”

I let out a soft laugh. “Yes. I remember a few moments in my own childhood where some kids bullied me.”

He turned and stared at me. “Who bullied you?”

With a one-shoulder shrug, I replied, “Just a few kids in elementary. By the time I got to middle school, I’d learned not to take anyone’s shit.”

Levi let out a bark of laughter. “That sounds more like a Wilde kid.”

Smiling, I replied, “Ensley most certainly taught me to stand up for myself, and that hurting people are the ones who hurt others. I really took that to heart. So if someone is rude or mean to me, I try my best to ignore it, since I have no idea what the person is going through.”

Levi’s eyes searched over my face. The intensity of his gaze made me look down at my food and take another bite.

Pointing his fork at Luna, he asked, “So, who is that little beast, and where’s Moose?”

I giggled. “Moose is with Mom and Dad. That is Luna. She’s a rescue kitten. I found her in the barn, no mother around at all. She was only about three weeks old at the time, so I took her in and bottle-fed her. Now she’s stuck to me like glue. I do think she believes she’s a dog, though. She latched onto Moose as well.”

“She’s cute.”

“That’s one word to describe her.”

We ate in silence, until I couldn’t take the suspense any longer.

“Levi…what brought you here tonight?”

He glanced at me. “The kiss wasn’t a hint?”

The memory of the kiss caused my cheeks to heat. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it very much.”

Wiping the corners of his mouth, he set the napkin down, drew in a long breath, then released it. “I didn’t want to be alone tonight.”

My heart thumped against my chest as it beat rapidly. I tried not to fidget when the sudden pulsing moved to my lower stomach. “But you’re never alone. You’re staying with your mother and father.”

His eyes darkened. “Not that kind of alone, Em. The kind of alone when you’re lying in bed and your mind won’t stop thinking about someone.”

My mouth dropped open slightly as I fought to make my brain work. “I know that kind of alone all too well.”